dUg Pinnick – Uber Rock Interview Exclusive
Written by Ben Hughes
Sunday, 06 October 2013 03:00
What exactly does King’s X frontman dUg Pinnick get up to when his band are on hiatus? He makes music that’s what! A man with more side projects going on than you would think possible to keep control of, dUg shows that music is his life and soul. Want to find out his thoughts on his past, the present and what the immediate future holds for the man and when we may expect King’s X to make a return? Then read on for the exclusive insight, people.
Hey dUg, I hope you’re doing well after your recent hernia surgery? Your fans set up a Fundraiser to help raise the $25,000 needed to cover the medical bills, how does that feel having such loyal fans who are there for you in your hour of need?
It was insane! It was a surprise, I’m thankful for the people who started the Fundraiser for me, I didn’t know anything about it until it had been started. It’s very difficult to ask anyone for money, so this has been overwhelming. I was able to have the operation and a few more things I needed to get done, now I’m in A-1 condition and I am totally thankful for the people who sent in their hard earned donations.
You work tirelessly on musical projects with much respect and yet no commercial success, how hard is it to keep doing the thing you love and still manage to pay the bills?
It is just about impossible because I don’t have a fixed income. I can’t budget, but somehow everything works out, the side projects only take a few weeks to do, the rest of the time I’m in my room staring at the walls in depression or writing music. People have complained that I’m spending more time with side projects than King’s X, but King’s X is always my first priority.
Your recent solo album, ‘Naked’, seems a very dark and personal record to me, made during a transitional period in your life when you moved to LA, was this something you needed to do to get a new outlook on life and maybe just make a fresh start?
LA is the best place for me to make a living in the music industry, moving here has changed everything for me in every way.
On previous solo albums you have collaborated and involved many guests, on ‘Naked’ it was just you, was this just something you needed to get done by yourself?
Actually after moving to LA I had a lot of time to exorcise my demons, and find new ones. Writing music is something I continually do. Whatever I’m going through is what ends up in a song somehow. With the discovery of Toontrack drum program and my Ax-Fx, and a vocal mic plus Pro-Tools, it made it easy to record tunes in my room. I have a lot more tunes I have finished that no one has heard yet.
‘I Hope I Don’t Lose My Mind’ is my favourite track on ‘Naked’, that’s a fine solo going on there, not bad for a bass player. Obviously you write songs on guitar, but is ‘Naked’ an outlet for the frustrated guitar player inside of you?
Thanks for the compliment. I can only imagine what a real lead player thinks of it, probably put it in the suck category – LOL!!! – but I always take that word “frustrated guitar player” as a negative. Is playing guitar only exclusive to accomplished guitar players? I play keyboards also, does this make me a frustrated keyboard player? I have absolutely no desire to play guitar in a band or be a lead player, but I’ve written almost all my songs
on guitar since 1972. I’ve been making demos from the first time I got a 4 track and a drum machine. I guess after 40 years you get better at whatever you do hopefully, LOL!! But it’s always been fun for me to do everything on my demos, it taught me how to play guitar. I still don’t feel comfortable playing live in public on guitar, and I freeze up when I have to do a lead, I have no confidence. Especially since I’ve played with some of the greatest guitarists in the world. I have played guitar in my solo live shows, but I’m not sure if I’ll do it again. Bass is my love, and it’s what I’m driven to play, so I don’t think I’m frustrated.
You have been involved in 3 releases already this year. The fantastic ‘Pinnick Gales Pridgen’ album, ‘Third Ear Experience’ and of course ‘Naked’, what’s next?
KXM (George Lynch and Ray Luzier, the drummer for Korn) and Grinder Blues (my blues band with the Bihlman Bros.)
Have you ever considered doing an acoustic album, maybe even re-workings of King’s X songs, that is something I would love to hear?
Acoustic? Definitely. Re-working King’s X songs? I don’t think so…
It’s been 5 years since the last King’s X album when can we expect a follow up to ‘XV’?
Like I said before, King’s X is my top priority. I’m ready to make a new record, but I’m only 1/3rd of the decision making. So at the moment there are no plans, until then I’ll keep doing side projects.
