Tagged: maxine petrucci
Z as in Zombie and X as in Madam X
Just got home from Detroit (….rock city) and a great trip, eventhough there were some little mishaps, but all in all I had a great time!
I finally – FINALLY managed to catch Rob Zombie this year. My god, I’ve had the worst luck this year when it comes to that. Show in Rome was cancelled, show at Sweden Rock I missed because I had to do another interview and yeah, basically, I figured I’d give it ONE last shot. If it didn’t work, then I would have to listen to the Universe that was trying to tell me something!
I drove to Saginaw from Detroit early in the morning and it was a beautiful, warm and sunny day. Once I got there, I got in line and was among the first 20 people. Everything seemed great, yes it’s boring standing in line but listening to the two teenage girls in front of me was entertainment enough. ;)
At 7, they started letting people in. It was an outdoor gig, general admission, no seats. So, I really had to get in the front to even see anything. I handed over my ticket to the lady and continued on my way – I just wanted to get to the front row. She was shouting after me – “ma’am! Your ticket has been refunded!”
Uh…say what? NO, it has NOT been refunded, I came over here from SWEDEN to see this show! Are you kidding me???
I had to go to the box office across the street, where the lady was very nice, but oh so slow… Took forever before she got her shit together. She couldn’t explain why I had had problems with my ticket and gave me a piece of paper with a stamp on it, to use as my ticket. Sweet…only, I could forget about getting in the front. Once again I was Zombie-screwed. :-//
Other than THAT – the show was amazing! It was absolutely worth the trouble and the trip, Rob Z knows how to handle a stage and a crowd, and the whole band is fun to watch. I loved it.
Not that many bands around nowadays that put up a real SHOW like that, it’s awesome. Zombie himself moves like a cat across the stage, has total control of his body and his stage presence, it’s a total treat!
Drove straight back to the hotel after the show, couldn’t WAIT to get into the jacuzzi. I had booked a room with a jacuzzi, been to Target earlier in the day to get some bubbles and spa-products to just spoil myself. After a day in the sun and the dust it would be a perfect way to relax and unwind before getting some sleep.
But the Zombie-spell continued. The cardreader on the door didn’t work, I couldn’t get into my room. It took them a while to figure it out, they said they had never seen that before. Why, of COURSE….
I finally got in, took that tub, listened to nature sounds that I had on my laptop and just drank life like an alcoholic! :)
Slept like a baby. The next morning I checked out and headed back to Detroit where I was supposed to meet MADAM X and listen to some new songs in the studio where they’re recording.
What I’ve heard so far is great, I absolutely love it!! I was really looking forward to meeting Maxine as well, especially since we discovered that we’re “almost twins”. We were born on the same day, the same date – and the exact same TIME! A few years inbetween but everything else is exact, it’s unbelievable! There has to be a purpose, so it was great to meet the lady!
The band’s creative force Chris “Godzilla” presented new music, new songs, new ideas, showed the studio and told the story about The Return of Madam X‘ – along with Maxine of course!
It’s all on VIDEO and as soon as it’s been edited, it’ll be up here and on YouTube for you guys to enjoy. It’s a pretty funny and spontaneous interview and studio report, you’ll love it. :)
Also met Kevin Sharpe, who’s producing the album – an old friend who’s been a fan of the band as well for many years. After all, Madam X is the pride of Detroit. ;) We were even interrupted by an eager and excited fan who pretty much had little twinkling stars in his eyes when explaining how much he LOVED Madam X and what an honor it was to meet them – and his friend, who was right outside, would also drop dead if he could just meet them…!
There is something about that band that makes people remember them and admire them, even all these years later. Some bands simply HAVE that star quality and Madam X is one of those bands. It doesn’t even matter if you like them or not – most people remember or have heard the rumors!
Got myself a goodiebag with Madam X-merch, which is absolute luxury cause I remember what it looked like at the merch booth at Sweden Rock back in June. Two guys almost got in a fight over the LAST Godzilla t-shirts! The stuff was flying off the shelves and I never got anything, but I saw people walking around with those shirts all over the festival area. Save the 80’s! Hell yeah.
Now I got it delievered, personally and all, I’m honored. :D
Two short messages from the ladies and gentlemen for you all:
Kevin Sharpe, producer of the upcoming Madam X-album, shares his thoughts about the new record:
Godzilla and Maxine saying helloooo world!
