Page 12 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 112

BV112 pg 10-15 Wed 13 Interview.qxp_BV112 pg 12 08/05/2025 21:53 Page 3

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ednesday 13 released his debut solo Covid when my mother passed and Joey Jordi- motions the doctor thrusting a bottle of pills at
Walbum, ‘Transylvania 90210: Songs of son passed. I wasn’t well with that and I fell back him. “Enter the world of Xanax. Not knowing
Death, Dying and The Dead’ back in 2005. into it. I know when I stopped the last time… anything about it… Like I said, I broke my col-
Looking back, 20 years later, he tells us, “The sometimes, I tell people, ‘If your body’s telling larbone, I was on pain medication and I was
number one thing is, it might sound crazy, I you something, listen to it’. I had a voice saying, mixing these things and I saw some crazy
didn’t know how to control my voice the way I ‘Stop. You’re not going to get out of this.’ And I things, mentally, and I realised that this was a
know how to control it now. I could always sing focused on it and I worked really hard, and, in drug that could hurt people as hard as it could
and sound the way I sound, but maintaining it, three months, I’d lost a ton of weight and I help them. Then, I started learning more about
night after night, singing that way, I would ruin stopped and I got my brain back together and, it and taking Xanax and it just became a song.
my voice every night. We’d play a show, I’d once I got focused, I just stayed on that path. When I wrote the title out, ‘Xanaxtasy’, it was
scream on stage and hurt my voice and then Luckily, this new album, going in, having a good too funny not to write about. It’s a little bit about
we’d go straight into partying for 12 hours and time recording it, having a great result of the personal experience, and it’s a real thing. There
drinking and no sleep, and the next day I’d be… recording, everything was lining up. I went, are people that can’t live their life without it and
” He makes a hoarse noise, as if he’d lost his ‘Man, look at all this positive stuff when you’re it’s paradise for them. They get away from the
voice. “So, I’ve learned how to take care of my not doing that. So, I don’t look at that now as real world, escaping to ‘Xanaxtasy’. I’ve been
voice. I’ve learned how to sing. I’ve learned how something I need to have positive stuff in my there. Not going back.”
to form better. So, I think it’s just been 20 years life, because all this good stuff is happening in In ‘Xanaxtasy’, Wednesday sings ‘Have I
of really good practice, and now I’m ready!” my world and I thought I needed it before. As lost my mind?’ Black Velvet asks what can make
He puts his fists up like a boxer. “With album dumb as it sounds to people who have never musicians feel like they lose their mind in the
10, I feel like I’m finally ready to step in the ring. been in that boat, drinking and drugs can de- music industry? He replies, “Everything.”
I guess that’s a good feeling, as some people, stroy people. It WILL destroy people. I’m still We wonder whether it is the drinking.
this far into their career, are the exact opposite. learning my lessons. Right now, I think I’m in the “No,” he replies. “People start doing this
They’re ready to get out of the ring, so to best place I think I’ve been in for a very long drinking and everything else for whatever rea-
speak.” time.” son… usually, it starts for fun, or it’s masking
If you’re going to get into something. But, you see an artist
a ring, it’s good to go in feel- “As dumb as it sounds to people who have never been come out, put a record out…
ing healthy, fresh, aware and in that boat, drinking and drugs can destroy people. It Maybe it didn’t blow up for them,
alive. Although Wednesday is this artist disappears and goes
known for singing about the WILL destroy people. I’m still learning my lessons. Right crazy and you see them become
dead and dying, he is far from now, I think I’m in the best place I think I’ve been in for a a drug addict or whatever, and
being in that state himself very long time.” - Wednesday 13 they burn out, blah blah blah.
now. He stopped drinking a That’s been the story of a million
few years ago. people. And I think it comes from
“That was my downfall… my one thing that the dream. When I say the dream, most musi-
I had issues with. And it just seemed to be ith Wednesday now getting ever so cians or people in my position, when we were
something that I constantly had problems with, Wclose to the big 5-0, it naturally made growing up, we had the dream of becoming a
that never did anything good for me. So, I sense to call the album ‘Mid Death Crisis’. musician and being on stage and living our
stopped, and that was the major change for me, He says, “I started thinking… I’m 48 right dream. You dream ‘I’m going to get a record
to get me back where I think I needed to be. But now. I’ll be 49 in August. I’ll be 50 years old next deal.’ When you get that record deal and you
I don’t look back on any of the stuff that I did in August. That’s crazy to think. Which is where put that record out, and no-one responds to it,
those years of drinking and regret it at all, be- this title came from. It was me… I think I was or it just falls down, your dream’s dead. That’s
cause that’s what made me who I am. That’s backstage, talking about getting older and just happened to me. I’ve lost count the times
part of life, you know. When I got to a point doing a rant. I’m a grandfather. My daughter just records I’ve put out just didn’t do anything. I kept
where it just wasn’t working for me anymore, I turned 27 last week. My granddaughter will be going. There are people that don’t. When that
had to change.” eight in two months. So, you put those numbers, first dream dies, they die with it. Their spirit dies
and it just makes you go mental… And I was with it. Then comes in the stuff. That’s what
he world around us has also changed backstage and I was just ranting, “My grand- makes people crazy. It’s a dream-crusher. Not
Tover the years – and, more specifically, daughter this, blah blah blah… Maybe when I’m everyone is going to like everything you do.
