Interview with Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio

Words by Brendan Monteiro / Photographs by Marcus Maschwitz

So the new record is out now and has been for some time.  How do you feel it’s done?
I’m proud of it.  I usually stop listening to a record once were finished with it.  But it’s probably my favourite record we’ve ever done.  We have a really good time playing it live.  With each record we always want to put out what we at least think is our best record.  Of course other people are going to maybe disagree, but I’m quite proud of it.

Is being in a punk band as fun now, as it was when you started?
Absolutely!

Ok, you have been labeled by some fans as a mainstream band yet to me you still teeter on underground status.  Is that something you try and stay clear of?
Not necessarily, the stuff that I’m in to is not usually mainstream, it’s usually pretty obscure.  Not because I’m wanting to be into something that’s obscure, the things that I think are cool are things that not everybody knows about.  So I’m not displeased that were not this big mainstream thing.  I wouldn’t complain if we were but I’m not going to lose sleep over the fact that were not

Where do you get your ideas or draw your influences for the dark imagery you use as a writer?
It’s just a part of who we are.  We just write about what we know about.  I think to me I’m always more attracted to things that are macabre or grizzly.  I lead a really healthy existence.  I see the darkness in the world but I also see a lot of beauty in the world.  So I think when I’m writing I’m always drawn to literature that’s dark, I’m always drawn to films that are dark.  And so it’s just what comes naturally.  That sort of art representing darkness has just always been more interesting to me.

Do you feel it makes it in a sense more dramatic to use darker imagery?
Yeah!  The Beach Boys wrote some great happy songs but even in those songs, there are some really troubling undertones to that stuff.  I think there is with anything but we just don’t really write happy songs.

With Crimson there was a lot of depth.  Some fans disliked it and wanted a return to the older Alkaline records.  Was that attempted in any way on Agony and Irony?
I feel like we have always made the right decisions, fans or non-fans will say things about decisions we’ve made, T.V shows we have been on or XYZ.  We don’t apologise for anything, we make our decisions for a reason.  We feel they are right and its working, our band just keeps getting bigger and bigger.  I think there’s a lot of embellishment on the new record.  It’s just tucked back more, where as on Crimson a lot of those embellishments are out in the foreground.  I’m really proud of that record.  It was the last record we made with Jerry Finn who is no longer with us unfortunately.  Were proud that we became such close friends with him and got to make records with him.  With Crimson, we wanted to make a big orchestral sounding record and that’s what we did.  With Agony and Irony we tried to tuck it back a little but there’s certainly some keys and strings happening.  They’re just not as prominent.  As for what people say, I don’t care, I honestly don’t.  It’s a beautiful liberating feeling to not care.  If people are bummed then they must start their own band and do it their way.  We already made those records, why would we make it again?

In the latter two records there is also a prevailing trend of electronica.  Is that something you try and get in there?
We’re influenced by a lot of that kind f stuff but were not going to put it in there just to put it in there.  If the song calls for it we will do it.  Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t.  We never take a song and say it has to have this, this and this because we want it to sound like this.  It’s just a case of if it happens that way then so be it.

You have been said to be a card-carrying member of the Church of Satan.  Do you express your beliefs in your songs?
I don’t have my card on me.  Derek and I joined a few years ago.  People make a big deal about it, it’s funny to me that were even still talking about it.  We got each other memberships for Christmas.  We both wanted to be members but just never got around to it because you pay money just to say you’re a member.  I grew up a fan of Anton LaVey and we joined the church after he passed away but sort of in tribute to him.  To me the Church of Satan died when Anton LaVey died.  I’m a big fan of Anton LaVey, of his books and his imagery and his philosophy and everything.  But I don’t believe in the Devil, I don’t believe in God, and the way that the bible depicts it.  It can’t be that simple.  I understand people need something to believe in.  I personally don’t.  I am a spiritual person but I don’t consider myself a Satanist.  I used to.  I used to think it was a lot of fun but now I realise it sort of distracts from music.  Instead of talking about music people want to talk about being in the Church of Satan.  I’m a good friend with the LaVey family, I have a real affinity for the Church when it started in the 60’s because it was something like punk rock.  It was threatening to the status quo.  I really like that but its not like that anymore.  Most of the “Satanist” I’ve met are dorks.  It’s just like some d&d (dungeons & dragons) bullshit.  The other thing too is like the illuminate and people that were considered Satanist back then, they were just scientists and they were like enlightened people.  I think my actual philosophy is more leaning towards an illuminate philosophy.  As was Anton LaVey’s, I mean he had the horns and the capes but he was very Luciferian.  It was very much about the bringers of the light and it wasn’t something about the fiery pits of hell or the actual angel being cast from heaven and that myth, but it came from something that was actually worldly and right here in front of us.  And the real Devil, the one that causes people to kill others and harm others, well I’m not backing it!  I’m a pretty peaceful and compassionate person.

There is a certain fear behind the Church of Satan, yet in some cases so called normal churches can be quite terrifying.
I’m really into religious art and I think the Catholics, the history of Christianity is the darkest.  They killed so many people.  People that they believed were heretics like the illuminate and the Knight Templar.  They were burning them at the stakes.  That’s why Friday the 13th is Friday the 13th.  It’s when they tortured and killed, like a witch-hunt.  There have been many wars fought over Christianity, not so many over Satanism.

So the point is you’re not a satanic band?
NO!  We don’t even eat animals much less sacrifice them.  So no were not.  We have leanings towards dark imagery.  It just doesn’t define who we are as a band.  I don’t consider myself a Satanist.  I don’t consider myself anything.  I believe in a lot of different things, I have a lot of different interests.  The holy bible is far more interesting to me than the satanic bible by far and a lot darker too.

With being labeled a satanic band, which normally has a lot of ties in the metal scene, have you ever felt like a sort of outcast in the punk scene?
NO!  To me punk rock is about being an individual and not conforming to a scenes idea of what your supposed to be.  My punk rock scene is right here.  I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks, if someone wants to cast me out for being a fan of Anton LaVey then I probably don’t want to be around them anyway.  I didn’t really sense any of that, maybe the fact that I didn’t care meant I didn’t notice if we were.  We’ve always done really well, were very blessed that we get to do what we do and that we have people and fans that listen to us.

So what is your favourite Alkaline song to play or to listen to?
I found away right now.  I think that we get a really strong crowd reaction from it and it’s my favourite song on the record.

And what is your ultimate favourite punk band of all time?
The Ramones!

Thanks again Matt, its been an honour.
And thank you.

This post is tagged Alkaline Trio, Epic records, Matt Skiba