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Greetings guys, how goes
it today?. How did all 3 (editors of M.M.) of you meet originally - just
thru underground mailings and general correspondence? Describe for me your
first face-to-face meeting with the other 2 members of the ‘zine, did you
all click as well in person? With all of you in different towns/areas do you
get a chance to hang out much?
JILL:
Hi Dale! Well, Dea is the creator of Metal Mafia and is the woman behind
everything. I met face to face the first time at the ’97 Milwaukee Metalfest,
but it was only for a few seconds. Our real first meeting was when she came
to visit me here on Long Island. When she got off the plane, I was so shy, I
didn’t speak the whole way home. But after that, we had a blast. I haven’t
been lucky enough to meet Jenn yet (face to face), but I hope to one day. I
met her through the mail. We all live in different states, so hanging out is
pretty impossible unless one of us takes a vacation.
DEA:
Hey Dale!
It’s pretty good here. Well, the 3 of us met through underground
correspondence. Jenn and I started writing each other in late ’95. Jill and
I started writing in late ’96. Jenn and I were just regular pen pals. Then a
few months after I invited her to join the Metal Mafia staff, we met for the
first time at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in 1997. Jill and I started to hit it
off right away and became really close friends. I ended up meeting her at
the same Milwaukee Metalfest! I don’t think Jenn and Jill even knew each
other at the time. It was great getting to meet both of them. A few months
after that fest, I flew to NY and stayed with Jill for a few days. I see
Jenn every once in a while at various
Cleveland
metalfests. It seems like in just the past 6 months or so Jenn and I have
gotten really close, too. More than we were before. Now Jenn & Jill have
become good friends and we’re all one big happy family! They are my sisters!
Just the other day, Jenn and I were talking about flying out to NY next year
to see Jill. Hopefully Jill will be coming here in April(’99). I wish we all
got to hang out more often, but the distance thing just makes it too hard!
But we make the best of the times we do get to hang out.
How do you go about
splitting up printing costs of the ‘zine and flyers? Where did you print the
mag? Also on the same note how do you decide who gets what promo material or
do you just straight out review whatever comes to your respective mailboxes?
Do the 3 of you talk a lot on the phone and plan things out so as not to
overdue it with the amount of interviews ect.? Do you ever disagree with who
should or should not be interviewed? Do you review stuff from Mortal Coil
(Jill’s label) or would you see that as a conflict of interest?
JILL:
We split the printing costs three ways, minus any ads we sell. Dea and Jenn
do all the reviews, as I refuse to do them at all anymore. I always ask Dea
in my letters if it’s cool for me to do certain interviews, and she gives me
the ok. Since it’s essentially her ‘zine, I want to make sure she likes the
stuff I contribute to it. Dea reviewed an old comp I did, but I don’t really
see that as a conflict of interest. I see it as her helping support my label
because we are friends.
DEA:
Usually, we
try to split everything equally. We got kind of lucky because Jenn is able
to make free copies at her job. So she’ll make a shit load of ads for us,
and if we run out, we just let her know. All we end up paying is postage,
which really isn’t that bad. We just released our 6th issue about
a month ago. We got it printed at the Small Publisher’s Co-Op. Our 5th
issue, Jenn just printed up for free (cushy!! -Dale), and the ones before
that, I just went to a local printing shop and they made the copies for me.
So far, Jill hasn’t done any reviews. She saves her space for interviews.
But Jenn and I review whatever comes to our mailboxes. We compare lists to
make sure we don’t have any doubles. As far as planning things out, Jill and
I talk on the phone occasionally. We mostly do our planning through the
mail. We usually end up writing each other 3 page (or more) letters, typed.
Jenn and I don’t really write back and forth anymore, but we speak on the
phone at least once a week. I usually just figure up how many pages each we
will have and it’s up to them to fill their pages. So far, we haven’t had
any problems or disagreements with who to interview, they can go ahead. Yes,
I do review stuff from Mortal Coil Records. I reviewed them before Jill
joined Metal Mafia. She knew from the beginning I give honest reviews, and
that I won’t give any of the Mortal Coil bands a good review just to kiss
her ass. Every band on her label rules, so I haven’t had to give bad
reviews.
JENN:
Fliers I do for free, so Dea will send some fliers to print up and I run her
off a couple hundred sheets. Review material just goes to each other’s
mailboxes. We are all in contact with the same and different people, so
sometimes we have the same stuff to review. I usually call Dea with a list
of CD’s I have and she will tell me if she already reviewed them or not. We
haven’t yet disagreed on who should be interviewed. We let each other know,
just so we aren’t interviewing the same person, which would suck!!!
How many copies did you
print of the latest issue? How about the number of flyers printed? Will you
print up more flyers when you run out or will you just move on to the next
issue as I know it is just about completed? What do you do for distribution,
just mailorder thru yourselves or have man distros been supportive? Do you
sell them at shows?
DEA:
Our latest issue had a print run of 1,000. I’m not sure about the number of
flyers printed. Jenn sends me and Jill about both about 500 or so, plus what
she printed for herself. We don’t really say, “Oh we’re gonna print exactly
1,500 flyers” or anything like that. We just pass them out and when we run
out, we just print up more. With # 6, we are sending a hell of a lot of
copies to different distro’s., plus quite a few of the people I write to
take them and pass them out at shows all over the world. We take them to
stores and leave them for people to take, I take them to shows..ect. We just
want to get them out wherever possible. Anyone interested in helping, can
contact me. I’ve tried to sell them at shows, but I’m just too shy to walk
up to people and ask them buy one, so I usually end up just setting them
around and let people take them.
What kind of child were
you? Get into trouble much, how about school did you like it? Were you a
loner type or were you pretty social/ outgoing with lots of friends? At what
age did you get into metal and what were the 1st bands that made you think
metal was the shit? At what point after that did you get into the
underground and what were some of the early bands/zines you got into and
wrote?
