With his appetite for paranoia and putridness, Marilyn Manson has become a master of flagrant shock-rock. Manson's latest, Holy Wood (In the Valley of the Shadow of Death), is a kind of metal soap opera with its seeds in the super-glam rumble of Manson's 1998 release, Mechanical Animals. But Manson's grooves have slowed and gotten heavier, and his melodies have broadened.
Drummer Ginger Fish has seen it all with Manson, but beneath the outrageousness and controversy the band is known for, Fish has one of the most interesting gigs in rock. "This is a heavy metal band," he says. "But my main gig is playing shuffles and hip-hop beats with a swing to them. There are a lot of triplet things happening, and that's what I like playing."
Fish is a multi-tasker. Live, on songs such as "Beautiful People," "Rock is Dead," "Disposable Teens," and "Dope Show," he plays a variety of pummeling triplet and shuffle feels, simultaneously controlling additional sounds from an Akai MPC sampler. And Fish must dodge whatever Manson may throw at him in the course of a night, from mic' stands to water bottles to bricks. Manson sent Fish to the hospital on one occasion.
The drumming on Holy Wood is a reversal for Fish. Where Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals featured intricate, demanding arrangements that kept Fish on edge and overworked, Holy Wood's scenario is about grand grooves and space-rock dynamics.
"It's pretty grunged out," explains Fish during a soundcheck in Florida. "I try to think of it like a big dump truck, pushing a heavy, heavy beat behind deep guitar riffs. It's cool because so much of what we've done in the past is so fast and crazy. This album gives me a little bit of a breather live. It's funny because everyone says this album is so heavy, but drum-wise I can cook a steak between snare hits because they're so spread out."
A lefty playing a right-handed kit, Fish has found novel ways to deal with Manson' demanding music. "I set up right-handed so I don't have to cross my hands. My left arm plays from the center to the left, the right plays from the center to the right.
"When rehearsing for the tour," he continues, "I thought a lot about what would be the easiest, most efficient and comfortable way to play. I didn't want to twist my body or lean too much in any direction. I even considered having a riser constructed that leaned backwards so I could lean into my backrest. I eventually settled on cutting two of the legs on my throne so it would lean back. It seems to take tension off the nerves in my chest. It's a balancing act."
And is playing with a lead singer who can go off any second and attack you also a balancing act? "The band is still a love-hate relationship," Fish shrugs. "After six months of being on the road, I start thinking that the craziness is no big deal--another day playing another gig. Nothing to be too nuts about. But then it only takes one sentence out of somebody's mouth to cause a lot of trouble."
...Louie Bellson
...Dave Weckl
...Elvin Jones
...Taylor Hawkins
...Matt Cameron
...Josh Freese
...David Silveria
...Vinnie Colaiuta
...Ian Paice
...Neil Peart
...Virgil Donati
I saw Louie Bellson play recently and he is amazing. I can't believe how he seems so relaxed, quiet, and calm when you talk to him. He shows his age a little bit when you're sitting with the guy, but the minute he gets behind his set he starts screaming out beats. It's just ridiculous. I guess he'll always be that way. It's not going to stop.
There's one track on Dave's Masterplan disc that always puts a smile on my face. I can't think of the name, but it's a Latin thing where he solos in the middle. It has a lot of triplets and craziness going on. I can't stop smiling, it goes on and on. [Sings melody and rhythm.] He just kills all these triplets and ruffs. It's just mad, and it's one song I always listen to for inspiration.
I like Elvin's sense of space. A lot of it has to do with how those guys' drums sounded. You don't know if it's the age of the dums, old heads, or what. Old cymbals, too. It's like fine wine, the way his drumming sounds and sits. He doesn't have to do anything, just sit behind that set and hit the hi-hat for one second, and it sounds so good
Taylor is one of those young players who just has it. I saw him with Alanis [Morissette] and I thought he was amazing. He just has that extra little spark in his playing. If it's playing a big fill or just hitting a splash in the right place, he's into it. I saw Taylor in LA and he was so excited because [Queen guitarist] Brian May had come by his house to jam with him. He also sings, writes, and plays guitar and bass as well. It's fitting that he's playing with Dave Grohl right now. He actually gets to go out front and sing some songs with Foo Fighters. Taylor's gonna be around for a long time. He just has it.
I know of the infamous Matt Cameron. You don't have to see him play to know that he is amazing. With Soundgarden or Pearl Jam, and on the Chris Cornell album, he plays great.
I really want to hear him live with his new band, A Perfect Circle. On record they have a lot of 6/8 feels that he just kills on. But I've heard enough stories about Freese--he's a high dollar, "I only work for my price" kind of guy. I read where he said something like, "I hear about drummers needing Pro Tools to help them on record, but they don't use that shit with me." I guess if you're that good you can have an attitude.
I've known David since I joined Manson. KoRn opened for us on the very first tour I did with Manson six years ago. He's interesting to watch because he comes from a different school from me. David plays all single strokes very hard. It's the same with his feet--all single strokes. It may have changed since then, but six years ago it was all very fast singles. I play a lot of doubles and triples with one foot, but when you do that you're losing some of the volume. Everything he did was two-footed and very fast, and it had a little punk edge to it. I didn't get into KoRn at first because all of the stuff I'd done before was about backbeat and groove--bands like The Meters, where everything is about feel. It took me years to be able to listen to bands like KoRn, where the tempos are constantly changing. They play one tempo, then they switch and play another tempo. People think they're playing sloppy, but they're not. It's deliberate. Even though he's had some problems with his arms, I think David has a lot of drumming years left in him. Some people worry about him because he didn't do that last tour. I think it was actually a smart move. Why go out on tour for a year and destroy yourself more if you don't feel up to it? Taking the time off to get better is a smart move.
Vinnie is definitely somebody I have listened to. I've heard so much of his session work. He's played on so many albums, records that people don't know about but that he just plays great on. His time is killer, his fills are awesome. I had a teacher, Russ Miller, who could play like Vinnie. Russ could show me what Vinnie played and explain it. There are some great players out there.
An amazing drummer. I have The Best of Deep Purple and it's just great.
Rush's 2112--you have to learn it from beginning to end. I did it back in the day. I learned all of their stuff.
I saw him a couple times when we were in LA. He makes your mouth drop. What he plays doesn't seem humanly possible. And his band, Planet X, moves fast. They're all screaming players. They make your head spin. Virgil's feet are just ridiculous, and his hands don't stop either. He'll play a drum solo and you can't see his arms; it's just cymbals flying all over the place. He gets off the set and starts pouring water down his throat. That's what I've been missing: It took me twenty-five years to learn to drink water. I see players like Virgil and I wonder what's the secret. And then I see him guzzling water. I used to like that caffeine/sugar rush, drinking cokes all day. But now it's all about water. Water, water, water.