In 2007, I travelled to Stockholm to interview vocalist and bassist Peter Steele and drummer Johnny Kelly. Type O Negative was about to release their seventh studio album, Dead Again. The interview was originally published in the Norwegian print magazine SCREAM MAGAZINE, and was only available in Norway at the time.
Now, for the very first time, I’ve decided to release the interview in English, as I have fond memories of meeting Peter and Johnny. Type O Negative was such a great band.
TYPE O NEGATIVE are one of the biggest bands in the gothic doom genre and can be considered pioneers. Not only have they been important musically, but they are also known for their eccentric frontman Peter Steele, who has appeared in everything from Playgirl to Ricky Lake and Jerry Springer. It turns out the man is unusually kind as he offers me wine — and completely nuts, as he runs around wearing a Roman helmet in the office to the record company. He’s full of energy and constantly cracking jokes, but also one of the most depressive people I’ve ever met. He keeps going on about how quickly time flies, while his bandmate laughs next to him and seems much more normal.
The new album is called “Dead Again,” and I ask Mr. Steele to tell me how it differs from their previous records.
Peter Steele: “A couple of things. First off, it’s the first time in fourteen years that we’ve used live drums. Since ‘Bloody Kisses’. We think it’s refreshing, and Johnny plays really well. Previously, Johnny and Josh would program the drums — and they did a good job of it — but Johnny is still the new guy in the band; he’s only been in it for fourteen years (Johnny laughs loudly in the background). It was time for a change. As you get older, life gets more complicated. Another change is in the way I write the music. Before, I had to compose with programmed drums in mind. We would rehearse the songs physically, make a demo, then convert the drums to synthetic ones. This time, we all rehearsed together and gave each other feedback. I think I can safely say we came up with a new song every other week. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but at the same time, we got to rehearse the rest of the tracks. There wasn’t enough room on the CD for all the songs I wanted to include. You can only fit 79 minutes and 59 seconds, and I know a CD costs nearly 200 SEK here in Sweden, which is a lot of money. There’s a lot of competition out there, and if I had to choose between a 40-minute CD and an 80-minute one for the same price, I’d go for the 80-minute one. Our fans deserve that.”
Which track is going to be the single?
“‘Profits of Doom’. That’s the one we’re making a video for too. As soon as we get home, we’ll start shooting.”
The lyrics are, as always, very strong on this album, and I ask Peter what they’re about this time.
“This is probably our least sexy album. There’s very little about women or sex this time. There’s a lot of biblical and religious influence. I recently returned to my faith. I’m Catholic. So in addition to reading chemistry, physics, and mathematics, I read the Bible. Between Carnivore and Type O Negative, I’ve probably written a hundred songs, and coming up with new themes is like being a writer who constantly has to invent new stories. That ties back into the writing process, where I’d come up with something really good — maybe drunk or whatever — and Johnny would go, ‘Pete, that’s just Christian Woman all over again.'”
The song “Dead Again” sounds like it’s about drugs?
“That’s correct.”
Do you have a drug problem?
“Yes, cocaine. Once an addict — always an addict. I realise I’ll probably never fully get over it. I don’t smoke, but I’ve heard from people who quit that they think about cigarettes all the time. Unfortunately, I feel it’s the same with addiction — you’re just always an addict. Even though things are much better now than they were before, I still fall back and take a line now and then — and afterwards, I feel like shit. I’m ashamed of myself. I always end up saying or doing something I regret. Usually, I spend the entire next day apologising to people for being such an asshole. You think you’re the life of the party, but you’re really just ruining everything. And then you wake up the next day — or the next week, depending on how much you’ve taken — and realise this is just slow suicide. It’s like I died last night. I’m dead again. It’s very much an anti-drug song. I’m 45 now and started using cocaine when I was 35, which I’m really ashamed of. I was old enough to know better. It started socially. You’d drink at parties and try coke. Then when you drank wine, you’d take coke to balance the wine and get that good effect. This isn’t a how-to manual for your readers — this is the kiss of death. The more coke I took, the more I drank, and the more I drank, the more coke I took. It could range from a couple of lines a day to — well, the most I’ve taken in a day is about 10 grams. I don’t know how I’m still alive. That’s why Rasputin is on the cover — he wouldn’t die either. I have a lot in common with him. But I never thought the few lines I took at the beginning would turn into the massive drug abuse it became. Including ending up in hospital, jail, therapy, and damn rehab. It’s true what they say: the last stop is the graveyard — and I don’t want to go there yet.”
