Intervju med Black Label Society

Vårt snack kom att handla om allt ifrån avlidne Dimebag Darrell till de värsta händelserna live. JD och Nick var på ett väldigt gott humör under tiden vi pratade och levererade en och annan rolig detalj.

JD - Wow! How old are you?

RS: 15.

Nick - Cool! That would be a dream for me in your age!

RS: (Laugh) Want to swich? No but lets jump into it. How did you guys end up being a band in first place?

JD - I've known Zakk forever. For my whole life, and Nick played with him in 'Book Of Shadows'.

Nick- I got with him in 96' in the Book Of Shadows Tour, and then he wanted to do a heavy band and then we got JD, and now we been together for fifteen years!

RS: The song 'In This River' became a tribute for Dimebag.

Nick - Yes, well it was written before Dime passed, but when everything happen with Dimebag the song became like a themesong, and then the video with the kids. It ended up being the Dime song.

RS: What have Dimebag meant to you guys as a band?

Nick - He was a friend! I mean he was the best man! He had a tattoo with the skulls and stuff, and he had the hat. He was such a great guy and it sucks that the world doesn't have him.

RS - The first reaction when you heard about the tragedy. How was it?

Nick - It's just devastating man.

JD - It's insane, you can't belive it!

Nick - Before the incident we could go on stage and feel like Superman! You see those people going nuts, but you never thought anything like this could happen. But when somebody walks on stage and starts shooting, it makes you look at the crowd in a different way. If somebody makes a move to the stage, you are like scared not knowing what they gonna
do.

RS - Yes, it's a tragic man! But now Zakk says he's open to fill in for Dime in a potential Pantera reunion. What do you
guys know about it?

Nick & JD - I didn't even know that! (laugh).

RS - Alright. I read about it on the web.

Nick - But I believe it. If there´s ever going to be any show. But as you know, it was the first time I've heard about it.

JD - I've heard about it before, but that's up to Zakk.

RS - How would it affect BLS?

JD - It won´t affect us! It doesn't matter, it's his work.

Nick - It doesn´t matter at all!

RS - Cool! When did you get the feeling for the first time that you actually had made it as a band?

Nick - You never really do. But you know, one of the first shows we did with Metallica was in front of 60 000 people. Metallica is the biggest metalband on the planet as it stands, and they could have 60 000 people by themself.

What I'm trying to say is that you're always climbing to the next level! It never stops. You will never just sit down and think ''I made it''. People think that if you doing this and you are on tour, it's a party! Well it's not. The best part of our day is that hour on stage! That's it. The rest of the time were just sitting here! It's not ''Wohoo!'' (Laugh). But I don't think you ever say that you made it. Well maybe U2 or Paul McCartney going like ''Yeah, I made it''. And Keith Richards to (Laugh).

RS - Good answer! So, for a tour or just a gig, how do you guys put the setlist together?

Nick - We've been doing pretty much the same set for years now! (Laugh) No, but since 'Order Of The Black' came out we've done those four songs, so there is a small change in the setlist after that album! (laugh). And it's hard to pick the set! We have like 7-8 CD's something?

JD - Yeah! Isn't it 9? (laugh)

Nick - (Laugh) Maybe! No but there's some songs that you have to play like 'Stillborn' and 'Suicide Messiah' but in there we got like four songs that we always play and fill in around it. And there is so much guitar tuning changes -What's in B, what's in C, What's in regular tuning? And people are like "ahh play this"! But dude! We can't just play it! Like the song, hmm, wich one was it? (Starts to sing)

JD - (Burps)

Nick - No? Not that one! (laugh) Man! It's from fucking 'Stronger Than Death'! It's 'Counterfeit God'! But anyway, the fans wanted me to play that song and I was like - Dude! That's in G tuning! It's so low, we tried it once but it sounded like a fart. (Doing fart sounds) Everything was of the rack.

RS - So while we talk about songs, whats your favorite to play live?

Nick - 'Stillborn' and 'Parade Of Dead' is fine for me, it's a cool riff. And Suicide Messiah is fun to!

JD - Yeah! For me it's Stillborn, because it's in the end of the show and we get to go back and sit down after that (Laugh). No, but it's a killer song!

Nick - You know, the set goes so fast! Now we're playing 50 minutes, and after the intro we're already halfway through
the set! But it's like programmed, so we got to play our songs. (laugh).

JD - It's so quick! It's like, you look up after 20 minutes and think -damn, it's only four to five songs left.

RS - and in a band like this, with Zakk as the frontman, do you sometimes feel that you're recognized only because of
him?

JD - Sometimes, you know, it's the fans. Zakk is the guy! We have all become a big family, and we´ve been here so many times man! We´ve been in Stockholm a bunch of times.

RS - What's the most embarrassing live moment?

