Interview in Side line Magazine:

Natural Feelings

Following Bloody Kisses, TYPE O NEGATIVE's fourth album, October Rust,
allows the Brooklyn-based band to reach a succes that they no doubt deserve.Deep
musical explorations resulting in dark and sensual atmospheres seem to
be the band's actual recipe... we took advantage of the band's concert
in Brussels to meet Josh Silver, keyboardist, who produced the album with
the so charismatic singer, Peter Steele. And here is the result of this
conversation with a man who certainly has more to say than what he lets
show...

SL. Peter Steele composed most of the songs of
October rust while you were on tour. According to you, did
road life have much influence on his compositions?

J. I would not say it is directly reflected in
the material but i think that living any different kind of life will naturally
lead you to a different kind of thinking. so, inevitably anything that
comes into our personal lives will be reflected in the music one way or
another.

SL. October rust gives the impression
that you kept the melodious side of your previous album and that you developed
it into a really more atmospheric, more moving music. Tell us about this
evolution?

J. I think that once you hear the material , it
is pretty clear what the album should sound like: a very psychedelic, very
ambient , very smooth record, a little sexual I think So it is true that
we go into a direction of what we think the album should be like but we
don't sit down and make a choice like: <<This is what we are gonna
do>>. You just do what you do and whatever happens happens. It has
to be Natural, a natural progression. And if you say: <<Well , Bloody
kisses sold this many copies, so let's do it again>. That is
bullshit!!! You have to do it from your heart , it has to come naturraly,
and that is the bottom line.

SL. Has this evolution of your sound come to an
end or will you go on developping it further?

J. I don't think that the musical evolution has
come to an end. Every album should be different. i don't see us doing the
same thing twice ever.

SL. So what about your next album?

J. WE still don't know...it could be circus music,
it could be hardcore,...Your guess is as good as mine...

SL. Why did you choose <<October rust>>
as a title fir the album? Is it because of the mood of the album or it
there something else to understand?

J. <<October rust>>
involves pagan imaginary in relation with nature. I think it is appropriate
for the material of the package.

SL. Nature is very present with songs like Druides,
Green man, Wolfmoon,...or with the sleeves design.Does it have
an influence on Peter's compositions?

J. I would just say that the only thing the whole
band does have any respect for is nature because it is truly the only god
and it has always the final word.

SL. Peter's lyrics are always about him and also
focus on women. In his eyes, are women just an object of desire or do they
mean much more?

J. That is a very personal question and I can
only answer for myself...I would just say that relationships and sexuality
are the focus of all of humanity.

SL. But if you have a look at his lyrics, what
is your inpression?

J. I have the impression that it is probably written
by someone who has had a lot of trouble in relationships, who has been
very frustrated...relationships are 95% of human existence, they can be
sexual or intellectual...They are are the very base of human existence.
So what better tham to write about? And we have been doing it from day
one, either with ahrdcore and screaming or with soft music like it is on
this album.

SL. So we can say that the whole album is about
nature, women and Peter?

J. I would say nature and women actually . A lot
of views that are expressed on October Rust are universal.

SL. Any other subjects that inspire Peter?

J. Probably not.You know we are a band whose
members have always had problems in their personal lives. We grew up in
New York... And now we have been touring for three or four months...Al
our relationships are a disaster. We are not at home, we are here ...And
inevitably there are just feelings that everybody goes through. You can't
avoid this situation, it is very hard to have a relationship if you are
always on the road. This is very tough, it is something we chose to do
and we never knew we would get to this large scale but it has. That's life
you know...

SL. Bloody Kisses was yet quite
well acclaimed when it was released and now you are gaining even more success
with October Rust. Did you expect this succes?

J. I expect nothing but I am never dissapointed.
We go in this studio and we make music. And if people like it, that is
great, and if they don't , that is cool . We are doing this first for us
and then for others. If you don't express your honest feelings on the record.
I would say it is a lie...But you cannot plan succes. either it happens
or it doesn't . And if you plan it, usually it is too artificial . Just
think of Green Day for instance...

SL. Have you been touring in the USA before coming
to Europe?

J. Not specially for this album. What happened
is that we were finishing up October Rust and we got an offer
from OZZY OSBOURNE to open. So the day that we finished the
recording, we ahd our luggage in the studio and we went directly from the
studio to the airport. It was not really a tour for this album but it was
after the recording, so we did play one or two cuts from it. then we did
nine weeks of headlining and supporting in smaller and medium places.

SL. With more tracks from the album?

J. Yes, right now we are playing four songs but
some are over ten minutes, so...Moreover we try to mix a lot:we do a little
bit of Slow,Deep and Hard, we do of course tracks from Bloody
Kisses... 

SL. Do you keep the same set for Europe or are
there any changes?

J. What happens is that we are always playing
new stuff. We are now playing Wolf Moon that we did not play
in the USA, but we did not plan it for Europe. During the soundchecks we
rehearsal some songs and then we play them live. And that is why the set
is changing.

SL. October Rust is charged with
a lot of sensuality, feelings,...Isn't it a kind of challenge to reproduce
these atmospheres on stage?

J. I would not say it is not a challenge because
we know it is not going to be exactly the same. We have to adjust certain
things to make it work live and to try to keep it sounding somewhat similar
to what is on the record. We just do something that we consider good as
live. As I said, it may not be exactly the same but that's OK. A lightshow
is a lightshow and a cd is a cd. You know, being in the studio is limitless
and that is the reason why you go there to make a record. And you certainly
have to take advantage of this. So then we make worry about what we do
live.

SL. When you are not touring or working in studio,
do you have other activities, hobbies or do you only concentrate on the
band?

J. There is very little ife outside of TYPE
O NEGATIVE right now and I hope that it changes. I need a vacation,
maybe have a relationship again...In time I think things will go a little
bit better but right now we have an opportunity and we are very ambitious...I
was bred to push ahead, no matter what happens, that is to say that succes
is very important because you have to survive and to support yourself.
But maybe this is just a way to avoid your feelings, to submerge yourself
in work and this takes away a little bit of the problems.

SL. Do you believe this?

J. I would not say I do not believe in it but
deep down in me...I can say it is not true but I still do it, I am my father's
son you know.

SL. Do you think this has much influence on your
work?

J. Some good, some good...YOU know , some people
are very ambitious, some people want to sit home and watch TV for ten hours
a day but I am not these persons. I have to try to do something that is
almost impossible or I won't be happy. But I probably won't be happy even
after it, so it is like with the stupid NIKE commmercial <<just
do it>>. This is a stupid commercial but it is true.

SL. In this album's booklet we find the quote
<<Functionless art is simply tolerated vandalism...We are the vandals>>.
Does that mean that you consider your music as functionless?

J. You know, there is a difference between functional
art and functionless architectures, art,...So music , definitely, is functionless
by comparision, but it does have a function: it releases emotions...

SL. Anything to add to end all this?

J. My sincerest apologies...