Tony Campos / STATIC-X

00:00:00:

00:00:10: Tony, you've been in around about forty-seven bands of which forty six are a personal favorite.

00:00:20: Hasn't been that many?

00:00:21: I lost count!

00:00:24: Now before we talk about Static X and obviously Static is something special What what made you leave all the other bands that you played with?

00:00:37: It just kind of worked out.

00:00:37: That way, I mean it was You know like I Was in ministry for a little bit and then I have retired.

00:00:46: So, you know Then I had so like alright why got to find another gig?

00:00:50: so then I go.

00:00:52: What did i do than?

00:00:53: uh there's a long a problem yeah, and then And then Tommy had to take a break because he had the goal played with Danzig.

00:01:01: I wrote that all right?

00:01:02: Well, we're gonna go find another gig.

00:01:03: you know this just kind of how it happened.

00:01:05: You know He

00:01:07: played one year with possessed.

00:01:09: How did this come along?

00:01:11: yeah Yeah um my buddy Emilio Marquez who plays drums uh in My death metal band uh assassino Um, he was playing with possessed at the time All right, and he told me they were looking for a bass player.

00:01:25: and you know i being a huge possessed fan, you know?

00:01:30: Like seven churches was one of the first records I ever heard.

00:01:35: Um...I was like dude!

00:01:38: Just let me go try out and I doubt he'll take me.

00:01:41: but just let him go try it so that i can jam with Jeff Becerra You Know.

00:01:46: And He ended up hiring Me and I'm like oh Okay.

00:01:51: Now obviously for A couple Of Years now you have Static X back on track, sort of.

00:01:58: I mean you celebrate the legacy that you guys have with the band.

00:02:03: but then again i have to ask you... Legacy is all fine!

00:02:06: But what's the current state when it comes music or new music?

00:02:12: New Music?

00:02:13: we're talking about putting together some new tunes.

00:02:20: We are still working documentary.

00:02:25: So once that's out of the way, then we'll really seriously hit new

00:02:31: music.".

00:02:54: that this might not work out?

00:02:57: That the response wouldn't be there, something would go wrong.

00:03:01: Well yeah I mean obviously you know.

00:03:05: but like lots of things have overhunted my life so... that could've been right on course.

00:03:14: But uh i mean initially when we first started it was just going to be one tour In the US, one tour in Europe and then that's it.

00:03:23: And I was going to go back to ministry or a fear factory or whatever.

00:03:26: you know?

00:03:27: It just snowballed into what is so grateful for everyone who has responded so kindly... ...and awesome with everything we're doing man!

00:03:42: Well your gonna come over pretty soon here this summer for our little tour.

00:03:46: What can be expected apart from what we've seen before?

00:03:50: Yeah, I mean You're gonna get you can't get some evil disco man.

00:03:55: and yeah that commodity that hasn't been in That we haven't brought over there in quite a minute.

00:04:06: So it's gonna be cool to bring some Evil Disco back the Deutschland.

00:04:12: Great what do you prefer like the club shows or the festivals?

00:04:16: Oh, I mean they're both really cool man.

00:04:22: They are like their own animal you know?

00:04:25: Like the club shows were cool for intimacy and awesome energy but there's something to be said about seeing thousands of people getting into it too.

00:04:41: so its a cool thing.

00:04:44: either way I'm

00:04:48: still gonna get it in, but you have a special box out for the celebration anniversary of Wisconsin death trip.

00:04:58: Now what is in this box that we haven't heard before or seen because... It's a huge motherfucker!

00:05:13: Oh my god.

00:05:18: Yeah, it's got some cool goodies in here man It's gotta get all these cool Signed.

00:05:26: never before seeing pictures from the photo shoot.

00:05:31: oh nice that we did for The Folk for the album.

00:05:36: yeah

00:05:37: like something Like Some of these I followed was like well, I didn't know.

00:05:41: We had to still have these you Know.

00:05:43: and then we made this cool little A little fake newspaper thing with all the lyrics.

00:05:54: That's nice.

00:05:55: Yeah, there are some cool stuff in here.

00:05:57: You got some stickers and you know clean out a little knickknacks And no audio is all we mastered.

00:06:04: so it sounds even better than what he did back in day.

00:06:11: So yeah We're pretty happy how this came up.

00:06:15: man

00:06:16: Don't tell me how do you master a record that sounds almost perfect in the beginning?

00:06:22: Yeah, well.

00:06:22: That's why he gave it to the expert.

00:06:25: You give it over wild.

00:06:26: let him figure out

00:06:30: When you when we started and when you had Wisconsin death trip coming out back In the day in nineteen ninety nine or ninety.

00:06:39: was it ninety eight or ninety-nine?

00:06:41: I saw you at

00:06:41: the auspice yeah,

00:06:42: but I saw yet The Ausfest in ninety eight.

00:06:44: can it be?

00:06:45: No, no.

00:06:46: We weren't... I mean we were walking around Auschwitz-Ninety-Eight but we didn't perform.

00:06:51: Shit!

00:06:52: There was one year later i guess?

00:06:54: Yeah yeah our first Auschwiz we performed wasn in Ninety-Nine.

00:06:58: Okay so it's only Atlanta there on the second page if you thought.

00:07:02: But when you guys started again Were you surprised about the success that you immediately had with this record?

00:07:10: That whole year just like a whirlwind and like it was just, you know being in the dream.

00:07:22: And then coming home and waking up that just happened.

00:07:26: Yeah I mean at Osfest It's our first tour we ever did where finally got to tour bus.

00:07:36: We were rock stars.

