Jourgensen<\/strong> explained the reasoning behind his decision to end the band once and for all \u2014 and it has nothing to do with drama or health issues.<\/p>\n\u201c<\/em>My ears are tired from music,\u201d Jourgensen<\/strong> said. \u201cThe reason I say that, and that’s the reason I’m ending Ministry<\/strong>, it’s not so much for any health reasons or any kind of band conflicts or anything like that. It’s just that my ears are tired. I’m starting to find myself really slapping myself on the wrist, not repeating stuff that I’ve done before, and trying to keep going further. It gets harder as you keep going.\u201d<\/p>\nWhile fans might expect this final chapter to be melancholy, Jourgensen<\/strong> insists the music remains strong. \u201cThat’s not to say the next album won’t be great, because it already is. We’re halfway done, and it sounds amazing. Amazing. But just saying that it’s a different kind of vibe. It’s more like a job now as opposed to having youthful enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\nJourgensen<\/strong>\u2019s current project, The Squirrely Years Revisited<\/em>, marks a rare return to his early synth-rock roots \u2014 territory he once refused to revisit. Surprisingly, it was his bandmates who brought him back to it. \u201cThe band had been talking about doing this for a while, but they knew I hated this stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, they reworked a bunch of stuff and then ambushed me after a show before Zombie<\/strong> on the tour bus and played me this stuff when they knew I was good and drunk.\u201d<\/p>\nHe recalled being stunned when he first heard the updated versions: \u201cThey played this stuff and I was just like, \u2018Who’s this?\u2019 And they’re like, \u2018That’s you stupid.\u2019 I’m like, \u2018Oh!,\u2019 cause I haven’t heard those songs in 40 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Jourgensen,<\/strong> the idea was not about breathing life into songs from With Sympathy<\/em> but to sort of rewrite their place in his legacy. <\/p>\n\u201cOnce you listen to it, you realize, \u2018Oh, yeah, that’s that song from With Sympathy<\/em>.\u2019 But it’s just got a new kick in the pants to it” \u2013\u00a0even more remarkable is the fact that these tracks had to be completely rebuilt \u2013 \u201cYes, I did actually burn the master tapes. I had a barbecue, and, man, that was just horrible smelling.\u201d<\/p>\nThe release also sparked a strange but welcome change in his relationship to these songs. \u201cYeah, actually, I do [like some of them now],\u201d he said. \u201cThere’s a couple of the early pop hits, even before With Sympathy<\/em>\u2026 One of them is called \u2018I’ll Do Anything For You<\/em>,\u2019 and that one is a good pop song. I can’t believe that wasn’t even on the record.\u201d <\/p>\nOther tracks like \u201cRevenge<\/em>\u201d and \u201cEffigy<\/em>\u201d have been reimagined into something closer to arena rock.<\/p>\nMinistry<\/strong>\u2019s final tour includes Nitzer Ebb<\/strong>, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult<\/strong>, and Die Krupps<\/strong>. The lineup is deeply personal to Jourgensen<\/strong>. \u201cThrill Kill Cult<\/strong>, I used to be in a band with their lead singer Frankie Fun<\/strong> before Ministry<\/strong>. So it all kind of ties in.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s striking is how deliberate Jourgensen<\/strong> is about the farewell. <\/p>\n\u201cThis is just like one final album and tour, putting a bow on it and having Paul Barker<\/strong> come back into the band.\u201d <\/p>\nBarker<\/strong>, a longtime collaborator from the band\u2019s defining industrial years, has rejoined Jourgensen<\/strong> in the studio for the final record. \u201cPaul Barker <\/strong>was an integral part of that, and he’s part of these recordings now as well. So, yeah, I’m just putting a nice little bow on a nice little career.\u201d<\/p>\nWhile Jourgensen<\/strong> is closing the book on Ministry<\/strong>, his passion for activism remains alive. \u201cDemocracy is under threat, and so everyone should pay attention. If you like this system or if you don’t, I would suggest maybe going to live in an autocratic country for a while and voicing your opinions and see how that goes over.\u201d<\/p>\nAnd even though he’s stepping away from the stage, he isn\u2019t leaving art entirely. He\u2019s found a new purpose in scoring films \u2014 including an upcoming documentary on the exploitation of Indigenous people in Oklahoma. \u201cI did the whole score and also a song or two that’s coming out from the record\u2026 it’s called Long Knife<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s next for Al Jourgensen<\/strong>? Nothing, and everything. \u201cI might now be able to sleep a full eight hours at night and enjoy my swimming pool and just kind of chill out. I really don’t have any plans outside of just doing art, like just canvases and stuff like that.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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