A brief interview with Steve Austin from
Holy FUCK.
Steve Austin from TODAY IS THE DAY doing what he does best, bleeding for his art.
(photo credit unknown, courtesy of the band's website)
It started like this.
A while back, I emailed Today is the Day's website, asking about the possibility of a Vancouver date on the TITD/Motörhead (w/ Morbid Angel and Brand New Sin) tour. This was long before the Commodore show was confirmed, and I was hoping that it would come to pass. Fuck. Motörhead AND TODAY IS THE DAY on the same bill in MY town? Get the Fuck out of Here. So I wrote, figuring nobody would respond. Steve Austin HIMSELF was fucking cool enough to respond, with:
"Thanks Kyle! I haven't seen the rest of the dates. I really hope so because I have always wanted to go to Vancouver....Steve Austin."
Well, I was blown away, it's not like I get emails from my favorite artists everyday. No, really, I DON'T. I know, you're shocked. So anyway, being the chance-taking maroon that I am, I emailed Steve back with some lame-ass questions that I concocted right there on the spot, again hoping against hope that I might possibly get a response. Months passed. I checked the Dysthyme email daily, waiting, hoping. Nothing. I had just given up hope, when tonight, I got home drunk, and there in my inbox, like glory made into electronic mail it was. Steve's personal reply to my goofy-ass questions. Granted, it's succinct to say the least, but fuck it. It's Steve Austin, fer chrissakes. The fact that he responded at all, is extremely fucking cool. SO without further ado, here it is. Enjoy, it won't take long to read. And go out and BUY the albums of this band. They are unbelievable - like nothing you've ever experienced.
DYSTHYME: First off, without coming off as a totally unprofessional gushing little bitch, let me say that your band is one of my absolute favorites. The first time I heard you (on Temple of the Morning Star), I was just blown away because to my ears, you were the fucking ANGRIEST human being on the planet, and I thought "THIS is what it’s supposed to sound like." The band, songs, and albums just get better and better. In fact, I just finished listening to the MP3s on your website and I’m so psyched for the new album. Tell me what can be expected of Sadness Will Prevail.
STEVE AUSTIN: Psychedelic Destruction of the Nastiest kind.
DYSTHYME: There is another new band this time around. What exactly went down with the last incarnation of Today is the Day, and how have things taken shape with the new members? Judging by the grandiose slant Sadness Will Prevail is taking, how crucial a part has the new lineup played?
STEVE AUSTIN: A huge part! They have given their all to this band.
DYSTHYME: Any interesting recording stories thus far in the progress of Sadness Will Prevail?
STEVE AUSTIN: Yeah. I felt like I was going to die throughout the making of it. I had a lot of fun, but a lot of really hard memories were stirred up when we were doing each of the songs.
DYSTHYME: Any cops busting down the door this time for noise violations, etc.?
STEVE AUSTIN: No, we got the place super fuckin' soundproofed.
DYSTHYME: The Motörhead/Morbid Angel tour starts soon, and should rightfully garner you a lot of new fans. What were the circumstances leading to you getting this tour?
STEVE AUSTIN: Rocking.
DYSTHYME: What’s going on these days at Austin Enterprises?
STEVE AUSTIN: Nothing, I am on the road. We are doing a lot of work with DVD transfers and Mastering. I love our studio.
DYSTHYME: You guys just did/are doing a split cd with Converge where both of you are covering Metallica songs (go to Undecided Records) – that’s pretty interesting considering the general consensus on Metallica’s current state. Tell me what songs were covered, and why Metallica?
STEVE AUSTIN: Ask Undecided Records....I have no idea.....We did a fuckin' hard ass take on the song "Nothing Else Matters". You probably wouldn't recognize the song with us playin' it.
DYSTHYME: You’ve started a label as well, Supernova Records, which will be re-releasing the hard-to-find first three albums. What’s next for the label after that? Will there be signings, and if so are there any current prospects for signing?
STEVE AUSTIN: Yes, and I can't say until everything's set.
DYSTHYME: I’m just curious to find out your thoughts on the year 2001, in a sort-of mass hypnosis kind of sense. A large majority of people I know all had some kind of personal turmoil and upheaval in their lives in the first year of the millennium, and then of course what happened in September threw the entire world off-balance to some degree. What was 2001 like for you personally?
STEVE AUSTIN: It was the worst and the best. My son was born!! Life kicked my ass repeatedly.
DYSTHYME: I’m interested to find out your thoughts on the power of negative psychic energy. Can the negative thought patterns of enough individuals become a sentient force, a collective energy that can manifest itself in antisocial acts, or is the collective unconscious just some kind of psychobabble?
STEVE AUSTIN: I act on instinct.
DYSTHYME: What’s lacking in the music world of today, and where do you see things going? That said, who do you consider worthwhile of your listening time these days?
STEVE AUSTIN: Coalesce, Burnt By the Sun, Lamb Of God, Hatebreed, Amber Asylum, King Crimson, Pink Floyd.....In general though, I fuckin' hate music.
DYSTHYME: Argali and Mayari? I checked 'em out on Google. Pure subliminal genius. One’s an endangered bighorn sheep, the other is a company that makes goat’s milk soap. Genius, Mr. Austin. What other roles do subliminals play in the art of Today is the Day? And your thoughts on the use of subliminals in general.
STEVE AUSTIN: It worked! I got you to find out what those words were.
DYSTHYME: Please feel free to spout off about anything I’ve missed, or anything you wish to have said at this point, and thanks so much again for taking the time to do this.
STEVE AUSTIN: Thanks, man!
Steve
So there you have it. Short and sweet, to the point, and no fucking around. Steve Austin may be a man of few words but when he speaks, it fucking counts. I really cannot wait to see his band live at the Commode Door, Monday 13 May (2002) opening for the mighty Motörhead, with Morbid Angel and Brand New Sin. The new double-album, SADNESS WILL PREVAIL, will be released this summer on the mighty RELAPSE RECORDS. It will be a grandiose and epic vision of the pain and misery and sonic disgust we've come to expect of this band. And I for one, can't wait to hear it. Thanks very much to Steve Austin for giving DYSTHYME his anticipated response. And for the sonic poison.
