03/06/2013 12:52
Geisterwelt proudly presents the great interview with the vocalist, musician and producer of Velvet Acid Christ and Toxic Coma - Bryan Erickson
Madaley S.- How did you start producing music?
Bryan- On atari computers long ago in the 1980s. A joke band called Toxic Coma Started it all for us. We would make music to piss people off and hate it and run from the room. It would makes us laugh.
Madaley - Favourite bands / inspirations?
Bryan - The legendary Pink dots first and foremost. Kmfdm now more than earlier, Skinny Puppy the old stuff, Ladytron now more than then, Goldfrapp older stuff, Orbital, Juno reactor, Astral Projection, Old nitzer ebb, old front 242, Old Ministry and Revolting cocks, The sisters of mercy older stuff, Mission UK older stuff, The Cure older stuff, Siouxsie old stuff, Joy Division, Sex Pistols, Old MEtallica, Old Motorhead, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Tool, Misfits old stuff, Napalm Death old stuff, Strapping young Lad, White Zombie, Wumpscut, Covenant, Old Haujobb, Kalte Farben, Death In June and Current 93 old stuff only.
Madaley - Except of producing music what other interests do you have?(TV / favourite movies / are you still playing video-games?)
Bryan - I love story based games, shooters, or adventures or RPGs. I play just about everything that comes out exclusivly for the ps3. I love Killzone, and Uncharted. Killzone is so dark and industrial. I love it. I also like old rpgs on the ps1, all the chronos cross and final fantasy games. I love the resident evil games. Movies, I like dark fucekd up shit, like beyond the black rainbow, the first matrix, event horizon, and i love italian horror, suspiria, anything argento. I really dig anime, favorite one now is Elfin Lied, I also love raxephon.
Madaley - You performed in the days of the WGT festival 2013, The Agra stage was full of people. In the past you said that its difficult for you to perform in front of a large crowd. Although you were looking very comfortable in front of so many people. how did you feel performing in front of so many people from all over the world?
Bryan - So much time has passed. When I toured the usa west coast this last feb, I learn something. I was terrified for the first 2 shows. Because I had no idea wtf. But man the crowds were so great to us cheering every song, and i was able to talk to them and make them laugh. I was scared in austin, but that night I learned that I have die hard devoted fans, I have been around since 1992, I have all most 20 years of this under my belt. I realized that I have club hits, and radio hits in the alternative scene. When I play songs they know they go crazy. We rehearse and we do our job, so i dont feel as nervous i just focus on what i need to do. I know the fans love us, and I learned this fast on these tours. I love them back, so when I am on stage I feel greatful to every person in that audience. They make my life better, they relate to me, buy my art and wear my shirts and blast my music to others. I love them for this. So I have no fear. Its love that I have now not fear. When I was starting and no one knew me, it was so terrifying. you had to win their approval. Now We just have to come on stage and not suck ass. If we put on a decent show, they will cheer. Its way easier once you have a fan base. The one thing I do in the USA in the small venues is that i go into the crowd and hug people and shake their hands. and tell them right to their face, THANK YOU.. I have had 20 years in this business and I am thankful to all the people who allow me to have this.. See the world and do what I love.
Madaley - During the festival did you see other bands / events? your opinion for the WGT festival? will you play again in WGT in the future?
Bryan - I will play WGT again. I loved this event, and this time it was the first time i could walk around leipzig and enjoy the city and resturaunts and people. I love this city. I love seeing all these cool bands and being around so many goth people like me, not feeling like the only kid with in miles and miles who wears black and likes strange music. It is spectacular, and I hope it never perishes. I was there when it went bankrupt in 2000 with the different owners, and we never got paid. I really think the new owners are trustwroth and honest and great to work with. I cannot say enough kind things. I was able to see kmfdm, birthday massacre, hypnosckull, succide commando, aslan faction, leather strip and imax, this blew my mind and i cannot beleife i shared the stage with these other artists. I cannot beleive our crowd was so big as well even compared to the other artists, we did really well.
Madaley - You said that next year you will be back for a tour in Europe..any dates already booked?
Bryan - We are working on it. So far we want to play the UK, Sweeden, switzerland holland, germany, france, spain, italy, maybe moscow. We really hope this happens.. We hope to get it all sorted out.
Madaley - Your new album "Maldire" is a throw back to the 90s...From 90s until now the underground scene has been changed..how do you feel about? do you find any difference between your audience?
