King's X

Interview date

23 Avril 2011

Interviewer

Didier

I N T E R V I E W

Interview Ty Tabor (face to face)


Hello Ty, nice to see you in France. We are auxportesdumetal.com, a French Webzine, and this interview will be published in French and in English

Cool. Nice to meet you.

King's X is a rather unusual band, you either love it or have never heard of it at all. How do you explain this?

Oh I don't. I can't explain it. That would be best for someone else to explain. I'm, sort of, in the middle of it all, so I have no idea why.

And would you consider King's X as a "Cult" band?

I don't mind at all if some are calling us underground or cult, as long as they are talking about us, we are happy [laughs].

You also remind me of another power trio, which is also cult in the US but rarely know in Europe: Rush. Did you ever work with these guys?

I know them personally just a little bit. I got to hang out with Alex [Lifeson] not too long ago, we had a real good night and I talked with him but we never toured together. We had the same manager for years so we were all part of the same camp for years.

We can read many explanations for the band's name, do you want to clarify this for us, once for good?

[laughs] The truth is that it has several meanings. And I don't think that any one definition of it was why we decided to call ourselves King's X. It's just that a lot of the definitions all made sense. One definition of King's X, is, in Texas, back in the old days, there was the game of tag. And in the game of tag, you might be allowed one or two safeties where, if somebody tags you, you could do this [he shows his finger crossed] and call "King's X" and the tag didn't count, but you only had one or two of those. That's one use of King's X and where it comes from. Another one is where I've heard people say, when people say the same thing at the same time somebody calls "King's X". Some people have said it's Martin Luther King and Malcom X, and we were aware of that too. But the fact of the matter is that, as far as I can remember, the only reason we went with the name is that it didn't make us think of any one type of music. And we wanted to have... in other words if we called the band Metal Teeth then if we played a mellow song twenty years later it's just going to be stupid to be called Metal Teeth, so we didn't want a dated name that locked us into anything, and King's X made us feel like we could do any kind of music we wanted and the name didn't matter.

About a year and a half ago Living Colour were playing in the same venue. In a way I consider that they have a similar approach to music than you guys have, don't you think so too?

Yes, as a matter of fact, Doug was singing with them. I mean Doug did a whole tour with them, one of their last tour, where he did vocals because Corey could not commit. Yes, we have known them for years. [Doug enters the room at this point and says hello, then disappears]

You seem to be tagged as a Christian band, which you have always refuted, but it's obvious in the DVD now: you are pastors of the First Church of Rock And Roll. This seems like a far better religion to believe in? 

[laughs] That's the idea yes. We are not trying to actually point to any real religion. We are saying, when we all get together it's like church, you know, but it's Rock & Roll church.

Do you consider the trio as a best layout for a band? Never thought of adding members?

We started out as four actually. For two years we were a four piece band. And we had two different guitarists filling that fourth spot. When we first started there was a guy called Dan McCollam who played guitar. When he left the band, an old friend of mine, name Kirk Henderson joined the band. And all of that was the first two years we were together. When Kirk left, we had a couple of gigs booked already so we played then three piece and the fact is, we all locked in so much better when it was just us three than ever when it was four, and so... I wasn't really okay with the idea of being three piece, I like having another guitarist, so that you can play different parts, it just opens up a lot more musicality of what you can do. So I was very uncomfortable about it but it was undeniable at the shows, we were connected as a band, better as three piece, so after a couple of shows we just kind of looked to each other and said let's keep it this way and we did and went on.

After more than 30 years playing together, you have managed to remain in good terms and continue to create together, what's the magic recipe?

None. I mean we have done things so many different ways that there isn't any one format or one way. I think the whole nature of our band is to always challenge each other to try something new, always challenge each other to not do things the same way the next time, so it forces you to think differently. Even live on this tour. There are a few spots during the night, where, every night, I don't know what we are going to do. Some night we play solos, some nights we just make it musical, some nights it's nothing but the crowd, something going on... but every single night, when it gets to two or three of these certain places, none of us has any idea where we are going, and what we're gonna do. It's different every single night. That's my favourite stuff, we call it "walking the plank", coz you really put yourself out there in to screw up but we always figure out a way to make it happen and that's what I love. That uncomfortable spontaneity where you just got to connect. So we try to throw a wrench into everything we do, to make us try to connect better.

King's X is also a band in which all members sing some of the songs. Is it always the rule that whoever compose the song does the singing?

