INTERVIEW WITH SLAUGHTER FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES
DM) Your band has been around for quite some time now.
MS) We put the band together in 1989 and it is still going to this day
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DM) Of all your albums, which one would you say is your favorite?
MS) Every record has certain moments that you can consider your best, but obviously the newest one is always your favorite because it's the newest in your camp. I'd have to say our newest record is our favorite so far, just for that reason.
DM) I remember when I first heard your music in the early 90's, heavy metal was dying. It seems that lately it's been picking up a little bit.
MS) It's igniting, but it's still not what it was many years ago. But I think people want to have a good type again. I think people want to escape, after the grunge scene and all the negativity with that. I think this type of music has always been a relief, and going into the millennium, I feel that people want to live it again.
DM) Do you think it will ever get back to the level it was?
MS) That's really hard to say. It's always difficult to say what is going to happen next in music, because the whole music industry has changed so dramatically.
DM) What do you mean?
MS) The amount of sales in all sides of it, country, rock and even hip-hop, alternative and grunge, the numbers are substantially down, considering where they were.
DM) So there was a peak at one point? I didn't realize it was down in all areas.
MS) I think with the diversity, people are into computers, and people who are into that type of music have families. I think it's a lot different than it used to be.
DM) Some bands have changed their style from the metal to the softer rock/alternative way. Have you ever thought of changing your style?
MS) You think of all kinds of different stuff, but I think if you're known for doing something like Coca Cola, you don't go change its taste or shape when people are still there. And they're still there and they're coming to the shows. We're still doing well with it. We're one of the few bands out there that has consistently played rock and roll through the years when so many rock and roll bands broke up and did their thing. We continue to go on. It's really difficult to say. I think what it boils down to is that you do what you believe in and what people are still there for. They've always been there for us, and for us to turn our backs on them would be asinine.
DM) You have a pretty strong fan base in Asia.
MS) Yeah, Asia and, actually, Mexico's growing pretty dramatically. Sweden's really getting into this record pretty heavily, too.
DM) Why is it so heavy outside the U.S.?
MS) Well, I think the U.S. doesn't have the radio diversified. MTV doesn't play rock and roll. But VH1 is starting to play it and heat it up. I think the people in those other countries just like that type of music; they're really in to it there.
DM) I find it incredible that South America and the Nordic countries are picking up on the scene so dramatically.
MS) You know, you really can't put your finger on any side of the industry. I think what you want to do is to write a record that you believe in, and you have a good time doing that; it makes you get revved and makes you want to do something. For instance: "The Rock Never Stops" tour with Ted Nugent, and "Night Ranger" and "Quiet Riot." People are having a good time at these shows. You see them getting into it. There's something to be said about that.
DM) How is that tour going?
MS) I just had two days off so I came home to Nashville. It's pretty amazing to me that rock and roll has gone as long as it has. I think it's a state of mind and a state of living in a certain lifestyle.
DM) I heard that when Ted gets on stage, things can be pretty intense.
MS) Ted is definitely an axe-swinging guitar here who's been around for a long time. And he does really, really well. So you're dealing with a very, very talented bunch of guys, doing what they do. When you do it for as long as they've done it, you definitely see things that you would not see from a real young band. You learn more as you get older. We all get smarter as we get older.
DM) What have you learned from this tour, then?
MS) No matter how much you do it, it's always like the first time when you step on stage. It's always like the first time. And you've got to approach it that way. We have a very hard-edged attitude. Slaughter has been fighting and doing what we do for quite some time and we're glad to carry the others and be those who stand for rock and roll.
