11/26/06
Dan-Zig
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"Plan 9 sounds better live than the Misfits ever did!" These are the words of Glenn Danzig when he described Plan 9. Plan 9 started as a one off rockabilly tribute to the Misfits. If after your first show, members of Metallica and Faith No More are impressed you have to be something fantastic. I got the chance to talk to Scary Only (or maybe you have heard of his alter ego, Barry, lead singer of the long running U.S. psychobilly band the Hellbillys) about Plan 9 and what the future holds for them.
Do you have requests for certain Misfits songs that you don’t play?
We get requests for just about every Misfits song. We try to play all the hits from the Danzig era 'Fits.
How influenced were you by the Misfits?
I remember going to see them at the On Broadway in San Francisco not knowing a lot about them, I would say that was 82' or 83' and when they hit the stage it was religious. I mean it is like seeing Star Wars when it came out. Nothing like them before. They changed my musical spectrum from what I listened to before that night.
Earlier this year I went to what was supposed to be a Plan 9 headlining show at the Showcase in Corona. It was cut short by some “technical” problems. What exactly happened that night?
I don’t know why, but every time we play there the shows were fucked up for some reason or another. I love the club and everyone that works there, but that place is cursed. What happened was a power surge blew my amp out then our guitar player's amp started acting weird and blew right after mine did. What the fuck are the chances of both blowing up on the same show??
Plan 9 had some great opportunities around Labor Day this year. You played the Hollywood Showdown this year on the small stage on one day and the next day the Hellbillys were supposed to play the main stage, but that didn’t work out so Plan 9 played the main stage instead. Did you notice a different reaction in the crowds at either show when it came to the main stage vs. the side stage at the Knitting Factory?
I liked the small stage that weekend cuz people are right in your face and you can interact with them. I love playing the big stage best though.
How big of an Os Catalepticos fan are you? What was it like playing with them for their final appearance at the Showdown?
I love them. We have played with them a few times now. Always a great show and a shame they broke up.
You had another great opportunity when it came to endorsements so I heard. Is it true that you are being sponsored by Coffin Case now and if so when and where can we expect to see ads with you as Scary in them? How about the drummer, Mad Mike Ghoul? Did his endorsement come through?
I don’t know about doing ads for CC. But they endorsed us and hooked us up with much needed stuff. Thrust drums endorsed our drummer and I am not sure what happened with that.
Labor Day weekend must have been something else. A few days later you played in Pomona at the Glass House with Sick Sick Sinners, which is two members of Os Catalepticos’ new band? What did you think of Sick Sick Sinners as opposed to Os Catalepticos.
I liked them. They were a lot like OS, but different. I hope to play a gig with them again.
I was at that show and it was amazing. I really enjoyed Sick Sick Sinners and was front row singing with Plan 9. Now you had a different singer other than Baron Blood, who couldn’t make it, for the Showdown and at the Glass House. How did you go about finding him?
I knew of Joe from My Space and I e-mailed him and called him on the phone and we hooked up with him and it all worked out fine. We were grateful for his help.
He brought a lot of energy to the show, not that Baron Blood doesn’t, he was a great fill in, did you have to coach him in any type of particular “Misfits type” stage presence or did he handle that on his own?
Joe did it all on his own. The only thing I told him is to watch out for the pointed end of my bass. He did a great job and those were some of the most fun shows we played.
Was he already familiar with all the material or did he have to learn some of it?
He had to learn our originals. He knew all the Misfits stuff already.
You mentioned MySpace. How effective do you think MySpace is to the band?
MySpace has been great for us and I think other bands as well.
Plan 9 really isn’t just a Misfits tribute band. You have a CD of original “death rock”, which is fantastic. Where do you see Plan 9 going from here? Does the focus stay strictly a tribute band or are you trying to incorporate more of your original songs into the set list? How do the fans take to that? Do they want to hear original songs or do they go for the Misfits songs?
We kinda want to do what Balzac in Japan did. Start out as a tribute band and we want to start incorporating more and more originals in our set and see where it naturally goes.
I have a Gilman edition of 8 Hits from Hell, with a blue cover. How does this differ from the regular edition that is on Pure and Proud records? It is something that I bought from the band a while ago and I didn’t know that there were different editions.
The blue ones are the very first pressed when we thought the Pure and Proud deal may fall through. I saw one of the blue ones go on eBay for $75.00.
The props that Plan 9 uses...are they made or bought? If they are made who makes them?
I make all the props and some of the stuff we wear as well.
Obviously you are in the Hellbillys. What do the other band members do when Plan 9 isn't playing together?
Baron Blood manages a motorcycle shop called GodSpeed in Oakland and Wulfenstien and Mike Ghoul have a side band called Vitus Mortus.
When can we expect to hear new original music from Plan 9?
We should have the new plan 9 CD " Manmade Monster" out in early spring.