Greetings fright fans!
Anyone who knows me knows that two things I really love are horror movies and 80's style metal music. Put the two together and I’m happier than a zombie at a brain buffet. I recently got a chance to sit down and talk with one fine young ghoul who has been combining the two for close to three decades now. I’m talking about none other than Bill Lindsey, shock rock legend and lead growler for the band Impaler. Check out this interview, I think you ghouls'll enjoy it…
Doc G - It was great seeing you again in Nashville a few weeks ago. You guys put on a great show and really rocked The Basement.
Bill - Thanks for your help to set that show up! We always have great times in Nashville. We also played the Springwater last spring and that was a blast! The bands we have played with (The Creeping Cruds and Spookhand) have been GREAT!
Doc G - I wanted to ask you about the very early days of the band. When did you first form, and what were your early musical influences?
Bill - We formed in the spring of 1983. Our collective influences as a band were Alice Cooper, Kiss, Motorhead...most of the 70's Hard Rock and Metal bands were a HUGE influences to us as individuals and as a band.
Doc G -Much of your music is about horror movies and monsters (as any self respecting horror band should be). Were you always a horror movie fan, and are the rest of the guys in the band horror movie fans too?
Bill - Yes, to different degrees. I'd say our drummer Tom, Dr. Corpse and I are the biggest horror buffs. It's a BIG influence to my lyrics and the music of Impaler.
Doc G - Did you always intend to do the shock rock antics you’re so well known for, or is that something that sort of evolved over time?
Bill - Yes, we had that planned from day one. It was the deal breaker in getting people into the band. I was only going to work with people who were like minded about putting on a stage show to go with the music. If a person was not 100% committed to that idea they were not considered.
Doc G - In the 80s Heavy Metal music came under fire by a group of senators wives known as the P.M.R.C. (Parents Music Resource Group). The head of this group was none other than Tipper Gore, wife of former Vice-President Al Gore. In the senatorial hearings the P.M.R.C. showed pictures of the acts they considered most offensive, and your album Rise of the Mutants was one of the ones they spotlighted - I heard they even showed a picture of the album at the hearing.
Bill - Yes, I understand that we were part of a slide show presentation and we were on their list as well! We got to go on local TV with one of the Washington Wives and debate the issue. Her name was Sally Neives and after the show she had us autograph an album for her! I swear to God!! It was a funny experience to say the least.
Doc G - How did you first hear about this, what did you think about it, and what effect did it have on your band?
Bill - We thought it was cool to know our record was getting so much attention from these people. They were on major television shows back then. Phil Donahue, DateLine, etc...so it was great for us because you can't buy promotion like that! If parents are saying "kids can't listen to this" kids will march right out and buy it! And they did! So we benefited from that!
Doc G - You can also see an Impaler album in the movie Trick or Treat, when Eddie's mom is flipping through his record collection. You had to be pretty psyched about that.
Bill - That was something we did not know about until the movie came out! We had a strained relationship with Combat at that point and some key people who worked with Impaler were no longer there...nobody even told us. We were on tour at the time and kids were coming up to us at the shows saying "your album is in the Trick or Treat movie!" It's a great metal/horror movie so it's an honor to be a part of it!
Doc G - Well you can feel proud that you have played here in Tennessee, home of Al and Tipper Gore. We should see if there is a club in Carthage where they live and book a show there just to piss them off!
Bill - Ha! yeah, that would be funny! Maybe we could rip the guts out of Tipper for the grand finale!!!
Doc G - Your newest CD is called Cryptozoology. Tell me more about it.
Bill - It is something that I've thought about for many years. I wanted to do a concept album like “Welcome to my Nightmare” or “Ziggy Stardust” and I grew up watching shows like “In Search Of” and reading books like “Stranger than Science,” so to me it was such an obvious thing to write songs about each creature within the realm of Cryptozoology.
Doc G - Any creatures you wanted to do a song about that just didn’t get to?
Bill - Yes, a few....that may be a sequel to this CD!
Doc G - Where can folks find a copy of this CD?
Bill - We are working with MVD who has great distribution. So if you go online you can find it at any outlet like Best Buy or Amazon or wherever you get CD's online.
Doc G - What are the future plans for Impaler?
Bill - Just to keep playing great entertaining shows and writing songs we care about.
Doc G - Hey Alice Cooper's still going strong so no reason why you can't as well! Thanks again for taking the time to talk with us. Keep on rockin’ and I hope to see you guys again in the near future.
Bill - Thanks brother! Rock ON!!
To find out more about Bill Lindsey and Impaler, buy Impaler merchandise, or book Impaler for your next event, go to www.impalershockrock.com. And tell em’ Doc Gangrene sent ya.
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