Korn‘s Jonathan Davis was so excited by ORGY that he created his own record label …
“Instead of being compared to Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, I will now be compared to Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future,” says MINISTRY front man Al Jourgensen, from the past. Well, ’cause relative to LA or London, it’s always the future in Australia. Everything really is heavy around here. Al laughs with a wheeze brought on by a thousand cigarettes. “Oh I’ve been there. I know.” That’s a Bill and Ted trip in and of itself. “I haven’t been there since 1995,” he says, spluttering. Well, the internet speeds are roughly the same. More laughter. “Well, I can’t wait to get back to the land Down Under, the land of Wonder.”
Forming in ’81 and quickly moving away from Duran Duran-pop, Ministry established themselves as one of the original industrial metal bands. Their development ran parallel with fellow Soundwavers Godflesh. Al and his rum-addled crew will take front and centre in 2015 and never ever again. They’re going out with a spectacularly decadent bang, for good. You’re right, Ministry have broken up before, in 2008. Yes, they also got back together three years later. This time?
“No, it has to be the last time,” Al says sadly. “[Guitarist] Mike Schaccia died on December 22, 2012. I’m not making any more Ministry records. I know how much Mikey loved this album. We finished the tracks two days before he died in Dallas. When he left Dallas, he told me how much he loved this album and that we had to tour this album. That’s what we’re doing. We’re touring the album. The show is just the exact From Beer to Eternity album from top to bottom. Then we’ll come out and do some of the ‘favourites’ for an encore. We’re doing a Beer to Eternitour. Starting in Melbourne and I’m still trying to get a damn Perth show, man! I love that city.”
The Perth FUZZ sure as shit don’t love Al back, though. In 2013, Clermont Council slapped a 10pm curfew on the festival. In response, Soundwave bossman AJ Maddah said “So long, jerks!” (Pretty sure those were the exact words exchanged.) I mean, if a show finishes in time for reruns of Walker: Texas Ranger, is it really a show? Is it? Hmm? Really? Think about it. No. I don’t think it is. No. It’s not. Christ Clermont Council, what is your malfunction?
“At any rate, Mikey would’ve liked it this way,” Al says undeterred. “But there’ll be no more Ministry CDs, no more Ministry tours. I said I wasn’t gonna tour before because of health reasons, but my health is fine now. I’m ready to go. I can’t wait for this tour.”
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I know how much Mikey loved this album. We finished the tracks two days before he died in Dallas. He told me that we had to tour this album. That’s what we’re doing. We’re doing a Beer to Eternitour … and I’m still trying to get a damn Perth show, man!”
[AL]
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It’s touching Ministry are going balls out honouring Mikey’s memory. Don’t expect lots of sad speeches and crying though. Al don’t play that way.
“It won’t be mentioned. It was just a little code me and Mikey had. He was like my little brother. I know what he would’ve wanted.”
Al is like your first car; a beat up old wreck that keeps on pluggin’ no matter what. It’s also seen some debauched shit that you’d never tell your mum about. Al’s survived heroin addiction, spider bites and almost losing real limbs. What he cannot suffer lightly is three generations of Ministry fans.
“On the last tour we did Las Vegas,” Al says. “They must have had some kind of radio contest. ‘Win free tickets—the fifth caller wins free tickets.’ Then they meet us backstage. It’s one of the very few meet n’ greets I’ve agreed to. I usually loathe them. After this one, I know why. Because a grandmother, a mother and a daughter all came back praising different elements of my career. Which made me feel so fucking old I felt like Wayne Newton, especially in Las Vegas. I was actually kind of pissed off!”
And they rocked up just before a show, too. The final god damned insult.
“I was just about ready to put my catheter in or something. How old do you have to get before you get three generations of fans!”
To be fair, few bands make it that far. Al and Ministry’s success is all explained simply. When Al hears ‘No,’ he tells someone or something to fuck right off and does it anyway. ‘No’ is to Al like ‘Yellow’ is to Marty McFly Hmm, maybe he is a crusty demonic Marty McFly?
“I got into this kind of music because my father told me to stop taking his 1969 Oldsmobile 442 out at night for joyrides,” Al says proudly. “I immediately rebelled and said, ‘No, I love driving this car!’ When someone tells me I can’t do something, like the record companies, saying ‘you can’t do that! You can’t do that!’ I immediately rebel. I immediately revert back to my memory of being 14 and joyriding this total American muscle car and I just said ‘No.’ I kept stealing my dad’s car. I kept getting grounded for it. That’s how my mind works, man!”
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MINISTRY will appear at Soundwave Festival 2015. Find out more: soundwavefestival.com
