Interview with Horror Story – Celebrating 20 Years

New Plymouth Punk-Rockers Horror Story are celebrating a milestone many can only dream of – 20 years. Ever since their first release Monsterpiece hit the airwaves in 2001, they have amassed an impressive 12 EP and album releases, infiltrated NZ’s music TV, recorded a Misfits cover, featured in numerous compilations and achieved much, much more.

Chris Chick from Muzic.net.nz had the opportunity to talk to Von Toxic about the past 20 years.

20 Years of Horror Story – that is an incredible feat which should not be ignored. How would you neatly put the last 20 years in your own words?

20 years of horror stories!

In those 20 years, what has been you biggest challenge?

Biggest challenge was being taken seriously by the local industry. NZ on Air, NZ Musician and Satellite Media etc, no one would give us coverage in NZ except XSTV, meanwhile we were in magazines in USA, Germany & UK. The other major problem was getting the band to America & Europe. Many tried, all failed!

What one thing since your inception are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of what we have created and how it has reached people all over the world & touched them. The songs!! I’m proud we have done it ourselves and on our own terms. I’m proud we played with The Misfits three times and by the second time they were fans, and they pogo danced while we played!

Of all the songs that have ever been written, which one would you have loved to have created?

Any of Danzig’s songs, be it Misfits, Samhain or early Danzig. That is a legacy!

How has the music journey changed for you as a group in the last 20 years?

There is the downloading problem that was just starting in the band’s early days. The tour circuit is broken now. When I started playing there were bands in each town that you could play with and would help with tours and gigs but with the price of gas, the cost of a drink at a bar and city living forcing venues to close has seen a 30-year circuit fail. And then came lockdown!

If music and being in a band never happened, what would you have being doing for the last 20 years?

Taking drugs, lots of them! lol…comic artist.

The genre of punk has gone through many changes since its early inceptions (counter cultural nature) what is your personal opinion of where punk fits into the music scene in 2020?

I don’t care where punk fits in any scene, but I believe it can lose potency on a major label. We are considered ‘Horror Punk’, that didn’t exist as a genre until the mid to late 90’s. Until Die Gruwel started a few years ago we were the only horror punk band in NZ! Punk has the same place it’s always had. But I don’t know if anyone really cares. It belongs in the underground.

What has been your favourite venue to play? Also, what was your favourite gig?

Ok, that’s a hard one, I’m going to say San Fran Bath house, was a tough call over Kings Arms and Valhalla. My favourite gig was the second time we opened for the Misfits at Bodega in 2014.

If you could bring one musician into your band for one gig, who would that person be?

Glenn Danzig.

Tell the readers one thing about yourself that they would never know?

I have a screw holding my left ring finger together, it has made it hard to play some scales as the finger only has partial movement. Could be worse, adds to my style in a way.

If you could play one venue anywhere in the world, where would that be?

I think playing somewhere like The Whisky a go go in the states. I’m not into huge venues, I like things up close.

You can invite 3 people around for dinner, living or in the past, who would they be, and why?

I would invite Danzig, Doyle & Jerry Only and try and convince them to make a new Misfits album.