Bryan - Yes our audience seems to be older. Some of the new kids like us, but not that many. I don't like the music coming out now in the scene except the people who are still making stuff that sounds old. I liek the new puppy, I like kmfdm still. Love covenant still. Wumpcut is ok. Leather strip. Most of the new bands I think are why the scene shranks. The old bands still draw big numbers. The new ones not so much.
Madaley - Most favourite VAC / Toxic Coma track(s)?
Bryan - Toxic Coma: I love plague of babies, Zombie Sex, Ready To Rock.
VAC: I love Timeless Visions, Velvet Pill, Dilaudid, Slut, Mysteric, Maldire, Pretty Toy, Malfunction, The Hand remixes, Lust, Discolored eyes, Ghost in the Circuit, Faithless, Black Rainbows, There is No God, Decypher, Sex Disease, Lets Kill all These Mother Fuckers, Masked Illusion, Serial Killer 101, Killing me and Sadder Still. Those are my personal favorites.
Madaley - Are there any wishes/dreams/ideas (musically or general) that you would like to make them happen in the future?
Bryan - I want to play in Hawaii, Japan, New Zealand, and Austrailia. I want to be on a big movie sound track. I want to do music for horror films. I would love to work with JJ abrahms. I want to make enough money to really help my family out.
Madaley - Do you feel freedom through your music?
as an artist you give a big part of yourself to the audience...do you feel sometimes that you are overexposed in annoying way to other people?
Bryan - Freedom is an illusion. There are laws for everything, even success. We are all enslaved to what fate brings us. No matter how we try to think we have control, that is just silly. I dont see VAC any where in my reality, when i go out into my world on a day to day basis where I live, its like my band does not exist. Its only when i go to the underground clubs, or concerts that i ever hear it. So if anything, I feel very under exposed.. I think you mean am I to revealing to the crowd, talking too much. I dont care.. How often do they see me, how often do I tour? I mean its not like i do it every time. Maybe i do, but the thing is, i like to talk to the crowd. so what..
Madaley - Would you like to share any favourite quotes that express your feelings this time of your life?
Bryan - "energy is always conserved, it cannot be created or destroyed. In essence, energy can be converted from one form into another." God is not relevant. Infinity, things change, that is the constant this is eternal.
Madaley - Do you have any idols?
Bryan - I have musical Idols. For me its Robert Smith.
In philosophy I have none.
Madaley - We know that you have a great sense of humor. but you are not joking when you say that you are a vegan...you woke up one day and said that you dont want to eat meat again or something happened and changed your mind?
Bryan - I saw the brutality in my mind while on lsd. I could never eat it again once i connected the two things, the horrid death and living conditions to the food. Once I did this, its jsut so macabre. I dont want rotting flesh in my body rotting my guts and aging me faster and giving me degenerative disease. Once I connected all the dots of helth and evil, i never wanted to taste it agian and have not since I was 18. I'm 40 now. I do not feel like I missed out on anything because The best tasting food I have ever had is all VEGAN!!
Madaley - You say that "Church is a lie".What religion do you believe in? do you believe that someone can save himself from sins? do you find or do you lose yourself through the music?
Bryan - I believe in no religion. I beleive in one law though. Do what Though Will. 93. I am a bit of a theleamite, but I am not religious. I do not have all the answers, nor does anyone concearning the begining or end. There is a bunch of liars preying on your insecurities. Thats about it. The truth is, no one knows for certain, and anyone who tells you they do is a fucking liar trying to get something from you.
Madaley - Do you think that when you externalized your worst nightmares through the music this works like a salvation for you?
Bryan - Salvation? Eternal? Really? No. You pay for your sins, when you sin against nature, when you eat the wrong things, live the wrong way, you will dearly pay in this life, not the next. this is the big illusion. Eat vein clogging animal shit, you will suffer heart disease, smoke, cancer, meat colon cancer, too much sun, skin cancer. The punishments for doing wrong are all here on earth. If you live by natures laws, your death will be nice, like a light switch just goes out, if you sin against nature and your body's designs you will die in a hostpital bed kicking and screaming and a drug addict. the choice is up to you. It is not god, it is not right and wrong, it is simply cause and effect. The after life? Who knows.
Also stress kills you, so stressful relationships and actions that lead to stress slowly kill you as well.:)
Madaley - It was a big honour to talk with you...if you would like to share anything else please feel free..
Bryan - Eat more kale.. The world needs to eat much more kale!
VAC official site: https://www.velvetacidchrist.com/
VAC facebook official: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Velvet-Acid-Christ-Official/151190558286784
New Album " Maldire" : 
