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Godfather Of Doom
by Matt Smith
The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, all of these names should sound familiar to you if you claim to be a stoner rock/doom fan, if they don't, then you should be ashamed of yourself! For the uninformed, they are all projects from the Godfather of Doom, Scott "Wino" Weinrich, who has just released his first solo record (see my review this issue) entitled Punctuated Equilibrium. Despite recently injuring his back, he was gracious enough to take the time to answer a few questions I had for him.
GASP: Hey Wino how's it going?
Wino: Well, unfortunately I had a back injury and I've been laid up all week!
GASP: Oh man, sorry to hear about that!
Wino: Yeah, I've been laid up for a couple of days, unfortunately. Today's Saturday, right?
GASP: Yeah, it IS Saturday. You mind me asking what happened?
Wino: I don't even know what happened! I'm not sure what happened, I must have lifted something wrong somewhere. I mean it's been bad before but it's gotten better and I must have lifted something but I'm not sure what.
GASP: That sucks! I hope it fees better soon.
Wino: Thanks
GASP: I have to say I love Punctuated Equilibrium, it seriously kicks ass and it made it into my list of favorite albums of 2008 (even though it didn't come out until 2009!). I totally love it!
Wino: Great!
GASP: So after so many years why a solo album now?
Wino: Well, it just seemed like the right thing to do and at the end of The Hidden HandIstill had some material left over and I felt like I was playing at the top of my game and I wasn't ready to give up yet. At the end of The Hidden Hand I was pretty disappointed with stuff and I considered hanging up my guns there but it felt like I still had a few more bullets.
GASP: So these were songs that were left over from The Hidden Hand sessions?
Wino: No, not at all, they were songs that were even older than that, way way older. Songs that are WAY older than that that I've been carrying around since the 70's and 80's and some were actually written pretty recently. A combination of old and new.
GASP: It sounds really fresh.
Wino: Thank you.
GASP: And it seems like these are lyrics that are closer to your heart and you felt like they weren't appropriate in a band project?
Wino: Yeah, the songs are pretty personal, I mean all my songs are pretty personal.
GASP: I have to say "Water Crane", "Gods, Frauds, Neo-Cons And Demagogue", and "Silver Lining" are definitely my favorite tracks on the album.
Wino: You like the heavy stuff? (laughs)
GASP: Well yeah! (laughs) I mean I love it all but those are my favorite on the whole album.
Wino: Very cool!
GASP: Yeah, and "Gods.." and "Silver Lining" seem to be some of the most politically oriented lyrics you've ever written and obviously it's commentary of the G.W. Bush reign, are you optimistic of the results of the new election? I mean I've got this nervous optimism for the future of America.
Wino: Yeah, that's pretty much it. (laughs) Obama's got a big mess to clean up and that's the first problem. If he started with a fresh slate that would be one thing but when you start with a HUGE mess to clean up that's another story. That's a big big challenge but I think he's up for it.
GASP: Yeah, I have to say those last two tracks pretty much sum up how I feel about the whole reign of terror Bush brought upon the world. Listening to it, especially all the samples you used on "Gods...", I just thought it fit perfectly, it's a real good message at the end of the album there!
 Wino: Cool man. It's weird because I wasn't sure where one of the clips came from right before the beginning of "Silver Lining" where he says "three thousand lives were taken from us by evil" and I wasn't exactly sure where that came from and I heard him saying it on TV and it freaked me out. We took it from Wire Tap Pro, it's a computer program where you can grab stuff off the news feed.
GASP: Yeah, that line drives the whole point home, it actually gave me goosebumps when I heard that sample in the song.
Wino: Yeah, it worked out really well.
GASP: Yeah it does. (laughs) Pretty damn kick ass man! In the liner notes of the disc you mention "success" and not doing this for the monetary glory but out of a desire to influence others and just give something great to the world. I mean you're one of the catalysts for influencing generations of similar sounding stoner-doom bands and if you made a family tree you'd be near the bottom of the trunk. (laughs) So this lead me to the next question, did you ever get to stop working a regular job and have you made a decent living from all of your musical projects over the years? You know, do you get much in the way of royalty checks?
Wino: I've never been able to NOT have a day job but I raised kids for seven years and my wife worked and she made enough to where I could do that, luckily. But things have kind of changed now and I'm back to the working world so...
GASP: Oh you are, wow! I always wonder about cult legends like you...
Wino: You know I was a stay at home dad for seven years and that was a really beautiful thing. I got to be with my kids and be with them all the time and that was really great. We got a nanny recently who I really trust who is really great and I think that she's really good so I was able to go back to work so that was cool.
GASP: I've got a seven year old son and I know what you mean because I've been in bands too but nothing can fulfill you like raising a child. No level of success in any band can compare to that feeling that you're there for this person you created.
Wino: Yeah, it's a great feeling, on top of the adult feelings that don't work out for you though.
GASP: Yeah, I agree with you totally. So, being the Godfather of stoner doom do you have a castle like Dio?
Wino: No, it's not like that at all.
GASP: Do you get any decent royalty checks?
Wino: I did when Probot (Dave Grohl's metal project) was happening. When Probot was reallyselling at its top I did reallywell but with Southern Lord I trust them and they pay me good, they pay me what they owe me but it's definitely not enough to live off.
GASP: Yeah right. Do you mind me asking what you do for a regular job?
