"It's not a unique experience to be a rock fan anymore."

An honest conversation with Dave Wyndorf about Monster Magnet's new studio album "4-Way Diablo", the present-day Internet society, and how unique it was like to be a rock fan years ago...

Vassil Varbanov: Hey, Dave, how are you, man?

Dave Wyndorf: I'm good, man, how the hell are you?

V. V.: Great! We've been expecting this interview for more than a year, and finally Dave Wyndorf is live on Tangra Mega Rock! Where are you now?

D. W.: I'm here in New Jersey in the United States, looking out my window at some birds and getting ready to ride my bike into town.

V. V.: Your first show in Bulgaria was something like 8 years ago. Don't you think it's time for the second one? Back then you were supporting Metallica, so it's high time for you to do a headlining concert here.

D. W.: I wanna try to make it happen! I actually know a girl who comes from outside of Sofia and goes to college here, and she said, "Come with me! Let's go back to Bulgaria!"

V. V.: Let's talk about your new album now. I have this feeling that "4-Way Diablo" is something like getting back to your roots in terms of feeling...

D. W.: You're absolutely right. I wanted to bring this thing back - land the plane, as they say - and do something that was full of life and not too overproduced.

V. V.: Do you mean that every rock'n'roll record today is overproduced?

D. W.: No, not at all. I mean I tend to look at it as where my head is at the time and what I wanna hear. There may be some records that are overproduced now, but I don't really pay attention to that. I pay attention to what's gonna feel right for Monster Magnet.

V. V.: There's a cover version of The Rollong Stones' song "2000 Light Years from Home" in "4-Way Diablo". Why?

D. W.: I guess the question is more "Why not?" I love this song, and my buddies in the band wanted to play it, so that's the reason. They brought it up, and I said, "Okay, if it sounds good..." We did it and it was really fun to do.

V. V.: Is there something that you can pick up as a phrase to describe the atmosphere of the whole recording process of the album?

D. W.: Ah... The thing I'll always remember from this time is that the guys in the band - Ed, Jim and Bob - were really, really, really good. Those guys put down their tracks really fast, it was excellent, it was fun...

V. V.: A lot has been written about the victims that the rock'n'roll world has given... How do you personally feel today? Are you still in good shape?

D. W.: Yeah... I was in bad shape for a while because of touring too much. I was taking too many sleeping pills and that kind of stuff... I think the trick with rock'n'roll is to know when to stop for a while and not stay on the road for too long. That's what makes me go crazy.

V. V.: What about the concept of rock'n'roll in general? Now, in the 21st century, does it have to be in a more futuristic kind of shape?

D. W.: Well, I think the main reason it's different now is that more people in the world today tend to get their music from other sources than record stores - they look for it online, on computers and stuff like that. Besides, the way rock'n'roll is sold is more corporate now than it ever was, but I don't think that will effect the music that much, as it should come from the same part that it always did.

V. V.: Once we were waiting impatiently for a new album to come, like counting the days backwards till the release date of the new AC/DC record or something, and now almost everything's been leaked on the Internet months before, there's no impatience and this kills a bit the value of the whole ritual of being a rock fan... What do you think?

D. W.: That was really well said and I totally agree. The way people get their music now isn't the most exciting one. The ritual has been torn apart by all this stuff and... I hope that people can kind of invent their own ritual that would make it as exciting... but I agree with you - it's not much fun when stuff gets leaked out there and you just download it. The physical act of going out to the record store has definitely gone away. What replaced it is that kids are still searching for bands, but they do it on the Internet and on YouTube. They still look for underground stuff, but that's where they search. I don't particularly think that's good, I think the old physical way is better... but at least it's still being done.

V. V.: Does it mean you and I are old now?

D. W.: Yeah, ha-ha, kind of... At the same time, you and I have lived through a time that is being observed now as very special, because back then it was a very unique experience to be a rock fan. It's not a unique experience to be a rock fan anymore. That's why I'm glad I'm old enough to remember what it was - a very, very special time.

V. V.: I believe most of your records have some sort of a hidden message regarding what's gonna happen in the near future... Is there anything particular you'd like to point a finger at with "4-Way Diablo"?

D. W.: No. On this record there wasn't a prediction like on the last one, where I was talking about the crazy Internet society in the 21st century. On this one I'm just going into my own personal demons. It's not a prediction, but more like an introspective of myself. A personal record.

V. V.: It seems no one can beat the guys doing downloads, which is good at the same time, because lots of people all around the world can hear your music, which can open doors for your band to play live somewhere you've never been before. Do you see any greedy bastards trying to steal the show in terms of live industry business? Are there more people now why try to steal from you when you play live? Years ago bands had just two middle men - a booking agent and a manager - whereas now there are more sharks, right?

D. W.: Oh, yeah, he-he! People always try to steal, and any band's live shows just give them a new way to steal. You can try to control it, but you have to realize you're gonna lose some of the revenue.

V. V.: You know, most of the American bands we've had the chance to talk to dislike the current political system of the USA and George W. Bush in particular. What's your opinion on this?

D. W.: As a regular American citizen and a fan of history, I think the Bush administration is probably one of the worst administrations we've ever had. It's horrible! The guy's like a complete idiot! It’s a really horrible time for the United States right now. This administration is just unacceptable.

V. V.: To finish with, which of 13 songs on your new record would you like us to play now?

D. W.: If it was up to me, I'd probably play "Wall of Fire".

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock