JOHN 5: 'I'm Always Trying To Be Creative'

Guitarist John 5 (MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE) spoke to RadioactiveMike Z, host of the Riverside, California radio station 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire". You can listen to the entire chat via the SoundCloud widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On "Invasion", the forthcoming full-length album from JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES:

John: "It's something I've been working on for a long time and I'm releasing a new song and a new video every month. I think it's a really great way to do something like that. It keeps the record alive and keeps people interested in what's going on with everything so a record doesn't die in a month or something. It keeps the record alive for a little while and it's wonderful. It really has been working out well. The songs — we've been having a lot of fun playing them and we've really been having a great time."

On how he writes for his solo band while touring with ROB ZOMBIE:

John: "It's funny. I'm always playing guitar. Always, always, always — I'm playing right now. I was playing right before I called you and I'll be playing right after. I think I'm always writing and I'm always working and I'm always trying to be creative. It's just something that I do all the time. I watch TV and I'll play guitar."

On whether he will release a video for every song off "Invasion":

John: "We did another one called 'Crank It', which is not animated, but man, people love that. We're just going to do as many videos as we can. I pay for everything, so it's all up to me. No one is helping me out. I'm just doing it for the love of the guitar and the love of music and getting out and playing for the people. It's wonderful."

On whether he will work in more vocals similar to the song "I Am John 5" in the future:

John: "That's about as close as you'll hear vocals. I know singers; I've worked with some of the greatest singers in the world. That's a talk box that plugs into the guitar and all that stuff. It's really a cool way to get your little hook across, if you will."

On whether he has been fueled by "naysayers" throughout his career:

John: "Actually, it's funny you say that. I know there is a lot of people [out there]. If my mom said, 'You better not do this!' I'm not one of those people who go, 'Well, I'm definitely going to do that.' I always thought, 'Okay, mom. I probably don't want to do that. She's probably looking out for me.' If it's someone who says, 'You'll never make it,' I'll just do what's in my heart. It's what I've always done. You try because it's what you want to do. I think you don't try, you just do. It's who you are."

On the status of ROB ZOMBIE's next studio album:

John: "It's mixed, mastered and ready to go. He's finishing up the movie right now. He's got it all figured out what he wants to do, when he wants to release it, but it's a monster. It is a monster and when that monster is unleashed, I think people are really going to be friends with that monster."

John 5's solo band is rounded out by bassist Ian Ross and drummer Logan Miles Nix.

Just like 2017's "Season Of The Witch", "Invasion" — produced and mixed by Barry Pointer and scheduled for release during the summer of 2019 — is being made available via a series of music videos.