Q&A Interview: Wayne Static of Static-X [Cult of Static]

"I was so worried about writing songs that I missed all of the parties."

February 16, 2009, 07:49 AM

Views: 6878   Comments: 1

Your debut album went platinum and there was speculation that you would become a mainstream band. Instead, you've managed to maintain a very loyal cult following for about a decade now. Are you happy with how things have worked out for Static X?

Yeah, I think so. Obviously, you know, we just do what we do and hope people like it. I think our first album going platinum was just the right album at the right time. I never thought we would be mainstream and I never thought we would even sell that many records! I'm glad we've stayed underground. It seems like once you go mainstream, you're labeled as a sellout or whatever. So, I think things have gone great for us.

Do you think the cult appeal comes from the difficulty people have had categorizing your music?

Sure, I think that's part of it. It's helped us a lot, because you really can't put us in a category. It leaves us open to do whatever we want and tour with whoever we want. It makes us timeless. You can put on our old albums ten years later and it still sounds fresh and exciting.

You have said that your sound is always evolving, but what is it that you think people expect from Static-X?

Probably the main thing is the kind of beats we use. Everything we do has a certain groove to it and a dance-ability sense to it. That's why we label ourselves 'Evil Disco.' I think that's what sets us apart from other metal bands is the ability to groove. I think my voice is identifiable. Lately I've been going back to more of the old school balls out screaming like I used to. I think that's my trademark. I had fun trying the singing thing for a while, but I am going back to screaming. Our guitar sounds are another thing, our solos and that crunching sound.

I read that you wrote this new album Cult of Static after returning home from the long Cannibal tour. Do you ever write while you're on the road, or do you have to be a different head space?

I used to write on the road a long time ago. All of our second record was written on the road. There is good and band to that. The good thing is you're ahead of the game when you're done with the tour. The bad thing I realized is after 2 years of touring, I had missed all of the fun stuff. I was so worried about writing songs that I missed all of the parties. Now I look at touring as the vacation. I go out and have fun and live it up a bit and then come home and get back to working.

You guys are road warriors and put on a notoriously dynamic, high energy show. When you write albums, are you thinking forward to playing it on stage, or do you focus on albums as their own entity?

I worry about being able to play it live to a certain extent. When I first start writing, I go with whatever feels good and worry later about whether or not we can play it. As we get further into our career and we have a bigger collection of work, we don't really have to worry as much about what we play. We have 7 albums and have been around for a while so there is a lot of material to cover. We may only get a few new songs into the show, so we can be more experimental on the record and not worry about playing every song on stage.

Speaking of being on the road, you just dropped a gem of a collection on your fans in October with Cannibal Killers Live. Not to sound like I'm doing an infomercial or anything, but it really is a large collection of great material at a bargain price for fans. Do you think you would do another DVD in the future?

At some point. We've been trying to do a live DVD for like 4 or 5 years now. You have to find the right time to do it and it's a really big undertaking. It's not something we make a lot of money on just because DVDs don't sell as well as albums. It's not really a money maker. It's more of a passion that I want to do for the fans. We want to do another one someday but it may be another 10 years before we get around to it.

So you're still technically a newlywed, you can see references to your wife (Tera Wray) in the song titles and your first single 'Stingwray' comes out on Valentine's Day... is Cult of Static a love album?

It really is! It's definitely the most personal album we've ever made. I met my wife on Ozzfest during the Cannibal tour and she really changed my life. A lot of the album is inspired by having such a great time with her and having a good time on the road. The short answer is yes, a lot of it is inspired by her. [laughs]

You guys were appearing on video game soundtracks before that was really a common outlet for artists. Today you're considered video game soundtrack staples and find a place in film, as well, from time to time. Licensing opportunities like these are important money makers for bands, but have you found it to be an effective way to promote your new music?

That's mainly what it is for us- promotion. We don't see a lot of money from that. It all goes to our recoupable expenses, paying all the people on the team. For me it's all about marketing and getting the music out there to new people who may not have heard of us. Movie soundtracks aren't using rock bands as much as they were 5 or 10 years ago, but the video game soundtracks help us a lot. They definitely pick up more new fans for us than the movies.

If you weren't in your band and you were just a music fan, which aspect of Cult of Static would have you the most excited?

For me, I really like to listen to albums that take you on a journey. One of my favorite bands growing up was Rush. I liked to listen to them with my headphones on and just get taken to a new place. There are a lot of epic moments on our new record and it takes you on a hypnotic journey. That's probably my favorite thing about it.

Alright, well that's it. Anything else you wanted to add?

Come see us play! Our tour starts April 1.

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