MINISTRY JUST DOING ITS JOB BY MAKING ENEMIES
Band braces for backlash as it takes aim at U.S. politics in AmeriKKKant
It’s all fun and games until a giant inflatable chicken falls on you.
So says guitarist Sin Quirin, a man who has admitted to having a few inflatable chickens fall on him in his time as a member of industrial metal veterans Ministry. These aren’t just any giant inflatable chickens, mind you; they’re giant inflatable Trump chickens, and they’ve become an essential part of the stage show for the tour surrounding the band’s latest effort, AmeriKKKant. Their 14th studio release has Quirin, frontman-founder Al Jourgensen and various musical companions winding rage around barbed wire riffs and distorted vocals, blowing chunks of pure venom at the current state of affairs in the U.S.
“It’s striking a nerve for some people,” notes a very tired Quirin, taking a moment at sound check to talk about the album and tour, which lands in Edmonton on Saturday at Union Hall. “I’m definitely expecting some backlash at some point.”
That would be business-asusual for the band, which has been unafraid to court controversy almost since Jourgensen started it as a synth-pop project back in 1981. Shifting to a much more aggressive sound with 1985’s Twitch, Jourgensen began moving Ministry to the forefront of industrial music, scoring an unexpected hit with the 1991 single Jesus Built My Hot Rod. By the time Quirin joined up around 2006, they were grand old men in the genre, scoring platinum albums and pulling down multiple Grammy nominations
After the sudden death of songwriting partner and friend Mike Scaccia, Jourgensen declared Ministry was finished, releasing one more album, From Beer to Eternity, before wrapping it up in 2013. Ministry has always been at its most vital when reflecting the political environment, and with the Trump-infused AmeriKKKant, they’ve certainly kicked it up a notch. We spoke with Quirin about the new album.
Q Ministry was theoretically finished five years ago, and now you’re touring AmeriKKKant; how did that happen?
A It was actually just after the 2016 tour that we kicked around the idea of a record. I’m always writing whether or not Al is working, so I already had something with what eventually became (the song) Twilight Zone. We all brought in ideas. A lot of the album was written in studio, though, with me riffing lots, and then basically pieced together with Al putting his touch on it.
Q That’s how the band usually operates, though, right?
A Absolutely. In the 12 years that I’ve been with the band, that’s how it’s been. It’s been rare instances where you all sit down together and write a song. Usually in my case, I show up with a rough song idea, and Al gives me the thumbs up or not.
Q Definitely not a bunch of guys sitting around with acoustic guitars.
A No, not at all. I know that’s the romantic idea of thinking how a song is written, but not for us.
Q You’re three shows into the tour; have you had any significant highlights yet?
A The fact that we’ve gotten through those three is a highlight. The fact that there haven’t been any catastrophes could be considered a highlight, I suppose. It’s a fairly big production, at least for us. We haven’t done anything like this since 2008, but it feels like there’s more at stake this time.
Q That seems to be in line with the theme of the record.
A Well, we’re touching on things that are on the minds of people here in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Q With songs like (first single) Antifa and Victims of a Clown (“Angry man/Septic tank/ Orange/Toxic lies”) you’ve made it clear which side of the political divide you align with. Have you heard back from Trump supporters?
A It will happen, trust me. When that single was released, we definitely got backlash, but we always do anyways. You just kind of grow to accept and expect it. I’m sure there’ll be more as the record gets more exposed and we’re on the road longer.
Q We’re going under the premise that if you’re not making enemies in this life, then you’re not doing your job, right?
A Yes, and we’re definitely doing our job.