It’s clear this is a heavy subject for Peter — and a serious problem. I wish him all the best in his fight against addiction.
You think you’re the life of the party, but you’re really just ruining everything.
– Peter Steele
There’s a song on the album called “Halloween in Heaven” where the lyrics mention Randy Rhoads, Bon Scott, Bonham and other dead musicians. Is this a tribute to fallen heroes?
“It’s actually a song I wrote for Dimebag Darrell. He was a close friend of Type O Negative and to many others. I remember Kenny calling me one day saying Dimebag had been shot — I still can’t believe it. He was such an amazing guy, but God always takes his favourites first. I think Dimebag’s in a much better place now. The rockers mentioned in the song — I’m sure Dimebag was a big fan of them too. We had the same musical roots, you know: Zeppelin, Hendrix, AC/DC, blah blah blah. I’m sure he’s in a damn good band right now — hanging out with Jim Morrison and smoking angel dust, of course.”
TYPE O NEGATIVE are known for their great cover songs. But there are no covers on “Dead Again”. Why?
Johnny Kelly: “Back to the fact that there’s only space for 80 minutes on a CD. We just didn’t have room. We did work on a cover of Creedence Clearwater’s ‘Bad Moon Rising.’ We’ve played it live on several tours and Peter wanted us to record it. But that’ll have to wait for another time.”
You used a guest vocalist on “Dead Again” — a woman named Tara VanFlower.
Peter: “Yes, she’s from a band called Lycia, which I discovered in the early ’90s. Type O toured with Lycia in ’97 and she became a friend of the band. Josh stayed in touch with her online. She suggested contributing to a specific part of the song. She really lives up to her last name — she’s like a flower in a garbage heap. Something beautiful among chaos. A contrast between her and me. I think she did a fantastic job.”
TYPE O NEGATIVE have changed labels from Roadrunner Records to SPV now?
Johnny: “Our contract was up. So we were in talks with various labels. Roadrunner wanted to renew, but we felt SPV was a better fit. We’re a higher priority here and so far, we’ve been right. That’s really all there is to it. No drama, no catfights. We fulfilled our contract and moved on.”
But Roadrunner released a “Best of” compilation that doesn’t really match the quality of other TYPE O NEGATIVE releases.
“Yeah, we had nothing to do with it. We contacted them about it because we didn’t want it released. We had already put out the compilation ‘The Least Worst Of’ a few years earlier — so what’s the point of another Greatest Hits? We at least wanted creative control. They didn’t even give us that.” Peter adds firmly: “Very disappointing, actually. I was personally on that label for 19 years. I thought we had mutual respect. They should’ve at least included me in the process, so I could have acted as a bridge between the band and the label in terms of what ended up on the record. You know — these are my songs. I saw the cover and threw it back on the table. This is a Roadrunner fuck-over. This is what we get for giving them their first gold record — we get fucked up the ass. Well, what goes around comes around.”
It’s been four years since the last TYPE O NEGATIVE studio album. Why such a long gap?
Johnny: “Because things happen. It’s not like we planned it. Something always comes up and suddenly it’s been three and a half years. It’s not like we’ve just been sitting on our asses. We made a DVD, for instance. The recording for the album actually started nearly two years ago. That’s just how long it took. The songs were recorded a year ago, and then came mixing, mastering, and all that. Switching labels also played a big role.”
That DVD is a bit annoying, though — you have to sit through all the nonsense between the live clips with no way to skip to the next song.
Peter: “Well, you have to remember we performed a lot of stuff we didn’t have the rights to include on a DVD. Beatles, snippets of Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Deep Purple — stuff we couldn’t use, so we had to edit. That’s why we added scenes from the tour we thought were funny.”
