An Interview with Richard Christy
Interviewed by JG Faherty
Richard Christy is known to millions of fans as a drummer extraordinaire in the heavy/death/progressive dark metal categories for his work with Death, Iced Earth, Leash Law, Acheron, and his latest band, Charred Walls of the Damned. But there’s a lot more to him than just providing people with music to bang their heads (and write) to. He is also a huge fan of the horror genre, not just music but films and books as well. He has written and starred in movies, is an avid reader of novels, is something of an expert on the horror movies of the ’70s and ’80s, and writes some very dark lyrics.
JG: Richard, thank you for letting me interview you for the HWA’s newsletter.
RC: Thank you so much, JG, it’s always a pleasure to talk horror!
JG: Okay, so let’s get started. When did you first begin getting into watching/reading horror?
RC: Well, my parents were super cool when I was young about letting me watch whatever I wanted. I remember us all watching John Carpenter‘s THE FOG on TV when I was about seven years old and it scared the hell out of me, but I loved it! One of my fondest memories is my parents taking me to the Fort Scott, Kansas, Drive-In in 1982 to see Carpenter’s THE THING. The creatures in the film blew my mind and I knew from that day on that I would always be a horror fan. I also remember my mom waking me up on a school night at 3:30 a.m. to see Lucio Fulci‘s GATES OF HELL on cable TV in the early ’80s because they would only play it super late at night! My mom knew I would love the movie so she woke me up to see it!
JG: Very cool! On your Web site, http://www.richardchristy.com, you list your Top 21 horror movies. A large majority of them are what we would call “classics” from the ’70s and ’80s–a period I believe contains some of the greatest horror films of all time, outside of the 1930s and ’40s Universal films. What is it about movies from that era that you love so much–were the movies better then, or is it simply because those were the films you grew up with?
RC: I think it’s a bit of both. People always yearn for those innocent days when they would watch a horror film and be scared out of their wits. I wish I could get that feeling of fear that I had the first time I watched John Carpenter‘s HALLOWEEN when I was eight years old. When you’re an adult you become more afraid of real life terrors, although for someone like me it doesn’t make me stop watching horror films. I also prefer practical special effects to computer effects; they just look so much better. The special effects of THE EXORCIST and THE THING are better than any computer effects that have been done in the last ten years.
JG: Yes. I agree totally with that. CGI is ruining horror, for me anyhow. Now, you’ve mentioned THE FOG, THE THING, and HALLOWEEN, and I did notice that they’re your Top 3 on your list. What is it about John Carpenter you particularly like?
RC: EVERYTHING! He is an absolute genius. His writing, directing, and most importantly, his composing, to me is perfect. I love the pacing of his films, the look of his films (I’m also a huge Dean Cundey fan, Carpenter’s director of photography on those films, the guy who gets that beautiful blue look), and I also grew up with those three films so they hold a special place in my heart. I’m also a fan of John Carpenter in his interviews; he seems like a straight-shooter and just an all-around down-to-earth guy who I’d love to have a beer with one day (which would be a dream come true). I always tell people that John Carpenter is my single greatest musical influence. The HALLOWEEN theme is the most brilliant piece of music ever written, in my opinion.
JG: Since I head the HWA’s Literacy Program, I have to mention that it’s upsetting to see you don’t have any lists of your favorite horror novels or stories, even though you’re a big fan of written horror as well. Could you give us your Top Horror Books, and tell us why they’re your favorites?
RC: That’s a good point! I really need to get around to making that list! For now I’ll give it here. First off, I’m a big fan of yours, JG! If I had to pick one favorite horror novel it would be Stephen King‘s IT. I LOVE monsters, and I think IT is the greatest monster novel ever. I pretty much love everything King has ever written. I just finished Under The Dome, and it is brilliant. I’m also a big fan of Brian Keene, and I’m actually a character in his novel Castaways! I LOVE his novel Ghost Walk because it’s about a Halloween haunted attraction so I can totally relate to it because I love haunted attractions.
JG: Why do you think horror plays such an important role in our society? Almost everyone watches or reads it, even the ones who say they don’t. Yet so many won’t admit they enjoy it.
RC: I think it’s a great escape for people. There are many real life horrors and to watch something as extreme as zombies, monsters, or vampires in horror films takes us away for a while so we can watch something that is so unbelievably horrific that it makes us forget for a short time how horrific real life can be.
