Joey Jordison with ExploreMusic

ExploreMusic

July 29th 2010

Interviewer is Mike Sullivan 

MIKE: Quebec, it's a special place when it comes to metal? It really is? 

JOEY: Yeah, man. Uh, every time I played here with, uh, with Slipknot or Ministry, Korn...erm, um...you know, anytime I've ever been here, I've had amazing shows, and this is...actually, I don't know why this just popped up in my mind...this is like something that uh, a lot of Slipknot fans might find interesting. The first time, you know...like it's...it's a legendary part of the Slipknot show where we crouch everyone down, and launch everyone up and it turns into the massive pit...first time we did it was in Montreal. 

MIKE: Oh, really? 

JOEY: Happened in 2000

MIKE: So that's where that idea...(bobbing up and down)...I've been the guy that's...I've done it

JOEY: Yeah, yeah, it was started here

MIKE: I think it's during 'Spit It Out' when you guys do that?

JOEY: 'Spit It Out'? Yeah, yeah. 

MIKE: So that actually originated here? 

JOEY: Yep

MIKE: It's a great little bit of...

JOEY: First time...first time it happened...  

MIKE: Um, lets talk about the Murderdolls record. I mean, obviously as we are here to talk about it...

JOEY: Actually, November 3rd...

MIKE: Is that the date? 

JOEY: Yep.

MIKE: Nice

JOEY: November 3rd 2000

MIKE: You know, why did you guys decide to get back together and start putting out music again? 

JOEY: Well, uh, you know, I always wanted to kind of do another Murderdolls record, but there's a point where I was kind of like 'Let sleeping dogs lie' and 'It was great for what it was'. You know, I've been busy with a lot of different artists, and of course with my main band, Slipknot, but man, things got...you kn ow, me and Wednesday...we've been exchanging songs, you know, even though we talked about doing something that might not be Murderdolls related. But you know, over the last year and a half, I just was like 'stuff's just kind of getting boring for me', you know? You know, after the All Hope Is Gone Tour (which we are making another Slipknot record, so don't worry about that), uh you know...and that's when I love...that's why I love playing with Rob right now man, cuz a lot of the fun and the party aspect all...all that...there's not...I mean, I'm a metalhead, don't get me wrong, it just seems like the scene is so oversaturated right now, that like, I just started getting really bored with like...like labels are just like signing anyone and everyone and all the...I'm not taking the piss out of any band whatsoever, they're all great players, but there's not many bands that really stand out, and..,and really, you know, and really uh...you know, strike and urge and things, and that's why I was like, 'Man, it's time. It's time for the Murderdolls to come back, and it's going to freak everyone out'. 

So, this is the first time me and Wednesday really sat down and wrote proper songs. The first record is great for what it was, and we had a blast, and it got big, and it was awesome. We had fun. This one is a completely different monster, and I think people are going to be really surprised when they hear this. 

MIKE: I mean, could we expect that early metal sound? That early punk sound there still? 

JOEY: Yeah. All that's there. It is heavier than the last record, you know? 

MIKE: Yeah? 

JOEY: Yeah, it's a lot heavier and everything, and uh, and of course it's still punk, and you know, and I mean... a lot of the campiness of uh, you know, what we did on 'Beyond The Valley', you know, we're not singing about Dracula and Frankenstein, you know...all that kind of yeah you know, horror crap that we did before, it's not that we lost that...some of...you know, some of that's still there, but um, it's just I, you know, always consider this to be the first Murderdolls record. This is the one...you know, the first record is a combination of my old band, The Rejects, and his band  the Frankenstein Drag Queens, and then we just redid all the vocals and recorded it. It was more like a blueprint. You know, kind of like a glorified demo. This is, I think, the first proper Murderdolls record for sure. 

MIKE: I mean, I love that correlation too though, between like you know, early punk and early metal...

JOEY: Yeah

MIKE: Back then I guess, you were either one or the other? 

JOEY: Riight…

MIKE: So it's cool now that the two have really started...there's a really great line there, you know? 

JOEY: It's totally there now man. It's like uh. I mean...the Mad Manager, (if anyone has seen those videos), that we put up...you know on YouTube or whatever, uh, you know...that guy, he won't stop listening to it...so, I mean, it's like that every day. and he's he's...he's as everyone knows, he was Slipknot's Tour Manager, and then uh, he was doing me with Murderdolls record, you know, and kind of like managing that whole thing, and then obviously he's now here uh, with Rob Zombie. 

MIKE: Yeah, um, is it like a Dave Grohl type situation? Like those early Foo Fighters records, where you know...are you...are you...obviously you write the drum parts, but you play guitar I am assuming when it's live, right? 

JOEY: Yeah.

MIKE: Are you writing guitar parts, drum parts, you know, vocals, everything? 

JOEY: Yep, yep. Along with Wednesday of course. You know, he writes too, but yeah, I mean uh, like, that's the best thing about...you know it's good for...you know....that's why I want you know...if I if...I didn't want...when I...we made the Murderdolls, I wanted to have an escapism because I've been playing guitar since I was five years old 

MIKE: Oh yeah? 

