|
Rob Zombie
|
Line Up:
Rob Zombie: Vocals
Riggs: Guitar
Blasko: Bass
John Tempesta: Drums
The longtime frontman for schlock-metal superstars White Zombie, Rob Zombie was born Robert Cummings on January 12, 1966 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, forming the group soon after moving to New York City circa 1985. He subsequently worked as a bike messenger, porn magazine art director and production assistant for the classic children's TV series Pee-wee's Playhouse, concurrently leading White Zombie through a series of cult-favorite indie releases; the success of their 1992 major label debut La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1 not only launched Zombie to new prominence within the music industry, but also allowed him to try his hand at animation (most notably a hallucinatory sequence of the feature Beavis & Butt-Head Do America) and directing (he was slated to helm the third chapter of The Crow franchise, working from his own screenplay, but Miramax Films eventually pulled out of the deal). In mid-1998 Zombie made his solo debut with the album Hellbilly Deluxe; when it sold more copies in its first week of release than any White Zombie record before it, he disbanded the group to forge ahead as a full-time solo act.
For 13 years Zombie has been carving out a strange legacy of music in the world of rock, beginning in 1985 with the formation of his brainchild White Zombie. From the start, White Zombie was a bizarre hybrid of hardcore/punk aggression, Lower East Side art-damage and hard rock thunder. As if that weren’t enough, these fixations were filtered through Mr. Zombie’s love of classic horror/sci-fi films, trash hot rod culture and generally, all things on the dark side.
Rob oversaw every aspect of the band’s journey from their early independent releases to their major label albums. He created the band’s unique visual style, designing everything Zombie including album art, T-shirts, stage shows and music videos. This was a man obsessed. "I never saw it as work. I love doing everything," says Rob. "How else can you realize a complete vision?" After five independent releases, White Zombie’s efforts paid off in 1990 when the band signed with Geffen Records.
White Zombie’s major label debut, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1, arrived in 1991. The band toured long and hard, playing more than 350 shows and eventually hitting pay dirt. The album spawned a hit single, the Grammy-nominated "Thunder Kiss ‘65," and went on to sell two million copies.
In 1995 White Zombie returned with Astro-Creep: 2000. The album rose to Billboard’s Top Ten and stayed there for two months, remaining firmly in the Top 200 for 89 weeks. Astro-Creep: 2000 gave the world "More Human Than Human," an infectious, Grammy-nominated hit.
Also in 1995, Rob Zombie won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Hard Rock Video for the self-directed clip for "More Human Than Human." Soon thereafter, Astro-Creep: 2000 was certified double platinum.
|
|
Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds, a full album of Astro-Creep remixes by some of the hottest mixers in the field, followed quickly on the heels of that success. The disc turned to gold.
As the Astro-Creep tour was winding its way around the world, Rob somehow found time to indulge in a few special projects. First off was a duet with his childhood idol, Alice Cooper, for the soundtrack to the hit TV series "The X-Files." "Working with Alice was a dream come true. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to be Alice," says Zombie. The song, entitled "The Hands of Death," was nominated for a Grammy Award. It was up against another Zombie offering, "I’m Your Boogieman," from the platinum soundtrack to "The Crow: City of Angels."
While on tour, Rob also began working with "Beavis and Butt-head" creator Mike Judge on a key scene for the film "Beavis and Butt-head Do America." Rob designed the classic hallucination sequence for the film between gigs. "Mike was looking for an idea for a hallucination for Beavis," he recalls. "He wanted something that was like the ultimate rock video. I suggested Beavis should go to hell, and Mike loved the idea." For many, this scene of Beavis hallucinating was a highlight of the film.
Rob was then contacted again by the producers of "The Crow" film series. Having loved the spooky, psychedelic video Rob directed for "I’m Your Boogieman," they commissioned him to write the script for the next movie in the series.
Within weeks of completing the screenplay, Rob was sought out by none other than The King of All Media, Howard Stern. Stern wanted to duet with Rob on a song for his upcoming movie, "Private Parts." "I’ve been a big fan of Howard for about 13 years," says Rob, "so being able to work with him was an honor and a pleasure." The thumping "The Great American Nightmare" was the result. It became a theme song for both Stern and Zombie. "Private Parts," meanwhile, hit #1 at the box office, as did the soundtrack, which has been certified platinum.
Rob next began work on his most ambitious album to date, Hellbilly Deluxe: 13 Tales of Cadaverous Cavorting Inside the Spookshow International. The disc was produced by Scott Humphrey (Metallica, Mötley Crüe) and Rob Zombie. Work on the album began in August of 1997 and was completed 10 months later. Hellbilly Deluxe was released Aug. 25, 1998 and is a wild musical and visual journey through the mad, mad, mad world of Rob Zombie. "This is no small, self-indulgent album filled with whining about deep feelings," Rob declares. "This is a full-blown evil raging beast; a total Zombie extravaganza."
|
|
In this band was John Tempesta of White Zombie on drums, Danny Lohner of Nine Inch Nails on guitar, and appearances by Tommy Lee. Zombie explains: "Tommy played on two songs, ‘Resurrection Joe’ and ‘Meet the Creeper.’ He really brought a killer, heavy sound to those tracks."
The album has a deluxe 24-page booklet. "It’s a welcome relief from the less-is-more school of thought," Zombie says. "I grew up in the heyday of cool record packaging. I would stare at the record for hours. Now, you open a record and you get nothing. I always feel cheated."
The booklet presents artwork from Rob, with a little help from some of his childhood heroes: Master monster painter Basil Gogos created the striking cover; Marvel Comics legend Gene Colan lent a hand as well. "I grew up worshipping the artists at Marvel Comics, and Gene was my favorite," Zombie reveals. "His work on ‘Howard the Duck,’ ‘Dracula’ and ‘Dare Devil’ is unsurpassed." The booklet also features a contribution from hot new artist Daniel Brereton.
Zombie will take this enthusiasm for vehement visuals to the stage when he tours in support of Hellbilly Deluxe. "I really want to do something extra special, something to top all my previous shows," he says. Those who’ve experienced Zombie live know this is no mean feat. Zombie performances have become legendary for their "more is more" mentality, incorporating state-of-the-art lights, sound, video and pyrotechnics.
Hellbilly Deluxe (Geffen Records) is on its way to becoming the biggest-selling Zombie project ever. Released Aug. 25 1998, the disc sold more copies in its first week (120,000+) than either of the previous two original White Zombie albums did in their premiere weeks. As a result, Hellbilly Deluxe debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
The #5 ranking is the highest ever achieved by a Zombie-related album. White Zombie’s 1995 album, Astro Creep: 2000, Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head, peaked at #6 and was eventually certified double platinum. The Zombie-fronted band’s Geffen debut, La Sexorcisto, Devil Music Vol. 1, entered Billboard’s Top 40 and has since been certified platinum.
- March 24, 2001
Blackwinged
|
|
Discography:
"Hellbilly Deluxe"
1998 |
"American made music to Strip by"
1999 |
< < Back
| | |
