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Chris Spicuzza & Becky

Date:               August 7, 2003

Time:               12:27 p.m.

Venue:            Tweeter Center—Camden, NJ

Place:              Backstage Area         

Group:             Chimaira (Chris Spicuzza—Electronics)

            I had the great pleasure of interviewing Chris Spicuzza of Chimaira at the Ozzfest show in Camden, NJ.  Check out the interview and for more information check out www.chimaira.com.

Becky Collins:  How has your day been so far?

Chris Spicuzza:  Long!  I got up at 8 and I didn’t sleep much.  Had to shower since it was 2 days since I showered prior.  Ate some food and here I am!

BC:  How do you prepare for your shows?

CS:  Stretching of course.  If I’m tired, which I am now, I’ll have to drink a Red Bull to wake up.  Usually by the time we go on, I’m psyched up just to get on but mostly just stretching and we have our band huddle and talk about how we want to destroy the crowd and fun stuff like that.  That’s usually it.

BC:  This is the first time I’m seeing you guys, what can I look forward to?

CS:  The biggest crowd reaction of the day! (Laugh)  I know it’s a cocky statement but that’s how it is.  That’s how it’s been.  We try our best to get the crowd into it.  I mean every band at second stage is tearing it up, but we’re just fucking…we’re pouring our hearts out and we’re just hoping that everyone fuckin’ loves it!  We’ve been fortunate that everyday we’ve been getting huge responses so expect pure chaos out in the crowd.

BC:  You just finished the tour with In Flames, Soilwork and Unearth—how was that?

CS:  Oh, fucking wonderful!  In Flames and Soilwork became really good friends with us and near the end we became really good friends with Unearth, as well.  It was a no ego tour.  Everyone was like a big family.  It was great.  We shared a bus with Soilwork so we got to really get to know them and became like a family with them and right after they left we missed them to death.  We miss their Swedish accents and we’d always see guys that would look like them walking around.  [We’d] be like there he is, but it wasn’t him.  The whole tour was awesome, great crowds it was definitely worth doing.

BC:  Differ from this tour?

CS:  Yeah, that tour had this crazy Swedish metal following.  These crowds you have like typical summer rock concert goers.  They had this underground following I’ve never seen these people come to the shows they all come to see In Flames and Soilwork and it’s just like the Swedish metal thing.  It’s crazy but they come in large amounts and they love everything they see on stage.  It’s awesome.  It was definitely worth doing.

BC:  Best city you’ve toured?

CS:  My favorites are Detroit, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Dallas, usually all of Texas is good.

BC:  Most boring?

CS:  Anything in like nowhere land like Arkansas and Nebraska.

BC:  Who are your musical influences?

CS:  As a band, we’re influenced by anything from like old Metallica, old Slayer, Pantera.  Stuff like that.  That’s basically what fills this band with the love for old real good metal like that.  I mean also counting in Iron Maiden.  Basically any true metal band that’s out there doing the right thing.  That’s it.

BC:  Who would you like to work with in the future or would have liked to in regards to dead rock stars)?

CS:  Myself, no[one] but our singer loves Layne Staley and he just passed away so I know he would have loved to collaborate with him and now that can’t happen.

BC:  If you could meet any artist/star, who would it be and why?

CS:  Not really, I’m not like a star struck kind of guy.  Since I’m a young guy, I grew up with the whole wave of Korn and all that stuff when they first started off and that’s what I listened to in junior high and stuff.  So, it’s cool to be on the same tour with them and got to meet them and Fieldy [Reginald “Fieldy Snuts” Arvizu—bassist for Korn] came to our off date show.  That was pretty cool.  So, yeah that’s about the coolest thing for me.

BC:  Besides Korn, who could we see you checking out on this tour?

CS:  Shadows Fall, Killswitch [Engage], Cradle [of Filth], [Marilyn] Manson, Korn, Ozzy [Osbourne], Disturbed.  I don’t know.  We watch everyone, you know…for the most part.  As long as we are awake, but yeah we watch just about the whole show.

BC:  How do you feel about Marilyn Manson being banned in certain states?

CS:  That’s stupid. 

BC:  Does this influence your stage performance in anyway?

CS:  No.  That shit is just stupid.  He’s entertainment, you know.  People just got to like keep everything to themselves and just let people do their own thing.  He’s not causing harm.  You don’t see people dying at his shows or anything.  [If] people [were] like causing massive homicides in the crowd and stuff like that, and then I’d say, yeah don’t let him play, but that’s just people watching music that’s all it is.  That’s just stupid.

