Phone interview taken on March 4, 2010.
WULF: I’m not the hugest fan of industrial music (but) I do enjoy the new album…a lot actually. Also, I hadn’t ever heard your music before just because I’d never really bothered to check it out just because I wasn’t so into industrial, so when I received the new album needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. Anyway, to start off with, what is your personal favorite track on this new album? Or which track do you feel turned out the best?
GEN: For me, I’d say my two favorites on the record would be the opening track “Revolution” only because it kind of sets the tone for kind of how I feel about being in the music industry for a certain amount of time and wanting to put a boot in someone’s ass.
(laughs)
And also just kind of watching what I’ve seen happen in the music industry over a certain number of years and feeling like there is and needs to be a revolution when it comes to music. And then also I think “Confessions Of A Blackheart” just because it’s really off-the-wall and unique and it was a hell of a lot of fun for me to produce.
WULF: Oh, awesome!
GEN: Yeah, I’m doing all the vocals, and it’s a pretty odd song, it’s very eclectic. So those are two that I think are very different, (and those) would be my two favorites.
WULF: So would you say that was maybe also the most difficult track to record, or which would you say was the most difficult (to record), or was there any difficulty?
GEN: I would tell you this– the most challenging from a vocal standpoint was “Revolution” because I wanted to make sure that there was just an intense amount of energy and angst in that song and I can honestly say that I put every ounce of my soul and being into putting forth that energy. I probably did more takes on “Revolution” than any other song I’ve ever done in my life because I was sitting there with David, Evil D, who co-produced the record for me and he was like “nope! Not good enough! C’mon! You can do it!” He literally got me so pissed off that finally I (was like) “WHOAAAAAHHHHH!!!” and there’s this scream in the middle and I think I (just) about blew my lung sacs out because I was so pissed off.
(laughs)
WULF: Oh my gosh. Yeah, I can definitely understand.
GEN: But it sounds great, you know?
WULF: So when you say Evil D, you’re talking about David Vincent, that’s your husband right?
GEN: Yes.
WULF: So he kind of pissed you off when you were trying to do it over and over?
GEN: Well on that song we recorded those vocals in our studio and he was producing the vocals on that and I’m happy that he did it, he really held my feet to the fire and said “nope! Come on!” Let’s put it this way, he’s heard me scream at him enough that he knows what I’m capable of and I think he wanted to pull all that out of me to get that true anger, so he was good at it.
WULF: That’s really funny, that’s awesome though. You can definitely tell when listening to it.
GEN: Yeah.
WULF: So I was looking on your Myspace and it looks like you guys are about to go on tour, right?
GEN: We’re heading on down to Australia and New Zealand in a month. It’s just so fun because we we went there a couple years ago and just had a blast. The people are great, the fans are great, and it’s just an amazing part of the planet to get to visit.
WULF: I’m jealous, especially to be in a band going down there. I’ve never been to Australia. Do you prefer to tour in the US or do you prefer other parts of the world like abroad or Australia, or is it just different?
GEN: It’s kind of different. It’s always an adventure to go to different countries. I don’t know if you’ve ever watched that show that NOFX had called Backstage Passport and they were going to all these weird countries and all the funny experiences they would have. It was just really funny. There’s an element of that when you do travel. You’re using different gear and it’s a challenge. I think that for me in terms of putting on maybe the best shows production-wise is always going to be in The States because (I’ve got) a little bit more control over having my props and all of my clothes and bells and whistles we take with us for our live show.
WULF: So where is your personal favorite place to play? Who has the craziest Genitorturer fans?
GEN: Oh man, that’s a tough one. I guess places in Europe…when it comes to metal fans especially in Europe, (goths), they live this scene. They really are passionate about it. I will say that the kind of fan element I’ve experienced probably the most intense situations maybe in Japan though.
WULF: Really?
GEN: Yeah, our label even said “fans will be waiting for you when you get off the plane.” I’m like, “what!?” And they waited for us, and then they followed us in this big entourage to our hotel and camped outside of our hotel, and I’d probably say that’s the only time in my life that I felt like I was Madonna or The Beatles or something. It’s crazy, you know?
WULF: Wow! Yeah, that’s awesome though. I wasn’t even thinking about (Japan), especially for metal, industrial, hard rock stuff I was thinking Germany or Norway, Sweden, stuff like that, but Japan? That’s really interesting.
GEN: Well the thing that’s interesting about Japan too is they have such a (wide variety of fans). When you go to a show (in Japan) you’ve got rock fans, punk fans, industrial fans, metal fans, and they all go to the same show. So it’s not as separated in terms of genres, being genre specific. I consider us a genre-defying band because we have electronic elements, we have industrial elements but we’re really essentially a brutal rock band, you know?
WULF: Yeah, for sure. That’s why I was surprised when I heard the album because while there’s definitely industrial elements, I was thinking it was just going to be pure industrial, (and that’s fine, it’s just not exactly my style so that’s why when I heard the album I was like, “Oh! This isn’t really what I expected” so I thought that was pretty cool. So what are your plans for the future after this tour? Are you going to put out maybe another DVD or maybe (go on) a US tour?
GEN: Well we’ve got a couple different things that we’re doing concurrently with the release of this record. One that’s really cool is that we are doing a series of limited-edition vinyl releases with the record.
WULF: Oh, cool!
GEN: Our first one that we did that came out right before the record was the “Cum Junkie” 7-inch. We’re doing a series of 7-inches and let’s just say that each one of them is very unique, very collectible, and…very special!
