The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 3, 2002 - 12

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Static-X drummer weathers new
fame and toilets on the road

By Sonya Sutherland
Daily Arts Writer
Perhaps the biggest band no one has
ever heard of, Static-X certainly isn't
wasting anytime making a name for
themselves. Fortunately for them, the
fame and fortune that turned Michael
Jackson white and put Gene Simmons
and his make-shift Kiss band on stage
for private parties at retail stores has
missed Wayne Static and his cohorts.
Although their last album, Machine, is
certified platinum, you can still find the
boys in the parking lot signing auto-
graphs and taking a breather pre-and
post-show. Touring constantly, Static-X
visited Clutch Cargo's for their final
show of the year and drummer Ken Jay
took a little breather to speak with The
Daily.
TMD: Static-X is an excellent live
hand, hut when are you going to haul it
into the studio and start recording a
new alhum?
KJ: Actually, we just started writing
because we were off a couple months
right after the tour with Soulfly. We were
busy with other work but fortunately we
still had time, so we wrote and got three
or four songs down. A couple of ideas
for new ones and we probably will start
recording next January or February We
are so efficient in the studio that we can
be done in a month and a half.
TMD: Where would you say you are
progressing towards?
KJ: The first album was a band on
the right track and a band learning to do
something different than what was out
there. On that Ozzfest in '97, there were
like 15 bands that sounded the same and
they did what they did extremely well,
but it had a lot of the same vie to it.
That caused Machine. I think it kinda
caused it because it shows a little bit of
growth as'songwriters, definitely as
players. It's a good sounding alhum.
The one thing I like about ministry is it's
a perfectly natural progression from
album to album. I think that we capture
that too. For the new one, we'll have to
see. It's heavier but melodic, so I don't
know.
TMD: Would you consider making a
record like cooking or perhaps making a
salad? Like a process?
KJ: Probably more like lasagna
because it definitely is a layering
technique.
TMD: What would you say is the
main ingredient?
KJ: Well the drums of course ....
Well no, its all really important, obvious-
ly now its the vocals by far.
TMD: Do you take advantage of your
"famous privileges" and do cool things?
KJ: You know, not really. Its not like
we decide to go to Acapulco one day and
just go. Wayne is my best friend so even
when were not on the road. We just got
bikes, so we go out with those. So no,
not really. I like to write: Lyrics, poetry,
and I have written a few columns for

TMD: Do you rely on any additional
methods, also known as backup tapes, to
aid your live performance?
KJ: We have backing tapes, but they
have no vocals guitar or drums on them.
So many people use it now and I really
hate it. We have the weird noises, spoken
word and percussive sounds but that's
only so we don't have to hire a key-
boardist because keyboardist are idiots.
They are such a different breed. Some
of those bands that go out there and cant
crank it, you know they shouldn't be
doing this.
TMD: Machine is a bit heavier than
Wisconsin Death Trip. It touches more
colder industrially driven vibe. Would

you say it was a concept album?
KJ: Concept album in the point in
that we were all sick of being on the
road. Like an organic concept album,
yes. Were definitely a "1984," "Metrop-
olis," "Bladerunner," "Terminator" type
band. I think that is well reflected in the
comic book that is coming out. The
book is more like a graphic novel about
us, but it is written in the comic book
sense. The cd that comes with it proba-
bly won't include anything new, but it
will have some live tracks.
TMD: What's the worst thing about
being on the road?
KJ: The facilities. I have had to fix
three toilets.

Ken says "Come hither."

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