Hi Chris. The new Motionless In White album is called Scoring The End Of The World. That’s a bit dramatic, isn’t it?
“It’s purely observational, in terms of my world and the outside world. There’s a lot of anger and a lot of hatred – the song Slaughterhouse is really fucking angry. But there’s a lot of sadness and there’s a lot of energy too. I don’t ever think it’s like, ‘We’re doomed, there’s nothing we can do, let’s go back to bed.’ If we’re going down, we’re going down swinging and we’re going down together.”
You started doing yoga recently. How’s that working out for you?
“I wanted to find something that was beneficial mentally and spiritually. It’s way more of a work- out than any amount of lifting weights can ever be. People will be thinking, ‘No fucking way’, but yes fucking way. It’s crazy how hard it can be.”
How come you’ve never acted in a movie? You must have had offers?
“I’ve acted in some of our music videos, but I’ve never had the chance to act in a movie. I’d love to do it – I think I’d be good with a psychotic role where you get to play a huge personality, like The Joker. But I’ve never really put myself out there, and nobody’s contacted me. The resumé of what I have acted in is pretty lukewarm at best.”
What’s the closest brush with death you’ve ever had?
“We were doing a van tour in 2015. We were driving to Salt Lake City on this stretch of interstate that had been closed overnight because of a snowstorm, and there’s a bridge with a sign: ‘May be icy.’ And it was fucking icy. We spun out, started pinging on the walls of the bridge. Luckily we didn’t go off the side, but I’m thinking, ‘Now we’re gonna end up in the middle of the road and get ploughed by a couple of trucks.’ The whole thing happened in slow motion.”
What’s the worst heckle you’ve ever had from a crowd member?
“I can’t remember anything that was said, but I’ve definitely had a bottle hit me in the face. What’s funny is that they threw a bottle and I deflected it, so I said [cockily], ‘Try again.’ And they tried again, and they fucking hit me straight in the face.”
Have you ever read any Chris Motionless fan fiction?
“I’ve never sought any out, but I’ve had some jokingly read to me. Was it X-rated? Yeah, they all are, aren’t they? My response was just laughter. If it’s someone’s imaginative creative work and it’s what works for them, I can’t really say shit about it.”
There are a lot of ex-members of Motionless In White. Are you a hard person to work with?
“Yes, at times. I know that the perfectionism and the attention to detail can get on people’s nerves a lot, but I always felt it was justified ’cos it created the quality of what we do. I don’t think I’ve ever been an asshole for no reason – I’ve never walked on a tourbus and been a dick just to be a dick. But you butt heads with people. But I’ve made serious changes to myself to try and stop and not be like that anymore.”
What was the last physical fight you had?
“I was in seventh grade and I fought the bus-stop bully. There was a lot of kids who picked on me for not having cool clothes or whatever, and they finally ended up ganging up on me and I got beat up. Right after that, my dad was like, ‘Alright, come with me.’ We went to the store and he bought some me boxing gloves and taught me how to fight. The next time they started on me, I punched the dude right in the face. That was a long time ago, but I’m sure I’ve got the remnants of a good right hook.”
Apple just announced they’re stopping making the iPod. Will you miss it?
“I haven’t used one for a long while, but I will miss it. They were kind of life-changing. Whenever I went to a friend’s house, I’d be like, ‘Hey, can I hook up to your iTunes so I can get your stuff?’ I probably had 15 people’s music libraries on my iPod.”
