Interview with Thorsten Wilms AKA Rod Usher of Fiendforce Records and The Other -pamela m.

New Jersey spawned a monster.  In 1977, the Misfits could not have predicted that what they were doing would outlast line-up changes and lawsuits, inspire multiple generations of  punk fans, obtain iconic status, and establish a valid and recognizable genre of subculture music.  The band, fronted by Glenn Danzig from 77-83, had the aggression of punk honed with brooding insight, the melodiousness of 50’s rock, and a twisted take on reality inspired by pulp fiction, comics, and horror movies.

The band, fronted by Glenn Danzig from 77-83, had the aggression of punk honed with brooding insight, the melodiousness of 50’s rock, and a twisted take on reality inspired by pulp fiction, comics, and horror movies.  Though the original line-up split in 1983, the band is still going and becoming more popular that ever.  In the last few years the term ‘horror punk’ has become the accepted label for the style of punk that originated with the Misfits .  This is due in part to the fact that many musicians raised on the Misfits are coming into their own and the efforts of record labels to preserve and expand the genre.  One such label is Fiendforce records from Germany, who just as the Misfits are attributed with starting the genre, are attributed with raising it from the dead.  In an ironic twist, Fiendforce is involved in legal discussions with the Misfits concerning the use of certain terminology by the label.  Thorsten Wilms, co-founder of Fiendforce and singer for The Other, fills us in on the horror punk movement, his label and band, and tells as mush as he can get away with about the conflict with one of his favorite bands.

Provokator:  When did the you start the Fiendforce record label?
Thorsten: We started in April 2003.  My band, The Other,  had recorded their demo and I really liked what we did.  Not trying to sound arrogant, but I thought “what label could release it”?  I had always wanted to start my own label.  We were doing horror punk and there were no labels for this kind of music- some were releasing a CD here & there, but nothing specializing in the genre.  I decided to get people interested in it.  I started it with Paddy Scum who does www.fiendclub.de, the Misfits horror punk website, which people already knew.  I wanted to define the genre and we released ‘This is Horror Punk I‘.   The feedback was very positive, especially from the press.  The first compilation sold well and paved the way for everything else. 

P:  How did you select the bands for ‘This is Horror Punk I‘.

T:  We contacted bands that we knew of or that had a good image and they sent material.   We could have filled three CDs, but we only picked the songs we really liked.  We left out some bands that are now considered popular horror punk.  I’m not going to name any names.  In the end, we were proven right by only releasing stuff we could listen to 20 times over and still like. 

P:  What bands do you have on the label right now?

T: Blitzkid , Bloodsucking Zombies From Outer Space , The Other , The Crimson Ghosts ,  Nim Vind , Shadow Reichenstein ,  Frankenstein , and Rezurex .  We try to limit ourselves- we’re a two person enterprise and we can only do so much. 

P: This is a nice varied selection.  Nim Vind does not sound like Shadow Reichenstein, but they seem to fit.  What is it that defines a Fiendforce band?
T: Obviously, it’s a very subjective decision.  It has to have a certain dark attitude or influence.  Even with a very rock ‘n’roll band like Rezurex, you can see where they’re coming from.  There needs to be a certain scary atmosphere to the songs , the lyrical content- references to monsters, Halloween , graveyards.  We like the songs to be cheesy, scary… horror.  The look is not so important, but we would never sign a band that goes onstage in pink Bermuda shorts.  We want it dark.  We don’t want the gothic stuff, we want hard and heavy guitars and we like good singers.

P:  It seems like the horror punk genre is experiencing a rebirth, or redeath as the case may be… People have liked the Misfits all along- everybody knows them.  Now, there are many bands that site the Misfits as a main influence.  A new generation is devoted to horror punk.  Do you think Fiendforce had anything directly to do with this?
T:  People often say that.  The fact is, before Fiendforce there was nothing really happening.  Not to sound arrogant…we really established the name horror punk.  There were the Misfits and bands like them.  I think now, with the titling of the genre and bands finding a home, it has taken off.  People know what to look for.  Bands like Blitzkid, The Independents , Mister Monster have been around for years, but had not been tied together.  They played a show here and there with punk bands or goth bands.  I see it like punk in the early 80s or late 70s, where everybody knew each other.  The bands knew the fans.  This has propelled the genre to a new level because people are sticking together and others are liking what they see- this new exciting thing going on.

P: There’s a band from Salt Lake City, Utah.
T: Die Monster Die .

P:  I saw them like fiveyears ago.  There were people with the attitude that what they were doing was silly and kitschy.  Now I run across their name online and that’s cool for them because they finally have some justification.
T:  We’re good friends with them.  They started their own label, Dr. Cyclops Records.  They have www.worldhorrornetwork.com.  They’re kinda set up like Fiendforce, but they’re not competitors, we’re working closely with them.  They are on ‘This is Horror Punk 2‘.

