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METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Joe. So glad to be catching up with you. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper again. We appreciate it.
JOE NUNEZ: Thanks for having me here at Metal Pulp And Paper! I am doing very well and really enjoyed this interview. We appreciate your interest in Return Fire!
MPAP: Now give us a little run down about Return Fire and what we need to know especially if you have any new music coming out soon.
JOE: Return Fire is a project that formed in the recording studio in late 2018. Loud and high driven and fast, the first record will be released on September 27th on Bandcamp as we look forward to live shows in 2020!
MPAP: Very nice. So, we’re going to change up this interview and do something different. I’m going to pull some recent headlines from the Metal Injection website and get your reactions and comments on them. Here we go:
1. Celtic Frost Frontman Wishes Metallica Had Left 'Their Millionaire Fingers' Off His Song
MPAP: So, at a recent Metallica show in Switzerland, Kirk and Rob played one of Celtic Frost’s song "The Usurper" during a break in the show. According to Tom Warrior, vocalist for Celtic Frost, the two of them butchered it. He said, 'Maybe I should go onstage and do a really miserable version of [Metallica’s] "Hit the Lights" with, like, 200 mistakes to set the balance.' What do you think about this? If someone was going to cover one of your songs, do you think it should be done in good taste and without any mistakes, or it’s Metallica, and they can do whatever they want, it's no big deal?
JOE: Yes, I heard about this! There are two living legends involved here however, I would be beside myself if Metallica or Celtic Frost chose to cover any songs of mine! LOL! To have Metallica play "The Usurper" live in Switzerland sounds to me like a tribute to Celtic Frost. Although it did sound rough without Lars playing along, Rob and Kirk were clearly having fun. On the other hand, Tom Warrior is a serious musician, so his reaction doesn't surprise me... Perhaps "Circle Of The Tyrants" would have been better?
2. A Fan Died In The Slipknot Mosh Pit This Weekend
MPAP: Very sad. So, apparently, a 62-year-old Slipknot fan died while in the mosh pit at a Chicago show here in the United States. Corey Taylor had recently stopped a previous show because he saw the mosh pit was getting too violent. Accidents do happen, but do you think mosh pits at metal shows are becoming more dangerous?
JOE: It's always tragic when people lose their lives at shows or concerts. I personally haven't been in any mosh pits to know how dangerous they are now. I remember feeling more uneasy with security bullies looking to hurt people, rather than to protect or guide a crowd professionally. Nevertheless, it sucks that it happened.
3. Slayer Pulled As Primary Sponsor Of NASCAR Due To Complaints From Other Sponsors
MPAP: Really? C’mon., it’s just a band name. It’s not like Satan himself will be driving the car, right?
JOE: What a bummer!
4. Maynard Got Death Threats Over How Long The Tool Album Took
MPAP: Talk about some diehard fans. I think that is going a bit too far, even if you’ve been waiting 13 years, right?
JOE: Maynard receiving death threats over how long the new Tool album took is pretty creepy.
5. Controversial Video Shows Rob Zombie Grabbing A Female Fan By The Hair After Being Groped
MPAP: His shirt was pulled, but, nevertheless. I guess during a show Rob went out into the crowd, and an enthusastic fan reached out and pulled on his shirt. After this headline was posted, quite a few bands like Shinedown, All That Remains, and Bad Wolves defended Rob’s actions. What are your thoughts, do fans need to keep their hands to themselves?
JOE: I watched the video of Rob Zombie and the fan who grabbed his shirt. Although she was excited to see him walk near her, it would have been better if they both had a hands off approach here. Where was security? I remember starting a tour years ago and playing our first show in California. After the show, I began puking in a huge garbage can. Before I know it, a fan starts taking pictures of me as I'm puking and struggling to breathe! Although he was only taking pictures, he began to get up closer and closer! I mean WTF! Talk about space invasion! Gross!
6. Behemoth Frontman Confronted At YMCA For Wearing Darkthrone Shirt & Kicked Out Not Believing In Jesus
MPAP: It was just a shirt, and he was going there to workout. It wasn’t like he was going to sacrifice some virgins and spill blood everywhere. What do you think?
JOE: Kicked out of the YMCA for wearing a Dark Throne shirt? Wow! I'd like to see that shirt for sure.
7. Former Weedeater Drummer Arrested For Allegedly Spiking Wife’s Drink With Meth
MPAP: Umm, this doesn’t look like they have a very good marriage going on for this to have happened. Do you think they need some marriage counseling or what?
JOE: Now that's love!
8. Walmart Shoppers Call The Cops On Metal Band for… Sitting In A Van Parking Lot
MPAP: This happened right after the tragic Dayton, Ohio shooting where ten people were killed, including the shooter, and 27 others were injured. The gunman just happened to be a metalhead because he was wearing a The Acacia Strain hoodie. It’s good that people report things, but this could turn out that every traveling metal band that’s parked in a Walmart parking lot are going to get reported now. What do you think?
JOE: Calling cops on Metal bands for resting on a Walmart parking lot is lame! I can remember countless times waking up in a Walmart parking lot! Metal bands do shop at Walmart I would think!
9. People Are Going Wild For This Rant Tommy Lee Shared Against Donald Trump
MPAP: The rant/tweet is quite a bit long, so I'm not going to torture you to read it, but I will say this: should musicians talk or write about politics? In a way, it’s like their forcing their beliefs down our throats. What are your thoughts?
JOE: Musicians and politics doesn't interest me at all. I listen to music to avoid all the ads, news, commercials, and politics too. Nevertheless, musicians should talk and write about whatever they want.
10. James Hetfield Calls Woman Who Used Metallica’s Music To Fend Off Cougar
MPAP: A young lady, was out walking her dog when off in the distance a cougar began to stalk her. She eventually played a Metallica song on her phone to scare it away, and it worked. She definitely had luck and the power of music on her side, right? What song of yours do you think would scare off a hungry cougar?
JOE: A Return Fire song that I think would scare away a hungry cougar would be "Weapons."
11. While She Sleeps Release Free T-Shirt Design To Clue Fans Into How Much Streaming Doesn’t Pay
MPAP: This is what the design said: One T-shirt is the equivalent to 5000 streams on Spotify. 76% of all music is streamed and not bought physically or digitally. Band merchandise is the most direct way of supporting a band. Sadly, buying music isn’t the same anymore. Back in the day, it used to be fun to buy an actual album or CD, don’t you think?
JOE: Buying music back in the day was special whether it was vinyl, cassette or CD. I remember the killer layouts and the smell of fresh print! Yes, I used to smell my fucking records!
12. David Hasselhoff Teams Up With Ministry Frontman For "Sweet Caroline" Cover
MPAP: All I can say is, this should be interesting. Hopefully, it’s not a train wreck for the Hoff. It's worth a listen to when it comes out though. What do you think of this collaboration?
JOE: David Hasselhoff and Ministry singing "Sweet Caroline?" WOW! Now that's ballsy! Would Neil Diamond be pissed if they butchered up the song in his hometown?
MPAP: What tv/movie actor would you like to cover a song with someday?
JOE: If I were to do a cover song with an actor, it would be with John C. Reilly covering the punk version of "Walk Hard!!"
MPAP: On behalf of Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Joe, for taking the time to answer these headline questions. We look forward to what Return Fire does to finish out 2019 and beyond.
JOE: I want to thank Metal Pulp And Paper for the killer interview!
MPAP: Any last words for all your fans out there?
JOE: We look forward to the release of the Return Fire record and hope to see everyone again soon!