Interview with Steve Tucker of Morbid Angel (Sept. 2000)
by Melanie from Necrosis
Tucker : Yeah I do some Flash stuff, I guess if you want to do something you find the time for it, and getting away from your everyday shit is a great relief as well!!! I never thought of myself as a computer guy really, but I love my computer to be honest! It is a great tool, I use it for almost everything I do.
MR: Internecine, in retrospect, looks like a side project of famous band members. Pat O'Brien, now in Cannibal, you, now in Morbid Angel, Jared in Hate Eternal .. did you guys ever think you'd see such uniform, yet separate, and across-the-board success?
Tucker: Well Pat and I were in the original version, called Ceremony, later changed to Internecine... The new version with Jared is, in my opinion a lot better than we were! As for the success, I think that I personally have always tried to surroud myself with driven, hard working people with great talent, and these people succeed!
MR: It's really cool that Trey's allowing some musical leeway in allowing you to write lyrics and music for Morbid now. Do you think you've added your "mark" to the music, or that it's "still Morbid Angel through and through"?
Tucker: I agree it is very cool and it shows a lot of trust on Trey's part, and he has said he is very happy with it as well!! I think I have definetly added my feel to Morbid Angel, while still not bending away from what Morbid Angel is and represents..
MR: Who hooked you up with Pantera?! The press release was logical - it IS great exposure for "death metal". Is Pantera being like Overkill, charging it's "opening act" just to be on tour with them? Or are you guys hand-picked to be groomed for "best in show" for death metal in 2000?
Tucker: HAHAHA I don't think we were hand picked to be groomed or anything like that, I think it was honestly that Phillip Anselmo likes Morbid Angel, he called and said they wanted to take us out, so here we have it! I do feel it will be a great thing for Deathmetal!! It will show a lot of people who have no idea what extreme is, what true extreme is!! No, it isn't a case of us having to pay them to go on tour with them either... They have actually treated us very well!
MR: I don't have lyrics in front of me. Are you guys sticking with the Necronomicon-themed material or are you branching out into a little more paranormal stuff?
Tucker: Actually drawing from everything, without using names of gods or times or anything that solidifies things as only one way.. I wanted the lyrics to transcend time and singular ideas and be open for interpretation..
MR: "Brutal-Death.com has a new interview with Steve Tucker, the first of many that are sure to come pouring in now that it's promotional/press season for the upcoming new album..." This statement just sounds so COMMERCIAL."Press season?" Are you feeling cramped or pressured by your success?
Tucker :HAHAHHAH No, not really, the term is very commercial but, I guess that comes with a bit of success, but I think we apply more pressure to our own expectations for the music than anyone else could ever apply by doing press!! We feel strongly about the record, so talking about it is a great thing..
MR: You guys took Nile out on a limb the last huge tour through Ohio (1998/summer?). Are you still open to taking "unsigned" or lesser-known artists on the road w/you?
Tucker: They were signed actually at that time, but we have taken out unsigned bands as well, we took Internecine out for a few shows on a tour as well. We just really want bands that we feel are great!! Their status in terms of record sales or whatever is not of relevance.
MR: How was Wacken? Did you enjoy the European hospitality?
Tucker: Wacken was great!! The hospitality was amazing, and I had one of the greatest weekends of my life!!
MR: Now for the essay question - Compare and contrast your latest release to FFF ('Formulas...') ..
Tucker: Comparing FFF to Gateways, is not very easy the two have totally differant feels, I think FFF was a statement. Very exertive, very focused in a singular direction, whereas Gateways is multi layered I think, very structured and deep, very diverse, yet somehow still maintaining a vibe throughout that keeps it solid.
MR: Pick & name 2 of your favorite songs off "GATEWAYS TO ANNIHILATION", and tell us why you like 'em .. favorite passages and stuff like that. What should fans be listening for?
Tucker: 'To the Victor the Spoils' is a great song in my opinion, because it is aimed at the Morbid Angel fans directly, a call to arms if you can see it that way , "Decide, between the ways of the weak of the sheep", I love that line - it is a statement... I also love the lyrics to 'Summoning Redemption', a call to the gods!!! "I demand to know the light of a promised land, I demand to see this corrosion wiped away" That verse is very powerful to me, I love it because I took a phrase the christians love to claim as there own and I used for us, the enemy of the idiocy!
MR: Now that Erik's back, what's "up" with Hate Eternal? Are they disbanding or sticking around?
Tucker: They are sticking around!! Definately, he will do both bands and Alas as well.
MR: Ask Trey how the Playstation is going! ;>
Tucker: Trey isn't into the Playstation right now actually, he is into online quake3 arena...
MR: What music styles and genres do you listen to, outside of the style you play with the band? Do these creep into the music at all as influences?
Tucker: Well I think everything creeps in, though it is not as it started out!!! It becomes what you want it to become!! I am a metal head and I still listen to a lot of old metal, Iron Maiden 'Killers', Dio, etc...
MR: What do you think of the Internet?
Tucker: I love the internet!
MR: What can fans look forward to seeing live?
Tucker: Morbid Angel, in all it's intensity!! We focus very strongly on our live show, and are very proud of our shows.
MR: Any new funny or horror show/studio stories?
Tucker: As for horror stories, my first tour of Europe, we have to use transformers for our gear (it is american gear, and they have european power) and 9 out of 10 shows the things would fuck up in the middle of songs and we would have to stop until it could be fixed, that sucked dick!!!
MR: After all these years at the forefront, do you find it hard coming up with original material?
Tucker: Not at all, we right music from the soul and I think it is only natural that it comes out original as each soul is indevidual!
MR: What is the funniest thing you have seen lately?
Tucker: My son, he is a year old and he does all kinds of funny as shit! Banging his head and shit like that!
MR: If you could tour with with any 4 other bands, who would they be?
Tucker: Slayer, doing all old material, Vader (they are killer live), Krisiun (killer live as well), Black Sabbath with Dio!
MR: Any parting words of wisdom to the masses?
Tucker: Stay Intense, enjoy the new cd, we will see you on tour!
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