Nick - I just had one! In Australia! I tried something new. I jumped up at the drum risor. I did it three times but the fourth time my little mind told me ''Don't do it!''. The tip of my shoe caught the drum risor made me fall and break my D-string. So I had to get of the drum risor on my knees without my D-string, and the first person i looked at was him!
(Pointing at JD).

JD - (Laughing really loud)

Nick - He just shook his head. But the great thing was that Zakks bainet went out so nobody saw me! But we have it on video, and it all went so fast! All you see is my head, it's funny how adrenaline could make you feel no pain cause when I went back to the hotel i first realized ''Fuck that's gonna hurt!'' and the next day it was all purple. That was my worst live moment! (Laugh).

RS - When that happened, did you take a break before the next song?

Nick - Nope! I played through it! The next days show was when it really started to hurt! It was funny that you asked that question cause it just happend!

JD - My worst is only that I threw up on stage once! (Laugh).

Nick - The funny thing is that stuff like that could happen without the crowd don't even knowing! The show goes on, but besides that, the monitor guy had a great view! (Laugh).

RS - And now you open for Ozzy, but if you got to choose one another musician to work with, who would it be? Dead, alive, animated, anyone!

JD - Mine would be Randy (Rhoads) who played with Ozzy.

Nick - Keith Richards! To jam with Keith would be awesome.

JD - Yeah, he's dead and alive! (Laugh).

RS - Cool! Have those guys influence you much or do you just want to play with them?

Nick - Keith have been one of my idols forever man! I love the Stones.

JD - Yes, I love the Stones to, but it would be so hard for me to just pick one. You got everyone from Jon Bon, dead or alive! To Eddie Van Halen. But man! Old KISS! Gene, Paul, Peter, Ace! 76-77' KISS, absolutely!

RS - KISS would be mine to! But for you JD, who said Randy. How is it to play with the guy who filled in for him, and
open for Ozzy?

JD - It's awesome. It's sick! Well I've knowed Zakk forever, and being a kid having Rady on the wall, and then your buddy gets to fill in for him! It's crazy, you know what I mean? And meet the Rhoads family, it's awesome. It is a dream coming through man! Do you got posters on the wall with like your idols?

RS - Yeah, my room is covered with posters.

JD - Well that was how I had it, but then I got to met everybody that i used to have on my walls! I had both Geezer and Ozzy and now they are in the loge next to us!

RS - Yeah, that's sick! And tomorrow you´re playing my hometown, Gothenburg! But sadly everybody under the age of
15 have to be on the balcony. What's your thoughts on that?

Nick - I'm just happy that they can come! Cause usually it's over 18, but that's just stupid! Because we have a lot of fans under 18. We like all ages gigs.

JD - Yeah! When we were kids we could go to concerts! Whats going on?

Nick - Yes, that's sucks! They should put everybody over 18 on the balcony!

JD - Yeah! All the drunken idiots! (Laugh)

Nick - Put the kids in the front! The kids would have more fun than the drunkies! (laugh)

RS - I like your take on that one guys, haha. What´s you´re opinion in downloading music illegally?

Nick - I haven''t done it! (Laugh) No, just kidding.

JD - I download music all the time, but not illegal, i like the iTunes thing.

Nick - Yes! What the fuck! If you want a song, it's just 1$ so just buy it! But I remember when i was about your age going to buy albums, you know like when the new KISS record came out! You got it in your hand! You opened it and there were pictures on the band! And you got the lyrics. But now, the magic is gone! The mystique is all gone!

JD - Yeah! The whole thing is gone! The only reason it's still going on is that it was so great when we were young! If it was like it's now 20 years back, who knows what it would be like today?

Nick - It wouldn´t be anything! But when I was 15 like you, I went to see bands like KISS and Van Halen and stuff like that. But what I didn't know was that you could go to the hotel and meet the band!

JD - I actually thought they were teleported to the arenas! But now, with Twitter and Facebook the kids know where we are and come and meet us at restaurants and stuff like that!

Nick - But as long as they listen to the music I like it! But of course it has to be legal! Otherwise it's like stealing stuff like shoes and stuff! They have to make money!

JD - I don't even have a free movie back home! I just went and saw The Avengers at the theatres!

Nick - Yes. The technology is getting worse! Like, you can type in my name in the phone and find my house! That's just scary!

JD - The only thing I would miss would be YouTube.

Nick – Yes, YouTube is fantastic! (Saying ''Fantastic'' a bunch of times with a funny voice)

JD - When we were young we bought albums , we were stoked to buy next months magazine! I always waited for the fucking Cream Magazine every month!

RS - Haha, sounds amazing. Well that was all! Thank you so much for the interview. Good luck tonight guys.

Nick - Fantastic! (Laugh). Thank you Emil!

JD - Yes, thank's! Hope you'll enjoy the show tonight!

RS - I'm sure I will!

Intervju Av Emil Agrell 28 maj 2012 07:25