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04-15 Type O Negative Singer Dies (U
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Peter describes the Type O Negative sound as "Gothadelic" and usually composes his music in the back of his tour bus or on
the throne with his keyboards. "The world we live in is marked by disorder and chaos. Few things, if any, are certain. But
then there is Type O Negative, the Brooklyn band whose been making a glorious, doom-caked racket for over a decade. With
a sense of humor blacker than the clothing that the individual band members wear and a profound distaste and disgust for
both humanity and political correctness, Type O Negative never changes with the times the times change with ...read more
Peter describes the Type O Negative sound as "Gothadelic" and usually composes his music in the back of his tour bus or on
the throne with his keyboards. "The world we live in is marked by disorder and chaos. Few things, if any, are certain. But
then there is Type O Negative, the Brooklyn band whose been making a glorious, doom-caked racket for over a decade. With
a sense of humor blacker than the clothing that the individual band members wear and a profound distaste and disgust for
both humanity and political correctness, Type O Negative never changes with the times the times change with them. Marked
by sharp wit and bouts of gloom 'n depression, Type O Negative continues to reward its listeners with what they have come
to love and what they have to expect from the Brooklyn doom squad: a nihilistic world view, anthems of sex and death, and a
blinding torch of well-placed hate." It is Type O Negative's gothically tinged metal, reared on a steady diet of Bauhaus and
Sisters Of Mercy, which never takes itself too seriously, that has garnered them critical and commercial success. 1993's
Bloody Kisses was the first album to achieve Gold and Platinum status in the Roadrunner Records catalog. It's successor,
1996's October Rust, also went Gold, thus solidifying Type O's roots in the sediment of metal. Through it all, bassist/frontman
Peter Steele still reminisces about his days as an employee of the NYC Parks Department, still lives in the same basement
apartment in Brooklyn, still drives the same car, and still wolfs down TV dinners. And he and his cohorts still make
bittersweet, head down hard rock.Life Is Killing Me is Type O's fifth full-length record, and its first batch of new material since
1999's World Coming Down. In between this opus and World Coming Down, Type O released The Least Worst Of compilation,
to tide over fans over! Steele is a towering hulk of a man his biceps could crush your skull like a walnut and he is someone
whose fist you would not want to meet the business end of. But when he speaks in that trademark, so-deadpan-he-must.
sleep-in-a-coffin delivery, through a thick New York accent, it's like a pearl of wisdom handed down from a man who has lived
through it all, seen the seediest underbelly of the human psyche, and survived. Regarding the new album, the aptly named
Steele remarks, "When we were writing Life Is Killing Me, I knew I didn't want it to sound like World Coming Down, because I
was having quite a few personal problems at the time that album was being recorded and mixed. Because I had distanced
myself from the process, too many cooks spoiled the broth. No one was happy and I am the least happy of all. However,
failure is not failure if you learn from it and I took an active part in this album. I hope it turns out to be somewhere between
Bloody Kisses and October Rust. Because I was wrapped up in my old bullshit during the execution of World Coming Down, I
feel that I owe, not just the band, but our fans, some sort of an apology. I am working on trying not to be so selfish, and I
am doing the best I can." Since Bloody Kisses and October Rust are true fan favorites, Steele's hope that Life Is Killing Me will
redeem him in fan's eyes should become a reality. Steele admits he did not set out to write out an album that replicated Type
O's past works. "That style of songwriting is still in me and I like the songs from those albums, whereas I am less fond of
World Coming Down, since it reminds me of things I was involved in at the time." Steele further reveals that staple Type O
issues of "self pity," "hatred," "drugs and death," "religion," and "the usual" are all a part of the lyrical tapestry of Life Is Killing
Me. He contends that the album is less depressing than its predecessor, with less dirges and different songwriting styles. He
elaborates, "There are three types of songwriting: one is hardcore/punk, almost like party punk. The other is the older style
of goth-metal that we have always done. The third is a combo of '60s and '80s type of songwriting." He concludes, with
tongue planted firmly in cheek, that "Life Is Killing Me is a sonic legacy of past mistakes." Self-deprecation aside, Steele is
forthright and open when discussing his latest creations (or mistakes, depending on who you ask in the band!) Regarding
specific songs on the album, Type O chose to cover a song from Hedwig And The Angry Inch musical, to illustrate its
infamous sense of humor. "It's about a transvestite who goes in for sex change and the doctors fuck it up. I thought it would
be fun to play it live, because we sped it up a little to make more punky." The song "I Like Girls" is Steele's response to
homosexuals who try to pick him up. "Whether a man or woman finds me attractive, I take it as a compliment, although I am
more flattered when it's a woman. Thanks for the invite, but I like girls.' The song is punky and I am sure that it's going to be
misconstrued, so we're going to be prepared." It's apparent that Type O likes to stir up a little shit, and is always ready for
the backlash, and equipped with more ammunition than its opponents. Remember, this is the band who, back in the day,
answered a crowd's taunts of "You suck!" with "You paid 15 American dollars to get in. Who's the real asshole here?" Indeed,
it's wit is Type O's strongest suit of armor. "Nettie" centers around Steele's mother, while "Above All Things" is about his
father. "How Could She?' finds Steele asking all of his favorite female TV characters, cartoon or human, a question. "I mention
every single one from Edith Bunker to Judy Jetson, all who I encountered when sitting in front of the TV, eating a TV dinner."
'A Dish Best Served Cold' is self-described revenge anthem.Type O continues the time honored tradition of producing its own
albums at Systems Two in its homestead of Brooklyn, in the interest of avoiding "outside tentacles." Both Steele and
keyboardist Josh Silver helmed Life Is Killing Me.. "I want to hear what is going on in my ears, what I hear in my head," says
Steele. "I am not talking about the 'voices' I hear. I am talking about getting as close to my goal as possible. Within this
band, the four guys are married to each other and the cap is always left off the toothpaste. We don't need a fifth clown
coming in. At 41 years old, having been in bands for 30 years right now, I know how to get what I want, musically. Lastly and
leastly, there is financial incentive for producing my flesh ourselves, and not just because we can walk away with chump
change, but because anyone we'd like to hire would cost half a million dollars. There goes all my drug money for the year.
That can't happen." Steele doesn't cite any new influences on Life Is Killing Me. Other than calling himself an audio plagiarist,
Steele admits he still listens to the same music that he always has, such as "early '70s metal, psychadelic '60s, '90s trans.
dance shoegazer stuff. It's the basic inspiration comes from my feelings. I'm on a constant search for new and interesting
ideas, which I am not usually successful at." When you've got the word "negative" in your band name, it's not surprising that
such an attitude pervades Type O. Life Is Killing Me is more grist for the Type O Negative mill, further championing the band's
lifelong subscription to the attitude that the glass is not only half empty, but broken and laced with cyanide. Life Is Killing
Me's alchemy of sludge metal and chilling gothic imagery and conventions is just what fans and critics have come to expect
and to rely on in this chaotic, undefined world. Life may be killing Type O slowly, but the band is alive and kicking with new
material for the time being. Thankfully. ~typeonegative.net « hide |
Similar Bands: Opeth, Carnivore, Black Sabbath, Danzig, Alice in Chains
Contributors: Stonerszakk, leviathan82, harvester_of_sorrows, Neoteric, satansaves, Thinkerman, XulOnerom, Voivod, shartdartfart, Willie,
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