sPaG says "At one point Chad was very poor so he was donating plasma to make a little bit of money. The nurse was having a hard time finding the artery and he made a comment about if you are looking for a mud vein you have to go a bit lower. It became a bit of a joke and we got attached to the name."
Another version, be it more conceptual, is described by sPaG, "The band has been in contact with an alien planet from a planet called Zeta Reticuli, and we're currently in the process of fronting a transplant operation, it's a cross colonization effort. And the code name as directed by this alien presence is Mudvayne."
What kind of musical background do they have?
"I've been playing drums for nineteen, twenty years. Ryan's been playing bass for probably about eight. Chad still isn't playing his instrument. Greg has been playing guitar for probably at least fifteen, maybe as long as me. I used to play in drum and bugle chorus when I was a kid. Marching snare. The drum and bugle chorus which I was a member of specifically focused on classical music. We did like, Tchaikovsky 1812 overture or a whole show, that kind of thing. Ryan has a pretty intense background in jazz vocals, bass, dance, that type of thing, which if you watch his technique it's pretty obvious that he's dialed. Greg, Greg just plays guitar. On drum kit I've never taken a lesson. I just kind of figured it out." Other than Spag's drum and bugle days, Mudvayne have no formal training in the instruments they play.
What jobs did everyone have before becoming musicians full-time?
To support their gigging, Chad worked in Mr and Mrs McDonough’s tattoo shop, I’m No Angel Productions, answering the phone, cleaning and taking care of stock whilst Matt tended to balancing the books. Meanwhile Greg sweated it out in construction with Ryan using his culinary skills as a chef.
What's the deal with the makeup?
"One of the reasons that we started wearing make up was to incorporate a theatrical element to our show. A visual element. Myself specifically, but the whole band is really influenced by films and cinematography, and one of the things that I've always wanted to capture in our live show is a film element. Sort of like you're coming to watch a theatre, you're coming to watch a movie from beginning to end. When we first started to push in this direction, just mentally put it together, we had no money, we had no resources. What was easy to do? Paint our faces." The makeup and nick-names disassociate them as people from the product, to create a mini virtual universe in which Mudvayne exist. The face paint used is proffesional theatre makeup and on average takes about 40 minutes to put on. (depending on the design) Mudvayne have also been know to perform dressed in medical scrubs covered in fake blood or without wearing any makeup at all. The audience's reaction to the face-paint gives them a rush on stage so they stuck with it.
What is 'math metal'?
When asked about the way their music is pieced together, sPaG jokingly called it math metal, and it just seemed to stick. "Well, people try all the time to qualify or give a name to whatever we do, so it was quite a joke between Kud and I, we said: show that math metal, bring your abacus! There are obvious numerical things behind the way that we write our music, and that's not maybe necessarily typical in a lot of metal to pursue numbers specifically. In that sense too, "math " being a general metaphor for speaking of abstractions, of concepts, or symbols. The term math, metaphorically was very appropriate." Many songs like Nothing To Gein are written in specific time signatures because the number directly relates to the song's meaning. I'm not really into music notation but I've heard that Nothing To Gein is written in 8/8 timing, and hence the song is number 8 on the track listing. And if you notice on Know Forever there are several time signature changes throughout the song to give the music a change in tempo and feel. If you know your music notation and have some input on this, plz send in your interpretation of how you think Mudvayne writes their song "mathematically".
When did Kill, I Oughtta come out?
Kill, I Oughta was an independant demo tape made by the band in 1997. It was supposed to be given out only to music labels, but the fans demanded it so much that Mudvayne decided to release 1000 copies to the local public. It only cost $2000 to make, and most of the studio stuff is just one take. (nevertheless it is still very well recorded for that kinda money!) Three of the songs are live performances that they decided to track, and the demo features the old bass player Shawn, before the band recruited Ryan. When asked if Kill, I Oughta would someday be re-released, Kud said "There's copies circulating now and there, but we are going forward, we're not going back." After Mudvayne started to hit it big in the early summer of 2000, people started selling the original and burnt copies of Kill, I Oughta at outrageous prices to eager fans over the internet. So in 2001 Kud changed his mind when Kill, I Oughta was re-released under the new name The Beginning Of All Things To End, that included three bonus tracks. The guys were getting tired of seeing their fans getting ripped off for music that was considered 'rare Mudvayne material' and therefore decided to re-release it to all Mudvayne fans.
Why is Mudvayne obssessed with 2001: A Space Odyssey?
