RSS
Help
Cart
Ministry Biography
As the frontman of pioneering industrial rock outfit, Ministry, Al Jourgensen has been expressing his feelings loudly for close to twenty years. Read on to find out how he expressed himself to his former record label...
How did you promote yourself and your music when you were first starting out?
After collaborating with Groovie Man (from Thrill Kill Kult), he and I started a band called Special Affect in Chicago in 1979, which launched both my career with Ministry and his career with Thrill Kill Kult. And after a disasterous "major label," I hooked up with Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher of Waxtrax! Records in Chicago, worked at their record store, played the music I was writing to them, and from there it is basically history. They started the Waxtrax! Label, which allowed me to produce and write my own stuff, and provided a forum for me for other side projects such as The Revolting Cocks, 1000 Homo DJS, PTP, Acid Horse. This was a very special time – we created a community of like-minded artists, and Jim and Dannie gave us the environment and platform we all needed to express ourselves – both collectively and individually. There was a lot of "Do It Yerself" going on – we booked, tour managed and produced our own shows, and we toured a lot to get our names out there. What is ironic about all of this is that Groovie Man and I are coming full circle THIS year, embarking on our 80-city US tour EviL DoER TouR 2004, with Ministry and Thrill Kill Kult, and Groovie Man is threatening to sing some RevCo songs with us! As well, we have a young industrial band, Hanzel und Gretyl, out on the road with us, and they remind me of myself back in the Waxtrax! Days, starting out.
Did you ever doubt yourself or think about giving up?
Never. I had a wife and small child to support, so I didn’t have time to think about “giving up.” That just wasn’t even an option.
What's the wackiest thing you ever did to try and get a gig or sell a record?
Well, I can’t think of something "wacky" I did to get a gig or sell a record, but when Warner Brothers pulled my tour support on one of my Ministry tours, I jerked off into a ziplock and overnighted it to our label rep at Warner and threatened to keep overnighting bodily fluids from either me or one of the band or crew members until I got my tour support back. I got it back. Our rep, Howie Klein, he and I are still good friends today, and actually I donate auction items for his activist organization – People For the American Way, which is an awesome watchdog organization.
What other ways do you express yourself creatively outside your music?
There’s really not a lot to my life that doesn’t revolve around music somehow. When I’m on the road, I’m usually writing music for the next Ministry project, or scheming for another musical collaboration for Revolting Cocks, or Lard (with Jello Biafra), and even my country side-project, Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters; or I am in the studio producing other artists or bands. Since getting and staying clean over two years ago, there hasn’t been much downtime, to say the least. That being said, I’ve aligned myself with certain political organizations, such as Punkvoter.com and Music for America, as well as People for the American way. Ministry contributed a track to the Rock Against Bush Compliation Vol 1 (“No W”), [and] we’re taking Punkvoter and Music for America out on the road with us to get young voters registered at each of our shows.
How much did others encourage you to express yourself at an early age?
I had a lot of mentors in my early teens, people who saw something in me, besides the juvenile delinquent I was. My first girlfriend, Shannon Riley, who is now a professor and PhD of performance art in California, high school hippie teachers in Colorado, fellow artists and musicians such as Groovie Man, and ultimately Jim and Dannie. Later on in life, after I established myself as an artist – I mean made a living at it - I was mentored by Tim Leary and William Burroughs, who encouraged and inspired me as an artist.
What is your community today, and how do you stay connected to it?
Basically my band, Mike Scaccia, John Monte, Mark Baker, Darrell James, and my new wife, who’s also my manager, my daughter, Adrienne, my best friend, Danny Wirtz and my pets – my three dogs, three cats and my Revolting Cocketiels, Buki and Sid. And then, all of the artists who work with us, like photographer Paul Elledge, documentarist Austin Rhodes and his wife, Caroline, Tony Rancich from Sonic Ranch, some of whom live close to us. So that is our community – a community of artists, fur and feathers. We stay connected because we’re all on the same godammned tour bus!