More Madam X coming soon!
And me…I’m off to my next adventure – GUS G & MATS LEVÉN acoustic in Ioannina, Greece!
See you all soon!
GODZILLA: “The weight of Madam X 80′s is off of us”
As promised, the not-your-average-interview with Madam X bassplaying madman, Chris “Godzilla” Doliber.
It’s a fun look into the thoughts, life and antics of this anything but subtle showman – and there will be YET more, as we went a little more in depth with some of the topics here below, in a phone conversation a few days after this was done. So, if you’re a Madam X-fan, subscribe to this blog, like my Facebook-page InTheRearviewMirror or follow me on Twitter, and you’ll be the first to know when it’s up!
Back to the roots: Can you remember the moment when you realized that music was going to be your life? (what band, album, concert or other event triggered it?)
I was very young and my father screamed “everybody come here quick!“. The family gathered around the television to watch The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. The Rolling Stones, The Doors. I asked for a guitar for my 6th birthday. I suppose seeing my father and mother so excited about music somehow fueled my desire to play.
Can you recall your very first gig, the first time you had to face a crowd?
My first gig was playing a High school dance. I remember the girls swarmed around like bees. Music, Money, Pussy. I was hooked!
When you joined Madam X, it was during a period when many were sceptic as to if women could play rock’n’roll. Was that ever an issue for you? Did you ever question if Roxy and Maxine could play or if you even wanted to be associated with women in a heavy metal band?
I never thought of it as playing in a band with women nor did I ever give a fuck what anyone else thought. They are very accomplished musicians. Both had scholarships to the University for Music. They can talk circles around me about music theory. When they auditioned me I was blown away by their musicianship! After several hours of foreplay they gave me a call back. Ask the cat from Skillet, Evanescence, Smashing Pumpkins. I’m sure you’ll get the same answer.
Did you ever think, during all these years when you were busy doing other things and playing in other bands, that Madam X would get together again?
(You did a reunion gig in the early 90s but was the band dead as far as you were concerned or were you always hoping there would be a new beginning for Madam X?)
You know, you move on in life. I don’t live in the past. I always have songs ideas running through my head. Like, damn this would be perfect for the X if we were together. I pretty much thought Madam X would never play together again. I thought they all hated me. At least for now it seems their skin is tough enough to put up with me for a little while. Okay, so I hit myself in the head with my bass. They hate that. Why? Because I have knocked myself out before, and most recently Sweden Rock, I got vertigo and had to leave the stage to go vomit during Maxine’s guitar solo. Why do I do it? Because that’s who I am!
So now, what do you see in your crystal ball – what are your hopes and plans for the future, both for the band and for you personally?
My crystal ball is in the shop. But I’m looking forward to releasing what I feel is the best music we have written. We have a fresh renewed feeling. The weight of Madam X 80’s is off of us and now we are producing some great songs that cross over from who we were to who we are.
On a personal level, I’m looking forward to taking a ride on the Vomit Comet that is the plane that trains the astronauts. As the plane performs a parabolic maneuver the occupants become weightless. Yes, you can get a ticket for that ride, but it is a bit pricey. Also I am working on a website that will connect all strip club DJ’s worldwide, stripclubmusiconline.com
If you are an artist and have a song that is suited for the strip club industry, sexy, dirty… Maybe you’re the next Skrillex, Buckcherry, Nickelback, Melleefresh. Upload today and your music can be played worldwide tonight!! That’s a captive audience of over 1 million people a day in strip clubs. stripclubmusiconline.com is the largest strip club DJ data base in world.
…………………………
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
20 RANDOM QUESTIONS
What are some of your hobbies (apart from playing)? What are you passionate about and how do you get your kicks?
My # 1 hobby is scuba diving on ship wrecks in Lake Superior. My max depth so far is 232 feet on air, that was on a beautiful little ship called the Comet. I like to surf.
What’s the craziest thing Godzilla has ever done?
That is really hard to answer. To a crazy person nothing seems crazy. Things I might regret doing? Smashing a 1965 Fender P bass, value $10.000 plus. Pushing over a stack of Ampeg SVT’s, a total of 4 heads then not having anything to play through the next night. Breaking my bass techs jaw bone. Spitting on Sebastian.
[there will be more on this topic soon, as we went a little deeper in that whole discussion during a phoner a few days later]
How did the name Godzilla become your nick?