JILL:
I was a quiet kid, but I got into my share of trouble. School was ok. I
hated it at the time, but I miss the structure of it- I’ve gone downhill
without it in the last four years since I graduated. I had a lot of friends
in school, but I’ve outgrown them. They’re still doing the same high volume
of drugs and all that they were doing when they were seventeen. It was fun
back then, but now there’s bills to pay and jobs to keep. I guess I got into
metal in ‘92-93. The first bands that blew my mind were Manowar, Helloween,
Iron Maiden, Slayer, ect. I got into the underground in ’95 when I started
Mortal Coil (‘zine).
DEA:
I was very
shy as a child. I was the type of kid who would hide behind my mother’s legs
when strangers were around. I never got into TOO much trouble. I’ve always
had a temper, so usually when I got into trouble it would be b/c I lost my
temper and did something stupid, like throwing a toy across the room or
something like that. I was always the loner type with my own little group of
friends. I was always one of the kids that the rich preppy kids wouldn’t
talk to. I hated school. When I got to high school, I lost a little bit of
my shyness, but not much. I wish I could go back to school, b/c I don’t take
shit from anyone now. I still have low self-esteem, so I am kind of quiet
and shy, Once I got to know a person and feel comfortable around them I will
talk for hours though. My evolution into the metal scene was kind of a slow
gradual process. When I was in 4th grade, I listened to Europe.
In Junior High, I was a big fan of the hair bands, such as Warrant, Poison,
Cinderella (I just saw them play a couple nights ago!!), Slaughter…ect. Once
I got to high school, I listened to stuff like old Metallica, Megadeth,
Sepultura & Pantera. I think in 10th or 11th grade, I
loved Headbanger’s Ball on MTV. One night, I wasn’t going to be home, to
watch it, so I taped it. The next day, I was watching it, and they had this
special called “The Pit”, where they played really heavy stuff like Death,
Morbid Angel, & Sepultura. I remember I was so blown away. I kept watching
it over and over. I remember my mom coming into the room saying, “What are
you listening to? It sounds like satan chantings” and I was like, “I know
isn’t it great???!”. Then I started hanging out with this guy, Matt. He
listened to bands like Morbid Angel, old Death, Carcass…ect. He told me
about this radio station that every night they had a show called, “The Metal
Storm” (your lucky I never had any shows like that in my area, woe is me!
J
-Dale) , and they played all death metal. I listened to it every single
night from then on! They introduced me to a lot of underground bands. About
a year later, I became really good friends with the dj’s on that show, the
infamous Matt Watson! I was just dabbling in the underground and with the
idea of doing a ‘zine when I met him, and he really helped me get involved.
He took me to my first death metal show in
Michigan,
in some guys basement (Did Masochist play that show!? If they did I have
that show on video!! -Dale)!!! I knew that this is what I loved, and here I
am today! Some of the first bands I got into were Decay, Avernus, Internal
Bleeding, Descendent, Gutted, and tons more. The first person I started
writing to in the u/g was Harold Burton from Decay. Decay broke up a few
years ago, but I’ve heard Harold is in Erotic Incisions, now. Maybe one day
I’ll get to meet him!
JENN:
I was quiet
as a child. I didn’t talk too much to anyone especially in high school. My
school contained too many of the jocks and preppy people and because I wore
a heavy metal T-shirt, I was different. Fuck them!! I’m still shy and quiet,
it is only when someone knows me really well, that’s when I am a loud mouth!
I was in the 6th grade or so I guess I was 11 when I first got
into metal. Guns ‘N Roses and Poison were the first metal bands I listened
to. Then I went through the glam phase, you know, Warrant, Slaughter, Danger
Danger, Bon Jovi, Motely Crue, and I could go on and on! The funny thing is
I still listen to these bands now. How horrible is that (extremely ah ah
-Dale) ??!! I just got tired of the same old bands in my stereo and
sometimes I need a break. I still know all the words to these songs to, now
that is pretty embarrassing to admit! I got into the underground shortly
after I was in my old band (Family Of Freaks, which also featured Burt of
Satan’s Candy Basket ‘zine! –Dale). Angelkill, Disgrace (RIP), Compression,
Lividity, Internal Bleeding, Scattered Remnants are just a couple I wrote to
and still keep in contact with.
Dea, what originally
prompted you or inspired you to start your own ‘zine? Did you have a clear
picture in your head of what you wanted the debut issue to look and be like
while you were penning it? Did you receive many demos or label promos while
piecing together # 1? Could you please list for me the page count and print
run of each issue released thus far?
DEA:
Ever since I was little, I always imagined what it would be like to work for
a magazine and interview my favorite bands. Then when I started getting into
the underground, I realized that I really could do this! I don’t ever want
to stop. When I started doing this, I had absolutely no clue what I was
doing! So, I just started out doing things and I threw everything together.
I had no label support. I think I had maybe 10 or 15 reviews in that issue.
My first issue was about 20 pages. I only ran about 50 copies of that. #2-#5
averaged around 50 pages, and ran around 200 copies of each. #6 is 32 pages,
w/ 1,000 copies. I wanted to have more pages for this issue, but the money
wasn’t there. For my 10th issue, I already have planned to print
interview from previous issues, to demonstrate some of my progression. I
think I have come a long way since issue #1.
What’s your fave
restaurant to eat out at and same for fave fast food take out? Are you a
good cook? What is the best meal in your cooking repertoire (Sorry for this
question I am starving right now and it is influencing me haha –Dale)? Are
any of you vegetarians or anything like that?
JILL:
Oh, I see how it is Dale, “They’re females, so they must love to cook.” Ha
ha. No, seriously, I’m a horrible chef, but my boyfriend always wants me to
make him ziti, so I guess that’s one thing I can cook ok. No, I need red
meat (I hear that! -Dale). No vegetables for me! There’s a diner here called
the Olympic, and I’m addicted to eating there, so are all my friends. Anyone
from the underground who comes to visit me ends up addicted to it, too. For
fast food, I like the usual, McDonald’s, Checkers, ect.
DEA:
My favorite
restaurant is Chi Chi’s. Their Mexican food is fucking yummy!! As for fast
food, Hardee’s roast beef is the bomb! I like to cook. My best meal, would
probably be…I’m not sure! No, I don’t think any of us are vegetarians. Jenn
likes the genital salami. (I’m sorry Jenn, I just couldn’t resist that!)
