Miranda: This is Miranda Wilson and I’m sitting in Atlanta, Georgia with Piggy D of Rob Zombie. Say Hi.
Piggy D: HELLO!
Miranda: So how has the festival been treating you so far?
Piggy D: It was fine until today, It’s a little hot
Miranda: Til today
Piggy D: Make some calls do something call the mayor
Miranda: (laughs) call the mayor or turn on the fans
Piggy D: Nah it’s fine, we’re excited Atlanta has always been a great market for us so I think we’re gonna have a really fun show tonight.
Miranda: I think ya’ll will too
Miranda: So, any funny or interesting stories from the tour so far?
Piggy D: Oh funny or interesting stories, YES! Everyday
Miranda: Everyday
Piggy D: Everyday is a funny or interesting story, especially with this group. I’d tell ya but then I would just have to kill ya. No one needs to know what goes on back there.
Miranda: I would rather not die
Piggy D: You would rather not know trust me
Miranda: So how long have you been playing music?
Piggy D: Let’s see, about 20 years now.
Miranda: about 20 years now, you started when you were really young?
Piggy D : 15
Miranda: yeah you don’t look that old
Piggy D: I’ll be 35 this year
Miranda: So what influenced you to pick up the Bass guitar?
Piggy D: Rob Zombie did actually, because I’m not a bass player, I’m a guitar player. But what influenced me to pick up a guitar was Johnny Ramone actually. I saw a video of the Ramones and thought he was just the coolest thing since sliced bread and he was and I shortly after that saw Alice Cooper live and that told me that I needed to be in the music business. So those to elements combined kind of got me where I am now and when I joined this band Rob needed a bass player so that is why I started playing bass.
Miranda: Well that makes sense
Piggy D: yep
Miranda: Fill in the gaps were they are needed.
Piggy D: exactly
Miranda: So do you play with a pick or your fingers?
Piggy D: Pick
Miranda: I used to be a pick player too
Miranda: You’re not just a musician you run or do you own your own clothing company?
Piggy D: both
Miranda: You also do photography, album design, and videos and stuff like that. When do you take time to breath?
Piggy D: I don’t
Miranda: You don’t breath
Piggy D: No, I’m completely and totally out of my mind. So if I have down time or I’m not working on something creative I get punchy. I’m always writing music either for myself or other artists, always working on some kind of art work for somebody somewhere. I don’t know I just gotta stay busy, you know I think it’s just how and why I am what I am.
Miranda: If that’s what keeps you going then that what you need to be doing.
Piggy D: yeah, exactly
Miranda: um, So how did you get connected and start working with Rob?
Piggy D: Mutual friends, and his old bass player who left to join Ozzy’s band was a friend of mine, we actually wrote together for a few years prior to this change happening we wrote music together and he called me up one day and said I gotta leave do you wanna come play bass and I knew Rob. So Rob called me and I was on a plane I think the next day, and a week later I was on David Letterman and that was my first show and now here I am 4.5 years later.
Miranda: Still Playing
Piggy D: Still doing it
Miranda: Still putting on the gear and the makeup
Piggy D: the longest I’ve ever been in a band
Miranda: well it’s a great relationship huh?
Piggy D: It is, it is a really good relationship
Miranda: So he’s good to ya
Piggy D: He’s great, he’s great I don’t know if you want to call him a boss, I don’t think of him as my boss I think of him as my friend. But he makes us all a part of the show and you can’t ask for more then that.
Miranda: The album HellBilly Deluxe 2, give me an idea of the writing process, how did you guys write this album?
Piggy D: all 4 of us in a room everyday 5 days a week for months. If somebody was tapping on a cymbal for an hour all 4 of us were there no matter what was going on. Everything was tracked live, there were a few over dubs here and there but it was the most organic record I think any of us have ever made. Because normally it’s the drummers coming or the bassist is coming in and no one is there everyone else is off living their own lives. We were there every fucking day until we were finished. Even mixing, you don’t know until you’ve mixed 14 or 15 songs you do know what that feels like to sit there and listen to the song (laughs) over and over and over. But you know what it made for a better record because we were all there to go YES this rules!
Miranda: So everyone had a hand in the pot.
Piggy D: Everybody had a hand in the pot.
Miranda: So the first video from the album is “Sick Bubblegum” Where was it filmed?
Piggy D: At Rob’s house, we were rehearsing there so you know.
Miranda: So who filmed the video and produced it?
Piggy D: that is a Rob Zombie Production
Miranda: So one told me not to ask that question, it’s stupid (laughs)
Piggy D: It was a stupid question, but I forgive you
Miranda: Thank you
Piggy D: (laughs)
Miranda: We won’t talk about Katy Perry
Piggy D: OH you had to bring that up did ya?
Miranda: Um So how do you prepare for a show? Do you have any special routines?
Piggy D: Animal sacrifices, drink a lot of blood, watch a lot of porn. No I don’t do any of those things. I um it’s all about a head space of being of wanting to entertain people. You know we listen to music, we um figure out what were wearing on certain nights. It’s all focused on the show, every waking from the time we get up to the time we go to bed every day we are focused on the show. Every single little tiny beat of it, we obese over it, all of us. I don’t know who else does that, I’m not back stage with other bands so I don’t know if they do but that’s what we talk about that’s our preshow ritual.
Miranda: So everything is planned
Piggy D: no not everything is planned, what it is we want to make sure we are delivering the best possible entertainment to everybody that is coming out. We want to make sure the lights are perfect, the sound is perfect, the video is perfect, and everything is where it’s suppose to be, the pyro is perfect. This show is completely and totally retarded, this is the greatest show you will ever see in your life.
Miranda: If it’s anything like on Rock on the Range that was a great show
Piggy D: Rock on the Range was nothing, This is the greatest show you will ever see in your life. Period.
Miranda: I will take you word for it because I will up there taking pictures and watching it.
Piggy D: A lot of chitchat in making the greatest show you will ever see in your life happen.
Piggy D: I’ll get off my box now
Miranda: (laughs) No no it’s okay stand on your box as long as you want. I mean I know I won’t be disappointed. If it comes from you guys I know I won’t be disappointed.
Piggy D: (laughs) Did I mention it’s the greatest show on earth?
Miranda: Ya’ll talk about what you’re going to wear and stuff on stage
Piggy D: Yeah, ya know
Miranda: Do you do your own makeup?
Piggy D: Absolutely, I don’t like anyone touching me, or anyone touching my face (laughs) naw.
Miranda: (laughs)
Piggy D: I don’t know where that came from, um yeah we do our own makeup.
Miranda: Okay Final Question, Any Message for the fans?
Piggy D: YES! What’s about to come out is the greatest Rob Zombie record EVER. Which is the FINAL version of Hell Billy Deluxe 2, which means the one on the market now is a collector’s item the artwork is completely different, the song sequence is completely different, and everything about it is completely different. So if you haven’t bought the one that is out now go buy it because it’s going to go away and on September 28th Hell Billy Deluxe 2 is coming out and if you’re a real Zombie fan you’ll go buy because it is his best record.
Miranda: His best record or Ya’lls best record?
Piggy D: well my name is not Rob Zombie, but I do feel in my humble opinion that it is the best Zombie record to date.
I would like to take the time to thank Piggy D for sitting in the hot Atlanta weather and answering a few questions for me. It was truly a pleasure to meet and talk him and I look forward to the newer version of Hell Billy Deluxe 2 in September.