On stage I tend to have a short fuse, it doesn’t take much to set me off. Bret named me Godzilla because of my bad attitude. However the rumor is because my manhood is large, green and scale Y.
What’s the biggest difference between Chris Doliber and Godzilla?
I am a Gemini, 2 people 1 skin. Chris will help an old lady cross the road, anonymously buy elderly persons a meal in a restaurant. Godzilla will set himself on fire to get attention!!
Whats the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
Keep your dick in your pants.
What do you do to keep fit? Diet, excercise, and how disciplined are you?
I try to run everyday at least 2 miles. I do pushups, squats… things I don’t have to go to the gym for. I eat everything but prefer red meat, chicken , fruits and lots of vegetables. Salmon when I’m feeling freaky.
What makes you angry?
Wow. This is going to take a while. Someone driving the speed limit in the inside lane. In the U.S that’s the passing lane or the fast lane. Look, I’m in a hurry. It’s my ticket, I will pay it if they can catch me, so get the fuck out of my way. Abuse of animals, children and the elderly. All others “fair game”.
If you could put together your favorite band, consisting of any musicians – dead or alive – who would you pick?
Well, this band will have the most musicians ever on a stage together. Look, just because a musician is notable doesn’t mean he or she would be a good fit in just any rock combo. That’s what band chemistry is, all the right ingredients to make explosives. It’s highly likely they have surrounded themselves with musicians that will compliment his or her style.
Okay, here we go – but I will narrow it down to keep payroll in check. You know, too many mouths to feed. Let’s start with the meat and potatoes.
Band #1
Rob Halford– vocals. Dimebag Darrell & Zakk Wylde – guitar. Cliff Burton– bass. Bill Ward – drums.
Band #2
Freddie Mercury and Ian Hunter – vocals. David Bowie – vocals and sax. Brian May & Jimmy Paige – guitar. John Deacon or John Paul Jones – bass. Cozy Powell or John Bonham – drums.
Oh yeah, that motherfucker Godzilla to clean the stage when their done being brilliant.
Band #3
Bret Kaiser on vocals. Maxine Petrucci on guitar. Roxy Petrucci on drums, and yours truly.
Whats your first thought upon waking up?
NOT AGAIN! Just kidding. On many occasions I feel like I won the lottery. I love my house, it sits on 4 acres, it’s a big old place that looks like a castle, but it’s home to me.
Aside from food, water, and shelter, what one thing could you not go a day without? Your smartphone? A sentimental keepsake?
My family and friends. All in all, I’m pretty much okay without all that shit. I’m an artist so I will beat on hollow logs and make pictures on cave walls .
Are you a good liar?
I don’t think I’m a good liar. I think I would like to be a better liar, but liars are not thought of in a good way, so disregard that 2nd comment. I was lying when I said that.
Are you a good judge of character?
I would like to believe so, but my track record proves different. As many times as I’ve been screwed on deals, I’m surprised I haven’t gotten pregnant.
Do you have a “things to do before I die”-list?
Most definitely. People or things? Skydive, see the great pyramids in Egypt, fly a Jetfighter, have a chat with Ian Hunter. Punch a bully in the mouth.
In everyday life, what is your number one pet peeve?
Wow, so many so little time. I always put my left sock and shoe on first. Even if my felt shoe is across the room and my right shoe is within arm’s reach. Don’t touch my tooth brush, EVER!!
If you could go back in time to change one thing what would it be?
Only one thing? I would give Adolf Hitler’s father a condom.
If you were a super hero what powers would you have?
Aside from X-ray vision. I would stand 300 feet tall and breathe radio-active bile. Not really a super power but that’s just who I am.
Do you find yourself attractive?
No, I don’t find myself attractive. However, I have a good heart and a charming personality. I really don’t care if someone finds me attractive, as long as they find me. I definitely look better in the dark.
If you had a warning label, what would yours say?
Godzilla: Extremely Hazardous, Highly Toxic. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Prolonged exposure could cause paralysis or loss of life. Chris Non Toxic, use as directed.
Your favorite alcoholic drink? (and non-alcoholic)
Yukon Jack on the rocks. Gin and tonic with a twist of lime. Cafe Patron on the rocks , Mint Julep, Wine, Water, Coffee , Tea. Any fruit juice.
If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?
I have always been comfortable in my own skin. Although I have many flaws, I don’t think I would change a thing. It’s just who I am.
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 