Do artists and musicians have a responsibility to be leaders in their communities?
I don’t think responsibility is the right word, because not every artist is extroverted. Many artists are not extroverted, and so for them, not being in the spotlight is a relief. I can only speak for myself in that I am very angered by what is going on politically in our country right now, especially with regard to our civil liberties, and the high unemployment rate and no health care, and massive profits being made by oil conglomerates off of the Iraqi war that is sending home a lot of young American men and women in coffins. I’m angry about it, and I utilize my forum as an artist to take action. Maybe I’m making some kind of difference, and maybe I’m speaking out for those who feel they have no voice or power of any kind, which isn’t true. As American citizens, we all have a voice and power, and that is the power of the democratic process, and the power of the vote. If I have the opportunity to shed light on injustice, then I take it.
Who do you aspire to be compared to?
Myself.
Who are you sick of being compared to?
Myself.
Do you think music can change the world?
I think music is a powerful medium on many levels. I don’t know if it can change the world, but I know that music changes lives, because there are certain artists whose music has changed mine in some shape or form through their songs – Gram Parsons, Buck Owens, Hank Williams (to name only a few). Music is an emotive language and it can reach people on deep, psychic levels. Change begins at home, with oneself.
Have your political views changed over the years?
Not really. I’m still the same beatnik, hippy, punk left-winger I’ve always been.
Describe one of your proudest moments as a musician/performer/artist.
Performing a sell-out concert at The Fillmore West in San Fran on the Ministry FornicaTour last year, the evening of the day protesters closed down San Fran protesting the war in Iraq 2003. Given the history of The Fillmore and the great artist/activists who had performed there during the 60s, the energy of our fans that night, celebrating what they had accomplished that day with Ministry. It was truly electric, and I was very proud to be an American band that day!
Rykodisc is reissuing 7 CDs and 1 DVD of classic material from Ministry, Thrill Kill Kult and other Al Jourgenson/Waxtrax! projects. Follow the links below to preview tracks:
Ministry
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
The Revolting Cocks
How did you promote yourself and your music when you were first starting out?
After collaborating with Groovie Man (from Thrill Kill Kult), he and I started a band called Special Affect in Chicago in 1979, which launched both my career with Ministry and his career with Thrill Kill Kult. And after a disasterous "major label," I hooked up with Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher of Waxtrax! Records in Chicago, worked at their record store, played the music I was writing to them, and from there it is basically history. They started the Waxtrax! Label, which allowed me to produce and write my own stuff, and provided a forum for me for other side projects such as The Revolting Cocks, 1000 Homo DJS, PTP, Acid Horse. This was a very special time – we created a community of like-minded artists, and Jim and Dannie gave us the environment and platform we all needed to express ourselves – both collectively and individually. There was a lot of "Do It Yerself" going on – we booked, tour managed and produced our own shows, and we toured a lot to get our names out there. What is ironic about all of this is that Groovie Man and I are coming full circle THIS year, embarking on our 80-city US tour EviL DoER TouR 2004, with Ministry and Thrill Kill Kult, and Groovie Man is threatening to sing some RevCo songs with us! As well, we have a young industrial band, Hanzel und Gretyl, out on the road with us, and they remind me of myself back in the Waxtrax! Days, starting out.
Did you ever doubt yourself or think about giving up?
Never. I had a wife and small child to support, so I didn’t have time to think about “giving up.” That just wasn’t even an option.
What's the wackiest thing you ever did to try and get a gig or sell a record?
Well, I can’t think of something "wacky" I did to get a gig or sell a record, but when Warner Brothers pulled my tour support on one of my Ministry tours, I jerked off into a ziplock and overnighted it to our label rep at Warner and threatened to keep overnighting bodily fluids from either me or one of the band or crew members until I got my tour support back. I got it back. Our rep, Howie Klein, he and I are still good friends today, and actually I donate auction items for his activist organization – People For the American Way, which is an awesome watchdog organization.