"The movie was almost directly responsible for the themes of the album - what L.D. 50 actually is," enthuses McDonough. "I had a really powerful experience on drugs watching the movie. It occurred to me that the monolith represented this vertical thing that we were all looking for to transform a person into waking up, to having that experience where their life is transformed and a new life assumed.
"Once I had that relationship with the movie I wanted everyone else to get turned on to it so the whole band was into it with me. We all watched it separately and together, and I made Garth (Richardson, producer) watch it and we played it all the time while we were tracking the album in the studio."
"There are consistent themes floating through the album from the beginning to the end, things you can almost in a metaphoric way say are plot, like the four shadow things throughout the album, that in a sense is very cinematic, and our love of cinema was a reason for wanting to have that sort of feeling."
The Hermatic Order of the Golden Dawn - what's it have to do with Mudvayne?
Ok, before I engage and try to explain this, please note that I'm not promoting this fraternity or any religion mentioned below. For my own reasons, I don't believe in cults, orders, and organized religion for that matter, but I will try to explain the relationship between Mudvayne and this particular fraternity in a non-biased manner. If I am incorrect in my interpretation of this, feel free to let me know, now to the business...
In a nut shell, this quote is a summary of what the Hermatic Order is about:(source:http://www.hermeticgoldendawn.org/index.shtml )
"The Golden Dawn system of magic is not a religion, although religious imagery and spiritual concepts play an important role in its work. The Golden Dawn was designed by its founders to be an Hermetic Society dedicated to the philosophical, spiritual, and psychic evolution of humanity. It was also designed to be a school and a repository of knowledge, where students learned the principles of occult science and the various elements of western philosophy and magic. Tolerance for all religious beliefs was stressed, and symbolism used within the G:.D:. came from a variety of religious sources. Today, people from many diverse religious paths consider themselves practicing Golden Dawn magicians--including Neopagans, Gnostics, Jews, and Christians."
Mudvayne's influences (especially sPaG's) are pretty obvious if you note the graphics which you have probably seen before. The one to the right is like a logo or symbol of the Order, and sPaG has a tattoo of it (slightly modified) on his chest. (go to Tattoos Section to see it). The one below with all the different colored circles is called "The Ten Sefirot of the Kabbalah". You can see this design most prominenly on the background of Mudvayne's official site (Mudvayne.com) and inside the L.D. 50 album booklet. Also, I think this design has something to do with the actual album cover. The chemical structure is very similar to the Ten Sefirot in two ways, there a ten atoms in the chemical structure (some half cut) and Ten Sefirot, and the chemical bonds or the lines connecting the atoms, are likes the lines connecting the Ten Sefirot.
The Jewish mystical doctrine known as "Kabbalah" is studied by disciples of the Hermatic Order and each of the circles has a specific meaning. "Through these powers God created and rules the universe, and it is by influencing them that humans cause
God to send to Earth forces of compassion (masculine, right side) or severe judgment (feminine, left side)." (source: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Sefirot/Sefirot.html)
Here is a quick summary of what each circle (Sefirot) represents:
Understanding: It refers to the analytic, distinguishing aspects of God's thought.
Wisdom: It is the primordial point of creation from which all knowable reality originates.
Judgment, Might, Power: This power is needed to maintain control over the universe.
Love, Compassion: Represents the generous, benevolent (masculine) side of God.
Glory, Beauty: Represents the ideal balance of Justice and Mercy needed for proper running of the universe.
Majesty: Represents the lower channel through which God's judgment comes down to the world.
Eternity: Represents God's active grace in the world. Foundation: Represents God's active grace in the world.
God's Presence, Kingdom: Concept representing God's dwelling and immanence in the created world.
Now, I have no idea how actively sPaG or any other member participates in the study of the Hermatic Order of the Golden Dawn, or if they do all. But as you can see, this fraternity had considerable influence in the making off L.D. 50. Another example of the influeces is on the song Severed, where Kud sings: "I'll always be your shadow/And veil your eyes from states of ain soph aur". 'Ain soph aur' means unlimited light in seeming darkness, and if you read carefully up top, Ein Sof is the true essance of God, the divine light. One last thing, sPaG has another tattoo on his stomach of two snakes going up something that looks like a torch. A *possilbe* explanation of that tattoo is that those snakes are the "Serpents of Wisdom" going up the torch to the light, similar to the Serpent of Wisdom going up the Ten Sefirot to reach the divine light. Well, that's my interpretation of this subject, if you still earn for more info I suggest you do some digging of your own on the many sites available out there.
What kind of transportation does Mudvayne tour in?