JOEY: Yeah, so I just wanted to have more of a you know, different outlet, something completely different to what I do in Slipknot. Not what people know me, you know...

MIKE: Yeah, yeah

JOEY: Doing that for so...

MIKE: I would imagine that like the drummer, your live drummer, you have a new live drummer, correct? 

JOEY: Yeah, Racci Shay Hart, yes. 

MIKE: He...now is that something like if I was asked to be in a band if I was a drummer, and Joey Jordison was asking me to be a drummer in that band, that would be pretty intimidating...if you had a funny situation like that, you know where... 

JOEY: Yeah, a little bit, but um, I mean uh...you know, the line up of the band is different now than it was uh on 'Beyond The Valley', and I took a little bit more time, you know like, cuz I kind of wanted to resurrect the Murderdolls in like you know, a different way...a different way than it was before, and just kind of start fresh, you know? Even though...we're not going to lose any fans, we only gain things, but as far as like the drummer situation, or Racci is...he fits the Murderdolls more than any other drummer I could possibly find, and I really took my time, you know, finding this guy, and he's...he's really, really amazing.

MIKE: Um, now I've heard that uh...confirm this...I don't know if this true, but is Mick Mars on? He does a guest appearance on the album? Any other cameos? 

JOEY: No, no, we don't want to make a guest record at all. You know, me and Wednesday did the whole thing, along with our new lead guitar player, Roman, you know he did some leads on the record...um, so uh...I mean, everything...everything's turned out great man, I mean...I couldn't be happier you know, with the way everything's turned out. 

MIKE: This is a bit of a fanboy question, but what was it like working with Daryl Palumbo on 'No Way Out', cuz I love that song? 

JOEY: Yeah, ummm…

MIKE: I thought it was on that comp...it was the one song that really sort of stepped out of the box a bit?

JOEY: Yeah, 'No Way Out' is a completely...you know...people were really surprised when I did that song, because it was...you know, no one expected me to put out a song like that and everything, so uh, and working with Daryl like...he's one of my favorite singers, man, that guy is...he's super intense, and really cares about like what he puts into...like it took him...it took me a while to get him, and we've been friends forever, and uh like, I kept like, and it took him a while like to, you know, kind of get back to me because he's like you know, he was like...he's like, he really wanted to step up to what that song is like, and wanted to deliver it, so and he did man. That song is amazing, it's one of my favorite songs I've ever recorded....

MIKE: I love that too, man

JOEY: It's nothing like I've ever done before. Getting back to Mick Mars, he was awesome. He did, uh, leads on 'Bloodstained Valentine' and uh, this song called 'Drug Me To Hell', and man, he delivered. He's one of the coolest people I've ever met in my life. The dude is literally an alien. He's funnier than hell...

MIKE: He keeps going...he keeps going...

JOEY: Yeah man, it's an inspiration just watching him, you know. I mean, he came in. He was totally funny, and he had like the amp cranked to ten, you know, his head right in the amp. And you know, 'Okay, this doesn't sound right, go down the Guitar Centre, I need these pedals.' He was sitting down and like literally, he had like platform shoes on like this, you know...and he's sitting there, tap dancin' all over the pedals recording all these leads and stuff and like...it rules man. It's like, and like I said, we didn't want it to be a guest appearance, but he...he really nailed it, man. 

MIKE: That's gotta be a nice energy to have on a record, man. Something like that.

JOEY: Yeah, yeah. It's like I was sitting there, and I kind of like lost myself in it a little bit. I was sitting there and we're talking and we're joking around. Wednesday was to his left, and I was on his right side, and um, you know we were in there and it just shot me back to like 1985 when I had, you know, 'Shout At The Devil' on vinyl and listening to it, and I'm like, 'Is this really happening? It's really cool'.

MIKE: That's awesome that...

JOEY: Cuz he's one of the most, you know...we wanted someone that was the most unique guitar player for like our style, if we were going to have a guest, and yeah man, he ruled it. 

MARK: I just love how humbling that is. That's awesome. 

JOEY: Yeah, and he's....man, he's totally ego-free, he's totally humble, he's...he's amazing man, he's totally cool. 

MARK: Dude, I can't wait to hear it. I guess the last question would be what are the tour plans? I heard something about Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie, that's going to happen in 2010? 

JOEY: Yeah, yeah I mean...uh...no, not 2010...I...I'm not that kind of leak, I can't say anything about...I don't know...I don't really know where that is...but...but yeah, I'm with Rob till uh until the end of this tour cycle, but I'm also doing Murderdolls stuff. So the Murderdolls album comes out August 31st, I don't know if it's the 30th here, I think it might be the 31st uh here in Canada, um and uh, yeah, we start then and we go directly to Europe.

MIKE: Sick

JOEY: All the way uh, until the end of September, and then you know, we go from there, and I got some Zombie stuff to do, and then uh, we're going to tour the Murderdolls all the way through Fall of next year, or however...however long the record takes us. 

MARK: Thank you so much for your time, man.

JOEY: Yeah, brother

(Fistbump)

MARK: I'm a huge fan

JOEY: Oh, thank you so much.