SCENE SCRIBE
By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com
Zombie a master of monster mayhem in music, movies
Hard work doesn’t scare Rob Zombie. When he isn’t making monster rock, he’s making monster movies. Yet, the 44-year-old musician and film director, screenwriter and producer maintains his sanity often working the graveyard shift in pursuit of horrific tales of insanity.
While other hit-making musicians have found some success in movies, few have enjoyed the kind of critical and popular acclaim Zombie has in film. To his legions of fans, Zombie is the master of monster mayhem, in both mediums.
As a filmmaker, Zombie has written and directed five feature length films, including the cult-classic “House of 1,000 Corpses,” the critically acclaimed “The Devil’s Rejects,” and the 2007 blockbuster remake of “Halloween” and this year’s follow-up “Halloween 2.” He has also directed dozens of high profile videos and authored several comic books.
Since the release of 1987’s “Soul-Crusher” by his now defunct band White Zombie (R.I.P. 1985-1998), the Grammy nominated musician has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, contributed recordings to multiple soundtracks and treated concertgoers to some of the most gothic stage shows ever produced. His new album, “Hellbilly Deluxe 2,” a follow-up to 1998’s triple platinum “Hellbilly Deluxe,” finds Zombie hitting the road under a familiar moniker with his “Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour.” The show will include openers Nekromantix and Captain Clegg & the Night Creatures, who were last seen rocking the mythical town of Haddonfield and Michael Myers in “Halloween 2.”
A few weeks ago, Zombie spoke with music journalists during a conference call. The interview took place two days before he suddenly and unexpectedly left Geffen Records, his label of 18 years, to sign a deal with Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud, and one day after he wrapped up the director’s cut to “Halloween 2.” The following is an excerpt from that interview.
Q: Tell us about the new tour.
A: We dug deep and mixed it up so we’re playing the obvious songs people want to hear and songs I’ve never played live. As far as the stage show, we have a high-tech show that’s pretty awesome. I have the stage set from the first “Hellbilly Deluxe Tour,” but it felt tired and contrived, so we updated it, minus having fire shooting everywhere. It’s impossible to get the permits to that these days.
Q: Why record a sequel to “Hellbilly Deluxe”?
A: I’ve had the idea for years. But I didn’t want to call it that unless it made sense… I’m a big fan of artists who change things. That’s why I don’t make tons of records because I want each one to be meaningful.
Q: How do you balance making films and music?
A: I think the main reason is the processes are the same. I put all of my creative juices into the band, the videos and the stage show then I put the same effort into movies. The line shave blurred, but the fan base is the same. When I go on tour, I’m going to sign as many DVDs of “Halloween 2” as CDs of “Hellbilly Deluxe 2.”
Q: Have you ever written a song based on a movie scene you’ve shot?
A: Definitely. Probably the most obvious one on the record is “Werewolf Women of the SS,” done in an old, trashy Dick Dale style. Because I love the “Werewolf” trailer, which most people haven’t seen because it was chopped down, I couldn’t get it out of my system, so I wrote the song. Now the idea lives in another way. We’re going to play that song on tour, and it’s one of the highlights of the show.
Q: You recently said the CD format is dead. Do you believe that?
A: I hope it’s not. Eventually I feel like CDs will disappear. It’s not something I like, but it’s a harsh reality and I feel like album artwork will be a thing of the past.
Q: Are the rumors true that you will remake “The Blob”?
A: There’s some truth to that. One of the studios has been talking to me, but I don’t know if or when I would do it. CV
Caption: Rob Zombie’s “Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour” plays the Val Air Ballroom on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Captain Clegg & the Night Creatures and Nekromantix open the show. Tickets are $35.