What other ways do you express yourself creatively outside your music?
There’s really not a lot to my life that doesn’t revolve around music somehow. When I’m on the road, I’m usually writing music for the next Ministry project, or scheming for another musical collaboration for Revolting Cocks, or Lard (with Jello Biafra), and even my country side-project, Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters; or I am in the studio producing other artists or bands. Since getting and staying clean over two years ago, there hasn’t been much downtime, to say the least. That being said, I’ve aligned myself with certain political organizations, such as Punkvoter.com and Music for America, as well as People for the American way. Ministry contributed a track to the Rock Against Bush Compliation Vol 1 (“No W”), [and] we’re taking Punkvoter and Music for America out on the road with us to get young voters registered at each of our shows.
How much did others encourage you to express yourself at an early age?
I had a lot of mentors in my early teens, people who saw something in me, besides the juvenile delinquent I was. My first girlfriend, Shannon Riley, who is now a professor and PhD of performance art in California, high school hippie teachers in Colorado, fellow artists and musicians such as Groovie Man, and ultimately Jim and Dannie. Later on in life, after I established myself as an artist – I mean made a living at it - I was mentored by Tim Leary and William Burroughs, who encouraged and inspired me as an artist.
What is your community today, and how do you stay connected to it?
Basically my band, Mike Scaccia, John Monte, Mark Baker, Darrell James, and my new wife, who’s also my manager, my daughter, Adrienne, my best friend, Danny Wirtz and my pets – my three dogs, three cats and my Revolting Cocketiels, Buki and Sid. And then, all of the artists who work with us, like photographer Paul Elledge, documentarist Austin Rhodes and his wife, Caroline, Tony Rancich from Sonic Ranch, some of whom live close to us. So that is our community – a community of artists, fur and feathers. We stay connected because we’re all on the same godammned tour bus!
Do artists and musicians have a responsibility to be leaders in their communities?
I don’t think responsibility is the right word, because not every artist is extroverted. Many artists are not extroverted, and so for them, not being in the spotlight is a relief. I can only speak for myself in that I am very angered by what is going on politically in our country right now, especially with regard to our civil liberties, and the high unemployment rate and no health care, and massive profits being made by oil conglomerates off of the Iraqi war that is sending home a lot of young American men and women in coffins. I’m angry about it, and I utilize my forum as an artist to take action. Maybe I’m making some kind of difference, and maybe I’m speaking out for those who feel they have no voice or power of any kind, which isn’t true. As American citizens, we all have a voice and power, and that is the power of the democratic process, and the power of the vote. If I have the opportunity to shed light on injustice, then I take it.
Who do you aspire to be compared to?
Myself.
Who are you sick of being compared to?
Myself.
Do you think music can change the world?
I think music is a powerful medium on many levels. I don’t know if it can change the world, but I know that music changes lives, because there are certain artists whose music has changed mine in some shape or form through their songs – Gram Parsons, Buck Owens, Hank Williams (to name only a few). Music is an emotive language and it can reach people on deep, psychic levels. Change begins at home, with oneself.
Have your political views changed over the years?
Not really. I’m still the same beatnik, hippy, punk left-winger I’ve always been.
Describe one of your proudest moments as a musician/performer/artist.
Performing a sell-out concert at The Fillmore West in San Fran on the Ministry FornicaTour last year, the evening of the day protesters closed down San Fran protesting the war in Iraq 2003. Given the history of The Fillmore and the great artist/activists who had performed there during the 60s, the energy of our fans that night, celebrating what they had accomplished that day with Ministry. It was truly electric, and I was very proud to be an American band that day!