No. Most of the stuff that I write, Doug sings. I only sing something that I write when it's something he doesn't quite feel and for a change up, we'd like to have one or two songs here and there with a different voice. And it gives him a break live, when we can switch on but anything I write is usually with the intention that Doug sings it. Because I've written stuff like Dogman, Moan Jam, the heavy stuff, but I cannot sing that stuff so I say hey Doug, you do it!

Your latest album, XV, was a really powerful album, which received good reviews on our site, was it well received commercially?

The last two records for us, and the live DVD have been a slight turn around for us in America where things are doing better, but we are not breaking any charts, records or anything like that [laughs]. But yes it is better for us than it was five years ago.

It felt to me like a "back to basics" kind of album, more than "Ogres Tones", would you say so too?

I think "Ogres Tones" was our first step at getting back to basics, and then when we did "XV", we knew what we were doing a little more, so yes that seems to fit.

One of the most powerful songs in my opinion is "Go Tell Somebody", is this just a self promoting song?

It was a song that was written in the studio like this [Ty snaps his fingers]. We had the whole album already finished and we were a little bit ahead of schedule, so one day Michael Wagener, our producer at the time, said: let's write something new. If it doesn't happen it doesn't matter we have enough tunes and "Go Tell Somebody" just came together real quick and Doug came up with the words and it made us all laugh because to me that's funny: if you like what you hear, go tell somebody, yes, help us out here [laughs]. I mean that's the truth, the only fans that we have are through words of mouth so unless people tell people we don't get help.

Doug uses a twelve strings bass guitar on "Pray". Is this a custom build?

It is a custom build, yes, but you know, we have been using twelve strings bass since we started with the very first album. Doug was a big fan of Tom Petersson [Cheap Trick] and his twelve strings. And Doug had one made because of Tom, by the same people [Hamer] so yes we have been using twelve strings all along.

The DVD "Live Love in London", is also an impressive package. Was it decided by the band or by your label?

It was a band decision. We decided that we'd better go ahead and do it before we are too old or whatever, you know what I mean? We just needed to get a DVD out. So we were kind of feeling the pressure to do one before we get any older. And that's really the only reason we did it. There was and older DVD available from Molken Music, but it’s recorded back in the 90's when all people had was VHS recorders.

You say during the concert that London is a very special crowd. Is it true or do you say that in all cities?

No, we tell the world that London is our favorite city. We say that all over America and they hate it when we say it but we always say London is our favorite place. Because they got us first, and they still get us better than anybody else. It’s the best crowd in the whole world for us, or in England, always.

How do you feel when you hear the crowd sing the entire "Goldilox" song?

Hard to imagine and hard to even accept. I worked on that song one afternoon on a little cheap tape recorder and I thought it was the most cheesy, sappy, you know like AM radio song I’d ever written in my life. So I just put these Beatles vocals on it, and now all the sudden it felt a little different, then I played it to Doug and Doug turned it into a soul song. But the idea of … when I wrote that song, it was way before we had a record deal, and I still remember just sitting in a chair, in a room, starving to death, no money, not doing anything but writing that song, and I remember that every single night that there is a crowd singing it, that these people are singing what happened at that moment back then. And that’s what all great music is, there is a story behind it, somebody, somewhere when they were starving, wrote something that, years later, all the sudden, people all over the world are singing.  How can you have a bigger honor than that? Because it was so… I knew no one would ever hear the song when I wrote it. I knew no one would ever hear the song and now we don’t even sing it anymore we just turn the mics and let everybody sing it. So it couldn’t be a bigger surprise to me. It possibly couldn’t be a bigger surprise.

How important is Gospel music in your influences?

I wouldn’t say Gospel music is, I would say Soul music is. Gospel steals from Soul. Gospel, all it is, is rehashed Soul. Gospel music has nothing in it that is original. It all comes from black Soul. Black Motown Soul. That’s where our influence is. I cannot stand Gospel music to tell you the truth [laughs]. I hate Gospel music I cannot listen to it.

In the London gig, Doug talks about how his aunt was a great guide in his career. Was she able to see King's X ever? Was she proud of you?

I don’t remember which aunt he was talking about so I don’t know. But if she was still alive, when we got our record deal, then she has seen us. Because all of Doug’s family knows us and comes to shows, and we have gone to family reunions with them, we know all of them, and they are a huge group of people.

We rarely see you in France, but this tour has 4 dates in France. Do we have such a bad reputation for not being a good country for tours?

