20 Questions With Moongoose McQueen, 10/24/00

 

20 QUESTIONS WITH…

Fozzy Singer Moongoose McQueen

Of all the 20 Questions we have done, this one is the most special to us because most of us at Metal Sludge grew up listening to bootleg copies of Fozzy and we never thought we’d have the chance to do 20 Questions with the legendary Moongoose McQueen! Moongoose doesn’t do a lot of interviews and we are extremely fortunate to get him to do 20 Questions. Think about it, if you had the choice of doing 20 Questions with Axl Rose, David Lee Roth, or Moongoose McQueen, most people would naturally pick Moongoose. That’s a given. He is indeed a metal icon and if Metal Sludge comes to an end tomorrow, that’ll be ok because how can we possible outdue this interview? So enjoy this exclusive interview with Bruce Dickinson’s worst nightmare, the true innovator of metal, Moongoose McQueen.

1.  What are you up to right now?  This is your only chance to plug your shit.On October 24 the world of every fan of heavy metal will change when Fozzy’s debut  release, FOZZY, is unleashed upon the world.  All of the jack off bands who have ripped off our ideas and songs will cower in fear at the sound of our songs being played the way they were meant to be played.  Also check out www.fozzyrock.com for more info.

2.  After being stuck in Japan for the last 20 years, returning to the States much have been shocking since a lot has changed since then.  What are your thoughts on the current music scene and the direction music is headed today?Similar to the year 1980, all of the current bands are a fad with no longevity whatsoever.  Just as Gary Numan, The O Jay’s, and Loverboy were huge then and nonexistent now, expect the same from Korn, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit twenty years from now.  I mean come on…Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water?  Very funny…if I was 6 years old!! 3.  How do you feel about Chris Jericho’s obession with your band?Chris Jerrycoe is a fake and a stalker.  We understand a fan’s need to be obsessed with us, many fans are, but this jackass has taken it way too far.  I mean the stealing, the harassing, the plastic surgery to look like me…enough is enough and there is a restraining order against this moron pending.

4.  What hard rock/heavy metal band should give it up and call it a day?Don’t get me started.  For a start, how about every band that has stolen one or more of our songs?  Iron Maiden, Judas Preist, Scorpions, Ozzy, all of the assholes who raped and plagiarized our material and made millions while I had a four year old Japanese kid sitting on my lap, wetting my Donaldo Makudonaldo suit, so I could make minimum wage yen!

5.  Fozzy has been ripped off by a variety of bands.  Out of all the bands that have done so, which one band pisses you off the most that they stole a Fozzy song?Most of the bands who stole our songs had hits with them, but the worst two were Keel’s horrible version of So Many Girls, So Little Time and Roxx Gang butchering Scratch My Back.  Both of those bands couldn’t even powder Moongoose’s behind with an expensive talcum.

6.  Are you bitter at all at Duke for not reading the contract you guys signed back in 1980?I lived 20 years of my life in a foreign land, destitute and unknown because my so called partner didn’t read the fine print.  What the hell do you think? 7.  Who is Arthur and why does he look like a pig?Arthur is a good friend of ours who suffers from a terrible disease known as Swinus.  Swinus causes the person’s head to resemble a pig. He’s an accomplished musician who studied at Juilliard and once auditioned for Dream Theater after Derek Sherinian left.  Due to his new found fame, he’s currently fielding modeling offers. 8.   Why do you think the songs “Feel The Burn”, and “End Of Days” weren’t ripped off by another rock band like your other songs were?  Also, who wrote the lyrics for those songs?End Of Days and Feel The Burn are new songs that other bands haven’t had the chance to rip off yet.  Give the bastards time, I’m sure they’ll turn up on Ozzy’s next solo album…

9.  Of all the bands that Fozzy played with in Japan, who treated you guys the best and the worst?Fozzy never played with other bands, they always played with us.  We headlined every show we played over there.  We always enjoyed giving young bands a chance and groups like Scimitar, Great Caesar’s Ghost, Aardshokk, The BTWF Orchestra, Three Lock Boxx, Bon Jovi, Pratfall Jane and Mr Filthy enjoyed total obscurity after performing with us.  They couldn’t best opening for us and were forced to give up soon after. 