the music and rock world too. dead and in my casket, I’ll finally get some You’re going to have to have thick skin. You
“I’m glad that things have changed now,” he peace, but I bet it would still…” I don’t know, I have to be able to accept that people think you
says, “because the way younger people are started joking and my drummer walked by and suck, and some people think you’re great and
growing up and getting into bands, the artists said, ‘You’re going through a mid death crisis,’ you start to balance this out. And that’s what
they look up to now aren’t the artists I looked up and it made me giggle, and I went, ‘Alright, makes people crazy. And you add in money.
to. The 70s/80s rock ‘n’ roll world was all based that’s a great title,’ and I memory checked it, and And you add in many things. People can escape
on that term: ‘sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll’. That was made a note, and that became the title. When I reality in this world, sometimes. So, it’s a perfect
all part of the music. That was everything. That started writing the music, I went, ‘People say place to go insane. And I’ve been there many
was the lifestyle. And that’s what I thought you you’re taking the piss. I’m taking the piss at life.’ times. And I’m still surviving it. It’s an ever-
had to do along with the music. So, when I was It’s a fun way to the grave. I know there’s no way changing climate here. I think I’m a little more
given this opportunity to go on tour with Murder- out of this life alive. I’m trying to enjoy it these prepared for it these days. There are some
dolls and travel the world, not only was I playing days and do it to the best of my ability. Going things you can’t be taught. You have to learn
the shows, I was living that lifestyle. I wanted to out guns a-blazing instead of on fire, burning these things, being a part of the industry. There
do what I saw my rock star heroes were doing. out.” are a lot of people that come in and go out the
There’s drink, cocaine, girls, there’s this, and I same day, and I’m a survivor for many years
did all of that, and unapologetic about it. But, eleased in April, ‘Mid Death Crisis’ is now.”
that was a different time, and I think that was the Rpacked with powerful and impassioned
hardest part, was to get it out of my head. And ragers from ‘Decease And Desist’ to ‘Sick And he album also includes a song called ‘In
that’s also the part of that lifestyle, the rock ‘n’ Violent’. One of the songs that caught our eyes TMisery’, in which Wednesday sings, ‘I’m
roll world, that will kill you. And it took a lot of and ears was ‘Xanaxtasy’. We ask Wednesday so completely in misery with you’. Wednesday
things to get me to stop. I think the number one what his thoughts are on Xanax. Does he think says, “I see people in misery as much as I see
thing of all was watching two of my friends pass too many people rely on Xanax? Or does he people in love. And, for me, what I’ve always
away from this stuff. That’s enough to show me think it helps people? done, I write opposites of everything. There are
that I was as vulnerable as them. That could “Both,” he replies. “That’s the intention, for so many love songs; there are not enough anti-
have been me. So, that’s something that I keep it to help people. I mean, that’s why it started. love songs. There are people together that
in mind. But, yeah, you live and learn through But, as with anything, you can take advantage know they’re horrible together, that know they’re
life. Times are different now, but rock ‘n’ roll back of it. You can mix it. That song, in particular, is awful together, but they need each other. They
in the day was in that spirit and I thought you from a personal experience. When I wrecked somehow live off the misery of each other. So, I
had to do that stuff as well as the music.” my car in 2007… I wrecked my car, I broke my wrote a song exploring that. Instead of saying
Wednesday tells Black Velvet that he collarbone and I went on a bunch of medication. ‘I’m not in love,’ ‘I’m literally in misery with you’.
stopped and started drinking many times. “I got And, when I was in the doctors, I said, “‘Hey, by Sometimes, those lines get blurred and then,
sober in 2018 and I fell off the wagon out of the way, I’ve got anxiety.’ ‘OK, here you go,’ he what’s the difference? So, this could be a love
WEDNESDAY 13