King’s X have always had great reviews and are highly respected among fans and musicians alike, yet mainstream success has always eluded you, why do you think that is?
I have no clue, maybe it’s because we do everything wrong? But I do know that the mainstream just don’t get or care about King’s X, plain and simple.
Looking back what do you think was the peak of King’s X career, and what has been your own personal highlight?
Playing Woodstock 94, playing The Jon Stewart Show and touring for 2 months with AC/DC, but we have had so many great moments that I could talk all day about that. We got to do a lot of stuff that even the mainstream bands never got to do. I think the biggest highlight is the c
ontinual respect for King’s X in the music community, we sold no records but have the respect and are considered legends. It’s been a bitter sweet career for sure, but I can’t complain.
King’s X rarely play in the UK, and when you do it is usually just one or two dates in London and Manchester, do you think King’s X, yourself as a solo artist or even Pinnick Gales Pridgen would ever do a club tour over here?
I hope so, I’m hoping to tour with all my side projects and record more albums.
I seem to remember reading an interview where you said King’s X nearly split up, what period was this and how close did you come to disbanding?
It was a short conversation, it was after Woodstock when MTV, USA Today and Howard Stern said we were one of the top 5 bands of the weekend, but to our surprise a few months after the show we sold about 200 CDs, while almost all the bands we played with went on to sell millions. We figured, if the mouse trap isn’t better than the old one, then who’s gonna buy it. King’s X career has been a love/hate thing for me, but we stuck it out anyway.
The performance at Woodstock in ’94 was highly memorable, I remember watching it on TV and, along with NIN and Green Day, you were an awesome highlight, what do you remember of that performance?
I remember every second! and I thought I was horrible and I ruined our career! LOL!! But it was a great performance in reality and we got great press.
King’s X drummer Jerry Gaskill suffered a heart attack last year, that must have been a tough time, how’s he doing now?
He’s doing better than ever in every way and he will tell you this! I’m so glad he’s ok, can’t wait to hear his new CD!
Have you ever considered the PledgeMusic route to fund a King’s X or a solo album?
I’m sure we could and it would be a success, King’s X fans are very supportive.
‘Dogman’ and ‘Ear Candy’ are my 2 favourite King’s X albums, the mid ’90s was a time of change for many rock bands and rock music in general, a dark time and I think darkness spawns great creativity, what do you remember of that period?
I’ve always been in a dark place, I just hid it in the early days because I was a Christian and I believed I had to play a game of being some
one that I wasn’t. My disillusionment led me to my lyrics on ‘Dogman’ and ‘Ear Candy’. The song ‘Run’ tells the story and I related to the anger of the generation in many ways though I was a bit older. There was some great bands and songs that came out of the ’90s and I made some great friends along the way.
When you signed to Atlantic back in ’87 did you ever think you would be highly respected and sought after as a musician and still releasing albums at 63 years old?
I was so overwhelmed with the whole thing at the beginning, I was in a depression of self-hate, I was a mess. Also I fell to the pressure and control from our caretakers, I just hoped I’d have money but I made very little, and even though millions of dollars went through our camp the 3 of us were making way below minimum wage. When we finally realized we had been manipulated, stolen from and lied to and left with nothing but our name then that took any thought of respect or sought after recognition in my mind. I’ve always felt like the kid outside looking through the window at a party I wasn’t invited to… but I think the respect thing became reality when I moved to LA 3 years ago. The music community opened their arms up to me immediately, it feels like home.
One last thing, my brother is a massive fan of yours and he first got me into King’s X. I asked him if he had a question for you and his reply was “Tell him to do another album with Jerry’s son on drums and if he makes another King’s X album to make it as monumental as ‘Dogman’.” Do you have a reply for him?
Joey has a band called Recovery Room, check them out on Facebook. As far as playing with him again? You never know… and trying to repeat any King’s X CD by us would only be a disaster. The best we can ever hope for is a totally honest record however it may turn out and I hope it’s as ground-breaking as they say ‘Gretchen’ and ‘Dogman’ were, but only time will tell…
dUg
https://www.facebook.com/dug.pinnick
