Necro: What were those first shows like with Samhain?
Necro: What do you feel is the big transition between Misfits and Samhain?
Zing: Well, the Misfits were pretty much your everyday bar-chord fast beat songs, this was a little more intricate. You had a lot of drum parts; these tribal beats, a lot of tom-toms rather than cymbals. Samhain also had more different types of open chords, and stuff that he (Danzig) thought the Misfits couldn't play.
Necro: The lyrics are a bit different too...
Zing: I think in Samhain he got into something deeper where the Misfits everything was about a movie or what not. Samhain was a little more into his views on religion and things like that. Hot got a lot more serious in his lyrics, a little darker.
Necro: Not only that I would say it's more sinister, and intellectual.
Zing: Yeah, I mean I think he just realized it was time not only to grow up but to just change the style; he went from the comic book to the movie, you know?
Necro: Now in the recording, the conceptualization of the songs, was it something well thought out or you guys just went in and blew?
Zing: Glenn would come up with the idea and then we would just work on it until he felt it was right.
Necro: How long would that usually take?
Zing: Um....hard to say because we practiced almost every day. So, everyday there was always something new.
Necro: How was it working in the band? What were the vibes surrounding the band?
Zing: Well, it was intense because I got to play with one of the guys that I idolized; it was like that from the very beginning and I think for all of us, really. It was a little weird because, okay, we had all played in bands. But, not to this extent where we we're gonna go on tour. We already had a built-in audience because of his name from the Misfits but there was a lot of getting used to each other. It was a whole different ball game.
Necro: What were those first shows like with Samhain?
Zing: They were pretty interesting.
Necro: You didn't get heckled or booed at all?
Zing: No, never got booed.
Necro: Did the audience understand where you guys were coming from?
Zing: I don't think so, I mean not at first. Back then we had something that didn't sound like anything that was done before.
Necro: How do you feel about newer bands like NIN, Type O, Marilyn Manson, and what's hot?
Zing: I don't think they're anything new.
Necro: Do you think they're ripping Samhain off?
Zing: Uh, I don't know if you wanna call it ripping us off, but I think that there is a lot of influence there. That's good, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Everything is copied from somewhere; if we could find that person who invented it from the beginning, we could talk to him. To come up with something totally original, it's gotta stem from somewhere, there's gotta be some kind of root that you took it from. If we were the root for what these kids are copying today, well hey that's pretty good.
Necro: Looking back, how was it being in this musical tour de force known as Samhain?
Zing: Just being able to play with this guy that I idolized from this band that I thought was the greatest band in the world. There were so many times that I couldn't believe the Misfits were actually over and there were times like when we were recording and would just listen to him (Danzig) do vocal tracks, I mean it was just amazing. I would sit there and Eerie and I would look at each other and go, "shit, this is incredible!" So, it was an intense experience.
Necro: So how did you handle the whole thing?
Zing: Because we were young, and Glenn was older and had much more experience, I think it got frustrating for him at times. We were immature to a point, and there's a lot of things that he would make comments about then that now I understand what he means. Nothing in particular, just certain things. Glenn was always a person just to believe that whatever he did, he did it for the reason that he enjoyed doing it. It wasn't to make money, he was never in it for the money. Where at that time, I was like "oh, we can do this, they're making this." He said, "well, it's not about the money."
Necro: You learned a lot from Mr. Danzig
Zing: Yeah, he's a very smart businessman.
Necro: Why did you idolize him though?
Zing: Well, understand that I grew up with Doyle and when I got into punk, I got into it because Doyle had given me a bunch of tapes and stuff. Also, I used to listen to the Misfits practice in the garage. Glenn had this certain characteristic of writing and singing that was unlike anything else. They way he composed songs was unlike anything other. So that attracted me, and he is a very intense person. (pauses) There was a feeling back then, there was an emotion that was happening with this music that I don't think you can ever bring back.
Necro: What do you think set Samhain apart from the other punk/goth/etc. bands of that era?
Zing: Well, here you had a leader that wrote about whatever he felt and whatever he was into. A lot of bands that like this kind of music, they'll just say, "okay, I'm gonna be just like him," and they'll just write about stuff that they don't know; or just write for the sake of writing. I think we were fresh at the time and that made a big difference in the sound and style of the music.