When Mudvayne first got together and started doing some gigs, they would all drive cars to the shows separately. Then they decided to get a van so they could all move their equipment more easily, and that led to a short black school bus when they began to tour. After getting signed, they bought an RV which was a total piece of shit but it got them around. Now, after the success of L.D. 50, they earned their very own tour bus, which sports "large fuzzy dice hanging like testacles" from the rear view mirror.
What does Mudvayne think of "selling out"?
Bands "selling out" has become an important issue to many fans these days, but Mudvayne have a different take on it all together. Mudvayne believe all forms of media are great to get your music out and heard, be it radio or video. Just because you are on MTV doesn't mean you are selling out, you want people to know who you are and give them a chance to hear your music. MTV is a great way for bands to reach potential fans, and proof of that is when Mudvayne won the MTV People's Choice Video Award for their video to "Dig". As for watching TV, Mudvayne doesn't really have time to spend watching the tube, sPaG explains "It's bullshit, I can think of a million other things to do than watch tv in my spare time."
What does the "nothing" symbol mean?
This symbol played an important part in the stage props for Mudvayne over the last two major tours they did. (Merry
Mayhem and Pledge of Allegiance) There are two possible (maybe more) meanings associated with it as follows: 1) It is a mathematical symbol which literally means "nothing" or zero. ( ex: 3 - 3 = 0). This relates to Mudvayne because sPaG said the way their music is written relates a lot to numbers and mathematics.
2) There is a spiritual association with this symbol to the Hermatic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Supreme Crown (the very top circle) is also symbolized by "Nothingness", which is the negation of all thought.
Even in the song titles themselves the word "nothing" appears, ex: Nothing to Gein, Everything and Nothing. It's unclear to me why 'nothingness' plays such an important role in Mudvayne's mythology, but it definately is another riddle for Mud fans to think about...
All these referances to Zeta Reticuli must mean something right?
Zeta-Reticuli is a star system in the constellation Reticulum, visible only in the southern hemisphere. There a people who believe aliens have been in contact with
humans for decades. You know which aliens I'm talking about, the "greys", with their big black eyes, little mouths, and small bodies. This is a little background information
on where they come from and what they are about. Please take the following with a grain of salt. "They were a civilization (Zeta Reticuli) very much like you (human beings) who went on a path of self-destruction, a species crisis. They caught it before they were annihilated. However, they found themselves sterile. They performed genetic engineering, cloning, etc. to change their species and so you have the Zeta Reticuli you see today. Their civilization, when it went through the change, required them to alter their body structure into what they are now. This accounts for one of the reasons why they are here and interested in your genetics, because they are looking for an aspect of their original genetics to reinsert into themselves because of what they perceive they've done wrong during their transformation - namely, breeding out emotions. If they were to time-travel, which they can do, and go back to their past, they would only be gathering genetic data before their crisis. To them, that genetic data is inferior; they do not want that. They look to other races who have Vegan forefathers for some of the Vegan DNA that has been adapted through experience to a more expanded state of being. Your planet (Earth) is one of the places." ( http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/galactic-family.html#Zeta Reticulis)
So now when Mudvayne says "we are very busy monitoring brain activities with aliens," it takes on a whole new meaning lol. Also, Mudvayne supposedly got its name from these alien beings because it's a code name for the cross-colonization effort.... So anyway, I think the main reason there are distinct connections with aliens to Mudvayne is because of the whole 2001: A Space Odyssey theme that runs throughout the entire L.D. 50 album. For example, on the Live In Peoria DVD, the 2nd track is called "Also Sprach Zarathurstra". It is a classical piece by Richard Strauss heard most memorably in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. And if you watched the movie, you know there is an alien entity although it's never actually revealed. Here are some more connections between Mudyane and aliens:
1) The picture shown here is actually a stage prop from the Pledge of Allegiance tour. It's an alien frozen in ice.
2) On the DiG DVD and video, there are aliens inside atoms.
3) On the song Pharmaecopia, Kud sings about alien beings and how he can "feel them".
4) The little baby inside the incubator could be the product of the "cross colonization effort". An human-alien hybrid if you will. (ok now we are getting into X-Files stuff)
So what does this all mean? Well I don't really know and your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps Mudvayne has come in contact with alien entities through hallucinogenic drugs, which is not really a big surprise because many people say they see and talk to aliens while on their trips. I think it just fits nicely with the whole "Open your mind" theme, I will leave it at that.
Have a question about Mudvayne? I'll try and answer it. Email it and I'll see what I can do.
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