Where most rappers celebrate the urban lifestyle with the same old themes and the same old image, Twiztid peel away the gloss and expose the innards…with an oversized butcher knife! They take the hard edge of theatrical rock-and-roll and temper it with gritty hip-hop to create a musical monstrosity so dangerously real it must be hidden with facepaint. Brain Hammer was the only horroryearbook writer with the GUTS to do an exclusive interview with Jamie Madrox of Twiztid.

Brain Hammer: What was the first horror flick you saw as a little kid?

Jamie Madrox: Probably Friday the 13th, although I was a big Halloween fan when I was exposed to that John Carpenter masterpiece.

BH: What are your all time favorite horror flicks?

JM: Halloween 1, 2, 4, 5, & the Rob Zombie Remake, Friday the 13th 2, 4, 5, & 6 and the new remake too, Evil Dead 1 & 2, Fun House, and Night of the Demons.

BH: At what point did you start making music?

JM: We started doing music as early as the 90′s but didn’t get serious and record music until ’93 with the House of Krazees – it was the first group Monoxide and I were ever in.

BH: How did the death of House Of Krazees lead to the birth of TWIZTID?

JM: Well, when we met ICP we felt a connection, as if they were family to us – long lost brothers from another universe. Their ideas, and work ethic were exactly where we wanted to be. So when we decided to make a side project, that at the time it included Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Monoxide, and me and was called “Infamous Superstars Inc.” We recorded 2 songs: Whatthefuck!, & If U Think Sombody’s Dissing U. We let Violent J of ICP listen to give us his professional opinion and he was like “my opinion is you and Paul should sign with Psychopathic” and the rest is history.

BH: How much does horror influence your music and lyrics?

JM: Immensely – everything from fiction to reality – horror is the pinnacle of what we do. It is a great influence to us for sure.

BH: What artists influenced your music the most?

JM: Well that’s a tuff question. I was always a fan of Kiss growing up as a kid – my mom & dad would buy me their records and I would play them till the grooves on the vinyl wore thin. I guess that would be an influence – but I was too little to understand it was all about sex and women – I just seen the face paint, pyro & rock riffs.

BH: Your first album Mostasteless came out on Psychopathic Records back in 1998. Did you feel accepted by the Juggalos right away or did it take time?

JM: Yes, it took a long time. Most people think that an artist or artists get signed to the Psychopathic Records Label and instantly have a following…that was not so for us. It took like 3 or 4 years of steady touring and palling around with ICP before we were truly accepted. Believe it or not when we first started touring we actually got booed – not because we weren’t good, it’s just Juggalos are not willing to buy in to everything so eagerly…but I’m glad and appreciative for all their love and support.

BH: Mostasteless was re-released by Island Records in 1999. How much, if any influence did the label have on your music and career?

JM: None really. I mean at the time we felt as if we were on top of the world – being on Island/Def Jam2000 – the 2 biggest labels in the game at the time merged and were fucking with us (?) Wow, that’s how we felt. It was an honor, but I think it’s more fun to be underground and more in touch with the entire following on a whole.

BH: Freek Show was the follow up. You guys seemed to really blow up with that record. Did you see a lot of new faces at the shows around that time period? Have those new fans stuck with you?

JM: Yeah, Freek Show was big for us – we seen a lot of new faces at shows, instores, and just about everywhere – it’s hard to say who of them new faces are still around as with everything, things and fads change and so do peoples’ interests. If they are still around you can rest assured we do everything in our power to keep them here with us for ever like luggage lol.

BH: You guys are almost always recording or touring. Do you ever get burnt out?

JM: I mean we are human so the true answer is sometimes. But due to the appreciation we get for everything we do, it’s completely worth it – ALL of it.

BH: Your rapping seems to get stronger with every record. Do you still have to work on this, or is it something that now comes naturally to you?

JM: It’s a little of both – I mean we do what we do naturally, but in anything you do in life you must stay sharp like a butcher knife so that you can stay with the times.

BH: What was the largest show you guys have ever played?

JM: The Gathering Of The Juggalos. It’s an annual Family Convention (with autograph signings / show performances / and seminars) we do – and the numbers of people in attendance has reached 8000+ and it’s always a blast for us. That crowd is the mecca of what we do.