P: You do a big show called Fiend Fest in Los Angeles and Germany.  And it started in Germany?

T: Right.
P: Do you directly handle the one in Los Angeles?
T: No, it’s Daniel from Rezurex.  He had the idea of bringing Nim Vind to L.A. to do some shows and we decided to do it bigger- we had Frankenstein, Shadow Reichenstein, and the Coffin Draggers (www.coffin draggers.com, not on Ff label).  We called it Fiend Fest because it was the obvious thing to do. 

P: How many years have you done the fest?
T: In Germany two, and once in L.A.  We’re already planning for next year, we’re gonna keep going- under a different name, because we have to (details later in the interview).

  P:  Are there many other labels doing what you’re doing,, hyping the genre?

T:  Since we started, there are people who have seen that something is going on.  There are some that have tried to work with us and with others, working together is complicated.  We’ve had some labels totally copying everything we did and trying to get bands away from us.  People are jumping on the bandwagon. They can work with the ones who started it or fight them, I’ll let them decide.P: Nothing kills a scene like people getting greedy and fighting.

T: With those people, I don’t see the enthusiasm, only a person trying to make money working with any artist that has the horror thing.  They are not really fans, just trying to release stuff that could sell.  With us it’s a fan thing.

P:  You’re not just fans, you’re also a musician.  You’re a long time fan, you have the label, and your band, The Other.  The Other used to be called The Ghouls. Why the name change?

T:  We started in 1999 doing Misfits cover shows to pay tribute to the Misfits, and party.  It all took off.  The Misfits hadn’t played Europe in years and we started doing bigger shows.  People asked why we didn’t do our own songs.  So, we mixed one into The Ghouls set.  Half the people didn’t realize it wasn’t a Misfits song.  We have totally quit doing it. I wouldn’t want to be onstage with Michael Graves’ make-up anymore. 

P: Another Fiendforce band with a very strong Misfits sound is The Crimson Ghosts.

T: The Crimson Ghosts are one example of a band that took the roots and made it into their own sound. They are heavier than the Misfits have ever been and people love it.  They have great melodies and so much aggression.  That’s the whole horror punk thing.  Most of the bands don’t sound totally like the Misfits, but you can always hear the influence.

P: Obviously the Misfits are a major influence and most agree they started the genre.  What other bands have influenced you and The Other?

T: I was just watching the new Damned DVD.  I love this band! They are artists and musicians and Dave Vanian, my god, that guy is so incredible.  The same goes for everything Glenn Danzig has done, Sam Hain and Danzing.  That is artistic music, it’s something special for me and the rest of the band.   We’ve always loved rockabilly and psychobilly, so you’ll always hear a little of that in there.  I’m a huge Nick Cave fan, so you might hear that in my vocals.
P: What about the glam rock element?  I have heard many Fiendforce band members arguing over the best Kiss album.
T:  You got me there.

P:  So, how do you think the glam or metal influence ties into it?
T:  I’ve been a Kiss fan since I was nine.  I have everything.  I flew to America to see the reunion  tour. I stood in front of the hotel waiting for Gene.  There will always be that influence, but I think it’s mostly in the characters and the make-up.  With Kiss, it was theatrical. They were professional in working with their songs and image.  That’s probably how Shadow Reichenstein and The Other see it.  We’re ultra fans and take this influence into a different genre.  Kiss taught us how to work with an image.

P: There is the argument that image is used to mask mediocre talent…
T:  That’s true.  I see a lot of people recording their first song, putting on greasepaint, but they should practice another few years instead of trying out for a record label with their first demo.  You’ve gotta go to the school of hard knocks.  Also, I see bands who have so much talent, but no idea about marketing- they know about music, but not about creating the surroundings for the music.  That’s hard to see…  I’m not talking about commercializing it, but about creating a whole package.

 P: Like the Rezurex, who I saw the first time as Lobo Negro and they blew me away.  It’s cool to see a band like that develop- even within the last year, since they’ve been with you- it’s not a sell out.  T: They are our best selling band, everything is perfect.  It’s cool you saw their potential years ago.  Everybody’s comparing their progression to Tiger Army.

P: I know you can’t talk too much about this, but rumor has it you’re being sued by the Misfits.
T:  If I say sued, that’s taking it a step too far.  We have been contacted by their lawyer about the use of the name Fiend Fest Germany and our website fiendclub.de.  About trade mark issues.  We are forbidden to say anything about this right now.  It’s an ongoing process, we have our lawyers working on it.  We’re huge Misfits fans.  We have supported them, my band has played support for the misfits. I just hope they realize that we’re not cashing in on the name, we’re helping them.  One of the reason there were misunderstandings is because sometimes as fans we criticize the band or the decisions.  I mean, they’re Americans, they should understand the right to speak up.  You’re not less of a fan if you give input.  Criticizing something is a way of trying to improve it.  That’s just my two cents.  I’m hoping  we can meet up, even though Jerry declined.  I hope it will all get settled, we have no interest what so ever in taking this to court.  It would be sad to see such a legend  not appreciating what we try to do for them.