JENN:
My favorite fast food is Burger King. The fries are soo good! I love any
restaurant that serves Chinese. That is my favorite type of food. I can’t
cook to save my life! I’m a great micro-waver, but that is about as far as
it goes! When other people cook for me, then I really like shrimp and
scallops in some fettachene and linguine. Now I’m getting hungry!!
I don’t know any women
that enjoy gore art and lyrics, do you? Do you get into it due to the
extreme violence or brutality of it all? Do you like erotic styled gore
lyrics? Finally are you into gore/horror movies and what are some faves you
would recommend?
JILL:
I enjoy total gore art, lyrics…everything. I absolutely get into extreme
violence and brutality. Gore/horror movies I would recommend? I SPIT ON YOUR
GRAVE (classic! -Dale), without a doubt! That’s one horrific movie about a
woman who is raped by four men and then gets revenge on them by hanging,
castration, ect. She even axes one and rips one apart with an outboard boat
motor.
DEA:
I love gore, blood and guts!! I also love the violence and brutality of it
all. I like the erotic gore more than anything. I’m a kinky bitch! When I
was a child, say someone got hurt and there was blood all over, everyone
else would be screaming, but I would just stare at it. It’s intriguing. Have
you ever seen on the Learning channel, when they used to show those live
surgeries? They would show the entire thing, face lifts, brain surgery,
vasectomy..ect. I used to watch it all the time. I know a lot of people who
would say, “That is sooo gross”, but they would keep watching it. Like they
couldn’t look away! But you’re right, most women don’t like gore and blood.
There’s too many prissy girls in the world who can barely stand to see a
nail get broken, let alone watch someone get their intestines ripped out
through their asshole! Yes, I love gory horror movies. I love the old
“Halloween” (Those first 2 are godly!! I -Dale) movies. I like the movies
that are more realistic, none of that fake scary monster shit.
JENN:
The lyrics don’t bother me too much. It takes A LOT to offend me, and most
of the time, I just get a good laugh out of it! I can’t think of any gory
movies that I see. Patrick from Red Stream records, when we hang out, he
ALWAYS has me watch some Fulci movies he just got and they are sick!! This
one called The Beyond (killer flick! –Dale) was a guy paralyzed on the floor
and all of these big hairy spiders appeared and started crawling all over
him! They take some of his eye apart and the one took a bit out of his
tongue. This poor guy couldn’t move, he just sat there and they showed it
all up close and ugh, I’m getting the chills now just thinking about it!!!
Do you see mail as
utmost importance as I do? Are you generally prompt with your mail or are
you a procrastinator with it? Which country do you get the most mail from
besides the US?
Which record labels have been the coolest and most supportive to Metal Mafia
thus far? How about ad support in general is it there or could it be better?
JILL:
Yes, mail is what keeps me going. I agree with you 100 percent at how
important it is! Usually, I answer all my mail within the same week. As of
late my label Mortal Coil Records has folded, and my new partner and I are
trying to get our new label up and running, so money has been tight. But
this is just a minor setback (That is the kind of attitude I like to hear!
-Dale). The mail is answered as I get it, I just lack the money to send it
all out. Thanks to the great Raffaella Guerini of Headfucker, I get a ton of
mail from Italy. I also get a lot of mail from the Czech Republic and
Germany. In order to get good ad support, you have to continually call and
harass labels, and I just hate doing that. Besides, I don’t think success or
failure of your ‘zine should ever be decided by whether or not people buy ad
space in it (I couldn’t have said that any better! -Dale).
DEA:
Yes, mail is the most important thing in my opinion. If it weren’t for mail,
I couldn’t do what I do. I am usually pretty prompt with my mail. Lately it
seems like mail has been getting lost. So if anyone hasn’t gotten a response
from me, write again, b/c the post office is fucking shit up. I don’t know
what country I get mail from the most. Probably
France.
Ad support could be a lot better. We’ve never really tried to push people
into buying ads With my first 3 issues, I don’t think I had any label
support at all. I did everything on my own. Now, more labels are getting
involved. I think the most supportive has been Eclipse Records, Crook’d
Records, and others. We have extremely cheap ad rates, so everyone should
get in touch.
JENN:
Mail? I’m the worst person with mail. It usually doesn’t get answered for
about two months, if I’m lucky. I wish I had more time, but I have school
three nights a week and then two jobs. So I can’t always get to the mail as
fast as I would like too. Dea and I don’t even write anymore, Christ if we
did and she had to wait for me, the ‘zine would come out only like twice a
year!!! I was getting better, I had a job I did nothing at and I brought it
there! I don’t get much mail from other than the US. I get some letters from
Germany and Italy and few here or there but not much. Metal Blade has been
super cool; I get a lot of CD’s from them. Relapse and Nuclear Blast are
really cool too.
Which underground
bands/labels/’zines do you see being the most supportive to the scene in
general? What are the things about the scene and the music that keep you
here and keep you dedicated to it all? What do you see in the scene as
needing improvement or extermination entirely? Don’t you think Americans in
general have it the nicest in the scene due to their strong dollar and the
fact that a large part of the scene is within their own country therefore
not needing money exchange and having low postage costs ect.?
JILL:
Bands like Lividity, The Forgotten, Deaden and Regurgitation are very
supportive. Labels and ‘zines like Headfucker, Ablated, Brutalized, Wild
Rags, Intellektual Spew and Metal - Core are die hard for the scene as well.
I’m sure I can put into words what keeps me dedicated to the scene- there
aren’t words enough to describe it. Maybe I’ll just quote you, Dale, when
you say, “Metal… it flows through my veins…” I think that says it all.
DEA:
Supportive
bands: Lividity, Deaden, Fleshgrind & more; Labels: United Guttural,
Ablated, Mortal Coil(R.I.P); ‘zines: Brutalized, Intellektual Spew, Arrows
Of Malice, Pernicious
 and a great new ‘zine called Death-Core from NJ. The
support I get from friends in the u/g and the dedication of everyone is what
keeps me here. The death metal undergroud is full of the most sincere, non-judgemental,
fully dedicated, and just plain nice people you could ever meet! It’s like
were all one big community. It’s an escape from the useless sheep that make
up the rest of the world. And the music, it just keeps my blood pumpin’.
