CANNIBAL CORPSE Singer Slams Illegal Music Downloaders: 'People Can't Be Trusted'

CANNIBAL CORPSE singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher recently spoke to MetalReview.com about the group's decision to include audio "beeps" on the promotional copies of their new CD, "The Wretched Spawn", distributed to press and other media personnel ahead of the album's release. "The reason we did that is our worst nightmare came true," Fisher said. "Someone got a copy of the album with the beeps on it and immediately put it out on the Internet. And it got us thinking that we were gonna start screwing people out of promotional copies and we're just gonna give them one song and that's it. That’s not the way to do it, but now it's out there and every kid has it. Yes it's got the beeps but that's why they have to be there because people can't be trusted. If people could just get the album, review it and keep it and not do anything stupid with it until the album comes out. If we sell less records, I mean we're not doing it for the money, I think that's pretty obvious. But we don't have to work, we don't have jobs, this is our job if you will. So we make enough money to support ourselves from touring and merchandise. Now take a bunch of that money away. Now I can't go on tour this month because I've gotta work. I've got a house with my wife and a mortgage and all this piracy screws me, and that's coming from a band that's actually making it, not a band that's trying to. And these people don't get it, thinking we're rock stars. Fuck you, rock star my ass. I don't make that much money, and besides should you not make as much money as you possibly can if you work hard? But I'm not talking about everybody, just a few out there who get the album early then don't buy it. It's like at shows if some dickhead throws something at me and it busts open my eye, then the whole show is ruined because of one asshole. That's why those beeps had to be on there and in the end it's better. People made a big deal about this Napster business and METALLICA's one statement was, '30,000 albums might not mean anything to us, but there are some bands that it does.' And I respect them for that, I don't respect them for a lot of things lately, but I do respect them for that. 30,000 copies for us is a big deal. Labels don't give a fuck about any of that stuff. They might realize that it happens, but the bottom line is [selling] it. Unfortunately that's the bottom line in this business, and if we stop selling, then it becomes harder and harder for Metal Blade to help us put out albums. Why put out more albums if the albums lose money?"

In the same interview, Fisher spoke about MTV's decision to resurrect "Headbanger's Ball" and the need for a band like CANNIBAL CORPSE to make promotional videos. "Well, I definitely think the host they have on it now is better than Rikki Rachtman without a doubt," Fisher said. "The singer for HATEBREED, which is a good band, and gives it some kind of credibility because it’s someone who’s in a band and doing tours and in the scene as opposed to someone who owns a club or just knows a bunch of bands. . . If we're gonna make a video then we want people to play it. Like I said, they have a good host now. It's not like Rikki Rachtman running around kissing everybody’s ass. I saw the thing about him and he was like, 'People were bitching at me and hated me because of the videos that were played.' Listen pal, we knew you were friends with POISON and MÖTLEY CRÜE and all those fucking bands and you're gonna sit there and tell everybody you didn’t pick the videos?! Get the fuck out of here, you know?! Don’t come into the world of metal and lie to metal heads because we'll fucking kill your ass. Not literally, but get the fuck out of here. We knew who your friends were. Then he was like he wanted to play some heavier shit. Whatever! . . . That's why it didn’t work. And look at Rikki Rachtman, look how he started out? Then all of a sudden he cuts his hair and puts on a BIOHAZARD shirt and now he's tough. Get the fuck out of here. Don’t think you can fucking fool people. You know what, if I'm wrong and he reads this then fuck him. I don't give a fuck pal, I'm just telling it like I see it. I tell you what I think and if I''m wrong then you tell me. Lets just say I met him and I'm wrong by what I just said then he can come and fucking talk to me about it, but I ain't fucking wrong. That guy was a fucking poser. 'Headbanger's Ball' back then was lame as shit, but I guess Rikki Rachtman was better than that Adam Curry guy. I've seen palm trees more metal than that guy."

George Fisher's entire interview with MetalReview.com can be read at this location.