Yo, Adian...
The Italian Stallion from Philadelphia is
hitting the ring Friday and Saturday in a
special performance of "Rocky" at the
Michigan Theater. 7 p.m. $2.50.
michigandady.com/arts
Ro?
MONDAY
AUGUST 6, 2001
H E' S NO PLACE LIKE OZZFEST
Drowing Pool
seeks ality within
newfoune fame
Reverend puts the
'freak' in sideshow
By Rob Brode
Daily Arts Writer
The song "Bodies," with its raging
chorus of "Let the bodies hit the
floor," is quickly becoming a mosh
pit anthem - and the band behind it,
Drowning Pool, is enjoying every-
second of their success and their run
on the Ozzfest
tour. "It's like a
dream come true,
its amazing, I
rOOg wake up every
POOl day saying I can't
DTE Energy believe we're
Music Theater here," guitarist
July 0t, 2001 C.J. Pierce notes
with a sense of
wonderment and
a hint of eupho-
ria.
Their record
Sinner has only
been out eight
weeks, but the records are flying out
of stores faster than lightweights fly-
ing out of the mosh pit.
Although the band is very grateful,
this level of success wasn't really
expected. "I said, 'I hope we sell
5,000' that would be cool,
respectable. We sold 19,000 and
everyone's jaw hit the floor. You think
your first week always sells a lot,
then it drops off and kind of levels up
- and we sold more the next week
and the next week ..." Pierce stated.
Right now the album has shipped
800,000 copies. The band has planned
a gold party to celebrate the 500,000
mark, but they may want to hold off a
few more weeks for the platinum
party.
The band is certainly happy that
"Bodies" has been picked up by rock
radio, MTV and even WWF program-
ming, but mainstream success was
never the goal.
"We never wrote any of these in
that kind of fashion. We all come
from the underground. We love that
kind of music," Pierce said.
With mainstream success comes
the worry of being perceived as sell-
outs. "People say you lose credibility
but I think its pretty cool we're get-
ting in touch with a lot of kids,"
Pierce said.
Many kids connect with Drowning
Pool through the albums and radio,
but those who come to the shows
have a chance to connect with the
band personally.
"We sign in the morning and the
evening. After the show I am on the
lawn hanging out with all the kids. At
a club show, after the show, we're all
hanging out at the bar. None of us go
on the bus or the backroom."
The only disadvantage of the
Ozzfest tour Pierce said is that he
"can't meet ten to twenty thousand
people and shake their hand at each
show."
The band is so "real" that even
after they signed their record deal,
Pierce returned to his old job as an
electrician to take care of all his
commitments. When home from
touring, he says he will go back to
his Mom's house and make some
repairs she has asked him to do; now
that's REAL.
By Rob Brode
Daily Arts Writer
Her eyes were clenched shut, only
daring to open them after she had
removed the whirring electric drill
from Reverend B. Dangerous's nose.
As the drill exited his nose so did a
stream of blood. "You messed up,"
Dangerous said
as he glared at
3s the cowering
Reverend B. sixteen-year-old
through black-
Dangerous ened eyes and a
DTE Energy smile outlined
Music Theater with a red sub-
July 30, 2001 stance resem-
bling blood.
a. "it does that
everyday. It [the
drill] rips out
more and more
every day. Today
was actually a
good day," Reverend B. Dangerous
explained after his set. To be the most
sadistic, sadomasochistic, deranged
individual on an Ozzfest tour that fea-
tures bat-biting Ozzy Osbourne and
the man billed as Satan's roommate,
(Marilyn Manson), is no small feat -
but Reverend B. Dangerous holds that
honor.
The man's catch phrase is "Want to
see something fucked up?" and with
good reason.
On an average night, the Reverend
staples his shirt to his arms and
tongue with a staple gun, attaches
briefcases to his nipple rings and car-
ries them around, sticks a screwdriver
up his nose, hangs a video camera on
a rope from his tongue while whip-
ping his head around and lays face
down in a pile of glass while he cal
out the heaviest member of the au
ence to stand on the back of his hea
What is the Reverend thinking while
three hundred man stands on the ba4
of his head? "Get the FUCK off
head!" he says as he laughs.
While performing in front of
sands has its advantages, being
ringleader of your own freak show
its disadvantages. "I've ripped my ni
ple off three times," the Revere
says, with a hint of pride in his voi
"I've ripped my tongue to the poin
can stick my pinky through
tongue. I put a scorpion in my mo
and it stung me four times in tI
throat." The Reverend no longer
to hospitals to patch him up, as
always throw him in with the addic
So the Reverend does his own medit
work. "I super-glued it [a nipple] ba
on. That's what superglue is ma
for." He smiles as he lifts his shirt
"It's pretty mutated; it's not the pre
est nipple."
Reverend B. Dangerous hopes
entertain but unlike most perform
he hopes he isn't influential. "I do
encourage anyone to go out and
mer nails in my face ... That's
bleed [on stage], the kid out there w
was thinking 'that was cool I want'
do that,' when they see blood t
think 'NO I'M NOT! NO I'M NOTl
With each passing show, the R
erend tests his body's limitations.
want to do this thing where I put f
hooks in my back and have cha
hooked up to it and pull Stitches
partner) around the stage." Ho
even the Reverend has his limits.
wouldn't hook anything up to 4
dick, my dick has done nothing 1
give me a good time."
Casual dining at its best!
REWARD
YOURSELF!
Corner of 1st and Huron St.
Downtown AA
(734) 623-7400 "Exceptional!"
www.damatos.com Ann Arbor Observer
****Detroit Free Press
Piano Bar Thurs- Sat 9 out of 10 Ann Arbor News
JOHN PROATT/Day
From top: Reverend B. Dangerous is
fixIng a few loose screws while
performing at the Ozzfest Freakshow,
meanwhIle members of Drowning Pool
"let the bodies hit the floor."
While Ozzy eats the bats, Marilyn catches the flies.
1
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