Rykodisc is reissuing 7 CDs and 1 DVD of classic material from Ministry, Thrill Kill Kult and other Al Jourgenson/Waxtrax! projects. Follow the links below to preview tracks:
Ministry
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
The Revolting Cocks
Ministry All Music Guide Biography
Until Nine Inch Nails crossed over to the mainstream, Ministry did more than any other band to popularize industrial dance music, injecting large doses of punky, over-the-top aggression and roaring heavy metal guitar riffs that helped their music find favor with metal and alternative audiences outside of industrial's cult fan base. That's not to say Ministry had a commercial or generally accessible sound: they were unremittingly intense, abrasive, pounding, and repetitive, and not always guitar-oriented (samples, synthesizers, and tape effects were a primary focus just as often as guitars and distorted vocals). However, both live and in the studio, they achieved a huge, crushing sound that put most of their contemporaries in aggressive musical genres to shame; plus, founder and frontman Al Jourgensen gave the group a greater aura of style and theater than other industrial bands, who seemed rather faceless when compared with Jourgensen's leather-clad cowboy/biker look and the edgy shock tactics of such videos as "N.W.O." and "Just One Fix." After 1992's Psalm 69, which represented the peak of their popularity, Ministry's recorded output dwindled, partially because of myriad side projects and partially due to heroin abuse within the band, but the band continued to resurface through the rest of the decade.
Ministry were formed in 1981 by Alain Jourgensen (born October 8, 1958, Havana, Cuba); he had moved to the U.S. with his mother while very young and lived in a succession of cities, eventually working as a radio DJ and joining a new wave band called Special Affect (fronted by future My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult leader Frankie Nardiello, aka Groovie Mann). Featuring drummer Stephen George, Ministry debuted with the Wax Trax! single "Cold Life," which -- typical of their early output -- was more in the synth pop/dance style of new wavers like the Human League or Thompson Twins. The album With Sympathy appeared on the major label Arista in 1983 and followed a similar musical direction, one that Jourgensen was dissatisfied with; he returned to Wax Trax! and recorded several singles while rethinking the band's style and forming his notorious side project the Revolting Cocks.
In 1985, with Jourgensen the only official member of Ministry, the Adrian Sherwood-produced Twitch was released by Sire Records; while not as aggressive as the group's later, more popular material, it found Jourgensen taking definite steps in that direction. Following a 1987 single with Skinny Puppy's Kevin Ogilvie (aka Nivek Ogre) as PTP, Jourgensen once again revamped Ministry, with former Blackouts bassist Paul Barker officially joining the lineup to complement Jourgensen's rediscovery of the guitar; fellow ex-Blackouts William Rieflin (drums) and Mike Scaccia (guitar), as well as vocalist Chris Connelly, were heavily showcased as collaborators for the first of several times on 1988's The Land of Rape and Honey. With Jourgensen and Barker credited as Hypo Luxa and Hermes Pan, respectively, this album proved to be Ministry's stylistic breakthrough, a taut, explosive fusion of heavy metal, industrial dance beats and samples, and punk aggression. Released in 1989, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste built on its predecessor's artistic success, and In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up was recorded on its supporting tour, introducing other frequent Ministry contributors like drummer Martin Atkins (later of Pigface) and guitarist William Tucker (as well as featuring a guest shot from Jello Biafra). Jourgensen next embarked on a flurry of side projects, including the aforementioned Revolting Cocks (with Barker, Barker's brother Roland, Front 242 members Luc Van Acker and Richard 23, and many more), 1000 Homo DJs (with Biafra, Rieflin, and Trent Reznor), Acid Horse, Pailhead (with Ian MacKaye), and Lard (again with Biafra, Paul Barker, Rieflin, and drummer Jeff Ward).