P:  The Misfits are a huge, unstoppable force.  The name has been around so long.  I would think that the more the genre is developed, the more they have staying power.
T: That’s right! The larger horror punk gets, the larger they get because most bands will say, “we’re influenced by the Misfits.”  There is no danger in our bands becoming more popular.  The Misfits will only grow with that, there will be more young fans, you can see it now.  When I saw my first Misfits show, there were like 600 people, they were playing small clubs.  Now they’re playing for crowds of more than 1,000 and people are buying all their stuff because everybody wants to check out the band that started it all. 

P:  Basically, it sounds like they are saying they have a copyright on the word fiend.  So, if you put fiend with the word fest, or force, it’s theirs?
T: That’s what we’re trying to sort out.  That can definitely not be the case. They do have a trademark on Fiend Fest, we didn’t know, and they started the fiend club.  We started a site www.fiendclub.de , the unofficial fan club site.  I don’t see the problems, but there’s stuff we gotta talk about.  I’m just stating the facts now.

P: Does it make it bittersweet towards the band to deal with them on this level? 
T: Right now there’s no sweet.  It’s only bitter.

P: And of course, you know where the Crimson Ghost logo came from.
T:  Yeah, they took it from a television show.

P:  The irony that their logo is stolen, and yet they…
T: Absolutely!  I don’t get it either.  I can’t comment on this anymore, but you’re absolutely right.

P: It sound like you are trying to resolve this as quickly and simply as possible.

T: We’re a small label and they’re a world wide enterprise.

P: If this gets explosive... Does the thought of that scare you?  In some ways, the publicity could help.  What are your thoughts on that?
T: I don’t want it to get big, that’s publicity we don’t need .  We don’t want become more popular by going to court with the Misfits and having a legal battle.  I think they would not profit from it.  I think fans, um, fiends would not appreciate what is happening.  For us it doesn’t matter, we don’t want that kind of promotion.  For them, it can only be bad press. 

P: Some people separate Misfits then from Misfits now, claiming the Misfits died in 1983.  How to you view the fact that the Misfits kept going without Danzig ?
T: I have to say, for me, ‘American Psycho’ was a spectacular album.  I love this album- the songs, Michael Graves ’ voice, and the Famous Monsters Tour.  The Danzig Misfits were one thing and the Graves Misfits were another and I love them both.  This all stopped in 1999 with Graves and Chud leaving the band.  I’ve got to be careful here, but I think it was fun to see Jerry, Dez, and Marky at first, then it got tiring.  The live shows weren’t impressive because of the way they played the material- no new songs, no real singer.  This is only from a fan’s perspective- I go to these shows as a fan. The last time they were here I didn’t go- I see this with a lot of people. But, there’s the new band called Osaka Popstar.  Do you know about this?

P:  Just by name, I don’t know the music ( I have since checked it out).

T: That’s something that could have been good since 1999, having done this instead of the Misfits reunion.  They’re doing great Misfits/Ramones influenced pop-punk, everything’s perfect. 

P: The psychobilly scene has experienced a revival, but it seems the momentum has stopped.  What about horror punk?  What do you see happening within the next two years?
T:  A lot of people are saying it’s just a trend.  I do see a lot of potential, but it’s a lot more subversive that psychobilly. It’s a lot darker. I can see people getting into it that have only listened to Marilyn  Manson or the Murderdolls, bands like Christian Death, psychobillies or metal heads finding a new home in the genre.  I can’t really predict. I know it’s growing and it’s still underground, but with bands like AFI, who are considered a former horror band and with psychobilly bands professing their horror roots, I can still see it going a long way.

P: It was bought up to me by someone who did not grow up in these scenes, and has only recently started to experience them, that the horror punk scene is very accepting.  To her, the psychobilly scene seems more regimented and militaristic- this is how we dress, this is how we act. Do you think this is valid?
T: 100% valid, this is so true.  Tin horror punk, there is no dress code- most wear black, but some look like Batcave Goths and some look like metal heads.  It’s not such a fixed genre as psychobilly.  I think that’s why some people are attracted to it.  They can belong to something while preserving their individuality.

P: One last question, and I know this unfair.  If you were stranded on a desert island with only one Misfits album, which one would it be?

T: Whoa, that is unfair! 

P: And you can’t say the box set.

T: Or ‘Collection I or II‘?
P: No…
T:  I’ll have to say ‘Static Age‘.

Thanks to Thorsten for talking as candidly as he could about the legal issues between Fiendforce and the  Misfits and  to Fiendforce for resurrecting horror punk.

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