Necro: So, what were those Samhain shows like?
Zing: I just think the whole thing was intense and I think the audience felt that. Me, as all of us who played in the band believed we were intense players. That definitely was conveyed to the audience. We played for big crowds, and I never experienced anything like that before, playing for that many people. You know, you watch kids singing songs that you're playing and it's an incredible feeling.
Necro: Was there anything comical or anything out of the ordinary on those tours?
Zing: Sure, breaking down in the desert, having no food for a few days.
Necro: Well, that's not funny...
Zing: Well, now it's funny.
Necro: Oh, it is.
Zing: I think so (laughs). Back then it wasn't, but now it's funny. You know, every show was different and there's always something; like girls that'll go to extreme things to try to get with the band. Or the shows being protested by a religious group; everything was an experience. One of the most memorable things is when we played to a sold-out crowd at the Stardust Ballroom in Hollywood, and I was outside talking to some kids and I couldn't get back into my own show! (laughs)
Necro: (laughs) But I'm the drummer you gotta understand!!!
Zing: Right. They wouldn't believe me and you had all these kids telling these bouncers "no, he's in the band." I was finally lucky that the promoter happened to see me and got (laughs) me back in or I would of missed my own show!
Necro: There was probably a few members of the audience going "hmmm maybe I can get up there and play drums!"
Zing: Right.
Necro: I would say Samhain projects to me are very sinister, a more real band than the Misfits, and there's this eroticism, which I like...
Zing: That's a good way of putting it. Glenn was definitely into the whole sexual....the intensity of sex with some of the songs like "Unholy Passion," things like that. Again, the band was fresh, the songs were fresh, a different approach to his (Danzig's) writing.
Necro: I remember one of the ads for "Initium" and there's a little saying that goes "Birth Is Pain...Welcome It" What is that supposed to mean, really?
Zing: Well, I would think welcome it because it's here either way and there will be a lot more, (laughs) a lot more where that came from!
Necro: Those that don't fully understand the band think that the band was obsessed with death and darkness. Is that what it really was about, or is there more to it?
Zing: No, I think it was more...You know, Glenn's songs are based on everyday life; murders or whatever, but it was everyday life things. So, a lot of people took it wrong, a lot of people thought it was worshipping the Devil and all that stuff which was not the case. You hear something about a gruesome murder or something like that, there you go, write a song about it.
Necro: Are you fascinated by death? Is this something that intrigues you?
Zing: Well, it's not something that I'm particularly looking forward to, but that's the only guarantee in life, basically. Fascinated? I don't know, I'm interested to see what there is after it.
Necro: Are you surprised that these newer bands are influenced or inspired by Samhain?
Zing: Yeah, I am actually, I think it's pretty cool. They say, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." But, I'm glad to see there's a lot of kids that were probably just born or a few years old when we were around that are into it now. It surprises me that they hold an interest to this.
Necro: Do you think more people are into the band now?
Zing: Definitely. Again, because punk became the "in thing" and of course kids get in on the "in thing" and they want to know. They wanna go back and see where it came from. That's why Beatles records sell so much today; I personally don't own one but there are kids that get into it and they go out and buy every record.
Necro: I would say Samhain's been influential on Metal bands and Gothic bands as well.
Zing: Yeah, well the Metal because it kind of had some kind of Metal sound and the Gothic bands....It really was a crossover, so it definitely appeals to both.
Necro: Do you think Samhain in some way was a Gothic band?
Zing: Yeah, I mean we were labeled that. We came out at a time when that Bat Cave stuff was big; Specimen, Alien Sex Fiend, Bauhaus was getting popular. But, I think we had more drive than they did musically.
Necro: I think that's what the newer Gothic bands are missing; that drive, the essential qualities that Samhain possessed. Particularly the intensity; they seem to be more ethereal than in your face.
Zing: Right, I agree.
Necro: Do you like the latest Gothic music?
Zing: Well, it all depends. After a while it all sounds the same.
Necro: So, there's not much originality, you feel?
Zing: Well, I don't think so. But to me it's...I don't know, I went to see Bauhaus on the reunion tour and I kind of thought it was pretty boring; and you can call them one of the originators. But, it was interesting to see all these people that were probably weren't even born when they came out that were into them. Dressed to the nines in their black velvet and with their capes on going to see this stuff.
