CELTIC FROST Frontman: 'I Want To Be The Last Person To Shut Myself Off From Criticism'

Christine Carney of MP3.com recently conducted an interview with CELTIC FROST frontman Thomas Gabriel Fischer. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

MP3.com: I noticed that you put your blogs back up this week and, just for the benefit of the people listening — you have been a very public and accessible person, and I think most of the fans would agree. You participate on the Internet, and you speak your mind, and you share e-mails people have sent you, but a few months ago you had some criticism by someone who I think is a peer, and you turned off your blog. But then, this weekend, I notice that it came back, and I applaud you for that because, you know, we all have the right to express our opinions, and you certainly do, too.

Tom: "Not everybody thinks that way."

MP3.com: Well, I thought it was ironic that the very person who had a problem with you openly expressing your opinion on the Internet was openly expressing his opinion on the Internet.

Tom: "We could not help noticing that, too."

MP3.com: Yeah. And I also noticed that you have moved it to a new address, which is sort of a commentary on that.

Tom: "Yeah. Well, I was allowed to have some fun, as well. That's always existed. I just took it away from the old address and moved it to the new one. But later on I had so many requests, and also we in the band talked about it at length, and we decided to put it back on because it is an important insight into the workings of the band, and we have always embraced modern technology. We have always embraced new tendencies and everything, so embracing the Internet is a natural for us. And I enjoy the blog. But it has been very controversial at times, not just that event that you mentioned. It has been very controversial also with some people from the industry that we work with, but I feel it's actually important. I mean, nobody forces you to read it, but I feel that if you actually care for CELTIC FROST and like to have a little of the insight into it, then something like that blog is perfect. I actually supported the blog because we recorded so long on the album and a lot of fans on the CELTIC FROST discussion forum asked me to put out something like a diary. And that blog before was my personal blog, and I turned it into a diary of CELTIC FROST."

MP3.com: Well, I quite enjoy it myself, and my friends and peers enjoy it as well, and we all have had discussions based on your comments in there at times. I was kind of disappointed in you when I saw it go down and for the reason, but I've also reacted that way myself at times, and I'm really happy to see that you put it back and that it's intact.

Tom: "I fully understand that it must have been very difficult to understand why it was gone. All I can tell you is that person in question was not just somebody. It was somebody who knew us rather intimately from the very beginning in Hellhammer and who took that chance in time that he was from that point that — and defined himself everywhere, not just on the Internet, as the 'insider' of the band. That person's life centered around CELTIC FROST wherever he went. He made his name by quoting CELTIC FROST and saying he knew us intimately and everything. And yet, at the same time, he turned around and stabbed us, basically, in the back. And to me, that was overstepping a border you don't overstep. And I was endlessly disappointed in that person."

MP3.com: I'm sorry about that, but...

Tom: "It's OK."

MP3.com: It looks like you're recovering quite fine.

Tom: "It's taken care of."

MP3.com: Yes. That's great. Well, congratulations for putting that back, and I'm sure a lot of other people are happy it's there.

Tom: "I enjoy the blog, and I'm very happy about it. I get tons of mail about the blog, as you can imagine, and not all of it is, like, supportive. I have no problems dealing with criticism. It was just a very special case with that person. And I stand for criticism. I actually if the criticism is well-founded, I think it's very interesting. And I want to be the last person to shut myself off from criticism. I like the discussions that the blog sometimes provokes."

Check out the entire interview — in both audio and text format — at MP3.com.