00:07:37: finally yeah we had a tour plus At the Indian Tour.

00:07:41: Our bus got repossessed So like, ah no we're not rock stars anymore.

00:07:49: This is insane!

00:07:50: Do you ever think about um... You know with all the tragic that happened what would have been if you know?

00:08:00: If Wayne was still alive this band would just continue to grow and do their thing.

00:08:05: Do you even think about it?

00:08:06: or did he go like?

00:08:07: No It Is What It Is And He Cannot Help It.

00:08:09: Yeah

00:08:09: I mean of course you know, it if things had been different and You know Wayne he'd gotten cleaned up and gotten away from the people that were negatively influencing him.

00:08:32: Yeah Things would have been a lot different And It would be really cool to Have them around and haven't be part of this, you know like and it sucks.

00:08:44: but Best thing we can do is you remember the good times.

00:08:49: We had with them.

00:08:50: then Keep having a good time.

00:08:56: I guess he did your killer cat this behind here.

00:08:58: watch out

00:08:59: Oh Yeah, she's harmless.

00:09:04: The other one yeah what y'all for?

00:09:07: Now when you guys are on stage You all look pretty normal except four.

00:09:13: I don't

00:09:15: know if you'd call this normal, but okay.

00:09:20: Now he always has to dress up.

00:09:21: does He gonna get different costumes then for different tours?

00:09:24: because it goes like You know the head and everything in the blinking eyes.

00:09:28: And what

00:09:29: is?

00:09:29: What do we call them?

00:09:35: zero version two point oh or Two point one.

00:09:39: now they'll be making a the appearance.

00:09:45: When you guys continue are you actually fight?

00:09:48: Did he actually officially reveal his name

00:09:52: or reduced?

00:09:52: we never did anything official, you know and obviously People have fun with it.

00:09:57: You know

00:10:00: All right.

00:10:01: so When do you go?

00:10:04: when do you think realistically?

00:10:06: you're done with your documentary.

00:10:09: We're working on a tracking Tracking on getting it done this year.

00:10:17: Okay, so we have to wait until next year until you guys finally write some new.

00:10:21: I Mean see cuz they did this the last time When i'd said when were gonna release though The record On This date and then Shit Happened And Then We Couldn't Get It out.

00:10:33: Everybody Got Mad at me.

00:10:34: So that's why I don't want To Say Anything Anymore But We're Working on

00:10:38: it okay?

00:10:39: Ok good You know you Have.

00:10:41: I think its.

00:10:44: Is there a weight on your shoulder when you just think about writing these songs because, you know You have to match up and at least pair the old ones.

00:10:52: Oh yeah absolutely!

00:10:54: I Know our fans Have A Level of That they expect Shit To Be Delivered At.

00:11:06: And Yeah i've Already Had A sample of that weight.

00:11:12: when you know doing project regeneration volume one and two I knew we had to get it to that To that level, right?

00:11:19: And so yeah.

00:11:20: I'm very aware for those expectations.

00:11:23: Yeah

00:11:25: Who would he love to tour with now?

00:11:29: uh Metallica Like um like i got the tour with slayer i've got a tour with mega death Never got to tour with Anthrax.

00:11:42: So that would be cool Okay, but never get the tour with with with Metallica's big four so I don't.

00:11:48: so i got a tour

00:11:50: With

00:11:50: half of The Big Four.

00:11:54: Don't you think Metallica overrated nowadays?

00:11:59: Not to get you into drugs You see me...you know..I mean.

00:12:01: But you know at that age who is?

00:12:06: I mean?

00:12:07: I'm in my fifties and I'm feeling it.

00:12:10: You know, like...I gotta wear braces and rub Tiger Bomb all over my elbows just to play you know?

00:12:17: So..you know i give those guys credit man!

00:12:20: Like I hope- I can keep playing as long as they have.

00:12:24: so yeah.

00:12:24: You Know

00:12:28: Steadygex And uh in All Those Spans You Played With I mean obviously It's not the first wave of The Heaven Metal and its not Slayer and Metallica generation wise.

00:12:39: but then again in the last, you know... twenty years so many new bands came up and a new genre is like developed.

00:12:49: Did you follow them being afraid of them?

00:12:52: Or did you actually find this kind of interesting?

00:12:55: what whatever came out when from metalcore to ghost-to-whatever You have some much new stuff.

00:13:05: And then Static X stands for period time.

00:13:09: Yeah,

00:13:10: I mean you know every band To some extent.

00:13:16: You know has their time and then the new generation comes in.

00:13:21: You know does their thing?

00:13:22: And that's just life man!

00:13:27: That is how life works.

00:13:29: The old die They get replaced by a new generation.

00:13:33: It was just life You know, we're still able to do what we do and have fun doing it.

00:13:43: Well looking forward seeing you over here!

00:13:45: Yeah yeah... It's always fun watching Static X. actually I thought like ...you never thought that it sparks such a memory thing when i saw you guys the first time back, ya'know?

00:13:58: Like what the

00:13:59: fuck?!

00:13:59: It's really good, y'know?

00:14:00: they got your doubtful at first.

00:14:03: And then you go in see two songs.

00:14:05: he goes like yeah, that is fucking good You know, it's...

00:14:08: Mission accomplished.

00:14:10: Thank you very much I appreciate it!

00:14:12: Yeah man thank you bro

00:14:15: See

00:14:16: ya soon!

00:14:17: See you in a couple of months.

00:14:22: Have

00:14:26: fun!

00:14:32: For more information at

00:14:33: all podcast episodes, go to rockantana.de.

00:14:37: slash heavy metal.