Necro: If there was a concept behind Samhain, what was it?
Zing: Well, I don't think there was a concept. That's a difficult question because Glenn and us didn't get into a room and go, "okay, this is how we're gonna be." It was just...we knew what he was all about. Here is Mr. Death as we call him, we're playing his music, and I don't think you have to have a concept. You have a concept when you have people working with you that don't know what you're about.
Necro: That's what contributed to the notoriety, there wasn't a lot of bullshit going on.
Zing: No, not at all.
Necro: A pretty real band, more real than the Misfits?
Zing: The Misfits were a great band and you can't take that away from them. Samhain was a total different vibe, from everything. You can't really explain it because it's 2 different bands with 2 different styles. Even the Misfits songs that Samhain played sounded totally different.
Necro: Which Misfits songs did you play? Any I may have overlooked? (and for those that don't already know)
Zing: We played "Horror Business," "All Hell Breaks Loose," "Halloween & Halloween II," "Die, Die, My Darling," and "Who Killed Marilyn."
Necro: I'm not saying you had a gimmick going but I feel there was a certain imagery to the band.
Zing: Yeah, but that image was...we didn't make the image up, it was just part of us.
Necro: What were you personally interested in?
Zing: I was into of course, Glenn's music and I was into a lot of the old punk.
Necro: Were you into the horror films?
Zing: Yes, definitely, and my image came from the Misfit thing and so on and so forth.
Necro: What led to your departure from Samhain?
Zing: It was a difficult time because the band was at a point where I don't think we were sure where we were going. It got to the point where my mind was expanding where I wanted to have some kind of input on music and I needed to break out of the mold. So, I decided that I was gonna leave and figure out what I was doing in my life.
Necro: Did you feel bad about leaving?
Zing: Yeah, definitely. It was a very difficult situation, and we (Steve and Glenn Danzig) didn't speak for a long time, but we got on and that was it.
Necro: How did you feel about the way the band was going after you left? Did you think it was still on track or not?
Zing: Well, you know, I always knew Glenn would succeed. It just was at a point where to wait for that success, you can either wait or get off. I chose to get off.
Necro: So you did not leave on bad terms and you still have some sort of relationship with Glenn Danzig.
Zing: Yeah, you know, we speak once a month.
Necro: What is your opinion of Danzig's music, the band?
Zing: I like Glenn's stuff, even the stuff that people don't like, I like. Like his last couple of albums (Blackacidevil and Satan's Child), people weren't ready for it, they were expecting something that he did before. Glenn doesn't have to do that because he's too talented of a writer where he doesn't need to keep repeating himself.
Necro: He's not color by numbers.
Zing: Well, he could do that but I believe all the Danzig records, they all had a typical sound but they also...there were definitely different characteristics on each album.
Necro: Do you hear some of the Samhain sound in the Danzig sound?
Zing: Yes
Necro: Which songs in particular?
Zing: Well, especially on his 'Danzig 4' album and even on "Sacrifice," 'Danzig 5, 'Satan's Child,' there's a lot of that stuff that he was into in Samhain that I heard on those albums.
Necro: Actually some of the tracks on the first Danzig record were originally Samhain tracks, I believe.
Zing: Yeah, "Twist Of Cain," and "Posession"
Necro: How did the reunion come about? What was behind that?
Zing: Well, I had been in California about 5 years ago with Glenn, we had some lunch and we talked about some things. You know, Samhain, he enjoyed playing it. So, he thought it would be a great idea to do especially with the release of the box set. We thought it would be a great idea to support it and just have some fun.
Necro: You have your band Chyna of course. Tell us more about it, please.
Zing: Chyna is basically a good, driving band that has developed, that went through a lot of phases, musical phases because of my own personal doings. I think with this latest records we've found a niche, so it's great.
Necro: Where have you toured to date?
Zing: Mainly East Coast stuff. Hopefully we'll be getting out across the states.
Necro: How would you characterize the music?
Zing: Again, it's like describing Samhain. I don't know...I don't know how to describe it, I really don't know.
END OF PART I... PART II HERE!