Exclusive interview with michale graves

Hello Michale Graves! It's a great honor to do this interview. Thanks! We have a lot of punks here, that see you as a role model and sing your songs :) You're one of the legendary punk/rock icons out there, mostly known as the ex lead singer of the band "The Misfits". You will often say that your mom was one of your influencers when it comes to music. Sounds sweet, every time listening to the radio, you say you were meant to create music and express yourself in a creative way. It's also fun to mention that you have an acting background, so the story behind the skull is just another alter ego.

Q: In the early ages (20) your talent was discovered, so you became the lead singer of the legendary horror/punk band "The Misfits". I can only imagine how happy you were, but was it hard for a young person to get on that big stage, face fame and pressure, so many touring dates etc? Tell me about the starts.
A: Yes, there was a great amount of self imposed pressure and responsibility to make such a historically important band relevant again, and aside from doing so through live performances with music of the past it was important to make relevant music again and that fell squarely on my shoulders being the most able composer in that band.

Q: Being a good, old friend with Legends like Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone must be fun! :) How important was their influence?
A: I was a bigger Ramones fan than I was a Misfits fan so the opportunity to work with all of those guys always did and continues to motivate me, it was great fun! Being able to sing with Marky on the tours we did was by far the highlight of my career, and no one other than Joey Ramone sings Ramones songs better than me and that’s the truth!

Q: Do you have any favorite festival that (if given chance) you want to go there again?
A: No, I can’t say I have one favorite festival, there’s been so many it’s just hard to single out just one, every night I try to make each performance more special than the night before, and I’m constantly trying to achieve the perfect performance and I haven’t gotten there yet, but I will!

an epic photo ;)

Q: Fans could be crazy at times. Tell me about the weirdest experience.
A: One of the craziest things a fan did was spend an afternoon with me, it was part of a kickstarter fan giveback and she was completely uninterested in the events we were participating in and she was focused on and completely dedicated to pledging her love to me and pretty much held me hostage until I could be rescued by friends. It was a bad and weird situation, definitely the weirdest!

Q: How important is the support from the fans?
A: I guess every time I create a new body of work I always have the fans in mind and what might appeal to them, is the most important to me, in any endeavor.

Q: What makes a great show, instead of just having a great voice and crazy energy on the stage?
A: I think having the ability and know how to execute the things that give me the opportunity to use my voice and to use my physical energy to entertain, that is something that doesn’t come naturally to me and is something that I have to train for and study and something that I must prepare for on every tour.

Q: Listening Misfits songs it's like being part of a beautiful, horror, fairy tale. Watching you guys with crazy hairstyles, painted skulls and black clothes, screaming angry lyrics into a microphone, it's easy to fall in love! hah Honestly, thanks for the freak show guys! :)) Even that nowadays, the band is just a great memory.

But you're doing great in your solo projects. Punk Rock Is Dead (2005), Return to Earth (2006), Illusions with Damien Echols (2007), Supernatural (2014), are some the albums that came out since the Misfits times. Which one is the most autobiographical?
A: Thanks! And the two that you didn’t mention, Vagabond and Wanderer. The songs on those albums are much more overt as far as directly taken from my life. You can read the lyrics and understand what I’m talking about without the cloak of horror rock.

Q: Gotta mention that your voice sounds a lot better in your acoustics versions. It's like you changed form the angry/fast Misfits style.
A: Performing acoustically for me is a very natural state, to have the ability to vocalize without all the other musical participants and noise, allows a profound focus on my voice. In the style I perform while playing acoustically I’m able to really get behind my voice and fill it with the emotion and detail that is sometime more difficult to achieve with all of the nuances that come with a full band.

Q: Beautiful, dark and seductive women, are a great inspiration for many (well-known) songs you wrote, such as "Dig Up her Bones" (my favorite), even now in your solo projects. I like the Skel-pira intro. Tell me more.
A: Skel-pira was a creation and idea that came from Mark Stuart from Hydraulic-Entertainment. There hasn’t been a relevant horror host like there was in the old days if you will, and we really wanted to create a character in that vein of Elvira or Vampira. Skel-pira will return.

Q: You've been on many creative journeys after the Misftits times. Well known, as a very direct and honest person, who doesn't care about other's opinions, (typically punk:) Do you think that there are a lot of American psychos fed up with the political correctness out there?
A: I think there are plenty of American psychos fed up with political correctness, so much so that we see a significant push back to that sort of thing. I think the anarchy spirit is natural to humans. It is the closest we get to freedom within ourselves, the more the anarchist spirit comes out.

Q: On your website I can see a lot of touring dates. What is the next project you are working on?
A: The next project... I plan on more videos and more films this summer. I’ll be back to the recording studio for a new album this November and the acoustic version of When Worlds Collide is imminent! www.michalegraves.net

Q: Do you prefer being solo or the Graves band continues to rock on?
A: That’s a tough one. I guess I prefer the solo with just my guitar because it is powerful in a way that most people don’t have the opportunity to experience. It’s a different power and experience that you get when you see the full band. It’s not any better or worse, but I think people are incredibly moved by the acoustic performances in particular.

Q: The punk-rock era is maybe dead, at least what was known as an old school movement. Bands like "The Sex Pistols", "Exploited", "Black Flag", "NOFX" and many more. We've seen lots of crazy stuff for sure and some of them got on the edge of self destruction. You're not there, love it. Now as a father of two, would you support your daughters if they want to follow your steps in the music industry? :) They will have a good mentor!
A: I will support my daughters in any path they choose, like my parents did for me. I expect them to strive for excellence and be the best people they can be and in doing so like my parents taught me, the greatest way to honor the life that they’ve been given.

Q: Any possible Misfits reunion? Pleaassee say something :))
A; I am open to it and would be excited for a Misfits reunion and if it was in my ability to make it happen I would. Mostly that process needs to be started by Jerry Only, he holds the key to making that happen. I’m all for it and from what I know so is Doyle. All we need is Jerry.

Q: Any message to all the young punks out there?
A: It is of the utmost importance to educate your mind and understand the world that we live in through history as well as current events. You cannot or will not find truth in music or punk rock if there is not an intellectual side to it.

Mr.Graves, Thanks a lot for the interview.
I have many more questions, but let's just stop for a while. :) I'm gonna keep following your new projects and hopefully I will be around the stage singing your songs with skull painted on me!