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NYROCK: |
Well, you're sound has changed quite a lot since October Rust [1996]. | |
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PETE: |
We stripped it down. You could say October Rust was a bit... lush. We didn't want to repeat the mistake we made with it so World Coming Down is more, yeah, stripped. | |
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NYROCK: |
It sounds as if you're almost embarrassed.... | |
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PETE: |
Embarrassed is wrong. I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of October Rust. I made the mistake of listening to the damned record label and tried to make it sound a bit more radio compatible. I don't know why I listened to them, but I did. My own mistake. But I like October Rust; it's my favorite album. I'm proud of my song writing. But the label probably thought we'd sell a couple of million albums. I don't know what drugs they were on. I guess they wanted to make another remake of Bloody Kisses, Bloody Kisses II or something like that. They didn't get it. | |
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NYROCK: |
Bloody Kisses [1993] was your big success.... | |
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PETE: |
I don't think it was. Look at it; it's out a good deal longer than October Rust. It had a lot more time to sell copies. Considering that October Rust hasn't had as much time as Bloody Kisses it does really well, even better than Bloody Kisses, but they just don't get it. It didn't flop. Maybe in their book, but not in mine. | |
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NYROCK: |
It doesn't sound like you're happy with your label.... | |
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PETE: |
Tell me one band that's happy with their label. OK, bands need labels, but labels need bands just as much. The thing is I'm not happy that I'm stuck with a label, tied to it. 13 years ago I signed a contract and I'm still stuck with the contract. I'm still paying for my mistake. | |
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NYROCK: |
Is that the contract you signed with Carnivore? | |
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PETE: |
What really pisses me off is the fact that Roadrunner let a couple of bands change the label if they got a deal with a major, but they won't let us go. On the other hand, we have complete artistic freedom. We owe them another studio album and then we're free, but that might take years. Of course, we could just record any album, but we're musicians and I wouldn't want to release some junk just to fulfill a contract. | |
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NYROCK: |
How would you describe your sound? It's rock but you guys do look a bit Gothic. | |
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PETE: |
And I thought I just looked frightening. A big, pale slab of meat. | |
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NYROCK: |
Playgirl didn't seem to think so.... | |
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PETE: |
Oh, shit. That's going to haunt me. I created a monster. Ha, ha, ha! No, I showed the monster! | |
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NYROCK: |
I remember some wild rumors that the picture was tampered with.... | |
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PETE: |
You're trying to phrase it delicately. Ha, ha, ha! Well, my dick is real! Come on, I'm 6' 6" and in proportion. What do you expect? | |
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| NYROCK: | I didn't even see it. I just heard about it. |  |
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PETE: |
And I thought everybody saw it. After I did it, I thought, "Oh my God, what did I do?" It was more than upsetting that so many guys had it. Girls, OK, but there just seemed to be at least as many guys. Not that I'm homophobic, but it was certainly irritating. I can't believe that you haven't seen it. Go check it out. It's the August 1995 edition. | |
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NYROCK: |
Well, it's not quite my kind of thing. | |
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| PETE: | I understand that, but I thought about it a bit too late. When I had to sign the first few posters with suspicious stains on them, I realized what was going on. It's true, women just don't buy Playgirl; it's all the gays who buy it. I have no problem with homosexuals, but I'm fucking straight and it is irritating to think what they want to do with me. |
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NYROCK: |
Oh, come on. Women have to deal with it daily, and we don't have the benefit of being 6' 6". |
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PETE: |
I never thought about it, but I guess you're right. |
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NYROCK: |
You seem rather pleasant. Some journalists claim that you're difficult.... |
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PETE: |
We all behave like idiots from time to time. Somehow I just seem to have the divine luck that every time I'm a complete asshole somebody with a camera is around. Another thing is that a lot of people don't seem to get my humor and in Europe there is the additional language barrier. I say something that's completely over the top and the journalists just give me a blank stare. They take it seriously and I get the reputation of being a complete dick. |
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NYROCK: |
One thing I noticed on World Coming Down is the absence of women in the lyrics. |
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PETE: |
There's more to life than just sex. I mean there's also food, sleep and music. OK, it isn't all that much, but at least it's something! |
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NYROCK: |
Sounds like you're not exactly happy with women.... |
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PETE: |
There we go again. Whatever I do, I just seem to do it wrong. If I write about women and sex, people claim I exploit women. If I don't write songs about women, people claim I hate them. What can I do? |
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NYROCK: |
Your previous albums seem to be rather inspired by women.... |
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PETE: |
Bloody Kisses, definitely. Then the groupie shit started. Girls saw me as a sex symbol. I'm sick of that. I mean, come on. I don't want to be some sex symbol. If somebody thinks I'm sexy, I'm flattered, but the whole image thing just sucks. |
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NYROCK: |
So what's up with the song "Pyretta Blaze"? It sounds a bit masochistic.... |
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PETE: |
It does, doesn't it? Well, but it's only a weird fantasy. Don't worry. I might be pretty sick, but I'm nowhere near sick enough to fancy getting serious burns while having sex. |
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NYROCK: |
You have a steady fan base in Europe and have toured there often enough. How do you adjust to Europe? After all, it is somewhat different.... |
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PETE: |
It's weird; I hate being on a tour bus there. The busses are definitely better in the States, but I like the different cultures, the fact that there is a culture. It makes you realize that [the States] seem to have a lot of different cultures, but no real culture. Look at what we consider old here in America; most Europeans only laugh about it. You guys are sitting on some ancient history. And the wine! I pay at least 18 bucks for a bottle of Californian red that's drinkable. In Europe, I could get a crate of wine for the same money! But I do get homesick. After a while I miss Brooklyn. I can get so homesick that I wish I was stuck in a traffic jam right on the Brooklyn Bridge. November 1999 |
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More Type O Negative on NY Rock 
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Type O Negative CD Reviews: • World Coming Down (1999) • The Least Worst of Type O Negative (2000) |
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Pete Steele: "Well, my dick is real. Come on, I'm 6' 6" and in pro-portion. What do you expect?" |
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Pete Steele: "[But] there's more to life than just sex. I mean there's also food, sleep and music. OK, it isn't all that much, but at least it's something...." |