KIRK WINDSTEIN: THE METALSUCKS INTERVIEW
October 4, 2010
Here is an exerpt from Kirk Windstein’s interview with Metalsucks.net
Read the full interview HERE!
It seems like you’ll be quite busy for several months with Down and Crowbar, and we’ll get to that in a moment. For the time being, are there any more tours on the horizon for Kingdom of Sorrow that fans might be able to see you at?
We’re discussing a U.K. tour possibly. There are discussions of a few things, but nothing that’s booked.
And Down, I’m getting together with Pep and Jim probably Thursday and/or Friday to work on some new Down stuff [I started] with Jim before the last run we did over in Europe. We had some good ideas and whatnot. Just taking it step by step with that. We kind of just . . . with Down, it’s kind of one of those things that when everybody’s ready — mainly Phil — when he’s ready and has that fire lit, it moves like a rocket. It’s like you’re totally engrossed in it. You live it and breathe it 24/7. He’s got a lot of other things going on as well with his label and doing some other music like he always does. So we just keep writing and keep it rolling along. I’m ready to record that shit and get back to touring, man.
That’s great. So new Down in 2011 maybe?
Uh, 2011 I would say. Yeah. Something for sure. We’re not even there yet, so I think that’s totally feasible. Obviously not this year because it would have to be signed, sealed, delivered and done already. It’s not there by any means. It’s always going to happen and Down is always going to be there. So that’s a good thing.
But in the meantime, you guys have a DVD coming out. It seems like that DVD has been talked about forever. It’s been delayed so many times. You guys filmed it back in what? 2008?
2006.
06? Then it was going to come out and then it didn’t. Then it was going to come out again, and it was going to be on E1, and then that got shelved.
Right.
Why is this project so cursed?
Well, I wouldn’t say that it was necessarily cursed, but it was a situation of getting it filmed and trying to get all that organized. By the time we got back, Jim Van Bebber (who was in control of filming all this stuff) had so much footage that he didn’t really know where to even begin. We were so busy doing the Down Over the Under record and touring for that — repeatedly touring for that from September 2007 . . . shit, we just finished touring for it basically. It was a situation of finding the time to do it and when we thought we had it all figured it out; Pepper busted his ass. He was mainly in charge of doing the editing and putting most of it together. Phil, of course, had a big hand in it too. We felt it was signed, sealed, delivered and ready to go through E1 and literally at the 11th hour there was a legal problem and it had to be, not necessarily shelved, but postponed until they worked all that out with Warner. Thankfully it’s finally going to see the light of day.
So it was a legal issue with Warner having to do with, I’m guessing, Down being previously signed to Warner? Is that right?
Right, from what I understand. When it’s Crowbar, I’m very involved with the business obviously because it’s mainly my band. With Down, as far as the business stuff goes, I’m more just playing the guitar and helping writing riffs and having a good time. From what I understand, there was an issue because Warner was our record label that they had apparently had the right to do the DVD release, especially with the audio CD as well. They would have the first right. I think in the beginning, I don’t know, something didn’t work and we were under the impression that we were legally free to do it through E1 and went in that direction. Obviously it got postponed for legal stuff. That’s the way I understand it.
So now you guys are basically self-releasing it though.
I have no idea. I don’t know what’s going on.
[Laughs]
Seriously. I just ask Snake [Sabo, of Skid Row! -Ed.], our manager, “okay, when’s it coming out?” “Alright, it’s coming out in October.” “Okay, great.” I’m glad it’s finally coming out. I don’t understand, I care about it because I’m a member of the band, but the fact that it’s coming out is what I really care about.
Right. I was just confused. I was hoping you might be able to tell me.
You probably know as much as me, and that’s no fault of anybody. Personally, if there’s one thing about this business that sucks it’s the politics. It’s the business side of it. Why can’t we just make music? That’s my thing. Unfortunately, that’s not what it is. It’s all attorneys and accountants and whatnot that end up taking a lot of the fun out of it.
[Laughter]
It’s a necessary evil, and it’s not necessarily always evil. It’s a good thing when the ball is in your court or when things go your way right. It’s just something that I’m really not interested in. When I get the thumbs up that everything is okay, then that’s good with me.
