09.21.06
Interview with: RICHARD CHRIST
By Stacy Sardelli
Editor in Chief

Rock / Industrial / Glam

Richard Christ are: Richard Christ - vox, Egon Lovecraft - bass, Betty Slade - live drums / sampler, and Nuke - live guitar. They are based in Italy.

Official description: "The love for music and its power start from his childhood, when he discovers rockstars like Michael Jackson, Freddy Mercury, Jim Morrison and later Guns n Roses, Iron Maiden, Nirvana, Sex Pisols, 80s, Rob Zombie, Placebo and Marilyn Manson.

At 14 years old he plays guitar and starts to plan with his old friends but the only thing he always wants is trying to do something meaningful. At the age of 17 he will close his friendships in order to find that inner force that he will develop, contending with the rest of the mass.

The identification with the personage describes by Nietzsche in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, produce him a personal and professional mutation, but also the mutation that Richard defines revenge against all that kind of people that had never understood him, never admitted him. He feels soon the necessity of a more personal plan, collecting and assembling all those things he valued since his childhood... making possible the birth of a personage to his image and likeness: RICHARD CHRIST."

Interview

Babble & Beat - You have a couple of projects, Richard Christ and Posthuman - a Marilyn Manson tribute band.

Tell us about Posthuman. How long have you been doing these tribute shows?

Richard - The Posthuman's project was born from me and my best friend Sade in 2001; we were teenagers and we loved Manson.

In my thirteens I liked to be eccentric and I had passion for contact lenses. It was the first thing that impressed me when I saw a Manson videoclip on TV, but 20 seconds after listening to his music and seeing his video I realized that he would be my "Teacher of great advices."

The band started to play in 2002. Year after year the members changed, coming till today having played from Rome to Los Angeles.

Babble & Beat - Tell us about Richard Christ. I know you are influenced by Freddy Mercury, Marilyn Manson, Jim Morrison, Iron Maiden, Sex Pistols, Nirvana, and many others. What did you take from each of them?

Richard - At 6 ages my mother, with my older cousins, showed me Michael Jackson's video 'Thriller'. It was love at first sight, even because I adore horror movies!

Jackson gave me my eclectic way in clothes.

Freddy Mercury was another icon and "ring of my artist's chain." His voice was unique and the sounds of Queen was a kind of ecstasy for my ears!!! And a rock legend.

Jim Morrison was for me, really, the first example of Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll. At that time, he was a sort of an unique exoteric alien in express himself at the microphone, magic and full of atmosphere that only Doors could be.

The Sex Pistols and Punk in general have swept away my youth. Chains and studs... and the singing of Johnny so sour!!

Kurt Cobain has really taught me how to use my depression to create something great and to extract it from me in so many ways.

Marilyn Manson was the last "ring of my artist's chain." He has revolutionalized my Rock too with something so dark and transgressive and he has approched me to authors like Nietzsche - that I adore and that made me grow up in a great eccentric way.

Babble & Beat - You just released your debut album, ‘Promo: UltraViolent Messiah.’

Richard - Yep!

Babble & Beat - What can we expect from this album? In your words, what’s it like?

Richard - Our Promo of 5 songs is the prelude of our album which will be complete at the end of December. It will be divided in two parts, one too bright or fluo and the other one too dark.

Every song refers to an emotion; it will be esoteric and synthesize the expression of the voice with the sounds.

Everything that has been written was every time that we felt something or when something has happened. An autobiography of a shaken life till coming to the death of my best friend Sade, due to unknown reasons.

Babble & Beat - We're so sorry to hear your great loss.

Richard - I saw from the high with someone else's eyes, day by day, as I always knew what has to happen tomorrow.

The album will be divided in two parts as every human being is, one will call 'UltraViolent Messiah' and the other one 'Another Jesus Fallen'.

The sound in the 'UltraViolent Messiah' part will be aggressive but white, instead in 'Another Jesus Fallen' part it will be depressed and softly sensual but dark.

Babble & Beat - What are your favorite songs on the album? Are there any cover songs?

Richard - Every song is for me like a daughter, I've no favorite one.

We have realized a cover song, Blondie's 'Call Me'.

Babble & Beat - We think your version completely rocks!

Any music videos in the making or being considered?

Richard - In November we will make the videoclip of 'Call Me' as the debut video and it will be enclosed in the album.

Babble & Beat - What plans do you have for the future of Richard Christ?

Richard - I think in January we will go to California to make some shows. The 22nd of September it will start our Tour until May 2007, where we will perform both Posthuman and Richard Christ projects. The future has already been written!!!

Babble & Beat - What’s the music scene like in Italy?

Richard - In Italy there's not so much to pretend, because on TV the same persons who make popular music appear always.

Juicy Tidbits Section

This is where we ask personal questions for the fans. Yeah, they're often stupid questions. We like reading the answers though!

Babble & Beat - What are your top 6 favorite albums of all time?

Richard -

Waiting for the Sun (Doors)
Mechanical Animals (Marilyn Manson)
Queen II (Queen)
-In Utero (Nirvana)
-Nevermind The Bollocks (Sex Pistols)
-Thriller (Michael Jackson)

Babble & Beat - Leather or pleather (plastic leather)?

Richard - Pleather.

Babble & Beat - What is your favorite brand of makeup?

Richard - MAC.

Babble & Beat - Do you have any hobbies?

Richard - I like to create clothes for me and for my shows and make the scenography too.

In Closing

First, we have to tell you that we absolutely love the music we've heard from 'Promo' thus far! Second, thank you so much for granting us this interview; it is very much appreciated! We hope to see you in the U.S. soon.

Links:
Official Richard Christ site
Official RC MySpace - music clips!
Official Posthuman site