SEBASTIAN BACH: 'I Don't Need The Rock Media As Much As The Rock Media Needs Me'

Icon Vs. Icon recently conducted an interview with former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Icon Vs. Icon: Looking back on your body of work, how do you feel you evolved as an artist over the years?

Bach: I think that I have gotten better as a songwriter. I think that the songs that I am writing now are better than the ones that I was writing when I was in SKID ROW. I was very young then, so it has taken me awhile to come into my own. When I listen back to this new album, I am just so proud of it! Out of all of the CDs that I have done, this is the one that I have listened to the most. I think that it sounds great and I just love listening to it.

Icon Vs. Icon: You are pretty active in terms of using social media. Has that had a big impact on you as an artist?

Bach: I think that Facebook is where you find your friends and that Twitter is where you get to know them. I feel that people can really get to know me through my tweets and see my life in a new way. I think that is really cool. You can't control fame and you have to take the good with the bad. Sometimes people can be really mean on the Internet. I really don't care if you say things about me because I am famous but if you talk about my family members or things like that, that really bugs me. But like I said, you can't control fame so you have to take the good with the bad.

Icon Vs. Icon: Understandable! But you would consider it a positive experience overall?

Bach: Oh yeah. Yeah! I have around 170,000 people that follow me on Twitter. That's a fuckin' lot of people! [laughs] I appreciate that they follow me and that I have that many people interested in reading what I am doing. It's unbelievable!

Icon Vs. Icon: It is no secret the rock media tends to focus in on snippets of what a star says and many times puts a negative spin on it to generate controversy. What do you think of the current state of rock media?

Bach: I don't need the rock media as much as the rock media needs me. Because, when you have your own web site or you have 170,000 followers on Twitter, it helps the media as much as it helps me because they want to get access to my fans. The great thing about the rise of social media is that it puts the artist in direct contact with the fans and the world. So, I can control it in a way. If someone says something shitty, well, I can just delete them off of my page! [laughs] So, be careful what you say, because I don't fuckin' care! I'll delete your ass! [laughs] I can control it! I think that it is really good for the artist.

Icon Vs. Icon: You have done everything from music, performing on stage, to doing reality television. Is there something you want to focus your energy on and take on in the future?

Bach: Yeah, that is my easiest answer. I want to go on tour in big places, like I could if I were to rejoin SKID ROW. If I did that, we would be booked in all of the big places. Ya know, I just went to see FOREIGNER two nights ago and there was not one member of FOREIGNER in FOREIGNER! It was five other guys! [laughs] There were 20,000 people there with their beers held up in the air, singing along and nobody cared! It was shocking to me! I think that I have established myself in the recording area and I want to tour properly, in big places, like FOREIGNER can and it's not even FOREIGNER! I am Sebastian and it's really me! [laughs] So that is a very easy answer!

Read the entire interview from Icon Vs. Icon.