Interview, Doug Pinnick, Kings X

Chris Collingwood philosophizes with KINGS X main-man Doug Pinnick. Almost gets converted...

THE MORAL MINORITY

With so many bands now practising what seems to be called "crossover music", whether it be FAITH NO MORE with their funk overtones, PRIMUS with their dance undertones, or POISON with their glossy lip tones, one band that always seems to fall between almost too many stools are Kings X. This isn't to say that all bands should be easy to classify, or indeed classifiable at all, but Kings X have in the past been accused of having no real direction, of being too wishy-washy for metal fans, too heavy for pop fans (but then they said that about EXTREME) and, worst of all, too boring to appeal to the generic rock fan.

They have just finished recording their new album Kings X and unlike the last Faith Hope Love LP (and right there you can see where the wishy-washy accusations come in with that title) the guitar is up in the mix and the songs have a more coherent sound. Gone seems to be the old prevailing everything-and-the-kitchen-sink feel that they had. They've lost none of the Beatlesque harmonies, or their soulful playing, but the new material has more direction than anything that has gone before.

"That's just where we're at now," states Doug Pinnick Kings X's main man, lyricist, bassist, and vocalist. "We didn't set out to make a heavier record, but we listen to heavy music all the time anyway. There's other things in there too."

Like the tabla sitar and fairground organ?

"Yeah. We put those instruments on there because we thought it would be ridiculous. We had a lot of fun making this record. Every one thinks Kings X are so stodgy and serious, but we're not. For this record we decided to just be ourselves."

But accusations of seriousness are fairly easy to level at the band. There's the well publicised fact that they are practising Christians, as well as Doug's personal and sometimes powerful lyrics. CLIFF RICHARD never seemed as much fun as his brother Keith, either...

"The Christian thing really annoys me. When we came out no one could pigeonhole us, so the first thing they grabbed was that. I think that did a disservice to us. Rather than take us as a whole, they took a little piece of us, and made it into a really big deal."

But Christianity is quite a big deal in the rock world. Other bands that are perceived as contemporaries of King's X, whether by the press or whoever, include those who sing about, the 'seedier' side of life - and indeed death. Does this ever bother him morally?

"Well, I just feel rock n' roll is rock n' roll," he answers, which apart from being a great title for a NO SWEAT song, doesn't shed much light on anything at all.

"What I mean is SLAYER are no more satanic than, uh, AMY GRANT, and Amy Grant is no more Christian than Slayer. You listen to a BLACK SABBATH song and why do people say it's satanic? Who knows what satanic music is? I don't think there is such a thing. Music is music," he continues profoundly. "It has different twists and turns, is inspired by different thoughts, but I think it's unfair to any band to have to categorise them. Some bands like that, that's their game, but I'm not part of that."

So does he feel the same about being Black? Of the two rockier extremes of the market would he feel more empathy with LIVING COLOUR or STRYPER?

"We try and stay away from certain genres of music to avoid that obvious connexion. Like, Christians love Kings X, but we're not making music for the Christians. The only statement we're trying to make is about being Kings X. No human being is exactly like anyone else, no band is exactly like anyone else. If you dig down into yourself. you come up with something original.

Strong on individuality, Doug is no fan of the "American dream."

"Over here you go to school to be a doctor, a lawyer etc. I'm completely against that formal training of the masses. Everyone has their own talent and that should be explored."

But to be a success with that, talent would be vital.

"The only thing about success for me is that we can pay the bills. When this Kings X adventure stops or slows down, I hope to be able to support myself. We'd love to be huge. Huger than whoever was the hugest. That has to be every musician's dream, anyone's dream."

So, as the band get bigger does he get happier?

"The only thing that changes as we get bigger is that I have to deal with a lot more. I become Doug Pinnick from Kings X not Doug Pinnick who lives down the street. People get crazy and you're afraid they're gonna hurt you. Or there's other people who just want to get to know the band. There's more videos, singles, interviews... The more successful we get the more we have to look inside ourselves and see if we feel we're still being true."

This feeling of truth and beauty sometimes manifests itself in the music. There does seem to be times when their songs seem almost ethereal, such as on "Dream In My Life" from the new LP.

Is that something they strive for, to make their songs beautiful?

"Yes, that is a part of us. We like...heavenly music. I'm not talking about spirituality, but music that makes you feel good, that's pretty. But, on the other hand, we still like our thrash and grunge [two words not often associated with King's X] because that's also who I am. I have anger and rage inside me, joy and happiness, and they always fight each other. I think on this record I am learning how to bridge light and dark together."

Would that explain the harmonies that are really the band's trademark despite the BEATLES aspect I mentioned earlier?

"The thing about those harmonies," he explains in a tone which experts would call 'patient,' "is that I grew up singing -- in school in the choir, in contests doing the standard show tunes -- so I'm really just a choirboy. When I think of harmonies, that's what I think of plus the Black gospel music I used to hear. Harmonies to me are SLY STONE mixed with a structured choral arrangement. Also, our music seems naked without it. When I originally wrote 'What I Know About Love' [from the new album] it had no harmonies, but it didn't sound right, so we found ourselves saying, 'Well, let's just put a little harmony on here...' The thing with musicians is that we turn things around without ripping people off. We all learn from each other."

With all the various facets of life in Kings X, what is your main driving force?

"Music. Definitely! Music was an escape from growing up... I love to sing, I love to scream, and that comes from inside. Rather than shoot somebody, I take it out on rock n' roll. But neither religion or music are more important. I think that I'm learning that it's all the most important. Sometimes I have to step outside the picture to check it out. With the religious thing, there's so much crap. We get ridiculed by some Christians because we are not like them. The song 'Silent Wind' is about that. We get people coming up to us asking what denomination we are, which has nothing to do with anything... Our Faith Hope Love album was banned from Christian bookstores because on the cover there's a picture of Adam and Eve and you can see Eve's breast! That sums up those kind of people."

How important is the new album career wise? Is it being seen as make or break time? Time to 'crap or get off the pot'?

"It seems more important to other people than it does to the band, the record company, and a lot of people who have supported and believed in us. But for me... I'm just going to keep on doing it. I don't think there's any other way I can look at it. That's what gives me sanity in my own heart. The record company has definite plans for us this year. There are already talks about us going to Japan, Australia, England, an American tour, maybe Brazil or South America."

While rock music rarely gets deeper than Viv Savage's philosophy of 'having a good time all the time,' Doug Pinnick stands out as a thoughtful considered and articulate individual. Although Christian beliefs may be hard to understand, especially considering the typical image of a rock star's life, he doesn't mind discussing them, even though it may end up as the main topic of the interview. Like the man said, that would be a disservice...

Chris Collingwood
Riff Raff
April 1992

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