Music is my life. I don’t think I could survive without the music. I think
we need to get rid of the shit talkers and the people who set out to destroy
people by making up lies about them (no names mentioned here). And we need
to get rid of all the people who are in the scene for all the wrong reasons:
to get attention, to make money, to get something free..ect. Yeah, I’m sure
Americans have it better. Everyone bitches the government (including
myself), but look what it’s like to live in other countries, not having
possessions or food or medicine or anything! Plus our low postage rates do
help a hell of a lot.
JENN:
There are so
many that are around and are really supportive, I wouldn’t be able to name
them all. I would be afraid of leaving some out. I stay in the scene because
I like hearing different bands that are around. I have met a lot of cool
people and like to stay in contact with everyone, even if it does take
forever!!! I just think the main problem is that people are not as
open-minded. I know people that are “I’m into black metal and I won’t pass
any fliers other than black metal” and that sucks (agreed. –Dale)! You need
to be supportive of EVERYONE because we are all doing the same thing here,
you know?
Do you go to live shows
much? Are there many shows in your area or do you have to travel a good
distance for shows? Who are the best live bands you have experienced and
what was the coolest complete show you can remember? Is the scene in your
region good band and ‘zine wise? Are you active at gigs moving and
headbanging/thrashing around or are you the type to stand back and just
watch the show in one spot (nothing wrong with either - both types are
people are there supporting the show but inevitably most people fall into
one or the other)?
JILL:
I used to be
a die hard supporter of the scene here where I live on
Long Island.
But I got screwed over one too many times, and the bands here never did shit
for me in return. They just demanded too much shit from me and never came
through. So I don’t go to fucking shows here on
Long Island and never
will again until each and every one of these bands goes belly-up. The only
bands I support on Long Island are Cursed Earth, The Forgotten and
Disfigured. The coolest shows I have ever been to were a long time ago when
I worked at a club called the Roxy. Every show there ruled. There are lots
of bands here, but besides myself, the only other ‘zine is Pernicious (a
metal brother on high!!! -Dale). My label is the only gore/grind/death metal
label here. When I do go to shows, I usually sit at my distro table and
observe the show. I’m not even five feet tall, so going into the pit is a
horrifying thought for me.
DEA:
I go to as many live shows as I can. I live about 45 minutes from Toledo.
There used to be shows there once and awhile. But, there haven’t been any
there since August. At the Master show, a big riot broke out, and the cops
ended up coming and shit. So, probably that’s the end of shows around here
until they find another place to hold them. We used to have the big bands
come here, like Deicide and C. Corpse, but even they don’t play here
anymore. Most of the bands around here broke up, and the rest of the bands
(minus Arius) are lame ass alterna-rock bands. But, I try to travel to
Cleveland
for shows as much as possible. It’s about 2 ½ hours drive, but definitely
worth it. The best live bands? Somnus, Cradle Of Filth, Fleshgrind, Lividity,
Crisis, Voivod, Sepultura, Gutted and too many others to even mention. I’d
have to say the coolest show I’ve been to, was the Ohio Death Fest last
April (’98). So many great bands, and so many great friends. It was an
unbelieveable weekend, and I can’t wait to go again next year! There’s not
too many good ‘zines around here that I know of. As far as bands, there’s a
lot of killer bands from
Ohio.
We have Incantation, Arius, Blood Coven, From The Depths, Ton,
Regurgitation, Erotic Incisions, Somnus and so many others. It depends on
where I’m at, whether or not I stand back and watch or thrash around. If I’m
at out of state shows, or shows where I only know a few people, I usually
just sit back and watch. Usually when I go to
Cleveland shows or
somewhere else where I have tons of friends, then, especially if one of my
fave bands is on stage, I’ll go up by the stage, scream and yell.
JENN:
I don’t go to as many shows as I would like to. Definitely not as much as I
did before. School is the main reason for that. Philly is where a lot of
good shows are. It is maybe 45 minutes from me. I also go to a club in
Jersey where they have a lot of good shows, I just saw Biohazard and Madball
there. I also saw Incantation, Vader, and Morbid Angel there. For the most
part, unless it’s a die-hard favorite band of mine, I sit upstairs and watch
the bands from the balcony. I’m too tired after working all day to get beat
up and knocked around by everyone. But if we are talking about Biohazard
then I’m up front of that stage. There are so many cool bands I have seen, I
can’t even begin to tell you. Any Biohazard show is great (they are my
favorite) and I thought Cradle Of Filth was amazing when I saw them.
Dea, do you see M.M.
progressing from issue to issue? Do you ever feel like I do with my 2nd
and issue that you stagnated and didn’t progress from the previous issue?
Also are you excited when you get a new issue printed and are all into it
and then 10 minutes later you are picking everything that should have been
better or am I just psycho haha!?
DEA:
Well, when I first started out, I had no idea how to do interviews. I just
asked the run of the mill questions. My interviews were pretty boring. I
think I learn with every issue what to do better. I’m constantly nit picking
at little things in my current issue that could’ve been better, but that is
how you learn. So, no, you’re not psycho! Hey, when you get your ‘zine
printed, do you look at it 10 times everyday for a week (Guilty! -Dale), or
am I the psycho one?
What do you do in your
leisure time besides your music/underground activities (i.e. – go to movies,
hang with your mate ect.)? Are you an athletic type or an outdoorsy person?
Which season of the year is your favorite? Do you like it when it is
rainy/stormy out or sunny and beautiful outside? Do you read much, what is
some of your fave literature & novels? What kind of job do you have if any
or do you go to school/college and which one? How old are you?
JILL:
I am the most
anti-social person in the world. I spend my time with my boyfriend, and
that’s it. He’s just as anti-social as I am. We go to the movies or out to
eat or just lay around being lazy, working on the ‘zine or label stuff.