The problem is always whether a promoter invites you or not. That’s one misconception. If you go to our Facebook page, the number one thing you see people do, is say, please come to this town, and, it’s not up to us to decide. We don’t get to decide whether we’re going to play in your town. The way it works is whether a promoter has faith that they can do a successful show there or not and whether they invite you or not. And that’s how it works. And we had never been invited to play anywhere in France, except Paris. It’s the first time we have been invited anywhere else. That’s why it has taken us this long to play other places, because we’ve always wanted to play in France but it’s not up to us.

Do you know that there is a great fan club in France?

I am aware of that. We know some of the guys involved there

In a few days you will be in Nancy for a private concert in a school of music. How did this happen?

Yes we are playing there. They simply asked us. The only thing that has to happen for a show to happen is that we get asked. It has to be something legit. Like a legitimate promoter or a school that is established. You cannot just invite us.

I noticed you are touring with a French band, Klone. Did you get an opportunity to attend their opening set?

Oh yes, tons of times. We love those guys, they are great, fantastic...

And how did this get decided?

They asked. They asked if they could, and we liked them. Anything can happen, you need to ask [laughs]. That’s always how things happen in the industry. That’s how tours happen, that’s how packages between bands happen, usually it starts with one person calling somebody and asking him, hey would you be interested in doing this? That’s always the case.

You guys have many solo works and side projects? Can't you express yourself enough through Kings'X?

Oh no. Its just that King’s X has lots of time off. We are musicians, we want to make music, so if King’s X is not doing an album, then I’m going to be making an album with somebody. Period. Because I’m going to keep making music. So when we get back around to King’s X then we get back around to King’s X, but that’s the only reason… We all love playing in King’s X, obviously after all these years, it’s just that you’ve got that much time off, that you cannot just sit around and let your playing go to waste. So you do other things.

Was never any of these side project strong enough to take over King's X? 

There are side projects that have gotten more attention than King’s X. The Jelly Jam, has gotten a lot of response and critical acclaim in different parts of the world and  there are places where I’m probably more famous for being in the Jelly Jam than King’s X. And Doug is in a band with two members of Pearl Jam [Tres Mts], touring all over America, and I’m sure more people know about them than King’s X. But it doesn’t threaten us at all. Because, King’s X, in America, is  treated like royalty, by the musical community, so we have always felt that we had something really special, that we don’t need to give up [laughs]. And the other stuff we do, is just for fun.

Isn't the fact that you have many other projects part of the answer to the Magic Recipe I was talking about earlier?

I think it probably helps, because when we get back together, we are not all burned out and tired of each other, instead we have fun playing together again, so yes I think it does help. Because if I’m doing anything all the time, like if it was King’s X, I would quit King’s X. If it would be always Jelly Jam, I’d quit Jelly Jam. I can’t do the same thing non stop, I’d totally loose interest. And we are all like that. We just have to give ourselves breaks and do other things and get away from this. And like I said, when we come back, we are all excited about it.

I noticed that some of you participated in many tribute albums (Van halen, Pink Floyd, Kiss, Metallica, Mr. Big to name a few), is this a way to honor some of your influences?

I think it’s a way to get a paycheck. I think that’s all it is. Because I don’t do any of those, I turn them all down. Everybody does those, and they do it for a paycheck usually. I don’t blame anybody for doing it for a paycheck, because it’s hard to make a living.

I noticed nothing much came out in terms of solo projects since 2007? Anything coming up from you?

There is a lot. There is a new Jelly Jam that we just finished recording right before we hit this tour. That’ll be out this summer and I have a new solo album that will be out, sometimes late fall.

What are the plans for King's X in the near future and longer term?

We are trying to figure that out right now. What exactly we're gonna do and when. Because we all live in different cities, and we have recorded in lots of different cities and we do that sometimes just to get away from home, get away from your normal environment, to have nothing to focus on but the album. Maybe we will do something like that again, somewhere. We haven’t decided when and where yet. No firm plans but we are meeting with the record label in the next couple of days and we are trying to come up with some firm plans. They want us to have an album every year but we just can't do it. They are ready for us to get back in studio. The way we usually do it is we go when we are ready. Because otherwise it’s a waste of time.

Do you write material while on tour?

We always write. We write 24 hours a day, every day forever, but not only for King’s X, we just write. And when there is a Kings X album we just ask: hey what have you got that we haven’t used? And we see what we have, and start working on the new stuff.

Ty, thank you for your time, I wish you a great concert in Lyon, and I'll leave you the words for the conclusion.

Thanks to everybody that comes out and support us. We are honored every time anybody shows up. And France is a big question mark for us, because we never got the chance to play all over and we are looking forward to it and to offer a good show.


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