CO: Where and when I grew up, vinyl was a big part of it. In New York, 7 inches, full records, the idea of having the vinyl was so important. Even now it’s something my New York, Boston and LA friends are into. Then I come out to Ohio and the majority look down on vinyl because they all have IPods. Don’t get me wrong, I have vinyl collector friends out here, but not like New York.
VP: Absolutely. It’s sort of like this line was drawn in the sand. I don’t mean to sound condescending to them but there are certain things people can say to me and I’m like, dude you just drew a line in the sand and we don’t have much to talk about. It’s not that I’m better than this person, but I know we won’t have anything in common. There’s band’s I like and I get why people don’t like them. I can’t be on tour with eight other guys and expect them all to deal with Cannibal Corpse, but if you fuck with Sabbath, we have nothing to talk about. It’s like, if you don’t like this then you’re not a music person.
CO: For me it’s a respect thing. I’m not a big Beatles fan, but I have the respect. I may not care about their music, but if somebody says they suck, then I have to argue with them. It’s the same with bands I love. If somebody says to me, ‘Motorhead is stupid”. Well, conversation over.
VP: (Laughter) Yeah, I start saying is it me? Am I old? But really, we’re not that old. We’re just in that pocket where we’re always up on new shit but we have the respect of the old stuff. I like that band Baroness and a lot of the bands Brian Slagel is putting out like Blood Ceremony, Sabbath Assembly. I try to stay on top of the new shit even being as busy as fuck. These kids with no respect for the old school, I don’t get it. How can you say you’re into Hip Hop and not know PE. How can you not know Victim In Pain from AF and call yourself a hardcore kid?
CO: When I meet young kids who claim to be skaters I always ask ‘You have the first Suicidal Tendencies record? No? You’re not a skater.’
VP: (Laughter) Absolutely dude. I bought the ST Thirteen record because, I don’t know, I’m hungry for the glory days. Yeah it was weird hearing Mike Muir talk about the same shit thirty years later but I’m still interested.
CO: The EP you’re working on. What’s that about?
VP: It’s called Carry On Traditions. The songs aren’t concept songs but the concept of the EP touches on what we’ve been talking about in regards to bands we loved but might not have gotten their shot. On these songs I’m putting on MCs I think are incredible but haven’t gotten their proper shot. There’s eight song and five of them have people on them. Through touring the country and the world over the years I’ve met a lot of talented people and sometimes, if you’re from someplace weird, it’s hard to get your stuff out there. I’m trying to pay it forward to some kid and at the same time pay homage to our favorite artists who once put their man on.
CO: You do a lot of concept work. It’d be easier for you to just be Vinnie Paz, what pushes you to do songs about the Government and things like that.
VP: Yeah, definitely on my solo stuff I push to do weird stuff. I think what pushes me is our whole conversation. I have such respect for the culture so I’d be doing a disservice to Hip Hop, punk, hardcore, metal, all the things that made me who I am, if I didn’t challenge myself. When I feel like my shit is stale and redundant and boring then it’s time to hang up the gloves. My respect for the craft is what pushes me to do it rather than rest on my laurels. Again like the Rolling Stones. Sure they tour and make millions, but what’s the last relevant record they put out?
CO: I’m the wrong guy to ask with them. Outside of a few jams, I don’t get it.
VP: I think the Stones blow. I have five bands that, if somebody likes them, I can’t be their friend.
CO: Oh I have to know what these are.
VP: (Laughs) It might ruin our budding friendship.
CO: I’m willing to take that chance.
VP: Okay, well, the worst band to form in the history of the Earth is the Doors.
CO: Yep. I respect Ray Manzarek for producing the first four X records, but the Doors? It’s circus music with some blowhard pretending to be a poet.
VP: Pseudo intellectual fucking douche. There’s also Zeppelin, The Who, and Springsteen. It’s just my opinion and kind of a joke I have with people.
CO: See I don’t really care about Zeppelin but as a drummer, I worship John Bonham.
VP: Yeah he was a great drummer.
CO: I have a few rock faux paus myself. I can’t stand any era of Van Halen, at all.
VP: I’m indifferent towards them. To say I hate them would mean I cared and I don’t.
CO: The big one for me, the one I get a lot of shit for is The Germs. I just don’t like the Germs at all.
VP: The Germs blow and people hate me for that too. There are a couple of punk rock and metal bands I feel that way about. I’ve met people in Hip Hop who were sweet hearts but I don’t dig as artists. There’s also a cultural thing for us that our mom taught us if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all. I don’t go around shitting on everything, but if I’m asked about it I’ll tell you what I think.