We’re in our own world together & resent any intruders. I love to read- I’m
constantly reading new books or re-reading old ones. My favorite novels are
“The Good Earth”, “The Hundred Secret Senses”, “Blue Italian”, ect. I’m a
huge John Malkovich fan, and I collect everything I can on him. I try to buy
all his movies right away. Right now, I’m also well into the new Zelda (They
are still putting new versions of that out!? -Dale) game for Nintendo 64.
That game is so fucking sick- it’s redefining gaming as we know it! I will
beat it! I fucking will! The map takes you twenty four hours to walk across-
I’ve been playing it for a month and I’m still not even a quarter of the way
through, and I’m an “expert”, ha ha. I tell you, I will beat it! Right now
I’m trying to get ahold of the third crystal and looking for more skulltulas,
so anyone who can give me tips, let me know. If you’re in need of a hint,
buy a bug in a bottle from a medicine shop and let it loose in those soft
mounds of soil- a skulltulas will pop out! For every ten skulltulas you
kill, you get something new from the House Of Skulltula. Sorry. I got
carried away there… I avoid the sun as much as possible. My idea of
athletics is pumping the gas pedal on my car. I like Spring best. I just got
fired from my job as a market researcher because I didn’t want to ask people
personal questions.. long story.. I went to college, and I should be going
back in the future. I’m 22 years old.
DEA:
Leisure
time? What’s that?? Ha! I spend most of my days either working on
mail/’zine/distro., and going to work. I like to go to as many concerts as
possible. I usually end up going to my friends’ house and hang out. They are
the only death metal heads around here. I don’t have a boyfriend b/c there
are no guys around here that are into the same things as I am. I’m not the
type that goes out with their total opposite, I have to be with someone as
dedicated to this music as I am. Maybe I’m too picky?? Right now, I work at
a shitty job, doing telemarketing. I hate it. I used to work at a local
newspaper. I really liked my job, but the new boss didn’t like me, and
caused me a lot of trouble, so I quit. This telemarketing job was supposed
to be a temporary job until I find something else, but I’ve been there for 6
months now! As soon as I get the money saved up and can get my supplies, I
am going to start a piercing apprenticeship. That is something I would love
to do. I love piercing and tattoos, and I think I would be good at it.
HAHAHA, I laugh at the word “athletic”! I like to be outside, in secluded
places. I hate going out in public. I fucking hate people in general.
They’re so fucking ignorant and stupid. Every time I go to the store or any
place like that, I always end up getting pissed off, ‘cuz some moron does
something stupid! I like Spring the best. I hate winter and snow, and I
don’t like it when it’s so hot outside that you can barely breathe (that
doesn’t happen back in Canada where I lived hahha -Dale), so Spring is the
best, b/c it’s right in the middle! I like it rainy and stormy, especially
when I am kind of down or depressed. I really don’t read much at all. The
only thing I read, or have time to read are ‘zines. I’m 21. I’ll be 22 in
April ’99.
JENN:
Usually I just relax and be a bum. I sleep whenever I can and just listen to
music. I do read, especially murder medical books. They are the best. I’m
not athletic and I don’t go outdoors much. I have rock climbed and that was
a lot of fun and I would like to do that again. I hate the rain and stormy
weather; I like the Spring time and the Fall because the weather is just
right. It’s not too cold and it’s not too hot. I work for a computer
company, in their finance department. I just got the job maybe about two
months ago, so I’m fairly new. I’m in college part time and I’m studying to
be an accountant. Pretty boring stuff to study and learn, but I really like
my job. I’ll be 22 in July.
Do you do a lot of
trading with other ‘zines? Do the ‘zines you trade for have to be pro or can
they be photo-copied? Please tell us in your opinion some of the best ‘zines
past and present? Do you think there could ever be too many ‘zines? Do you
get disgusted as I do by attitudes of people who decide as soon as they find
out your ‘zine is not pro-done or doesn’t have a fancy layout, it is no good
and on the other hand if it is pro-done it is automatically great!?
JILL:
Doing a
label, I get a lot of ‘zines sent to me, asking for promo copies of the
label’s releases. Everyone who sends a ‘zine get something for review, no
matter whether it’s newsprint, xeroxed, written on toilet paper, ect. I love
to trade, for any type of death/grind ‘zine. Some of the best ‘zines, past
and present are Subversive Agenda, Metal-Core, Brutalized, Intellektual
Spew, Cursed, ect. There can never be too many ‘zines. I agree with you,
Dale. I have seen some xeroxed ‘zines that put newsprint ‘zines to shame.
There’s utter crap out there like Sloth and The Grimoire (Jill you hit the
nail right on the head with those two!! -Dale), and just because they have a
high print run, people think they are something bigger than the losers they
are. The only downfall of a xeroxed ‘zine is that most of them only print 10
copies- doing a small label, I can’t afford to lose hundreds of dollars
sending out promos to ‘zines who just want free stuff and don’t “apply
themselves”. Of course, for every rip-off ‘zine, there are ten true ‘zines,
so I give everyone the benefit of the doubt and try to send anyone promos.
But it’s ‘zines like yours, Dale, who switch to newsprint solely because
they want to reach more people and show a genuine support for the
underground, those are a small label’s dream come true. People like you keep
people like me alive in the scene, Dale!
DEA:
Yes, I do a lot of ‘zine trading. Hell no, I don’t care what the ‘zine is
printed on! Just b/c someone has the money to get their ‘zine printed up
professionally and someone else doesn’t, doesn’t make the pro printed one
any better than the photo-copied one (here, here! -Dale). I read on one of
your ads, you stated that you are a ‘zineaholic. That’s exactly what I say
about myself! I love ‘zines! Whenever I get a ‘zine in the mail, I usually
end up putting everything off, and I sit down and read that ‘zine cover to
cover. It’s just so interesting to see other people’s ideas & talents on
paper, plus getting to read everything on the u/g! There’s a certain rich
bastard (that shall remain nameless) who does a ‘zine. His ‘zine is printed
up professionally and he puts down every band and ‘zine that doesn’t have
their product done professionally. I guess he thinks that if you don’t have
money (or your mommy doesn’t give you the money -Dale), you don’t have the
brains or talent to put out a good product. Shit like that pisses me off.
