ROB ZOMBIE Talks Next Album In New Interview

Icon Vs. Icon recently conducted an interview with Rob Zombie. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Icon Vs. Icon: You work in the worlds of music and film certainly inspired many people through the years. Looking back on your career, did you think you would be still going strong all these years later?

Rob: Not in the early days, no. There was a point when I realized, a couple of years ago, that, "Yeah, I guess this could go on forever if you really wanted it to." Which is pretty weird! But back in the early days, you just didn't know. I mean, you didn't know about anybody. No one knows if it's gonna last, even if you are THE BEATLES or THE ROLLING STONES, you just really don't. Now I realize that nothing really goes away, everything goes as long as possible, so it is great. But did I think I would still be going? No. Who knew?! Who knew you could make it last too long — around 20 years!

Icon Vs. Icon: You endured so many changes in the music industry since you started out and outlasted many of your peers. To what do you attribute your longevity in this ever-evolving industry?

Rob: Basically, I guess it would be that I am not trying to be a trend-jumper. That is the main thing. I mean, I pay attention to what is going on in the industry because you don't want to live in a vacuum and you have to understand the business you try and function in because you have to understand the business side of things just to survive. With that being said, I also like to stay within my own bubble of "This is what I do." I think a lot of times, the bands that have crashed and burned are the ones that have tried to change and pretend by saying, "Oh, now we are that style too!" It was like when all the hair metal bands decided, "No, no! We have flannel stuff too! We are grunge rock." Everybody starts jumping these trends and doing these bullshit moves. That always backfires. I have always been ahead of the curve, behind the curve or I just don't know where the curve is, I don't know, but that seems to have worked in my favor.

Icon Vs. Icon: Looking back on your body of work, you evolved greatly as an artist. Is there something you are doing differently now as opposed to when you started out?

Rob: I think the main thing that I don't do is worry as much. When you are starting out, every little thing seems like it is going to be the end of the world because you don't know. Maybe it is. Every little move seems like it could be the end of your career or the biggest disaster. As time goes on, you sort of calm down. You have to stay hungry, you don't want to get complacent in what you are doing but you have a calmer sense of how things will get done, ya know? You know you will figure it out eventually and you know you will finish that song, movie or that thing, even though some days it seems absolutely impossible you will find the solution. Sometimes in the early days, when everything seemed like the end of the world and there was a giant meltdown about everything. Now, and maybe it is because of the guys that are in my band, you have to take a moment to enjoy the process of what you are doing. We really enjoy touring and playing together. We enjoy being out there! I see a lot of bands and a lot of them really don't enjoy it. They sort of exist in a constant state of misery and chaos, which really is kind of sad because it really is the best job you could ever ask for. You really appreciate it because at any moment, it really could be over. You never know.

Icon Vs. Icon: You mentioned the band and I know you are headed back to the studio in June to work on a new album. What can we expect this time? What do you have up your sleeve?

Rob: There are a couple of things going on for this record that have never happened before. For the first time ever, I think we have four bandmembers that are all mentally on the same page with what we are trying to accomplish. That is usually impossible! [laughs] Usually, you get three together but one is not. Getting all four together is tough but we have that. The other thing is that we have an idea of what we want. Our goal this time was to make a dark, heavy, crazy record — as simplistic as that sounds. Sometimes you say that in the past but then other songs pop up and you veer off into other directions. This is the first time we have really tried to stay on target, like, "That is what we are saying and that is what we are going to do!" We have a goal!

Icon Vs. Icon: How are you tackling the songwriting these days? How does it seem to be getting broken up as you are preparing to enter the studio?

Rob: At this point, everybody is off coming up with ideas. We aren't going to get together in the studio until June, which is nice because we are touring through May and we will go right from the tour into the studio. That is something we don't typically do either. That is nice because you are all geared up and ready to go. Right now, everyone is off writing riffs and coming up with their own ideas. Then we will get together, see what everyone has got and start putting it together.

Icon Vs. Icon: It sounds like the band is really firing on all cylinders at this point. Is it safe to say you are all in a great place creatively?

Rob: Yeah, it's great. Everything with the band is fantastic! It has never been better, it's an ongoing process. It is something I have said before and I have meant it before because at the point that I had said it, things hadn't been better. But now, for the first time in 25 years, this is the best place a band has ever been for me, so it is terrific. Sometimes, at this stage in a career, things could be winding down and there is an ability to phone it in but to have four people who are this fired up is really important and something I think will really show.

Read the entire interview from Icon Vs. Icon.