Johnny: “Some of it was funny, some of it was just terrifying, haha!”
Peter: “You should’ve seen what ended up on the cutting room floor.”
Johnny: “The ‘Grapes of Asses’ scenes are some of the most disturbing things I’ve seen on DVD, haha.”
Peter: “Didn’t bother me at all.”
Maybe I just should be happy I did not see what was cut out from the DVD.
Are you planning to go on tour?
Johnny: “Yes, we’re starting in the States. I think the first show is on March 28, two weeks after the album drops. That’ll be five to six weeks in the U.S., then we’ll head to Europe in May and stay for at least a month. I don’t know exactly where yet, because I get new tour itineraries every day. One day we’re playing Russia, the next we’re not. One day we’re in Italy, the next we’re not. It keeps changing — so I don’t have any confirmed dates for Norway yet, haha.”
TYPE O NEGATIVE has always been a controversial band, accused of being both Nazis and communists. What’s your take on that? Are you tired of it, or is it fun being controversial?
Peter: “I’m a communist-Nazi. I think if people really care what the big fucking idiot Peter Steele has to say, what he thinks, and what he writes about — then I’m not the one with the problem. They are. Even if I was a communist or a fascist — why would anyone care? Am I such a major influence on society that people are scared of me? Good. They should be scared of me.”
You’re known for being a ladies’ man, and I remember you once told Vanessa Warwick that you were obsessed with women. Still true?
Johnny laughs so hard he cries, while teasing his bandmate. Peter answers:
“I’ve managed to get the sex stuff mostly out of my system. Vanessa — that was ten years ago. That’s a lot of water under the bridge. Or maybe I should say a lot of daughters under the bridge. But no, sex isn’t a priority for me right now. I’m not married and I don’t have kids. I’m looking for a wife and I want to have children. I’m not against marriage. The other three guys in the band are married with kids. I’m 45 now, so it’s time to find someone and settle down.”
That’s a lot of water under the bridge. Or maybe I should say a lot of daughters under the bridge.
– Peter Steele
Fans of TYPE O NEGATIVE’s earlier albums might have noticed a green-toned flag on the back covers that closely resembles the Norwegian flag, marked “Product of Vinnland.” What’s that about?
Peter: “Well, as you know — being a descendant of the Vikings — they once came to what is now known as the United States of America. I think in Icelandic, ‘Vinland’ and ‘Vinnland’ mean two different things. One means ‘grapes land,’ the other ‘grass land.’ I think it’s ‘grass land’ because where they landed in the far north of North America, there weren’t many trees. I wish the Vikings had stayed — but their girlfriends would’ve been pissed if they had to leave Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.”
So you’re following the saga of Leif Erikson?
“Yes, he’s one of my heroes. I have Nordic blood in me — Nordic and Slavic. I’m proud of my ancestry. I don’t think it’s better than being Irish, Italian, or Greek, but I was really into Norse mythology for a while. The flag is based on the Icelandic flag — I just changed the colours to match Type O Negative’s palette. Green is also the colour of the leaf, so I think if the Vikings had stayed, this could have been the national flag.”
You played a few shows with your old band Carnivore this summer. Was that a one-off or is there more to come?
“There’s a future for the band, just like there’s a future for Johnny and Kenny in Danzig’s band. You know they play for Danzig, right? They also have a side project called Seventh Void. But the future of these things depends on Type O Negative, because Type O comes first. Part of me hopes there won’t be time for side projects — because if we don’t have time, that means the new album is a success. That’s the most important thing. Success. But if we have time, there will be more Carnivore shows.”
Does that mean there could even be a new Carnivore album?
“Well, it depends on how our new Type O album does. But I wouldn’t mind making a new Carnivore album — maybe a live album. Time will tell.”
Peter Steele is exhausted, and as soon as our interview is over, he lies down for a quick nap before catching a flight to Poland to do more interviews. Life as a rock star can be tiring sometimes.
About The Author
