MASTER Mainman PAUL SPECKMANN: I Have No Desire To Ever Live In America Again

The Left Hand Path webzine recently conducted an interview with MASTER mainman Paul Speckmann. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

The Left Hand Path: The new [MASTER] album, "Slaves to Society", will be distributed through John McEntee's Ibex Moon label this summer. How did that deal come about and will there be any new additions to this version of the album? Will the cover art be the same?

Paul Speckmann: John and I had been speaking about this re-release in the USA for several months. It just took time to finally get the contract together. I figured this would be a better way to get the CD to the people in the USA. Many people had written me, and said they couldn't find the CD anywhere in the States. John said he would push the hell out of this and get it available in the shops. The USA version will have several bonus tracks from the previous "Four More Years of Terror" CD that were recorded in demo form. I personally think the bonus tracks sound better than the actual past release. It's a great record, but the demo had a more hungry sound to it, because we were looking for a deal at that time and so it's even more aggressive than "Four More Years of Terror". The cover art will be the same. This will be a great thing for the USA as they are so prim and proper about sex. This will be a nice shocker for these imbeciles. People have trouble with sex in the record shops, but you can find pornography at any gas station in Europe or America.

The Left Hand Path: Do you have any desire to play shows back in the States? Have you ever been back since moving to the Czech Republic?

Paul Speckmann: I will return to the United States in October of 2008 for 14 dates across America. I look forward to this endeavor as I haven't been in America since 2003 and really have no desire to ever live there again. I have found more freedom in Europe period. America has been policed by corrupt officers and politicians for years, and it's OK for a visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I visited in the first few years of living in Czech and worked the winters in Phoenix, but I haven't returned since late 2003.

The Left Hand Path: "Slaves to Society" is probably the most volatile and, I don't know if it's right to actually call it "political," but definitely the most thoroughly critical of government power and control out of all your previous records. Is the problem for you merely the way the government is run or is the system itself the whole distribution and model of authority, doomed to failure? If not, what could be done to change it?

Paul Speckmann: The so-called system as you call it sucks. Every year the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The politicians and the leaders of these nations all live like kings. It's time to make changes. The youth of today need to rise up against this chaos and take down the leaders. It's time to create a really free society. Anarchy is nearly lost. Of course I realize that the youth of today are just lazy pigs, addicted to the television and the computer. Bush, Blair, and Brown are shaping the destinies of all people, and this is completely wrong. I mean geriatric patients are leading the world to extermination.

The Left Hand Path: I guess somewhat connected with your views on the subject is the fact that you've always been a kind of proponent of self-reliance. We've all read stories about the band camping out in the forest after shows, hiking and enjoying the outdoors. What does it mean for you to be exposed to the elements and away from the crowd? Do you have any spiritual beliefs that tie into your interests or would you say it's more grounded in reality the physical, mental challenge and rewards of venturing beyond the city?

Paul Speckmann: I live in a small city called Uherske Hradiste in the Czech Republic. 25,000 people roam the streets and villages. This is certainly enough for me. I get the taste of the biggest cities every year, whether it's on tour with Master or supporting some other underground entity. Struggling and camping makes a man out of you. Without struggle there is no reward to look forward too. I have been struggling to survive in the underground for years, and it certainly has its benefits. I believe in myself, and the others that surround themselves around me. Belief in oneself is the most important thing for survival. It's a big world out there and there are many things to do as well as see in the forest and in the mountains of Europe. It's time for people to get out and discover this wonderful planet, and experience what it has to offer.

Read the entire interview at The Left Hand Path.