BH: Your 2003 record The Green Book is currently out of print. Will you be re-releasing this record at some point?

JM: I hope so – that record is a Juggalo favorite. We are currently looking into that.

BH: Over the years you guys have had the chance to work with a lot of other rappers including Three 6 Mafia, E-40, Layzie Bone, Bushwick Bill, The Dogg Pound, and of course the entire Psychopathic Family past and present. Do you have a favorite track or tracks that came from these collaborations?

JM: It’s hard to single out one track or artist because every time we do a collaboration it’s important to us. But if I must pick just one – I would say “How I Live” (featuring Proof) – he passed away shortly after the track was recorded. Although it was the first time we met him, he was cool and full of knowledge and skill and it’s a shame we will never see him or work with him again – RIP

BH: In 2005 you dropped a huge double album called Man’s Myth/ Mutant. How long did this record take to put together? Why is Mutant so different from Man’s Myth Vol.1?

JM: It was a double time effort to put it all together. Man’s Myth was more rap – and Mutant had a more rock n’ roll over tone to it. They were different because we are always trying to raise the bar on what we do. And I’ve always wanted to do a Rock album and to date that was the closest thing to it we have ever done, so it holds a special place in my heart.

BH: Twiztid shares an incredibly large and loyal fanbase with Insane Clown Posse. Do you feel that Twiztid has their own identity? Could someone who doesn’t like ICP like Twiztid?

JM: We do share the Juggalo world as a whole – but although our music is similar in a lot of aspects it is also very different. So I guess you could like one and not the other, but in doing so you MUST respect the underground scene. And yes we have our own identity – it’s just we are a part of the biggest show on earth.

BH: If a random horror fan who has never heard Twiztid wanted to check them out, what album should they start with and why?

JM: I would say W.I.C.K.E.D. because it is just like a horror movie on wax. That was our total intention with it completely.

BH: Twiztid has now released 8 full length records. Which one is your favorite and why?

JM: Again W.I.C.K.E.D. ’cause I think that with every album we get better at what we do. The runner up for me would be Freek Show…it has so many good tunes on it.

BH: Your latest record W.I.C.K.E.D. was released on March 17. What does W.I.C.K.E.D. stand for?

JM: Wish I Could Kill Every Day – it’s a way of thinking that can help any frustrated folks deal with their problems. You’re pissed – put on W.I.C.K.E.D. Turn it up and let the frustration drip out of your pores as you mosh and sweat it out.

BH: W.I.C.K.E.D. is your first album not to feature any guest appearances from other artists. Was there a specific reason for that?

JM: We wanted it to be all us this time around. We had just did the colabo thing on the prior album Independents Day, so this was a chance to get back to our
roots by ourselves in our own special way.

BH: What does the new record represent to you? How does it compare to your other records?

JM: It represents us coming full circle in what we do – it’s a throw back to where we started – back in the day when people would tell us no one’s ever gonna buy music about killing and stabbing people. We stayed the course and here we are still doing what we love. And as for how it compares it’s the newest addition to the ever growing catalog of the work of our lives – 2 thumbs way up.

BH: Will you be touring in support of W.I.C.K.E.D.?

JM: Yes, the tour is called “End Of Days” and it starts April 13th, 2009.

BH: Seen any good horror flicks lately?

JM: Sure. The Friday the 13th remake was awesome. I actually do a lil’ movie review thing on the twiztid.com web site – it’s always a good time and in the current economy I figure if I can save somebody some money by throwing an opinion out there why not.

BH: What does the future hold for Twiztid?

JM: I’m not sure – hopefully big things like smoking weed with Regis Pheldman, and world acceptance for the horror brand of music we do. We’ll be the spokesmen for that shit – kissing hands and shaking babies in a political fashion.

BH: Any final thoughts?

JM: Well, thanx for taking your time to do this interview with us. W.I.C.K.E.D. is in stores now with 3 different versions available – go and get it if you haven’t already. If you have got it – then tell someone else about it, because we are a word of mouth band – and only you, the person reading this right now can make this bigger than life itself. My name is Jamie Madrox & I’m a J-U-double “G” – A-L-O! I’m out. –thebat

You check out the following websites for more info:

http://twiztid.com/

http://www.myspace.com/twiztid

http://www.psychopathicrecords.com/

KEEP THE BLOOD FLOWING!!!