(laughs)
WULF: (laughs) …OK!
GEN: The “Cum Junkie” one has got this gatefold fold-out of these very bizarre photos…I don’t want to go into details, (inaudible), but let’s just put it this way– it’s on clear vinyl, it’s white and blood-spattered.
WULF: Uh-oh!
GEN: Use your imagination.
WULF: OK, I was going to say, especially for the “Cum Junkie” 7-inch, I was like “do I want to ask?”
(laughs)
GEN: And each one of the 7-inches has a full package to it that is really over-the-top, each concept is really unique in itself, and each one comes with a little crackerjack prize. “Cum Junkie” came with a little lollipop-colored condom with our logo on it
WULF: Oh, cool! That’s awesome!
(laughs)
GEN: Each one has a special surprise that people get, it’s kind of fun.
WULF: OK, cool. That’s definitely creative as well and so that’s awesome. Speaking of which, I’ve read that your live shows are visually pretty crazy, I’ve seen pictures, so is this going to be the case then for this upcoming tour in Australia?
GEN: Oh yeah, I mean, when we put together an album it’s the new chapter in an ongoing story, so what our long term fans get about Genitorturers is the fact that from our first album “120 Days” we kind of started this storyline that we then bring to life onstage a la Alice Cooper, King Diamond, (that kind of thing). It’s a thrill, we have characters that appear, live actors, video that goes along with the show that I interact with…more than just seeing five guys with t-shirts, basically. Pretty damn sexy show, I’ve got some hot bitches up there.
WULF: OK, alright, alright!
(laughs)
Any plans for doing anymore video game soundtracks? I read that you guys did music for True Crime: Streets of LA and the Vampire: Bloodlines game. Any more plans for doing anymore video games stuff?
GEN: Absolutely. We’ve got songs from “Blackheart Revolution” that have been submitted that look like they’ve been accepted to a couple of very, very exciting games. I can’t say what they are yet, but it’s going to be really, really cool.
WULF: I’ll keep my eyes open for that. That’s awesome, congratulations for that also. Also, I wanted to know, kind of an topic question, but do you play video games?
GEN: Do I play them? Not really. I’m somebody that doesn’t have a lot of patience to sit and do that…I feel guilty.
(laughs)
I feel like I should be doing something productive, I know that sounds funny but…I can enjoy them, I can see how anything that’s escapist like that I think is pretty cool and interesting especially when it’s a healthy way of exercising your brain and being creative at the same time so I can kind of see the merit in it, for sure.
WULF: Especially with some video games like World of Warcraft or something where you’re just sitting there.
(laughs)
GEN: Right.
WULF: (For) my last question, I was going to try and stay away from the topic of Morbid Angel, but I was wondering if there was any chance of you guest-starring on the new Morbid Angel album or anything like that?
GEN: I don’t know, I mean, it’s kind of one of those things (where) if I was asked to do that or there was a call for female vocals somewhere maybe it could make sense but you know, it’s such a different thing and when David is in that realm it’s very specific actually. They are in the studio doing the new Morbid Angel record right now and I’m really excited about it, I think their fans are just going to love it and I think even Genitorturers fans are really going to like this record too.
WULF: OK, cool, so some crossover there then?
GEN: It’s just going to really be groundbreaking. They’re masters of what they do and their craft, and they tend to push the envelope and push the genre because the genre needs to be pushed. (You) can only play the same four riffs and the same five blastbeats several different ways before (it gets old), and one thing about Morbid Angel that I like, because I am a fan of the band, is the fact that most death metal bands try to play at 11 the whole time, (and) if you play on 11 (the whole time) you’ll never feel like it’s 11 after three songs. Morbid Angel are masters of dynamics as well and having those ebbs and flows, and I think that’s what makes them special. I think that’s one of the things Dave and I both really think are important about putting out a good album versus just a collection of songs, is the fact that I think we like to take our fans on a journey so that when you put on a record and listen to it (in a more old-school way) from start to finish, if you do that you really get this whole artistic vision.
WULF: That’s how I prefer to listen to albums too. And that’s also, to tie back in with the Genitorturers, why the albums are more concept albums then, like with “120 Days” and stuff?
GEN: Exactly! And it’s also because of the fact that in telling a story one of the reasons why we’re a cross-genre band and we always have been is because to tell a good story you need to have different elements, (in order) to create a good story you need to have ebbs and flows and dynamics and to do that you can’t just be, “well, we’re just going to play this one style.” I’ve never felt locked into having to do anything in the Genitorturers. I think that we are really mavericks in that regard, that we just don’t give a fuck about what people think, we do what we do and here’s what it is, and if you like it, you like it, and we know that we like the record and it tells a great story.
WULF: Yeah, yeah, for sure! Well that’s awesome! That’s all the questions I have for you but I just want to end by saying thank you so much for speaking with me, taking the time to talk to me, it’s been an honor, and good luck on the road, have a blast in Australia and be safe.
GEN: Great! And we’ll be putting our new US tour dates up soon and we’ll (be heading) your direction between August and October.
WULF: Yeah, Kansas City or Lawrence! I’m in Lawrence but Kansas City will probably be a little more likely. I’m sure you guys have been to this area before but–
GEN: We’ve played in Lawrence and Kansas City plenty of times, and it’s always a great show there.
WULF: Awesome! Well I’m going to keep an eye out for you, for sure.
GEN: Cool! Alright man, thank you very much.
