English Translation:
Thank you ROCKHARD Magazine Germany! 2 page exclusive interview #damnthemachine Get the current issue (Aug 2021)
#chrispoland #davidjudsonclemmons #tribeandthrone
Google translation from german:
Their self-titled debut album from June 1993 was enough DAMN THE MACHINE (DTM) to play itself forever in the hearts of the prog metal community. The Californian band, which emerged from an instrumental project by the brothers Chris (Ex-Megadeth) and Mark Poland, got off to a promising start with a deal with A&M Records, but 50,000 units sold were not enough for the major; the final whistle came less than two years later. Now there is hope that the unreleased material will soon be heard in a produced form, and DTM guitarist / singer David Judson Clemmons (JUD, The Fullbliss) is also promising a new album in a rock-hard conversation. Here we go!
Dave, let me quote from the ROCK-HARD review from 1993: "Damn The Machine" is a signpost into the metal future, not a cheap plagiarism of a trendy society. Poland has done an absolute stroke of luck, especially with its singer, the boy knows how to convey emotions, anger, energy and charisma.
What can I say? This is perhaps the best review we've ever received.
How did you get together as a band back then? I've read that a certain Ross Robinson, your guitarist colleague at the time from Murdercar and later celebrity producer, played an important role ...
Yes, I moved from Richmond, Virginia to Los Angeles in 1986 and quickly got to know a lot of musicians there. In 1988 I met Ross and Dave McClain, who had just founded Murdercar after the end of Catalepsy and were looking for a bass player. I was a guitarist, but I got a bass and was there. We had a rehearsal room in the “Downtown Rehearsal”, a complex in Vernon / Compton. That was a bad area back then, there was a slaughterhouse next door, it smelled of dead pigs all day. Megadeth had also rehearsed and even lived here, plus Fear Factory - and Chris Poland, whom Ross knew well. During the sessions for Chris' first solo album "Return To Metalopolis" I got out of Murdercar to get my baby Ministers of Anger up and running in Pittsburgh - without much success. I have always stayed in contact with Ross, and it was he who called me in 1991 and said I should get in touch with Chris because he and his brother Mark (dr.) Are a guitarist and singer for a new band project seek. This is how the auditions came about. I had learned all the songs from "Metalopolis", practiced eight hours a day, and that made an impression. But it was crucial that we immediately understood ourselves as songwriters. The first song was written during the first audition. And my vote has also approved the Poland Brothers. We had a wonderful band chemistry right from the start.
The band name "Damn The Machine" should come from you.
Not directly. My best friend Steve Cordrey (now JUD bassist) had moved to LA with me in 1986. One evening in a pizza place we heard someone at the next table swear over his slipping socks: Damn these socks! Steve looked at me in astonishment and said: Did you hear that? You don't damn socks! If there is something to condemn, it is more like a ... machine! A “Beavis and Butthead” dialogue at its best (laughs). We made a promise to each other at the table that we would call our band that if we found one. When the topic really came up with Chris Poland, I first asked Steve for permission, then I put "Damn the Machine" in the room. They loved the name right away. That's the story!
How big was your musical contribution to the album? Did the Polands treat you as equals?
Absolutely! I was literally overflowing with ideas and, admittedly, was quite pushy to bring in my riffs and arrangements. Chris ’style is more dreamy and jazzy, my riffs were mechanical, like in Corporate Reign or in the intro of On With The Dream. Typical for Chris were the riffs in Fall Of Order and the vocal verses of On With The Dream. Silence was also based on a rather bluesy riff from Chris; the diminished chords before the solo and at the end were on my head. Whenever it threatened to become too normal ... (laughs) What many may not know yet: We recorded the album live, the guitars are left and right, so you can hear our tracks separately by turning the balance control. Our goal was to record a timeless album that wouldn't fit into any drawer. It was the time in LA where grunge replaced glam metal. Progressive Thrash also had a hard time, but we liked the idea of doing the opposite of what was trendy at the moment. At the first concerts there were sometimes strange scenes when people started a mosh pit in front of the stage and stopped confused after seven bars. We weren't really a mosh band ...
Stylistically, it's not that easy to describe what you've been up to. Rush and Fates Warning are obvious influences, I would add a little more King's X and Civil Defiance ...
At that time I listened to a lot of Black Sabbath, Metallica, Rush, Prince and Neil Young, with Chris it was Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Stanley Clark, King Crimson and Björk. I think that this contrast of our backgrounds and influences made for a bizarre, strange, but also very interesting mixture. Of course I also know the other bands you mentioned. Civil Defiance were rehearsing near us back then, I love their four-song EP. Kings X are a great band. Doug (Pinnick) stopped by a couple of our gigs in Texas. Great guy!
Your lyrics are very dark and dystopian. What was it that was bothering you at that time? The Gulf War must have been formative.
