CRIMSON GLORY Guitarist Says MIDNIGHT Was 'An Eccentric Artist'

Mark Morton of Examiner.com conducted an interview with CRIMSON GLORY guitarist Jon Drenning about the passing of former CG frontman Midnight (real name: John Patrick McDonald Jr.). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Examiner.com: I know Midnight and the band have had differences over the years, but did you manage to remain in touch during all the down time?

Drenning: Oh yeah, we were brothers. We were always talking, seeing each other and communicating. It's just a matter of us not making records together, because Midnight had the solo project he'd been pushing to get off the ground, and he had his health issues to deal with.

Examiner.com: That's something I wanted to mention to him when we were going to do our interview that never materialized. The press, more than anyone, over the years had painted this really negative image of Midnight, because of the problems he'd been having, when ultimately, it was his music that would shine through.

Drenning: We knew early on that we wanted to make special music. We worked consciously to create something that was truly unique that would live long past our lives. Midnight and I talked about this all the time, creating this magical music that had longevity and would leave the band a legacy. We were very fortunate to have worked together. And I had always looked forward to the day when Midnight and I and the rest of the guys would be able to work together again, but we needed him to get healthy again.

Examiner.com: Was he really a misunderstood soul?

Drenning: I wouldn't say Midnight was misunderstood, but he was an eccentric artist. You know, he had his own way of dealing with things and creating. But we understood him very well; we knew him better than anyone. We grew up together as kids. We all grew older together.

Examiner.com: I always thought it amazing that as a group of musicians, you were able to come together, because, material aside, CRIMSON GLORY didn't conform to the standard rules of genre, although you were considered a metal band. You really created amazing music.

Drenning: Well, I appreciate that. We really had a lot of different influences, and we wanted to get those out and express our differences. Midnight came from more of a LED ZEPPELIN/PINK FLOYD/BEATLES–type background. I was a few years younger than he, and my background was more into the hot and heavy metal side of things. We all brought different types of things to the band. It's pretty common for a lot of band to say this, but making it gel, making it work and making something magical; that is a different story. Every band thinks they are going out and make music to change the world, they all intend to that, but very few of them get the chance to make something magical and legendary.

Examiner.com: One of the albums of CRIMSON GLORY's that I honestly really enjoyed, but pretty much went under the press' radar was "Strange and Beautiful". You were on a major label, why did that album all but completely vanish from the mass consciousness?

Drenning: Well, it was a different style. Midnight and I had spent a lot of time writing together, and it became less of a metal record and more of a rock album that showed different influences we had. And I think some of our fans who were hoping for a more aggressive metal album didn't get what they were looking for. I think the songwriting was fairly good. There are some great highlights on the record, like "Starchamber" and "In the Mood", to name a couple we thought were interesting and unique.

Examiner.com: Coming back to the press aspect, I found it a little weird that Midnight was essentially blamed for the way "Strange and Beautiful" turned out.

Drenning: Yeah, fans really don't want you to change your sound, and as a musician, you want to have the leeway and creative license to do whatever you want to do. You have to be true to yourself and give what is inside you at the time. "Strange and Beautiful" wasn't a true heavy metal record, it was an eclectic mix of styles, but there were many interesting things we were able to create with it. It just wasn't as "heavy metal;" it was too much of a left turn for the critics and the fans to like. But in retrospect, I think the album sounds great. I'm definitely proud of it, for sure. I think we're always trying to do things outside the box. Midnight and I loved THE BEATLES and loved the fact that you never knew what they were going to do, and each of their albums sounded so different.

Read the entire interview from Examiner.com.

CRIMSON GLORY's classic "Lonely" video (off "Transcendence"):