Is MOD [Billy's previous band] still around?

Danny: No MOD is gone, but Billy manages Agnostic Front, Skinlab, the U.S. Bombs and us.

So that's how Skinlab ended up on the lineup. I was wondering how that happened.

Danny: Billy's gotta schlep for his protégés, Don't he?

It's a different lineup for the tour.

Danny: It makes things interesting. If you had three bands that sounded exactly like us, it would be boring.

How did Crowbar end up on the tour? Are they friends of yours?

Danny: They threatened us and they were so fat we were scared. Umm, I'm not exactly sure. Billy might know. I guess it was just a case of...oh hell, I'm stoned and I don't know. I'll just keep saying that, okay.

Danny: Of course there's a certain irony that I play in a black metal band and we made fun of it, but what we are making fun of is 18 year-old kids who think when they get into something that they have to act the whole thing out and be grim all the time...when in reality they are kids and they have to have day jobs and function in society just like the rest of us. You don't walk into Burger King and "blahh, growl, blah," and that translates into "give me a fry." So basically, I'm a 35 year-old man playing in a black metal band and I don't walk around all day in corpsepaint. Although I might tomorrow--it's Halloween. The values I have for that (I'm an atheist--just anti-Christian basically), it's all real, but I don't walk around like...

You just don't believe in any religion?

Danny: Yeah, I just have an enormous contempt for all that shit. A bottomless pit of fucking contempt.

Just too much effort?

Danny: Uh, yeah, I don't wanna get into all that.

That's cool. Did Celtic Frost ever say anything to you about the song "Celtic Frosted Flakes?"

Danny: Yeah, Martin Ain [bassist and founding member of Celtic Frost] came from fucking Zurich and said "How come I had to drown in the fucking cold lake, I wasn't even on that record. I hate that record." We went "Oh shit, he's right." Uh, yeah, but he loved it, he was just saying that in a funny way.

Well it's good that they had a sense of humor about it. I figured they would take it well. They've never seemed like one of those ultimate serious bands.

Danny: Oh no, no, no.

I understand they are already reissuing Bigger Than the Devil, what is the difference?

Danny: You see we just recorded a few new songs and I totally don't know which ones are going to be added onto that disc and which ones will be reissued with Speak English or Die. That's another question for the non-stoners in the band.

Have you guys pummeled anybody wearing a Korn shirt as your press release stated? I know it's just the second show into the tour, but I figured someone showed up the first night in the shirt just to test you.

Danny: I have not seen anyone in a Korn shirt at any of our shows. People probably know better.

Danny: No, but we'd probably abuse them verbally in a horrible way...like Don Rickles on acid.

[Billy pops in and asks us to come up front and complete the interview with him.]

Danny: Hey, what are the extra tracks on Bigger Than the Devil?

Billy Milano: The two bonus tracks on Bigger Than the Devil are "Seasoning of the Obese" which I've been toying with for a long time--it's a take-off on the Slayer thing. The other song is "Raise Your Sword" which is basically a parody...I'd call it a parody. It's basically an ode to Manowar, which happens to be my favorite band, but unfortunately they treated me like an asshole in Europe. They invited me on stage to watch the band and never let me on, so I've had it with those fucking pricks. So that's why I wrote "Raise Your Sword"--to slam them in the ass and straighten them out.

Danny said you could also tell us how Crowbar ended up on the tour.

Billy: Basically all these bands were coming to us and asking to be on the tour. It wasn't a question of how much we were paying them to open for us. We are paying Crowbar and Skinlab the same amount of money as some of these bigger opening bands wanted. They are just more in line with what we want to do. I listen to these bands and I know they're hot, I know they're the new thing but Crowbar and Skinlab are representative of what we are and where we came from. These Static-X's or fucking Slipknots...they don't have anything to do with me and I don't want them to have anything to do with me. I can't deal with that type of crowd and their music to me is just not my thing.

Crowbar is an excellent doom band.

Earlier I asked Danny if you were upset that your former label didn't pick you up and that you had to shop for labels.

Billy: Well, our old label is gone. Megaforce is gone. And I don't look at things in the past anymore. I think everything can be put into perspective by saying we are a new band even though we have this overwhelming amount of credibility as a legendary band or however you perceive it. You know we still have to do things on our own at the grassroots level. Just 'cause we are on a tour bus or whatever, we are spending every dollar we make to ride comfortably and go out and play. I prefer doing it this way, because I know it will be getting done right since this is my business.

Are you happy on Nuclear Blast right now?

Billy: 100%. Nuclear Blast definitely is a label with which we can grow. We could have gone to Roadrunner, Atlantic, TVT, any label. All of those other labels had a mindset that they wanted us to be and they knew how they wanted us to do it and I am not going to allow them to do that to me. I will not be put in a position where I am compromised either by quality, time frame or schedule. I want to be in an ethical relationship between a record label and a man. I'm a self-managed man and with S.O.D. it goes through my management company and we only work with the people that we want. That's the best part about it. I don't have to go out on tour with everyone on my record label. I don't go out and tour when I don't want to go. That's the beauty of Nuclear Blast, they are affording us the opportunity to do things at our own pace.

Billy: Actually Scott [Ian] was getting his beard done and he talked me into it and like a fucking idiot I listened to him.

I thought maybe you were a Jaret Wright [Cleveland Indians pitcher] fan or something.

Billy: Everyone thinks I'm Superman's father.

I was asking Danny if it was different being in a band now than when you were younger. Do you feel that you spend more time making a point or just letting the music flow?

Billy: Certainly the loss of innocence is something one can't avoid.

Especially being a manager too.

Billy: I manage five bands and I'm managing this tour, too! So everyday is a collection of number crunching and bad clusterfucks across this country and in Europe. So when I get on stage it seems that you know there is an innocence that we'll never find again...we are wiser for that with all our experiences in life and I wouldn't want to go back to where I was. I'd rather be where I'm at right now. I know a lot more. I'm better at what I do. I do make a point now that everyone understands rather than just a point that I understand. Yeah, the innocence is gone and we do try harder, but so what.

Are you still having fun?

Billy: Yeah, I'm having fun, I wouldn't be here if I weren't having fun. I make enough money at home. I don't need this shit. And we're spending every fucking dime we make. My thing is I'm going out and making contacts for my business, having fun and making kids smile. It's all about having a good time. I don't think people realize how much of a piss S.O.D. is. You know we just take a piss on everything. I've started loosening up at the last couple of shows. A couple shots of whiskey help a little. We were scheduled to play the other day for one hour and ten minutes and ended up playing for one hour and thirty minutes by the time we walked off. I talked so much because the crowd didn't like us. They weren't really into us so I had to talk more to piss them off.

So no one has shown up in a Korn shirt yet, what if someone shows up in one tonight? Are you going to pummel them?

Billy: I'll rip it off of them without a doubt and might even pick my ass with it.

On the web:
S.O.D. (Official band site)
Email the band at: xkrament@aol.com ('cause Billy says they're the shit!)
Billy's Studio can be found at http://www.bluemeanie.com.
For Brutal Truth or Exit 13 contact Relapse.

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