10.  A lot of people don’t know this, but you guys are somewhat responsible for the US grunge movement as well.  Can you please tell us a little bit on how that happened?In the fall of 1990, I had a bad cold and became depressed.  All of my songs at the time were boring and my singing was monotone.  I called it Overcast Rock.  Well, the tapes made it across the sea and ended up in Seattle.  Thankfully, my depression disappeared after a few months, but Grunge lasted for almost ten years…UGGGGHHH….. 11.  While you guys were struggling to make money to return to the US, what was the worst job you ever had?As previously stated, I worked as a Donaldo Makudonaldo at a downtown Tokyo, Makudonaldo.  This was equivalent to working as Ronald McDonald here.  I loved it, until I was used as a scapegoat in the infamous Komazawa Mafia scandal.

Moongoose chokes Iron Maiden’s Adrain Smith for stealing Fozzy’s songs!

12.  “LiveWire” is a Fozzy song that Motley Crue covered on their “Too Fast For Love” album.  Can you tell us what the motivation behind writing “LiveWire” is?  What happened that inspired that song?I wrote the song about the plight of the American Indians and their relation to the problems of Mother Gaia and the ecological atmosphere. 

13.  Has KK LaFlame ever been mistaken for Bruce Kulick before?No, but he has been mistaken for Jimmy Bain, Bobby Rondinelli and Carla from Cheers.

Moongoose attacks Paul Garganzo and demands Fozzy to be on Metal Edge’s cover!

14.  Any truth to the rumor that Metal Edge is going to put Fozzy on the cover and in the centerfold?If Paul Garaganzo wants to sell issues of his pathetic magazine, he should put us on the damn cover!  Better than Stone Temple Pilots for sure!!

15.  What rock star deserves a smack in the mouth and why?Koichi Sugawara for sure.  I hate that egotistical, know it all!!

16.  There is a band down south called Stuck Mojo, and another band called Sick Speed, and the members of those bands have a striking resemblance to the rest of Fozzy.  Are you familiar with these bands and what are your thoughts on them?I don’t really know too much about the modern music scene.  After 20 years in Japan, I’m kind of out of the loop.  I know about the major bands, but as far as obscure, little known crapola bands like these two, well I ain’t got the time, Sunny Jim!!

17.   This might bring back bad memories, but could you tell us a little bit about Chuck Barry’s (no relation) sumo accident that forced you guys to fire him from the band?When we were in Japan, we were forced to work jobs to try and make ends meet.  Chuck Barry (no relation) was our original guitar player. We went through thick and thin, life and death, good and bad together and he was our brother for life.  He was also an excellent guitar player who influenced many a hacker player (Edward Van Halen, Mattias Jabs and the guy from Venom to name a few).  Anyway, he decided to get a gig working as a Sumo wrestler.  Unfortunately, he had a heavyweight mind and a lightweight body, as he competed at about 135 pounds.  He was booked in a Sumo squash match and this 642 pounder ended up falling on Chuck Barry (no relation) and the accident resulted in Chuck Barry (no relation) losing the use of his hands.  We as a band were devastated at our brother’s loss and we then fired his useless ass.  Our album comes out on October 24.

18.  How did you guys find The Kidd and why doesn’t he ever talk?We found The Kidd busking outside a Tokyo subway station.  He has never said a word to any of us in the two years he’s been in the band and so we’ve dubbed him The Kidd.  Cock Like A Bear just didn’t fit.

19.  Is it true that Zakk Wylde auditioned for Fozzy but just couldn’t figure out the licks?Zakk, bless his heart, auditioned for the band twice, but on both occasions, his metal just wasn’t up to snuff.  We actually recommended him to Ozzy in 1988.  He also tried out again two years ago, but neither he, Slash, Les Paul or Akira Takasaki could beat out The Kidd.

