JOHN 5: 'I Make Way More Money Not Being With A Record Company Than I Did Before'

In a brand new interview with Guitar World, former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 was asked if he finds it hard to survive as a solo artist in these difficult times for musicians. He responded: "I pay for everything myself. I finance everything. I don't have a record company, I pay for my own videos, my touring, the merch, the hotels. I don't get any help from anyone. I'm totally self-sufficient.

"Sometimes managers will call me and say they want to work with me. I say, 'What can you do for me that I'm not already doing?' Whatever they suggest, I always already have. If somebody had something they can really offer me that I can't do, then I'd love for someone to take the load off. I'd love for that day to come, but it hasn't so far.

"Here's the truth: I make way more money not being with a record company than I did before, and that is before streaming and iTunes impacted anyway. Everything is obsolete now, which is wonderful in a way.

"You can have the largest store of music in the palm of your hand. People have to understand it will never go back to the way it was. You're never gonna beat it, so you have to learn how to work with it. You can be the biggest artist in the world, but there's no record stores, there's nothing. You gotta work with what you got.

"Luckily, I like to work with what I got. I just heard that FM radio is gonna go away. Eventually everything will be digital. It makes sense. It's great how the world evolves — you just have to evolve with it."

Pressed about what drives him to work so hard, John 5 said: "I feel so lucky to be able to make a living playing the guitar. I play every day. I play so much guitar that it might not even be healthy — and I'm not joking. I was playing just before you called, and I'll be playing again as soon as I get off the phone.

"I do my instrumental work because I love it. People ask me, 'Why do you play these small places?' Because I love it. I love meeting people, hearing what they have to say, to see the expressions on their faces. I hopefully influence and educate people on different kinds of music and guitar players. I think it's a wonderful opportunity to spread what I love to people. I couldn't ask for anything more than I've got."

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES — comprised of John 5, bassist Ian Ross and drummer Logan Miles Nix — will embark on the second leg of the "Invasion Tour 2019" in October.

Released last month, John 5's "Invasion" album has received rave reviews all around. Fans were able to get a taste of the album throughout the first half of the year via a series of videos released each month. John 5 kicked off the year with the debut video clip from "Invasion", the campy animated "Zoinks!", followed by three equally eccentric videos for "Midnight Mass", "I Am John 5" and "Crank It - Living with Ghosts". A new video for the track "I Want It All" was unveiled along with the release of the album. "Invasion" was produced and mixed by Barry Pointer (Richie Sambora, Joe Perry, Steve Vai, Jackson Browne).

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES recently announced a one-off co-headlining show with THE ARISTOCRATS at 1720 in Los Angeles on September 1. A special edition of "Invasion" will be available for purchase at this show.