RGP: What was the beginning of Inkubus Sukkubus, why you have decided to create this project?
Tony: Inkubus Sukkubus first started in 1989. The aim was to create a
band that had a spiritual side to it, and that conveyed the essence of
the Pagan experience.
RGP: Why you have chosen the Incubus Succubus name for a band, and
why it was changed (I know that it was made due to numerological
reasons, but was the first name unsuccessful)?
Tony: The first spelling of the band did prove to be unsuccessful, we
had a lot of bad luck and everything was really hard work. The new
spelling made life much easier, and we also sold more records and got
better gigs.
RGP: Please tell us about Children of the Moon & The Screaming Dead.
Tony: Children of the Moon was basically me, Candia and a drum machine,
keyboard and a computer. When the first version of Inkubus Sukkubus
split up, Candia and I carried on writing and recording songs, we didn’t
play live, but we thought that we would release some of the recordings
on tape, as we didn’t wish to cause any trouble with the old members of
Inkubus Sukkubus we used a different name.
The Screaming Dead was my first band. We had an album and five singles
out between 1980 and 1985, in 1990 we released an album “Bring Out Yer
Dead”. I still play in the Screaming Dead, and we are at present
recording another album called “Bloody Hell! - it’s The Screaming Dead”.
We have a web page at http://wkweb5.cableinet.co.uk/sukkubus/dead.htm.
RGP: One of us - Den, have got an opinion that on recording of
Belladonna & Aconite the drum machine was used, but Bob was
mentioned on CD booklet as drummer, please clear up this situation.
Tony: We did use a drum machine on most of Belladonna & Aconite, but Bob did
play on some of it, he played on a drumkit that I made using electronic transducers to
trigger MIDI signals which then plays the sounds in the drum machine. As
he was the only human playing drums on the album we gave him the credit.
He was also playing drums live for the band at this time.
RGP: As I know you and Candia are both Wiccan, here in Russia the
Pagan traditions are well known (ancient Russian paganism or
Scandinavian), but only few persons know what is Wicca, and
other Pagan ways, please explain to our readers what is Wicca.
Tony: Wicca is actually very similar to Russian and Scandinavian
Paganism. Wicca is a modern version of the Great Eurasian Shamanistic,
Horned God, Mother Goddess religion of Pre-Christian times.
RGP: What are the spiritual paths for other members of IS?
Tony: They don’t really have any.
RGP: I agree with the opinion that Pagan bands should sound as
a folk ones, do you want to make your music more folky?
Tony: I don’t really want to artificially develop our music an any
direction, other than to let it take it’s natural course. I does seem to
many people that Folk is the ‘natural’ musical genre for Paganism, and
we do have some Folk numbers on our albums, but I like to include other
styles as well.
RGP: Here, like at the North of Europe, majority of the Pagan
bands belong to Black Metal/Satanic subculture, and for many
people Pagan paths are associated with Satanism, what is your
opinion regarding this fact?
Tony: In England there isn’t really much of a Satanic/Death Metal
Sub-culture at the moment. Most Pagan bands are either Folk, Synthiser,
Progressive Rock or Gothic. Satanism is not really linked to Paganism,
as it is seen as being a Christian invention. Which of course it is.
RGP: What is your opinion concerning Christianity & Satanism?
Tony: In Russia the Church is different from the Catholic and Protestant
Churches that we have in Western Europe, and to be quite honest I don’t
know a great deal of it’s history, so 8I can’t really comment on it.
However Western Christianity I find particularly offensive, they have
started more wars, killed, raped, enslaved, robbed, and tortured more
people than anyone else in the history of the World. Even now a large
number of priests and other members of the clergy prove themselves to be
child molesters, peddlers in child-pornography and sex offenders in
general. They have absolutely no right to criticize others. I and I feel
that Non-Christians should never feel that they have to answer to them.
As for Satanism, Satanism is a type of Christianity, you have to accept
all of the Christian Myths to believe in Satan.
RGP: What Pagan bands are the most interesting to you?
Tony: To be quite honest there are not a great deal of Pagan Bands in
England as yet. Most of the ones just emerging now are bands who have
just become Pagan, Die Laughing etc.
RGP: What is the reaction concerning the Pagan festivals from
Christian people in England?
Tony: A few years ago the Christian Church tried in vain to stop the
Pagan Movement in Britain. They spread false rumors of child abuse and
sacrifice etc. Some families had their children taken off them by the
State whilst investigations took place. The stories were proved to be
total lies and Christian Church was exposed for having made these
stories up. Since then people don’t generally take Christians very
seriously, especially with the number of recent cases of Christians
being involved in child sex abuse, these Christians have actually been
prosecuted and imprisoned.
RGP: What is your audience? 50% pagans, 50% Goths?
Tony: About 80% Goths most of who are also Pagans (a lot of Goths are Pagan)
and 20% Pagan who are not Goths.
RGP: The question from our zine author - Alexandra, she have read
your interviews, and discovered that she have got a close sight,
so she have decided to ask the following question: What is your
attitude towards the environmental protection & animals protection
problems? what do you think about the organizations concerned with this problems?
Tony: We in Inkubus Sukkubus are very much concerned with environmental
issues. I personally think that the Earth is far more powerful than many
believe and that it will naturally remove the human race if the current
rate of environmental abuse continues.
RGP: Are you engaged in other kinds of art, except music?
Tony: I do quite a lot of drawing and have had several exhibitions and have
sold about 150 pictures. I have done drawings for magazines etc. Candia
also draws and also paints, she has sold several pictures.
RGP: What inspires you to create your music?
Tony: I don’t really know I just hear these tunes in my head and that’s
it really.
RGP: What music do you listen to?
Tony: I listen to all sort of music, Classical, Goth, Folk, Rock, Punk, Candia
is about the same.
RGP: What books do you read, who are your favorite authors?
Tony: I don’t really read fiction books, but Candia reads a lot of Freda
Warrington and Anne Rice.
RGP: What do you think about your popularity in gothic subculture?
Tony: The Gothic scene has been very good to us.
RGP: Have you ever been to Russia? (not as a band =).
Tony: Not yet.
RGP: What do you think about increase of interest to such kind of
music that you are creating (In Russia Inkubus Sukkubus little by
little is becoming more popular)?
Tony: We are very pleased. There would be no point in us continuing if
not. The main objective for the band is to entertain people.
