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‘We Need To Have A Talk About John’ – Alternative Revolt interviews John 5

Alternative Revolt sat down with John 5, before Rob Zombie’s recent show at at Austin’s Fuel Arena to talk Zombie’s latest album release “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor”, their live DVD – “The Zombie Horror Picture Show” – and John 5’s upcoming solo release; “Careful With That Axe”.

John 5 Doghouse Studios

Alternative Revolt sat down with John 5, before Rob Zombie’s recent show at at Austin’s Fuel Arena to talk Zombie’s latest album release “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor“, their live DVD – “The Zombie Horror Picture Show” – and John 5’s upcoming solo release; “Careful With That Axe“.

Pre-order your copy of Careful With That Axe here: http://smarturl.it/CarefulWithThatAxe

To read excerpts from the interview, click here >>> 

‘We Need To Have A Talk About John’- Interview With Rob Zombie Guitarist John 5

To read the interview in full, go to: altrevolt.com/we-need-have-talk-about-john-interview-guitarist-john-5

Rob Zombie is without doubt one of the most famous names in the entire music industry and for good reason. His list of accomplishments cover a considerable range throughout the rock world as well as Hollywood. With a stage production that can’t be matched and songs with lyrics that will make you do a double take, there is another element that makes Rob Zombie so successful as a band. His name is John 5and he is one of the most technical and talented guitar players to ever hit the stages of rock. After being asked to play with Zombie at Ozzfest 2005, 5 joined the band permanently. He began his career with Zombieby co-writing Zombie’s 2006 release “Educated Horses” and eventually scoring the soundtracks to Zombie films Tyrannosaurus Rex and Lords Of Salem. In the meantime, 5 decided to start recording solo albums as well and is about to release his 8th solo album titled “Careful With That Axe” due out Aug. 12th. Alt Revolt recently sat down with 5 before their show at Austin’s Fuel Arena to talk Zombie’s latest album release “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor”, their live DVD and his upcoming solo release.

Alt.Revolt:
Zombie albums are notorious for taking us on strange and sometimes unexplainable journeys; carnivals of madness if you will. What was the thought process behind the method of madness going into Zombie’s latest album “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor”?

5:
How about that title! We just wanted to do what we felt and what we like to listen to. We recorded things like, “Dead City Radio” you know, very hooky but different still and “Teenage Nosferatu” is slow and dirgy. It’s just songs that we like and that entertain us and that’s interesting to us and hopefully it’s interesting to the crowd as well. There’s a lot of weird, cool stuff on it. Like the intro”Theme Of The Rat Vendor” is all done on a sitar. It’s things like that that are really cool and people really enjoy it, so that’s what’s really cool about it. We are really happy with it.

Alt.Revolt:
What has been the fan response to Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor?

5:
Fans have been really supportive. When we went to Europe, and you know Zombie hasn’t gone to Europe a lot, I’m telling you people knew this new album more than they knew the White Zombiestuff I suppose because White Zombie didn’t go to Europe that much and White Zombie was a long time ago. So, they knew this stuff. They knew “Dead City Radio”, they knew “Teenage Nosferatu”and of course “We’re An American Band”. I mean, it was incredible. I was so surprised how well they knew it. It was great and we are really happy with how people are taking it.

Alt.Revolt:
Do you have a favorite song you like to play off of the new album?

5:
Let’s see, what do I like. I like the whole thing! I like “Dead City Radio” because it’s just really fun to play and see the crowd react to it.

Alt.Revolt:
We are definitely use to diversity when it comes to Zombie!
Now, you use to write and play for Marilyn Manson. Zombie and Manson both stand out in different extremes. Did you find you had to change much about your own style with the transition fromManson to Zombie?

5:
I don’t think so. My style is kind of my style. Luckily, I didn’t have to change. I have a very diverse way of playing and different kind of styles and things like that of my own so I didn’t have to change much. When I came in it just kind of felt right and fit right and I’m going on 10 years being withZombie, it’s crazy!

Alt.Revolt:
You are an extremely technical player and fans get to hear even more of that on your solo albums. You can definitely hear it on the Zombie albums as well but with your solo albums not having any lyrical content it’s a lot easier to focus on it. Is that the reason you decided to record solo albums?

5:
I decided to do solo records because I just enjoy playing guitar so much. If I wasn’t talking to you right now I would be playing guitar. I just really love playing and seeing how far I can take it and seeing how far I can push it just for my own brain and my own sanity. It’s really a lot of fun for me just to venture into different styles, Flamenco, Blue Grass and Western Swing and of course Rock. It’s also what I do at home, I just sit in front of the tv and play guitar. I released an instrumental record (“Vertigo”,2004) and fans just went crazy for it. So, I just do it for my own fun and to inspire people along the way.

To read the interview in full, go to: altrevolt.com/we-need-have-talk-about-john-interview-guitarist-john-5