You are very anti- religion. What inspires you in the world of today ?

GD: Nothing really new ! Religion, Religions, are stupid. Even in their own midst, believers start shit with each other. Christian Roman Catholics don’t like Orthodoxes, who don’t like Protestants, and so on. Then, all these hate Jews who, themselves hate muslims. Religion is politics that lead to hate one another. That’s all. It’s the basis of all the conflicts that rot humanity. Numerous Philosophers wrote “if u want to know the future, look at the past”. They are right! Even if there are calm moments, hatred always takes over. Like the fucking Chinese who want to kill the fucking Buddhists. The trip of most humans is “kill your neighbour in the name of religion”! Either way, religions are like institutions: United States? What is their purpose? To ease business between opponents, that’s all…

So, like legend says, you are a Satanist. At least, you follow Anton Szandor LaVey’s philosophy?

GD: No. I only believe in my own philosophy, the one that tells me to be righteous and to screw those that give me trouble. If nobody starts shit with me, and I don’t bother anyone, everything’s allright and there’s no reason to be anxious. Because I’m loyal to this philosophy, some tend to brand me a “satanist”. But it’s bull because, like religions, everything that’s organised is stupid. Even Satanism… I only believe in myself, try to be creative. That’s it. Everyone refers to LaVey’s Satanic Bible, even though his best book is “The Devil’s Notebook”. It’s a book without rules, just reflections, much more interesting then the doctrine he tried to put in order in his best-seller.

Either way, in France, Lavey’s cencored…

GD: Too bad. I believe censorship’s very strict in France. I know the comics my company, Verotik, publishes, may not be published in France. Is ‘The Passion Of The Christ” censored there?

Just prohibited under the age of 12…

GD: Like in the US! Censorship wasn’t very strict about this one, even though seeing a man getting tortured for an hour and a half is pretty disgusting… On the other hand, in certain States, porn is prohibited, even to adults. You wouldn’t understand it anymore!

OK, let’s talk about music in general, and specifically about this new album. Could you shine some light on the new line-up?

GD: Since the beginning, when Rick Rubin and I started Danzig, there was no doubt this band wasn’t gonna be stable. In evolution, changing musicians every album is the best way to go forward. Even though the first Danzig records, we didn’t change a lot, which made that when we arrived at Danzig 4, I felt limitations… I had to counter this situation by changing musicians.

Why did you call upon Tommy Victor, with whom you had already worked?

GD: Danzig and Prong, it’s an old story, just like the one about Tommy and I. I just called him to ask if he’d come back… and he immediately accepted. In fact, it’s the first album he appears on, because, before that he only toured with us. Actually, we’ll go on tour together, Danzig and Prong on the same bill, and he told me he was OK with it to do two sets!

By calling upon this musician, who has a style of his own, aren’t you afraid that the Prong sound would be coming through too much?

GD: No, because I write the songs. He has a very unique style, but in terms of songwriting, we’re very far from each other. Also, Prong still exists, and Tommy doesn’t feel like doing the same thing he does in his own band. He’s the leader of his formation, and I’m the leader of mine…

You declared that Circle Of Snakes was way more in the style of the more traditional Danzig…

GD: Let’s say it’s not something that directly comes to mind, because it’s my first record that doesn’t belong in the logic that I imposed myself when I formed this project: to respect a theme on my first 7 albums. So, I’m not sure you can talk about a return to the basics, but it’s indeniably a record made in total liberty, without having to throw away this or this track because it doesn’t correspond to the theme of the album.

Let’s go back in time, how did you get from the Misfits, a band that was qualified as ‘fun’ ­even though the themes were very dark- to the very ‘dark’ music of Danzig?

GD: There was darkness in the Misfits, but always limited by the Philosophy of the band. By the way, it weren’t limitations that caused the split. Earth AD really represented the musical direction I wanted to follow, but the others weren’t interested. Since then, the band was in danger and it’s at this moment that I formed Samhain.

Do you feel like a ‘Goth’ artist?

GD: (laughs) I don’t feel like anything, because I’m not a journalist and I don’t have to label music! Whatever Danzig is, because it’s very probable we’re could be labelled after all, I like to think it’s a musical entity without limits, which can evaluate in every style, but that people immediately recognise as Danzig… mainly because of my voice. Allthough, if I made an album in the style of N’Sync, I’m not sure people would still recognise it as Danzig! But don’t worry, that’ll never happen!

It’s amusing to see you’ve chosen Regain for the European distribution, which is very small…

GD: It’s just a licence. That’s what I do since 1993 or 1994, when I founded Evilive, my label: the goal was to find the best distribution for each territory. That way, I stayed 5 years with Nuclear Blast, But now that my contract with them expired, instead of being trapped, I can do what I want with my recordings and take them to other distributors.

I bet it’s a lot of work and paperwork as well…

GD: Yes, but I like it. I do it since I was a kid, I love managing labels. When I was on Def American, the label of Rubin, I realised how the world of major labels was complex and difficult to manage, and that I preferred my autonomy.