Oh yes, very much. Lonesome God is a song just about it. During the propaganda against Iraq and Saddam Hussein, I always had a strange feeling that I didn't like being part of this war movement because the whole thing seemed unjustified to me. In general, I like to address problems in my texts, but at the same time I want to offer hope. I am and will remain a great optimist, even if some people may not understand this immediately when they read my texts.
What is the cover motif? Did you quit smoking then?
Haha, I've never seen it like this before. Seriously: Hugh Syme, the famous artist, came up with the idea and we fell in love immediately. Everyone gives a shit on the earth, expresses their cigarette on it. Very important: the lipstick on one cigarette. So no one has ever accused us of sexism (laughs).
A&M was a pretty prominent label for a band like DTM. How great was the pressure you felt when looking at major colleagues like Extreme, Soundgarden or Monster Magnet?
I think we got stuck in a kind of feedback loop. We all worked hard and when not enough came back we got infected by this negativity, we doubted ourselves and that bounced back to the label via our manager. At least that's my perspective. A&M made great promises to us, also in terms of patience: "We know that you are a three-record band", etc. etc. For me a major deal was unfamiliar territory, Chris had more experience in this regard through Megadeth . It took me some time to develop in this environment, it was hardcore for my first band as a singer! I set a very high standard of myself and was fortunate enough to get some vocal training from a coach who also worked with Chris Cornell. I learned a lot from him. Most importantly, how to relax while screaming out your demons.
What led to the premature end at A&M?
For myself, I came to the conclusion that the DTM story had to happen exactly as it did. I don't think anyone could have made decisions that would have kept this band alive beyond 1994. I don't want to blame anyone, and I couldn't. A&M, our manager and the four of us band members - none of us had the right overview to bring us forward decisively.
However, the bands you toured with were very well selected. Voivod in the USA, Dream Theater in Europe. What are your favorite memories?
Voivod with Piggy ... they were all so nice! Clutch, too, which we used to be on the road for a while back then. Great bands that deserve much, much more success. My dearest memory? Maybe Kansas City, the after-show party on the Voivod bus. We already had a lot of tea when someone hung up Highway to Hell and the entire bus escalated. At some point we were all piled up, bands and crews, and I could feel my leg on the verge of breaking. I still wonder today how my bones endured it.
I saw you in Munich with Dream Theater, who at that time enjoyed absolute god status. How have you been treated?
They were cool to us, including their crew; I can't remember anything negative. What I will never forget is this particular tip that James LaBrie gave me. We talked a lot about how to get in the mood before a show, suddenly he said, you know Dave, sometimes I just eat a slice of pizza that helps. And indeed: it still works today! (laughs)
Chris changed the band name to "Mumbo's Brain" after you were dropped by A&M. And you got out shortly afterwards. Correctly?
Well there was a discussion. We had written new songs, recorded demos in the rehearsal room, they were okay, but not as explosive as the things before. I think it is fair to say that the DTM were shut down when the contract was terminated. Everything that happened after that was something completely different.
There are at least twelve unreleased DTM songs as far as I know. Are you planning a release?
Yes, I would like to - and now I'm finally getting around to it! I've completely changed my life since the attack of the monster virus, now I have the time I need for these types of projects. There are twelve unreleased tracks, as well as almost every song on the album in a demo version. We did the recordings in our rehearsal room, Mark had a 12-channel Tapco board, I remember that; we mike everything, saved it on tape using a compressor - these recordings are first class! I've now separated the vocals with a bit of magic and am currently working on pimping everything up. Then comes the next step. I guess I'll be privately distributing this. It's more than just one album, it's actually three. In any case, there should also be a physical release.
The spirit of DTM can also be heard in your other band projects ...
I really hope so! I especially notice it on some “Sufferboy” tracks, but also on “Generation Vulture” and “Tribe & Throne”. I think that more DTM has flowed into my songs again in recent years. For a long time I tried to completely disconnect from it, but now I can embrace my past with a clear conscience and try to use all ideas provided they enrich the music.
Are there any chances for a new DTM disc?
Yes, there are - I could jump right back into the vibe. My singing has improved, Mark and I have talked about it a few times, and I'm in regular contact with Chris anyway. Only Dave Randi has nothing to do with music anymore. Let yourself be surprised!
You have lived with your wife and children in the Berlin area for over 20 years. How did that happen?
I came over to you in 2000 to change my life. And then I met the lady who is now my wife. We have four children together, I brought two from a previous relationship, my wife one. So there are a total of seven, five of whom live with us. We live a little outside the city, in Brandenburg, have bought a small wooden house from 1938 and gradually expanded it. The last extension was my workshop. I had an antique shop in Friedrichshain from 2009 to 2020, Corona changed things, so I completely relocated my work last year. Now I can restore my pieces on site. I set up a studio for this. So I won't get bored anytime soon.
Ludwig Krammer