BC:  Have you learned anything?

CS:  We learned the most when we toured with Slayer.  Watching the professionalism and how they run things and they become like not really idols but role models.  They definitely changed our band from just touring with them and just seeing how they run things.

BC:  Do you come from a musical background?

CS:  Not really.  I was forced to do choir and stuff like that.  I played bass for a bunch of years but I don’t have like a whole family of…No, I’m the only one in my whole family.

BC:  Does your family support your career?

CS:  They love it!  At first they were like, I don’t know about this and then once I got a record deal they shut up! (Laugh)

BC:  When did you start?

CS:  I started playing bass when I was 14 or 15.  Then I joined this band doing electronics and then this band got signed in 2001, I was 19 years old, so…Yes, I was lucky to join the band where everything was working well [and] pretty motivated.

BC:  A question for all your female fans…boxers, briefs or commando??

CS:  Boxers!  Have to do Boxers! (Laugh)

BC:  What CD’s are you currently listening to?

CS:  Anything from Hip Hop to Metal.  I listen to everything as long as it’s good.  I love Ludacris.  I love Slayer.  Anything ya know, as long as it’s good.  I’m not a fan of Country or Top 40, that’s about it!

BC:  Do you feel that your music will become more commercial?

CS:  Not commercial but if we’re fortunate enough to get a fan base or a larger fan base.  Let’s say we’re playing in large theaters or maybe in arenas, it wouldn’t be because of commercial, it would be because of an underground following and if that happens, I’ll gladly accept it, but I don’t see us going commercial rock radio anytime soon.  If we do, whatever, but I don’t’ think it’ll happen.

BC:  If you were a cartoon character, who would you be and why?

CS:  I don’t know. That one’s tough.  Actually, if I would be, I’d be a guy from the real Ghostbusters.  That was a cartoon, so that counts.  I wanted to be a Ghostbusters since I was a kid.

BC:  Why?

CS:  Because they fucking rule!  It’s the best movie ever, and they made a cartoon, so yeah…I’d be on of those guys. (Laugh)

BC:  Do you have any advice for bands trying to break into the music industry?

CS:  Don’t do it!  There’s no money involved.  There’s no money here. (Laugh)  If you want to make money, just don’t be in a band.  So that’s it!

BC:  Do you like being on tour?

CS:  Love it!  It’s like a free vacation basically.  We travel for free; we get to meet a lot of people.  It’s fucking awesome!  That’s what’s keeping me doing this, you know?  ‘Cause we’re not making any money, the experience we’re getting right now that’s what keeps us all alive right now and wanting to do this.

BC:  Would you ever consider doing a benefit concert for breast cancer research, education and awareness?

CS:  I would but I don’t make the shots with that kind of thing.  I’m all for good causes like that. So, yeah!  I don’t want to cause trouble. I would do it but it’s up to our management and all that.  You got to call the management; they take care of all that stuff.

BC:  Looking into the future what do you see or like to see happen for the group in the next 5 years?

CS:  I just want us to be the biggest metal band we’re capable of.  We’d love to be the next Pantera or Slayer selling out theaters and arenas and stuff like that.  But you know you got to take it step by step and if it happens…it happens, if it doesn’t…it doesn’t, but we just want to be as successful as possible without compromising our sound and integrity.

BC:  After the Ozzfest tour, what’s next for Chimaira?

CS:  We’re doing a short string of shows in September, and then we’re going to Europe in October and then Japan and Australia, too.  So I’m stoked for that because I’ve never been to Japan or Australia and we did a tour in Europe but it was really short and we didn’t get to see all the countries, so I’m excited for that as well.  That’s our plans. Europe, Japan, Australia…come back home.

BC:  Off of The Impossibility of Reason, what is your favorite song?

CS:  Pure Hatred.  When we play it live, you’ll see it, it’s a very response, and we get the whole crowd singing it live. It’s really cool!

BC:  Message for your fans?

CS:  Thanks for supporting us.  We’d be at home in our garage if it wasn’t for you and that’s about it!  Thanks for the interview!

            The Impossibility of Reason is in stores now, pick it up, it ROCKS!   You can log onto www.Chimaira.com for other tour dates as well as the European Road Rage 2003 Tour with Spineshank and Ill Nino that kicks off in Portsmouth, UK.

--Becky

Official Site:  www.chimaira.com

Myspace:  www.myspace.com/chimaira