WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ROB ZOMBIE, ON REVISITING WHITE ZOMBIE FOR THE NEW BOX SET AND LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE

Looking back, what’s your fondest memory from White Zombie?
Probably the fondest memory of it all was sort of at the height of the White Zombie thing. I dunno, it was ’95, maybe—when the band was really big, playing arenas and stuff. We played Irvine Meadows in California on Halloween, and Alice Cooper came onstage and we did “School’s Out.” I’d met Alice before, but we’d never played together or anything like that, and we’ve been good friends ever since then.

What was the moment where you said, “OK, it’s all over”?
We were doing the War of the Gargantuas Tour, and that was White Zombie and Pantera, and I believe Deftones were opening. I remember walking offstage, handing someone my microphone, and thinking, OK, I’m done. I just went to the airport and went home.

There was just that immediate finality to it all?
It was no fun. The band could not get along, and it was miserable. And it was a bummer, because you work so hard to achieve success. And when it finally comes, I just felt like I couldn’t do it; I couldn’t do this anymore. So much in-fighting, so many problems. Everything’s a problem, and that’s why I left. It wasn’t like I had a big ego or anything; I just really didn’t want to do it anymore. And as for a solo record, everyone was trying it: Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell, everyone. So when I came along, people thought, Oh, well, this record’s gonna be a disaster. And I figured, You know what? Maybe it is, but I’d rather have a lesser career and be happy. There was something just so wrong about playing sold-out arenas with a bunch of people who aren’t even speaking to each other. It was just ridiculous. I thought, Best to just let it end when it’s big, it’s happening, leave a good memory for the people who came to the shows.

Your forthcoming new album is your first with an established band since White Zombie. How has that affected writing it?
It’s hard to say. It could be looser; it could be more complex, because there’s a wholeness that comes through. Plus, everybody’s happy. This band is three of the greatest guys [guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D, and drummer Tommy Clufetos] I’ve ever worked with. Not only are they talented, but they’re just the coolest guys in the world. They’d do anything for the project. And that’s the thing—back in the day, everyone’s ego was off the charts. These guys have no ego. With this band, people say, on tour, ‘This is the best show you’ve ever played.’ And I just think it’s a tangible quality, a chemistry you get with certain people, and it’s hard to describe, but you can definitely tell when you don’t have it.

White Zombie, “More Human Than Human”

Interview by Kory Grow