JG: You formed your dark metal group Charred Walls of the Damned in 2009 and you’ve put out two albums–which I heartily recommend to all metal fans out there; they’re superb–Charred Walls of the Damned and Cold Winds on Timeless Days. For both of these, you wrote all the lyrics and music, which is something new for you; previously, you’d only done a little songwriting with Leash Law back in 2004. What happened in those intervening five years? Your songwriting is very polished; had you previously written lyrics but not brought them to the bands you were in, or was this something you just suddenly felt an urge to do?
RC: Thank you so much for the kind words about Charred Walls of the Damned! During those five years I joined THE HOWARD STERN SHOW so I didn’t have as much time for music, although I kept writing music and lyrics. I spent a few years working on the debut of Charred Walls so during that period a lot of time was spent building up to our debut album. I wrote lyrics and music for my band Burning Inside in Florida so I had a little bit of experience in writing music and lyrics before Charred Walls of the Damned, but most of my time in music was spent practicing the drums. Luckily I learned a lot from the bands Death and Iced Earth, specifically their songwriters Chuck Schuldiner and Jon Schaffer, so that definitely helped me in the songwriting department.
JG: With CWOTD, your lyrics and song titles at first glance could be construed as very dark, with a lot of references to violence and death and demons. But when you look closer, many of the songs have a positive outlook or ending despite the grave, almost gothic stylings. This is similar to a lot of horror movies and novels, where good often wins at the end, but it’s a struggle. Is that something you set out to do, or did the ideas just kind of emerge that way?
RC: I’m a pretty positive person, and I like to think positive because life is so short and I don’t want to go through life worrying about things and being bummed out so I think that comes across in my lyrics. I like to think that maybe someone would listen to my lyrics and take away something that makes them happy or helps inspire them in life. Music has been such a positive aspect of my life that I want to write about the positive aspects of metal music and also things in my life that I love like horror films and drumming.
JG: Let’s switch gears for a moment. You’re not only a big fan of horror movies, but you’ve also acted and directed in some low- and medium-budget films. In fact, you’ve got two in post-production right now, UNRAVELED and JERSEY SHORE MASSACRE. How much of a thrill is it to appear in a movie?
RC: I love it! I’ve been a horror fan since I was a little kid, and I love acting, and it’s so fun to do it and then wait to see the final product. A huge thrill for me was being directed by Michael Rooker from HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER and THE WALKING DEAD in the film PENNHURST, which I hope will be out soon. I got to play a castration doctor and we filmed in an abandoned hospital which is supposedly haunted so I’m super excited to see the finished product.
** Note: PENHURST was released in the UK in 2012 but not yet in the U.S. **
JG: A while back, you did a short movie called EVIL NED III, which was based on your earlier, even shorter film EVIL NED II. (There was no EVIL NED I, folks!) This is a combination zombie-monster-superhero horror/comedy that, in your own words, really has no redeeming qualities other than being entertaining because it’s so bad. But it’s the name that draws immediate attention. If you had the chance, would you want Bruce Campbell to watch it?
RC: Yes, I would love for Bruce Campbell to watch it, although I’d be curious if he could get through more than five minutes of it! After the hog ball scene people usually find that they have something better to do, ha ha! The film has nothing to do with EVIL DEAD other than the tribute in the title. EVIL DEAD is about a billion times better than EVIL NED, but if someone out there wants to see a beer-drinking, cursing monster who tries to take over the world with an army of ducks, then I recommend you check out EVIL NED 3 on YouTube!
JG: Your sense of humor comes out a lot in your film work, but rarely in your music (other than one of your first high school bands being named Bung Dizeez, or the song parodies you’ve written). Why do you think this is?
RC: I wanted Charred Walls of the Damned to be a straightforward, serious metal band. I’ve done silly songs with Jason Suecof, the guitar player from Charred Walls, like in Crotchduster and in my cartoon MAJESTIC LOINCLOTH, but I wanted Charred Walls to be a serious metal band that people could just bang their head to. I take drumming and metal very seriously, so I wanted that to come across in my band.
JG: Do you have plans to write/star in/compose for any films in the future?