In late 1991, Ministry issued the single "Jesus Built My Hotrod," a driving rocker featuring manic nonsense vocals by co-writer Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers; its exposure on MTV helped build anticipation for the following year's full-length Psalm 69 (subtitled The Way to Succeed & the Way to Suck Eggs, although the only title that appears on the album consists of a few Greek letters and symbols). The record reached the Top 30 and went platinum, producing two further MTV hits with "N.W.O." and "Just One Fix," and Ministry consolidated their following with a spot on the inaugural Lollapalooza tour that summer (joined by new guitarist Louis Svitek). However, drug and legal problems sidelined the band in the wake of its newfound popularity, resulting in the clouded Filth Pig being released in 1995, too late to capitalize on their prior success. More problems with drugs and arrests followed, and Jourgensen returned to some of his side projects, recording a new album with Lard, among others. In 1999, the new single "Bad Blood" was featured prominently in the sci-fi special-effects blockbuster film The Matrix, setting the stage for the release of Dark Side of the Spoon (the title a reference to the band's heroin problems) later that summer. Guitarist William Tucker committed suicide in May 1999.
Ministry were nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for "Bad Blood," but they lost to Black Sabbath and were dropped from Warner Bros. around the same time. They were also added to the Ozzfest tour, but they were kicked off before it even began because of a management change. To compound their sorrows, Ipecac Records announced three live albums to be released with material from the Psalm 69 tour being the main focus, but they only had a verbal agreement and when Warner Bros. caught wind of the project, they stamped it out despite already having the CDs ready for printing. In 2001, Ministry filmed a scene for Steven Spielberg's A.I. and released their contribution to the film on a greatest-hits album, appropriately titled Greatest Fits. The song received a decent amount of promotion, but the single went nowhere and the band signed to Sanctuary Records later in the year. While recording new material, they released the Sphinctour album and DVD in the spring of 2002 to satisfy rabid fans who were disappointed by the Ipecac situation. The next spring Animositisomina was released, advertised as a return to the Psalm 69 style of songwriting and featuring a cover of Magazine's "The Light Pours Out of Me." Houses of the Molé followed in June 2004.
In September 2005 Ministry celebrated their 25th anniversary with Rantology. Jourgensen remixed such past hits as "Jesus Built My Hotrod" and "N.W.O. for the set; it also included live material, rarities, and the new track "Great Satan." An extensive tour with Revolting Cocks in tow followed. The band then released Rio Grande Blood in May 2006, the second installment in what Jourgensen promised to be a George W. Bush-hating trilogy (which began with Houses of the Molé); the album earned Ministry another Grammy nomination (Best Metal Performance) for "Lies, Lies, Lies." In 2007 the bandmembers announced they would be releasing their "final" album, The Last Sucker, by the end of the year. The 2008 compilation Cover Up examined Ministry's long history of destroying other artists' tunes. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Ministry were formed in 1981 by Alain Jourgensen (born October 8, 1958, Havana, Cuba); he had moved to the U.S. with his mother while very young and lived in a succession of cities, eventually working as a radio DJ and joining a new wave band called Special Affect (fronted by future My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult leader Frankie Nardiello, aka Groovie Mann). Featuring drummer Stephen George, Ministry debuted with the Wax Trax! single "Cold Life," which -- typical of their early output -- was more in the synth pop/dance style of new wavers like the Human League or Thompson Twins. The album With Sympathy appeared on the major label Arista in 1983 and followed a similar musical direction, one that Jourgensen was dissatisfied with; he returned to Wax Trax! and recorded several singles while rethinking the band's style and forming his notorious side project the Revolting Cocks.