Some of the best ‘zines, would have to be: Mortal Coil(R.I.P), Brutalized,
Intellektual Spew, Pernicious, and many more. I don’t think there could ever
be too many ‘zines. There’s just too many that print 1 or 2 issue and drop
out (how true -Dale). Doing a ‘zine is not easy work.
JENN:
I have been getting a lot of ‘zines now that people know I do the ‘zine.
I’ll trade for anything, I don’t care, it doesn’t have to be pro done and
stuff. I think that if someone is making the effort to help the scene out,
there is no reason to shut them down because it isn’t the greatest. That is
gay. So far, I haven’t come across anyone who has shut us down because it
wasn’t pro done. If I did, then fuck them, they aren’t true scene
supporters.
Are you like me a
staunch supporter of vinyl or do you care? Do you wish vinyl was more
prevalent? On the same note do you find it disturbing hardly any bands seem
to release demo tapes anymore and put out cds right off the bat?
JILL:
I don’t think it really matters whether a band releases something on tape or
cd. If they can afford to do a cd, more power to them. Mortal Coil never had
a focus on vinyl, but now that I’ve got a new partner & a new label, he’s
bringing tons more vinyl into our distro, and I’m really happy about that. I
think vinyl is a cool thing.
DEA:
Umm, I don’t really have much of an opinion on vinyl. Vinyl is nice, but no
big deal, to me at least! Yeah, it seems like tapes are becoming almost
extinct. Everyone is putting out CD’s now. I don’t really find it
“disturbing”, just kind of sad!
JENN:
I don’t care much for vinyl. I have a record player, so if I get something
on a 7 inch I can listen to it. I buy tapes, I don’t have many CD’s, except
from what people have given to me. I would rather listen to the tapes, CD’s
are too expensive and I only have a tape player in my car! If the band has
the money to put something out on CD, that is cool, it usually sounds
better, than a demo. But if the band sucks, the CD is not going to help them
any.
Do you find the internet
as a useful tool in the underground? Which do you think outweighs the pros
or cons with Email (f.ex No band/’zine flyers get passed through this
method)? Webzines to me are cool but they definitely seem to miss a certain
something or charm of printed ‘zines do you agree? Any thought of a website
for Metal Mafia?
JILL:
That chat room, UNHOLY METAL, pisses me off. Everytime I’ve ever gone in
there, I’ve never seen anyone talking about music. I was in there for an
hour one night, and all they talked about was defecation. I don’t know why I
stayed in there for that long- maybe just to find more reasons to hate them.
The Web is good if you want to sell something. Mortal Coil sold more stuff
through our website than anything else (really!? -Dale). But there wasn’t
any real support. If we get a website for this new label, it will be done a
bit differently than anything you’ve seen on the internet. I’m not saying it
will be 100% more original or anything- I just mean we’ll be more supportive
and less “sale” oriented. I’m sure if Dea decided to do a M.M. website, it
would be the same way.
DEA:
Actually, I do not have the internet or Email. I will be getting soon
though. The internet seems to be the big rage now, and regular mail is
outdated! I think Email does make it easier for people to communicate, but
it’s just not the same as written letters. Plus, like you said, no ads can
be spread around. I am thinking about possibly doing a website for M.M.
someday. I think the internet, and regular snail mail are both good tools
for the underground though.
JENN:
I think the internet is a great tool. I use email A LOT and I’m put on a lot
of the big mailings, with like 500 + people and it is cool to see about new
bands and check out their web page. Then you can take those 500 + people and
email them and tell them about your ‘zine or demo. I have done it many times
and I have a lot of new contacts now, and have gotten more ‘zines and demos
because of it. It does suck, because if you use email then no one is seeing
your fliers, but on the other hand, if you have a web page then others can
link it to their page and others find out about you. I would love to do a
web page for M.M. but I only have access through work and I’m not sure how I
would be able to do that. Definitely something to look into. I do like the
printed ‘zines rather than the web ‘zines. They are cool, but I like to be
able to pick up the ‘zine and see something again, rather than have to wait
to get back to work and remember the page. That is a big pain in the ass to
me (I see what you are saying, plus web ‘zines usually get lazy and never
update stuff, not all but a lot of them –Dale). Maybe if I had my own
computer it would be different.
Jill you did a label
with another person, please list the releases and do you and your now
ex-partner get along? Tell us all about your new label called Razorback and
did you take that moniker from that old ‘80’s speed metal band!?
JILL:
Yes, I did
Mortal Coil Records with Jay Lipitz (Insatanity). Among our releases were
two ‘zines, three comps, and the Insatanity/Immortal Suffering split cd, all
of which are sold out right now. The ‘zine was like one big advertisement
for the label. We did the ‘zine so we could send it out free and spread the
word about Mortal Coil. And yes, I now do Razorback Records with Billy
Nocera. I split with Jay because, well, I don’t want to talk shit about him,
but I just felt I was doing all the work for the label for too long. I
wanted a equal partner. We didn’t get name Razorback from the ‘80’s speed
metal band, ha ha. I don’t really know where we got it from- we just sort of
came up with it. Hey, our first release will be a full length by gore/grind sickos, Engorged!!!!
Do you feel or not feel
there are too many bands/labels today? Maybe it is just too many lousy bands
out there or is there plenty of room for everyone? What do you think about
this new movement/trend of jump metal or power metal groove like Korn,
Sevendust, Machine Head, Skinlab ect.. gaining prominence as of late?
JILL:
There are most definitely too many labels. But in the end, the strongest
will survive. Mortal Coil had a weak link (my ex-partner) and so it died.
However there are no weak links with this new label, so I hope we can be
successful. Wish us luck, we need it! Fuck “Jump Metal”. I can drive half an
hour with my car radio on scan and not stop it one time. Korn is ok. The
others you mention don’t interest me.