RC: Yes, definitely! I’m currently writing the soundtrack for an amazing event in Van Cortlandt Manor, New York, called The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze. It’s an event that I’ve been going to for years where they have thousands of carved pumpkins on display and I’ve written many pieces of music to interact with the displays as you walk through the event. I highly suggest you check it out if you love Halloween like I do. The soundtrack is also available on CD. Last year’s soundtrack is available on the Web site for the event, and I’m writing a brand new CD for this year’s event. I’m a huge fan of John Carpenter‘s soundtracks, and you can definitely hear his influence in my music for the event. As for movies, I’m in the upcoming film JERSEY SHORE MASSACRE, and I’m also in talks to be in a few other upcoming horror movies as well!
(Note: The 2012 BLAZE soundtrack is available here: http://tinyurl.com/Christy-Blaze)
JG: What current film or TV producer/director would you most want to do a project with, and why?
RC: Working with John Carpenter would be my absolute dream come true!!! There are also so many others, too many to list, like George Romero, Sam Raimi, John Landis, etc.
JG: Besides appearing in movies, you’ve also had the distinct honor of being a character in a novel–specifically, Castaways by Brian Keene. That had to be exciting. How did that come about?
RC: That was such an honor! I’m a HUGE Brian Keene fan. I’ve read almost all of his novels, and we became friends through E-mail because he listens to THE HOWARD STERN SHOW. And when he asked if Sal and me would like to be characters in one of his books, we said, “Hell, yeah!” I LOVE the novel Castaways, and it’s so amazingly cool to be a part of that book!
JG: Recently, you got to meet Stephen King. What was better, meeting the King of horror or being a character in a novel?
RC: I can’t choose because they both were really a dream come true. I was so nervous meeting Stephen King that I really couldn’t even talk. I just said I’m a huge fan and took a picture and that was pretty much it. He high-fived me when he saw that I was wearing a CREEPSHOW shirt, which was incredible! I’m sure I looked like a dork wearing a CREEPSHOW tee when I knew I was going to meet one of my idols but he seemed to appreciate it. King has been such a huge part of my life since I was a child that it really was unreal for me to be able to meet him.
JG: I’m going to quote some snippets of lyrics from some of your songs now, as a prelude to my next question:
A desolate silence, death’s in the air
Surrounded by pain, a terrified stare
From the dark eyes of hell, a sky black and gray
No hope for life
No hope for today
This ghost town stands
Overwhelmed by decay
(“Ghost Town”)
Every time I feel my life is lost
Rivers of anguish that you helped me cross
Every memory swimming in my mind
Of an unforsaken place and time
My life once so full of wrath
Walking on a dead end path
Holding onto words of hope
You came to save my soul
(“From the Abyss”)
Traces of Death coming from the skies
They’re destroying, so why can’t I?
I see the ashes of life float away
In my home I can no longer stay
Quickening their own mortality through foolish addictive needs
I want no part of this sickened wish,
From all around floats death’s gray mist
Ashes falling upon us, my body scarring me from inside
Ashes falling upon us, I will not let this die
(“Ashes Falling Upon Us”)
JG: Most writers will say that writing is a very personal occupation–we draw on our own experiences and fears and emotions to create the moods and themes and plots to our stories. Is writing song lyrics the same for you? And if so, what in your background has inspired songs like the ones you wrote for the two Charred Walls of the Damned albums?
RC: Yes, it’s the same for writing lyrics in my experience. The old saying is write what you know so I try to write about things I like and experiences I’ve lived. If I tried to write lyrics about deep sea diving I’m sure it would sound silly because I have no idea about that kind of thing and I’ve never lived it. So even when I write something with a fantasy/horror aspect to it, I try to base it around a reality that I’ve lived and experiences I’ve had.
JG: A lot of your songs have a poetic feel to them; do you ever think of yourself as a poet?
RC: Well, thank you! No, I’m way too redneck to ever be considered a poet, ha ha. I don’t think poets drink pumpkin beer and listen to Amon Amarth. I would be flattered if someone ever thought I was good enough to be considered a poet, but I’m just a regular guy who likes to write music and play metal.
JG: Other than song lyrics and movie scripts, have you tried your hand at any writing, such as poetry, short stories, or novels? If so, what happened to those projects?
RC: Yes, I’ve written a few scripts and a few short stories as well. I’m always writing something. I’m working on a script right now that I’m really excited about. I just need to find the time to fine-tune everything that I’ve written and then I’ll start shopping it all around. I have so many ideas but between work, home life, and my band it’s hard to find the time to finish all of the ideas I have.
You can follow Richard Christy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/richard.christy.75, Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/cwotd), and at his Web sites, http://www.richardchristy.com and http://www.charredwallsofthedamned.com.
