MC: Online sources state that you were in-spired by KISS’ image and the idea of having a complete package, a performance show as well as music. Were you a costumed band from the very beginning?
Biersack: I suppose. We don’t sit down and think, “Okay, we’re going to wear makeup as a gimmick.” The bands that we knew when we were growing up––KISS, Orphen, early Motley Crue, Church, Wasp––that’s just the way that they look, and that was what we saw a band to be. From the time I was three to the time I was seven, I thought that the only music that existed was KISS. So for me, a band just looked that way.
In terms of being theatrical or having an image onstage, that’s something I’ve always been interested in. There’s certainly a stigma that goes along with that, but we’ve never paid attention to it. The choice of whether or not to wear makeup doesn’t necessarily denote credibility. We put on the show we put on and look the way that we do because we enjoy it, and we know that our audience enjoys it. It’s not to try and put on a false or affected look, it’s just how we think a band should look.
MC: Do you incorporate pyrotechnics?
Biersack: As the band grows, and as we can afford to do things, our stage show is growing. As we become more successful, the scale incrementally increases. Ultimately we want to have a huge stage show, and I think it will get to that point very soon. Right now we do what we can. We rely heavily on the performance.
As much as I look up to KISS, what they have currently is a bunch of stuff blowing up behind them and a group of guys who are honestly geriatric and can’t really move anymore. God bless them, they’re still performing, and it’s great for me because as a kid I still got to see them, but they are definitely not young cats anymore.
When it comes to us and what we do, we may not have the pyrotechnics and stuff blowing up, but we try to rely heavily on raw energy to put on the best show.
MC: You talked about doing as much as you could afford. Obviously, before getting signed, you were paying for your visual effects such as special clothing and paint independently. How much did it eat into your budget?
Biersack: It was all about being resourceful and making stuff. We make almost everything that we wear onstage. It doesn’t come pre-made, and we don’t really care to talk to a designer. We’ve always been very artistic in the sense of being able to design things for ourselves. It’s mainly leather jackets, leather pants, and a whole lot of makeup. We always push to put the money back into the show.
In our early days, what little money we were making we would sink back into the show because that’s what will ultimately garner more success: devotion to performance.
MC: Ever had any wardrobe malfunctions? Has the paint ever melted off onstage?
Biersack: Certainly. The paint that we wear is meant to sort of sweat off. We see it as war paint. I think it’s weird to look pristine onstage. There’s never been much of an issue because we don’t wear really elaborate costumes. Then again, you have the times where a fan will rip your pants off, especially in our club days when we were so close to the audience. I’ve had all my clothes ripped off onstage, with nothing but my hand covering my genitals…
MC: Was that the craziest moment ever?
Biersack: It ranks right up there in terms of weird moments… My tour manager had to carry me out of the audience stark naked.
MC: Have you had any backlash from fans over signing to a corporate label?
Biersack: Not really. We don’t subscribe to the idea that it’s necessary to be on an indie label to be credible. It seems rather counterproductive to say that we would like no one to hear our message, which is that is okay for people to be rebellious, to find themselves and stand up for themselves. I think anyone would want to spread their message to as broad of an audience as possible, and it seems like a necessity to be on a major label for that to happen. I think our fans are insightful enough to understand that.
MC: What inspires you the most?
Biersack: More than anything, it is the idea of finding who you are. Maybe you see something that’s wrong, and you rebel against it. It’s just viewing life as it is and being able to make my own path. The fact that we have such a devoted fan base is also incredibly inspiring.
MC: Is there any final message you would like to add?
Biersack: I’m just stoked for this record to come out, and more than anything I’m happy to continue to play for our fans and set the world on fire.
Contact kevinc@pfamedia.net
By Sarah Whited