DEA:
No, I don’t think there could ever be too many bands. Yeah, there’s some
lousy ones, but I know it’s a lot of work and time to create music to create
music. Hmm, about labels. I think there could possibly be too many. I mean,
first everyone wanted to do a ‘zine, then everyone wanted to do a distro.,
and now it seems like everyone is starting a label. It used to be that if a
band got signed to record label, it was a big deal, now it’s like, “Oh,
really?”, and no big deal, b/c there’s so many labels around. Actually, I
like a couple Korn (hey does anyone remember that gay glam/hair band Rough
Cutt? Half of that crappy band is apparently now in Korn! -Dale) songs.
Jonathan Davis is a big grindcore fan. I’ve seen Machine Head once last
year, and they were pretty good. I like Skinlab. I listen to all kinds of
metal. A lot of people put down bands like Korn or Machine Head (including
me!! -Dale), but I’d much rather hear that than the gangsta rap hop hop shit
that is going around. As long as the metal (I don’t veiw Korn as metal at
all but that is just me I guess -Dale) is angry and pissed off, I like it.
JENN:
I don’t think there is too many bands out there. The good ones stay and the
sucky ones, break up or they drop out eventually and then more always come
in. There is always the revolving door. I personally love Korn and Skinlab
(I’m fucking surrounded!!
J
–Dale). I wouldn’t say they are my favorites, but I like the beat to them
and they get all pumped up. They wake my ass up in the morning. I hop in my
car at 5:00 am
and throw in some Limp Bizkit or Snot and blast it and I’m awake!
I know you guys had some
problems with the dude doing the layout on issue # 6 so what happened there
and now that you finally have the results are you happy with them? What
prompted you to get someone else to do your layout, I ask because I cannot
even fathom handing over the raw materials of my labour love over to someone
else to shape it even if just visually? What did this person charge for the
layout? Will you use him again next time?
JILL:
The guy who screwed us over was my ex-partner with Mortal Coil Records.
I’ll Dea and Jenn answer this one.
DEA:
ARGH!!! Ok, here’s the scoop. The 3 of us decided that the next big step to
take, would be to go to newsprint. Jill only had a word processor to use.
Jenn had no computer at all, except for the one at her parents house. She
worked, and went to school all day and just didn’t have the time to do the
layout. I have this old decrapitated computer. We wanted the layout to look
nice, and have scanned photos. Since Jay was Jill’s partner in Mortal Coil,
plus a long time friend of hers, we thought that we could trust him. I told
him way in advance that I wanted the 6th issue out in the middle
of July. He said that was fine. I sent him all of our materials way ahead of
time, so that he could have the time to get all the layouts done. Well,
around the end of July, Jenn Emailed him a few times, and he kept telling
her that it was “almost done” and it “only needs a few finishing touches”.
Well, Jill had found out he hadn’t even started on it. So, he had apologized
and promised he would have it done by the end of August. None of us heard
anything from him, so Jill finally asked him and all he had done, at the end
of September, was the fucking cover!! He lied to us the whole time, when he
kept telling us that it was almost done. We told him just to send everything
back and we’d do it ourselves. It took him over 3 weeks to send us our shit
back. Finally I ended up leaving a not so ice message on his machine, and he
sent the stuff back, with no explanation or anything. I think we did a damn
good job at doing the layout (agreed! -Dale). We will be doing all the
layouts ourselves from now on. I didn’t like the thought of handing
everything over to him, and I saw his work in Mortal Coil ‘zine, so I
thought it would be ok. We will never use him again, for anything at all. He
fucked us over big time. It made us look like rip-offs b/c
bands/’zines/labels weren’t getting their reviews or ads. I know Jay is
busy, but he should’ve thought about that when he agreed to do the layout,
AND when he was lying to us about it being almost done. Fuckin’ A. I’m still
steamed about this whole situation.
Jenn, I know your
friends with the somewhat notorious (at least in his own mind
J)
Bill Zebub of The Grimoire Of Exalted Deeds ‘zine, please tell us what he is
like in person and how did you meet, thru u/g mail? Do you hang out with any
other undergrounders my readers might know?
JENN:
Bill, Bill, Bill. He is quite a character to say the least. We met through
the mail, and then he said one time “Will you be heading to Milwaukee with
me this year?” as a joke and I said yeah and then we ended up going there
together. That was quite an experience. He literally attacked me in the
hotel room that night! After about 10 minutes of telling hi m to get the hell
away, he finally listened! He did get some though, bruises that is! I
couldn’t let him go away empty handed!!! He got a little too drunk, he
didn’t remember any of it the next day. He is not a bad person. He is very
funny; I always have a good time hanging out with him. I hang out with a few
people. Ryan, from Disfigured, he is such a cool guy, I used to see him a
lot before, but school killed me a last semester and I haven’t seen him
since Milwaukee. When I actually do get up to NY to hang with him, I see the
Internal Bleeding guys. They are a riot to hang out with. I see Frank Rini
(the former singer of I.B.) also, he doesn’t live that far and we get
together when our schedules don’t conflict. Jay from Scattered Remnants and
usually Ron, their old bassist and I go on vacation in the summer for a
week. We usually go and see Craig from (former) Visceral Productions in
Ohio. I used to hang out with John McEntee once a month or so, but he is
really busy with Incantation and I haven’t seen him in a long time. Jimbo
Mills, from Metal Blade records is one of my best friends, that fucker is
crazy!!! I’m actually going out ot Cally this summer to hang out and do the
tourist thing. Whenever I get to big shows out of town, I try to hang with
my underground friends, it’s not like they live two minutes away or
anything!!!
Do any of you play an
instrument? Ever been in a band or have thoughts of starting/joining one?
What style of music do you see yourself playing?
JILL:
Dea and I are
in a gore/grind band called Castration, or at least, we will be if it ever
gets off the ground.
DEA:
I started playing piano when I was 5. I stopped when I was 11. I started
playing violin when I was 8, and stopped when I was 11 or 12. I wish I
wouldn’t have stopped playing them! I’d love to learn how to play guitar.
But, I can’t find anyone to teach me. I’ve never been in a band. My friends
and I were talking about starting one, with me on vocals. We’d still need a
bass and guitar player, though. I’ve always wanted to be in a band. I’d like
to do guest vocals for some bands. I do death vocals, and I also enjoy
singing “normal” vocals for doom bands. If anyone is interested in using me
as a guest vocalist, PLEASE contact me!!!!!