You are a shock rock veteran. What do you think of this style these days?

GD: I don’t really know, because I don’t keep myself acquainted, but if you want me to talk shit, I can spit on nu metal!

Go!

GD: I hate that style, but I don’t know what to say to keep my insults original: it’s a tool that labels exploit. They are friendly to young bands and tell them how to act without them even realising. It’s about abusing kids that are not too bad so they go into a style that’s dying, but from which there’s still some money to be made. I have nothing against money, I just think music’s the main priority. If the music is good and you can make money from it, I don’t have any problem with it. Unfortunately, today’s trend, whether it be nu metal or power pop, goes against what I believe in: the money gets priority, then come girls and drugs and… I don’t even know if there’s a musical project behind all that! The CD becomes a product leading to money, without any artistic value.

Is it easy to stay creative in such an artificial environment?

GD: Yes, because it’s a fact that provokes my anger! I’m a punk and it forces me to say “fuck everything!” Anger is an incredible fuel, and seeing that the new generation is just a bunch of idiots attracted by money and fame disgusts me and makes me wanna give myself to the fullest.

Besides music, you also have your comic publishing company, but you are gonna go towards movies now…

GD: yes, I will finally direct a movie for Miramax, with whom I’m talking to since I left Disney. It’s amusing…

GD: Why? It’s been more than ten years since Disney owns Miramax. And my label used to be distributed by Disney! When I left, they tried to make Miramax refuse my collaboration. Today, things have cooled down and I can choose between two adaptations of comics that I publish: Jaguar God and Ge Rouge.

Directing is a very hard job… In a band, you only control 4 or 5 people, in directing you control about at least 50!

GD: I’m getting used to it! I direct my videos, I went to photography school in New York. I’m not worrying about it, I can do it! Many think directing is a huge job, but that’s the way with every artistic work. You must work hard, there are no secrets. That’s why many directors in Hollywood ­and Europe- make shitty movies. They work without giving themselves 100 %. Today, in America they film shitty stories, before a blue screen, and let an fx company do the biggest part.

What did you think of Rob Zombie’s first film, “House Of 1000 Corpses”?

GD: It was a very good first movie. He was happy with it, so were the studio guys, because, they made big money when it came out on video and dvd… Good stuff!

What are your favourite directors?

GD: Martin Scorcese… My favourite movie is “Beauty and the Beast” by Jean Cocteau. It’s very inventive, each scene is worked out to the millimetre, the lights are magnificent… I’m so disappointed when some people say: “what, you like a Disney movie?” (laughs) Either way, in the US, people know nothing about movies. The reference is “Terminator”… Actually that’s a bad example, because Terminator is a great movie, compared by what comes out recently!

In the future, you’ll have to make a choice between directing or making music…

GD: No, absolutely not. You can eventually ask yourself these questions, but the business can’t force you to do anything. As long as I’m organised enough to do both, there won’t be any problems.

If eventually, you’d have to choose today, like an imaginary ultimatum…

GD: I’d choose music, without a doubt.

Could you tell us more about your busy schedule?

GD: When I get back in the states, after these series of interviews, I’ll finish the album. In June, we’ll go on tour in South-America. I don’t know what’ll happen in July, but by the end of august, we’ll be in Europe. In the Fall there will be the the second edition of “The Blackest Of The Black” in the US, until mid-November. And then, I’ll start directing my movie.

There are three months between now and the release of the album, which isn’t completely finished yet. Has there been enough distance for you to have an opinion on it?

GD: Yes. I’m very objective and, to me, the recording and the finishing touches don’t matter much: the important parts are when we rehearse and when I have to choose the songs that go on the final album because, with every record, I record 7 or 8 tracks that I have to throw away.

At that was probably even more difficult with this release…

GD: Yes, it’s true. Up until this new record, I knew I had to respect a certain theme, the one of the 7 thematic albums. Circle Of Snakes, Like I said earlier, has no theme. It’s total freedom. It’s called Circle Of Snakes, not Danzig 8: blah blah blah… Since the beginning of Danzig , I knew I’d do 7 records constituating a sort of magic formula. But once the seventh album was done, I also knew I could go on to something else. I am free now, I’m not limited by the formula I imposed in the beginning. I don’t have to say to myself anymore: “Fuck, this track is great but it can’t go on the record because it doesn’t correspond to the leading theme”.

Could you go back to a conceptual formula?

GD: I don’t like the word ‘concept’. That’s why I always use the word theme. And I’m practically sure that one day, I’ll go back to a conceptual theme. It’s not in my immediate plans, but I know it’ll happen.

You live in L.A. How do you feel there?

GD: Better than I used to, because I couldn’t stand all that happened there musically! It’s been 15 years since I live there and, before, I never came out of my house. Today, people seem once more attracted by metal. Fucking Nu metal and hip hop are slowly getting in the bin and I’m starting to like nightlife once again. I go out more and more often to have drinks with my buddies who make real music!