CO: I can’t really claim that. I’m known for being an opinionated asshole.
VP: Yeah but that’s part of your job description. You won’t say something’s dope if it’s not. When kids send me their stuff, if it’s terrible, I won’t reply, but if they keep nagging me I’ll tell them “You know why I didn’t reply? Because your shit is wack.”
CO: For me in Hip Hop, and I hope this doesn’t ruin our budding friendship, but I just don’t get the hero worship of Tupac. I have the respect, but this icon status is a mystery to me.
VP: Oh I totally get that. I respect Pac more as a man then an artist. Like him or hate him, he was ready to die, but somebody I constantly pump in my car? No. It’s like Johnny Lydon, I think he’s a much better guy than a front man.
CO: I always considered Sex Pistols to be the first boy band.
VP: Yeah, I’ll always be a bigger Ramones dude, or Death from Detroit.
CO: I fucking love Death. I’m really excited about that documentary.
VP: Yes. So am I. I’m also a huge Thin Lizzy fan.
CO: Dude, one of my absolute favorite bands of all time. Outside of music though, I know you write for maxboxing.com. How did you get involved with boxing and the website?
VP: I would watch Wide World Of Sports every Saturday with my pop. My earliest memories of me and my pop was watching boxing. I loved it. They call it the sweet science and that’s how I saw it. In terms of writing for it. As my career was growing, people would notice not just my metal references but also my boxing ones. I started meeting people in the game and I’m always, always at the fights. So I started meeting fighters, trainers, and promoters.
I had been reading maxboxing for years because it’s the biggest and most well respected site for the sport. I ended up meeting the guy who runs it Steve Kim and he just threw out the idea of writing for it. I thought it would be a dream but I never thought of it seriously. When he asked I was nervous, I’m not Mark Twain over here. I wrote an article and it was the most traffic driven to one article so Steve asked if I was down. I’m hoping I can do it as a living one day. I know I’ll always be involved with boxing.
CO: One tragic thing we both share is the loss of our fathers. Mine died in 1995. How did the passing of your father affect you as a person and an artist.
VP: I’m realizing now that things have manifested from that happening I didn’t even know were there. Like panic attacks. I think to myself, is this why I’m having them? I still haven’t dealt with it, at least not properly. I feel like things are creeping up on me now and I feel them getting worse. Like flying off the handle and punching somebody in the face in London. My nature is, I’m a sweetheart, and it’s not my nature to want anyone to be hurt. So why did that happen? Why did I do that, why the aggression. Why am I constantly in fucking panic mode. I have something called Depersonalization Disorder, do you know what that is?
CO: No.
VP: It would take too long to explain it, but look it up dude it is a nightmare. I don’t want to be Debbie downer but it’s the truth.
CO: I tend to over analyze things until it becomes a persecution disorder and everybody is against me.
VP: I overanalyze everything to. I’m not in front of you but I feel like I’m talking to a mirror. Somebody will say something different one time than another I’ll keep thinking about it, thinking, does he hate me now? I think we’d probably both be dead without music.
CO: Without a doubt. The last thing I wanted to ask about. I know there was some weirdness with the last Jedi Mind Tricks and Stoupe The Enemy Of Mankind. Is that a serious issue? Will you guys do another record?
VP: It’s not a real issue, it’s more like some bands break up, sometimes people leave and then come back. There’s definitely no beef. It becomes a work ethic thing for me. People want more of our music and product and merch and it took from ’97 to 2000 between our first and second records. I’m moving at a pace and you’re moving at a pace. Imagine trying to write an article and having to wait for someone. How would that make you feel.
CO: One of the reasons I got into writing was it’s just me by myself.
VP: That’s how I feel about these solo records. Part of it is I’m a control freak, I’m not going to lie. But, another part of it is that slow motion is not good enough for me. You don’t want to rush your shit out and it be wack but still you want to do it. Everything between us is good, we grew up together. When we weren’t shit and grinding it out in his parents bedroom and it’s a hundred degrees in there but we can’t open the window because the kids outside are getting picked up on the mic. Another record? Hey, I’m a never say never dude.
With that I felt it best to end my time with Vinnie Paz. It was a great conversation with a like minded soldier. A connection made in all of this turmoil. Paz’s latest solo album is God Of The Serengeti is available but check out all his work. Seasons Of The Assassin, his first solo album Season Of The Assassin, the mixtape collections, Army Of The Pharaohs and, of course, Jedi Mind Tricks.
Official site for Vinnie Paz ad Jedi Mind Tricks
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Army Of Pharaohs Official Facebook