Wino: I'm a stagehand.
GASP: Cool, around your hometown?
Wino: I work in a club and I also do odd jobs for a company that consists of decor to planting.
GASP: Cool, very cool.
Wino: Right now my wife pays me alimony.
GASP: That must be nice.
Wino: Well, it is and it isn't because I loved being around my kids a lot more and now I still see them, she doesn't keep me from seeing them but I don't get to be with them like I used to be.
GASP: That sucks.
Wino: You take that stuff for granted when you have it, so...
GASP: Yeah, believe me I know, I went through a divorce three and a half years ago and I know what it's like. You take those moments for granted then when they're gone it's like, man, you miss it!
Wino: Yup
GASP: Over the years many of your lyrics have dealt with the supernatural and unknown, I have to ask you, do you or have you ever followed any one particular religion? You know, like what's your philosophy of death?
Wino: Well, I believe in reincarnation, I believe in the afterlife. I don't believe in heaven but I believe in the afterlife as sort of like a spirit world. I don't believe that when you die you're just gone, I believe your spirit is there but you know I don't have anything to compare it to. I don't believe in all this crap being fed by the powers that be.
GASP: So you don't follow any type of organized religion?
Wino: Absolutely not, I believe that's totally controlled by fear.
GASP: I agree that's why I gave it up when I was about 14 or 15. (laughs)
Wino: You know, there's things to be said about people that turn to that for help, they say that they tend to be happier and live longer and more power to them. I believe anybody should be able to do what they want to do. Every one is free to choose what they want, that's all there is to it. I think they should be free to do any thing they want. I don't believe that some motherfucker with a big pearly white smile will lead me to salvation. Like these megachurch TV guys, these professional Christians, I just don't buy it. There's so many books out there on their scams it's incredible. They start these tax free organizations and bilk these people out of their life savings and let them die, it's very sad.
GASP: Yeah, that's the whole problem with these types of religious organizations, they're just looking to build an empire for themselves.
Wino: Yeah
 GASP: So is there a Wino tour in the works?
Wino: Yeah, we're going out in April to Europe we're doing ten days and we're doing Roadburn and that should be fun. St. Vitus is supposed to be doing a reunion too but nobody can get me any information about a rehearsal so I don't know what's gonna happen with that.
GASP: So thats up in the air?
Wino: Well it's not up in the air, it's booked but nobody's giving me any information about rehearsal so i don't really know what's going on.
GASP: Is it just for Roadburn then?
Wino: Yeah
GASP: Cool, so no US dates at all?
Wino: Well, we're supposed to be doing a US date, that's the thing, but nothing definite yet.
GASP: But it's in the works?
Wino: Supposedly
GASP: (laughs) Cool, yeah you don't want to speak too soon.
Wino: I just don't know, I don't know ANYTHING, I don't know and I'm a little bit pissed off about it because it's coming up and no one has told me anything.
GASP: Oh wow, it might be nice if they told YOU.
Wino: I got an email last night and they said "after Roadburn we're planning on going to Finland I need your passport number" and I was like thinking to myself, wait a minute, we haven't talked about ANY of the rehearsals we're supposed to talk about, it's a long story, I can't talk about that now.
GASP: Okay, it sounds kinda messy. I wish you luck with that part of it because I would love to see you with Wino and/or St. Vitus.
Wino: I'm supposed to do it live but I'm not gonna stand up there in front of ten thousand people and do it cold I'll tell you that right now!
GASP: (laughs) I don't blame you! I wouldn't either, that's like cheating the people who paid to see you.
Wino: It's like myself, it would be embarrassing you know.
GASP: I hear ya man. I've heard bits and pieces about this Shrinebuilder project, canyou tell me more about it?
Wino: We did the recording last weekend, we did the whole record in three days and I'm listening to the rough mix as we speak and there's no release date and that's about all I know. All we're doing is listening to rough mixes. When the rough mixes are done and everybody's happy they're gonna send us all discs so we can listen to them on something better than a computer and then we'll mix our notes and then we'll make the final changes but I don't know when it's coming out. It's coming out on Neurot, that's Neurosis' label, that's about all I know.
GASP: Cool, now who's in the actual lineup?
Wino: Scott Kelly from Neurosis, Al Cisneros from OM, Dale Crover from the Melvins and me.
GASP: Wow, what's it like? Is it doomy, droney?
Wino: (laughs) It's a little hard to describe, it's a little bit of both.
GASP: Cool, because that's quite a lineup, I love all the bands those guys are from.
Wino: It's pretty heavy stuff, I mean it's not gonna be what everyone thinks it's gonna be. It's definitely, I just can't describe it, you're just gonna have to wait and hear it. It's impossible for me to describe.
GASP: (laughs) I wouldn't expect you to. I look forward to it.
Wino: Great
GASP: Now for the obligatory question, do you have any favorite horror movies or directors?
Wino: Hmm, I liked, um, one of the freakiest movies I ever saw was Last House on the Left and I like the Hills Have Eyes, is that okay?
GASP: (laughs) That's fine man, thanks!
Wino: All right man, thanks for the interview, I appreciate it.
GASP: Yeah, thanks a lot and I hope you feel better and the tour works out and hopefully I'll see you when you play in the states and I look forward to the Shrinebuilder stuff. Thanks so much for taking the time, take care.
Wino: Yeah great, all right, bye.
GASP: Bye
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