20.  Time for Metal Sludge’s Word Association.  We list some names and you give us your thoughts.

Dee Snider =Bold faced Liar

Nikki Sixx =His band’s only good song was written by me

Iron Maiden =Adrian Smith is a huge fan.  Eddie is a direct rip off of Arthur

Ozzy Osbourne =Owes us a huge thank you for us hooking him up with Zakk.  FYI-We turned Ozzy down in 1994 when he wanted to play Fozz Fest in Sendai, Japan.  The next year he starts Ozz Fest.  Give me a frickin

break!! 

Masami “Sammy” Tomami =Twisted Old Japanese Fruit.  Should have his testicles fed to an iguana as is custom in Japan for thieves and shysters.  Kichiguno Skibbe Bakayaro!!!

Ronnie James Dio =Small man, smaller cajones.

Krokus =Terrible, terrible band made up of Swiss trolls in Day-glo spandex.

Rob Halford =Brutal stage presence, should be ashamed of himself.

Sebastian Bach =Big fan, good kid, learned his trade well from the master…Moongoose McQueen!!!!!

Stuck Mojo =What the hell is that?!?

Chris Jericho =Quit beating a dead horse asking about this has been!!

So there you have it, Metal Sludge’s 20 Questions with Moongoose McQueen! Also, the Fozzy CD comes out today!

For more info on Fozzy, you can go to www.fozzyrock.com. Also, our Fozzy Concert Review contest is now over and we will have results soon!

Here are some upcoming Fozzy appearances.

Wednesday, October 25

WWF Times Square

Have lunch with Fozzy.

Wednesday, October 25

Virgin Records Megastore Times Square,

NY, NY.

Live performance and autograph session at 6:00 p.m.

Friday, October 27

The Opera House

Rome, Georgia

Call 706-235-4647 for info.

Sunday, October 29

WWF Times Square Times Square,

NY, NY.

Fozzy will be performing two songs live on WWF Sunday Night Heat on MTV. If you can?t be there in person, watch it live at 7 p.m. ET.

We highly suggest you check out Fozzy if they come to your area. First and foremost, the live Fozzy experience IS an event. Not a concert. Not a gig. Not a mere ?show.? Months of planning and preparation must take place before the leather boots hit the stage. Between the massive sound system, blinding lighting rigs, life-threatening pyro effects, live farm animals, midget performance artists, miles of duct tape, and a myriad of other details, there are literally hundreds of people who have a job to do before the first guitar note rings out.

And that?s just the beginning.

Most people aren?t aware of the fact that, after each Fozzy extravaganza, every band member is hospitalized for at least three weeks from dehydration and other side-effects of their all-out performance. Here they will lay in a semi-comatose haze (and yes, that?s different than their regular haze), hooked up to IV?s and mumbling to themselves. As a precaution the band also tours with their own medical staff of highly qualified physicians and nurses (most of whom have a legitimate-looking medical diploma).

After another couple weeks of physical therapy and rehab the boys are able to face the psychological impact of the last show. This usually leads to another few weeks of psychotherapy where the band accepts and deals with the intensity they experienced. It?s a rare form of Post-Traumatic Stress syndrome actually. The basic fact is that the mind is barely able to grasp a live Fozzy show; let alone be an actual part of it for 2 hours. It?s a tribute to the band?s endurance and love of the fans that they continue to give so much.

Because of the effort required to engage in the Fozzy spectacle it is only physically possible for the band to perform a handful of times each year. Unfortunately this means they probably won?t be playing your local Arena or Stadium any time soon.

Our reccommendation is that you travel, at any cost – monetary or distance-wise – to whatever shows Fozzy has announced. If you?re in L.A. and the band is playing in Atlanta, think about it. Is it REALLY that far? Not to the true Fozzy fan. Just look at the thousands of fans from around the world who travelled to Japan during the captive years. ?Nuff said.