JENN:
I play drums. I have played since 9th grade so I guess it has
been almost 9 years now. I can't play as often as I want, because the drums
are at my parents house, I really can’t play them in an apartment! I maybe
get to play them once a week or so. I used to play in a band called Family
Of Freaks. It was a good time, the beginning was a lot of fun but the end
was a disaster!!!! But you live and you learn. I would love to play in a
hardcore band or a death metal band. I really don’t have the time as of now,
because of school, but if I found the right band, and I wanted to do it,
then I would probably put school on the back burner.
Do you see yourself
still in the underground and carrying on with all your current activities 5
years down the road? Where do you see the underground and metal heading in
the future? Any long term goals set for your underground workings (i.e.
bigger print run on the mag, start a label ect.)?
JILL:
I see myself
in the underground in 5 years, most definitely. (*Update 2007 - She
certainly is too with the mighty Razorback Records. Great label!!).
DEA:
I plan on staying in the underground until my demise! I’m sure in 5 years,
I’ll be doing even more things than I already am. I always say I want to be
the next metal mom! Kickin’ ass at 50 (I used to tape trade with a female
death/black metalhead from Quebec that was in her mid-50’s! Hi Francoise,
get in touch I lost your addy!! -Dale)!! I plan on doing the ‘zine for as
long as possible. I have some ideas for the future, but I don’t want to talk
about them, in case they don’t work out. I think the underground and metal
is just going to get bigger and bigger. It seems like every year, there is
more more death fests going on, and more and more bands popping up. It’s
just going to get better. (*Update 2007 - Funny thing here is I do
not think Dea ever released another issue, maybe 1 but this interview was
done in the early / mid part of 1999 and that is the year she released her
last issue as far as I can tell (I did some digging out of my own curiosity
and could not find heard her named involved with the scene in any way from
2000 onward…)
JENN:
I hope to be in the scene in 5 years. I think it would still be cool to be
up-to-date on all the bands out there. I’m not sure about still doing the
‘zine, I’m sure Dea will still be doing it, but I don’t know if I would
still have the time. I would like to be, but 5 years is a long time away. By
then, Metal Mafia, will be published every month and be as big as Metal Edge
and Circus! (*Update 2007 – Jenn is still hanging around a bit, check
out her site at
http://www.jensmetalpage.com though it appears to
have it’s most recent updates in mid 2006…)
What do you say to those
who say (and I have run into more than a few) intelligent people do not
listen to brutal death/grind music and those who play it are talentless and
unimaginative?
JILL:
I know tons of death heads who have college degrees. The thought that we’re
all stupid is foundless.
DEA:
I’ve run into this problem at my work place. There’s a guy there, who
started off making little comments about my tattoos and piercings. Then he
made the comment, “Well, you worship Satan, don’t you?”. He’s also made
comments that anyone who watches horror movies and listens to metal are
stupid druggies (Fuck, I know the type you mean Dea, that shit pisses me off
so badly!! -Dale). We ended up getting into a huge argument over this.
People have these fucking stereotypes. They need to take the time to meet
the “metal heads”, and they’ll realize that they are some of nicest
non-judgmental INTELLIGENT people you could ever meet. I usually don’t let
it bother me though, b/c I know it’s just ignorance. Unimaginative??? Oh my
god! Death metal bands write mini horror movies!! Tell me that doesn’t take
imagination!! How much imagination does it take to sings about da homies
hangin’ at da corna, or about being in love? NONE!!
JENN:
They are the dumb ones! I know many people who listen to this music and they
are more intelligent than the people who graduated top in my class in high
school! That is a rediculous statement!
Jill I know you have
done a ‘zine of your own in the past as well as writing for others. Do you
find with the experience you have you are utilizing it in M.M. and do you
see a progression in your work? Some advice to someone just starting a
‘zine?
JILL:
Yes, like I said, I have done my own ‘zine, plus write for 11-12 others.
Also, my partner in the new label, Billy Nocera (ex- Pissed Off Orgasm) and
I have a new ‘zine out. It’s called “I Spit On Your Grave” (Yes, after the
film). It features ONLY the sickest, most vile grind/death/gore bands. We
don’t compromise as to who is in the ‘zine. I worked very hard on my writing
style for that issue, and I think I have improved greatly because of it. I
was an English major in college because I wanted to be a writer, so I do
have a certain amount of skill and polish, though I’m not anywhere near
where I want to be! (You and me both Jill!! -Dale) My advise to someone just
starting out? Please, please use a spell check. The reason your an ‘editor’
is not just because you do the interviews and publish the ‘zine… it’s also
because you proof read it for spelling & grammar mistakes. In your last
question, Dale, you asked about the image of metal heads as being stupid-
perhaps part of the reason is because 50% of the ‘zines out there don’t know
when to use “your” or “You’re”, “a”, or “an), and “their” and “there”.
Thanx so much to all
three of you for taking the time to fill this epic interview and please plug
your stuff! Also last comments to the Canadian Assault readers?
JILL:
Dale, I really appreciate this interview. It was a really cool surprise! I
look forward to becoming better friends with you in the future (I look very
much forward to the same -Dale)- you seem like one of the most dedicated
supporters I’ve ever met! Contact me at:
P.O. Box 308,
Deer Park,
NY.
11729, USA
DEA:
Dale, I just want to thank you soooo much for this interview. I know I tend
to babble (to me that is what I like in an interview partner! The longer the
better!! -Dale), and I just can’t imagine how big this epic M.M. interview
is going to be after interviewing all 3 of us. If you ever need any help
with anything, don’t hesitate to ask! To your readers: If you want info. on
M.M. ‘zine, or my latest list of death/gore/grind/doom /black metal CD’s,
tapes & ‘zines, or if you just want to get in touch, you can write me at:
M.M., c/o Dea Evenbeck, P.O. Box 5101, Fostoria, OH. 44830 - 5101, USA
JENN:
Thanks so much Dale for this interview, you are so cool for doing this!!!!
Get in touch!!! 118 West 7th Street, Apartment 2,
Bridgeport, PA.
19405, USA
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