| Metal Tims Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles VS. Tom777s Rock Vox & Bloodshot Eyes |
 |
 |
|
Tim was really cool to plug us. So, I asked Tim to offer me some tips and talk about the mad world of editing, publishing, writing, and interviewing. Since Tim is always on the other side of the interview, I put him in the hotseat. Now it is Tims turn to be swaggering and pretentious.... I read a proverb that said if you walk with the wise, you grow wise. I look for the wise folks in this game. I want to copy the smart ones. One such wise individual is Metal Tim Henderson, Editor In Chief of Heavy Metals best representative magazine, called Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles. Not only do you get unparalleled Metal and Hard Rock coverage, you get a CD called Knuckle Tracks, spotlighting the music you may want to hear (go to the site if you think Im hyping it up: http://www.bravewords.com/main.html ). I read BWBK, and I think that nothing really compares to it in the Metal genre. Yea, verily- it ruleth. Tim (official and professional, BWBK style) agreed to answer some questions posed by ye old Rock Vox Hack (proudly unofficial and unprofessional, Tinfoil Music style). And Tim, even though you arent a songwriter or vocalist- this will be a Rock Vox interview because, in a sense, you are a voice of rock. 1.Who is Tim Henderson? A 37 year-old music lover who has dedicated his life to spreading the word of Heavy Metal via publishing, online, radio, retail and festival outlets. He currently lives in Toronto and when he isnt headbanging with music, hes on the ice or in the sun. 2. Why does BWBK rule in the world of heavy music media? Give us the history and purpose of BWBK. Im not sure I would say BW&BK rules the heavy music media, but I would lay claim to the fact that the BW&BK Family is one of the only media companies in the world that has tried to cross-promote publishing, web, web radio, retail and a festival. And our mission statement says it all: Where Metal Lives. No fluff, full throttle, true metal to the core. At least our vision of it. Im probably most proud of the fact that weve done all of this hailing from Canada. Most people have left the Canuck music biz for numerous reasons, but we have stuck it out... for now! As for our history, here ya go... Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles was born in March, 1994. 200 copies of issue No. 1 were printed and sold at the HMV Superstore for $1.99. The issue sold out in a month and presently fetches nearly $50 US on eBay. Our first colour/gloss issue was #22 - Feb/March 1998 and with the following issue, our name went the way of the acronym, BW&BK. The magazine can now be found in over 30 countries across the globe. Over 50 consecutive issue have featured the famous KnuckleTracks CD/Video sampler that is stuffed in the plastic bagged magazine. Here we sit working on ish #80! 3. So Tim has probably interviewed more Metal musicians than Satan himself. What was your favorite interview and why? Any less-than-memorable interviews ? Ive actually really reduced my interview load over the past couple of years for a couple of reasons. As our business has grown, its been the usual story of having to attend to behind-the-scenes things such as marketing, distribution, overall management etc... Ive interviewed hundreds of artists over time and its damn difficult to pick the good, bad or ugly. Some of the best have to be Brian Johnson (best sense of humor), Bruce Dickinson (funny, intelligent, witty) and Rob Halford (whaddya say, he IS the Metal God). A proud moment was when we called Mustaine on their last dissappointing record (World Needs A Hero) and he was livid and totally blacklisted the BW&BK name. When he got back from his press junkets he saw the light and thanked us for being honest about the music. Out of the blue he called the office and wanted me to buzz him back. He was totally honest and forthright. It was a cool chat. Difficult chats have to be Ozzy (difficult to converse with on the phone, a total gentleman in person - NOT like his Osbournes reputation at all) and Layne Stayley doing press for their first record where he was obviously wacked out on something. The earliest worst moment was Lonnie Vincent, the dickhead bassist from the Bulletboys. His head was so far up his ass ... and where are they/he now! 4. I visit www.bravewords.com many times a week to grab news. It is by far the best one-stop Metal info source. Do you guys limit your sleep, food, & bathroom breaks just get this near-omniscient volume of music info? Weve put alot of resources behind keeping up with the world of true Metal news without the fluff or Enquirer bullshit. Just the facts. We have people around the globe feeding us, artists included. It serves a dual purpose as much of the online news is summarised in BW&BK. So you can get the online copy at work and the hard copy on the throne, if you know what I mean! *Whoa Dude, either you are psychic, or you have been in the Hack's "readin' room." Anyway- 5. Give us a state of the Metallic Union - how is heavy music doing in America, Canada, Europe, abroad, and in parts unknown? Best by territory... North America - the scene continues to flourish, with this years Ozzfest pointing in the right direction. There is still is a gap between the nu-metal and true metal when it comes to actual numbers, but more and more true-to-form artists are hitting Billboard and can be found at the same outlets as the sell-out acts. The suits of the music business are learning more about bands like Cradle Of Filth, Satryicon, In Flames, God Forbid and Lamb Of God. Can this viewed as a good thing? I believe so. Europe - when you see acts like Nightwish, Stratovarius, Dimmu Borgir and In Flames actually hitting the top ten in Germany or Scandinavia, you gotta admire the groundwork that continues to be laid by bands, labels and fans. You walk into German train stations and you see HUGE banners everywhere promoting Dimmus last record, Death Cult Armageddon. Weve attended many festivals in Europe over time and it makes everything happening in North America look basic. No offense to the hard work most promoters do in North America (us included), but the Europeans seem to be facing less barriers and more people that want to embrace the form. My first trip to Wacken, I entered the grounds and Vader was playing to 15,000 people at 1PM in the afternoon! And that was only one-quarter of the people there! The scenes in Japan and Australia are growing fast, although the former has always been a hot bed for metal, especially forms that died here over ten years ago. North American continues to lag behind, but the underground has truly risen in many markets on these shores. One in particular is Quebec (both Montreal and Quebec City), where most bands draw similar crowds as most European cities. 6. Best new up-and-coming bands? Not necessarily new, but certainly up n coming on these shores: Lamb Of God, Nightwish, Satyricon, Kataklysm, Edguy, Evergrey, God Forbid, Eyes Of Fire, Into Eternity, Wolf, All That Remains. 7. Best come-backs? Most under-rated? Lets hope Judas Priest! New Meliah Rage (Barely Human) RULES! Slayer have gotta click with Lombardo. Mustaine ... well, we can only hope hes dropped out of his anger management classes! Im a HUGE DC fan and Im always waiting with baited breath! 8. Juiciest rumor? Inside knowledge? What is coming up in BWBK? Well, we try to stick to the facts at all times! Anything else Im sworn to secrecy to protect the innocence. For the rest, head to BraveWords.com!!! 9.If I wasnt a Rock an Roll editor, I would be a _____________. Hockey player or a brew-master! 10. Any advice for hack interviewers (cough-cough)? ALWAYS be well-researched, keep it professional and speak to people in casual conversation. They may have written Reign In Blood, Highway To Hell, Sons Of Northern Darkess or When The Drapery Falls, but they are still real people. The FIRST question is the most important .... the rest should just flow after that. Beware and be prepared for low-paying, slavery-like hours, in an industry that you must watch your back in at all times. ------- Thanks, Tim. Dont worry- the Hack has got your back, Bro. Make sure you check your news stand for BWBK and hit the BWBK site for news: www.bravewords.com Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Add your comment
|
||||