In 1985, with Jourgensen the only official member of Ministry, the Adrian Sherwood-produced Twitch was released by Sire Records; while not as aggressive as the group's later, more popular material, it found Jourgensen taking definite steps in that direction. Following a 1987 single with Skinny Puppy's Kevin Ogilvie (aka Nivek Ogre) as PTP, Jourgensen once again revamped Ministry, with former Blackouts bassist Paul Barker officially joining the lineup to complement Jourgensen's rediscovery of the guitar; fellow ex-Blackouts William Rieflin (drums) and Mike Scaccia (guitar), as well as vocalist Chris Connelly, were heavily showcased as collaborators for the first of several times on 1988's The Land of Rape and Honey. With Jourgensen and Barker credited as Hypo Luxa and Hermes Pan, respectively, this album proved to be Ministry's stylistic breakthrough, a taut, explosive fusion of heavy metal, industrial dance beats and samples, and punk aggression. Released in 1989, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste built on its predecessor's artistic success, and In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up was recorded on its supporting tour, introducing other frequent Ministry contributors like drummer Martin Atkins (later of Pigface) and guitarist William Tucker (as well as featuring a guest shot from Jello Biafra). Jourgensen next embarked on a flurry of side projects, including the aforementioned Revolting Cocks (with Barker, Barker's brother Roland, Front 242 members Luc Van Acker and Richard 23, and many more), 1000 Homo DJs (with Biafra, Rieflin, and Trent Reznor), Acid Horse, Pailhead (with Ian MacKaye), and Lard (again with Biafra, Paul Barker, Rieflin, and drummer Jeff Ward).
In late 1991, Ministry issued the single "Jesus Built My Hotrod," a driving rocker featuring manic nonsense vocals by co-writer Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers; its exposure on MTV helped build anticipation for the following year's full-length Psalm 69 (subtitled The Way to Succeed & the Way to Suck Eggs, although the only title that appears on the album consists of a few Greek letters and symbols). The record reached the Top 30 and went platinum, producing two further MTV hits with "N.W.O." and "Just One Fix," and Ministry consolidated their following with a spot on the inaugural Lollapalooza tour that summer (joined by new guitarist Louis Svitek). However, drug and legal problems sidelined the band in the wake of its newfound popularity, resulting in the clouded Filth Pig being released in 1995, too late to capitalize on their prior success. More problems with drugs and arrests followed, and Jourgensen returned to some of his side projects, recording a new album with Lard, among others. In 1999, the new single "Bad Blood" was featured prominently in the sci-fi special-effects blockbuster film The Matrix, setting the stage for the release of Dark Side of the Spoon (the title a reference to the band's heroin problems) later that summer. Guitarist William Tucker committed suicide in May 1999.
Ministry were nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for "Bad Blood," but they lost to Black Sabbath and were dropped from Warner Bros. around the same time. They were also added to the Ozzfest tour, but they were kicked off before it even began because of a management change. To compound their sorrows, Ipecac Records announced three live albums to be released with material from the Psalm 69 tour being the main focus, but they only had a verbal agreement and when Warner Bros. caught wind of the project, they stamped it out despite already having the CDs ready for printing. In 2001, Ministry filmed a scene for Steven Spielberg's A.I. and released their contribution to the film on a greatest-hits album, appropriately titled Greatest Fits. The song received a decent amount of promotion, but the single went nowhere and the band signed to Sanctuary Records later in the year. While recording new material, they released the Sphinctour album and DVD in the spring of 2002 to satisfy rabid fans who were disappointed by the Ipecac situation. The next spring Animositisomina was released, advertised as a return to the Psalm 69 style of songwriting and featuring a cover of Magazine's "The Light Pours Out of Me." Houses of the Molé followed in June 2004.
In September 2005 Ministry celebrated their 25th anniversary with Rantology. Jourgensen remixed such past hits as "Jesus Built My Hotrod" and "N.W.O. for the set; it also included live material, rarities, and the new track "Great Satan." An extensive tour with Revolting Cocks in tow followed. The band then released Rio Grande Blood in May 2006, the second installment in what Jourgensen promised to be a George W. Bush-hating trilogy (which began with Houses of the Molé); the album earned Ministry another Grammy nomination (Best Metal Performance) for "Lies, Lies, Lies." In 2007 the bandmembers announced they would be releasing their "final" album, The Last Sucker, by the end of the year. The 2008 compilation Cover Up examined Ministry's long history of destroying other artists' tunes. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Buy
Log In