EO - When you take on these different names, do you take on different personas?
PB - No, actually we don't really take on a different persona. Ok, I have to correct myself, we do. The last two years we focused completely on Ministry; which means that all of these other projects are total ancient history. That's the way they feel to me now. So I can't really remember the personas. As I mentioned, when we do Ministry, we want it to sound like a very definite "this", and there's a definite persona involved in that. With the other projects, we try to hang loose, and when we work with Jello we feel like this, and when we work with Ian we feel like that. We do change as we work with different people.
EO - You had always been self-managed. Why did you decide to hire a manager?
PB - We realized that we couldn't devote enough time to the business aspects, and we didn't really know enough about them either. In the independent world, you can book the shows yourself. We made the records and handed them to the label and they took care of the rest of that. We fended for ourselves in every other aspect, and on that level you don't really have to know that much. Ministry, because of Al's earlier successes, had a fan base, and when I started working with Al the sound started to change, but there was already a fan base which grew along with us.
We were in a position of luxury there in that we could do everything ourselves. Outside of the industrial world, Ministry was seen as a faggot pop band, and so there was zero support from anyone outside of the club scene as far as touring was concerned anyway. For us at that point, touring was how we made money. Touring was what gave us the money to record. We had a first-refusal contract with the label; so we had to complete a record and deliver it to them and say "Take it or leave it." Which meant that we had to pay for it up front. So it was real important for us to hang onto our booking and to do that right. The other aspects weren't as important.
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
That was fascinating. I love hearing stuff like this from these guys just outside of the mainstream, especially when they do actually wind up with a small success in it. Unlike many pop stars, they seem to have very level heads about what the whole music industry is really about. And dammit, I love Ministry.
2 - Craig Lyndall
I was fascinated by this interview. I don't know why we don't hear this perspective more often. Are most bands not this aware of their situation, or is it just a rule that most people don't talk about it? Regardless, this is really enlightening for those of us who like to follow the business side of things.
3 - Eric Olsen
thanks guys, he was a lot of fun to speak with
4 - Craig Lyndall
My parents were a little apprehensive when I wanted to buy an album called "The Land of Rape and Honey" but they knew better than to try and stop me from listening to an album that I wanted to hear.
5 - Johno
Eric, you are my hero!!!
Holy crap... just think... here I am in a dorm room in 1992-93, listening to "Hellfudge" and "Jesus Built My Hot Rod" over and over again, and-- lucky you-- there you are talking on the record to Paul! Freaking! Barker! Lard! Ministry! Pailhead!
What an insightful interview, too. Some of the credit of course goes to PB for being on the ball, but a good interviewer makes everything come together.
I found it interesting that they took John Zazula on as their manager. That kind of helps explain their disappearance to me. By reputation, Johnny Z talks a great game, and genuinely loves the artists he works with, but his touch has been career poison since the early 90's.
Like Tom I was impressed by the Paul's levelheadedness about both business and the creative process. How right was he about grunge, jeez?
6 - Eric Olsen
thanks Johno - I was a huge fan too, so it was a lot of fun
7 - jerry
I was fascinated by this interview. I don't know why we don't hear this perspective more often. Are most bands not this aware of their situation, or is it just a rule that most people don't talk about it? Regardless, this is really enlightening for those of us who like to follow the business side of things. Yes, Craig, that's true.
8 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Jerry, glad you found it interesting!
9 - EX NAVY
THERE HAS BEEN FIGHTING IN THE MIDDLE EAST FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE FIGHTING WILL EVER STOP,SO LETS MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST FREE OF ALL FUTURE FIGHTING AND NUKE THE ENTIRE REGION OFF THE FACE OF THE PLANET.
10 - Bob A. Booey
I'm about to pass out after a long night, but I definitely will read this later. I'm impressed that you got this interview, Olsen. Keep talking to some of those 90s alternative stars -- I'm sure they have a lot to say about today's industry.
No man with a good car needs to be justified. (And Jesus built my hotrod).
That is all.
11 - Gary H
Paul Barker has a posse.