Now Battle Pope are crazy mother-fuckas. Especially on their latest release. It's hard to believe that two members of my fave Aussie Sludge Metal Band - Adrift For Days (Lachlan and Ron, who are both genius guitarists) have members in this line up. Yeah the world can be a totally fucked up place at times and no band is crazier than Battle Pope.
They have kindly agreed and to the an interview with me. So lets get the party started. (If you hate bad language or are a recovering sex addict then I urge you all to look away now. Don't say you have been warned!!!)
Q1 – Hi guys, thanks for doing this. How are things with you guys today?
Pontiff Benfunk: We are thugnificient.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: Gangstalicious.
Q2 – For people not in the know can you give them a brief history of the band and how it came about.
Pontiff Benfunk: Michael Angelo and Cardinal Genewarfare wanted a straight-forward party grind band. They came up with the idea of two guitarists, with one running through a bass and guitar cab – enter the blessed Father Ronald of Genital Mass. The final member crashed through the ceiling of a jam one day and began partying. He was hired immediately.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: We were born to party. Battle Pope was formed shortly after our exit from the womb.
Q3 – How would you describe your sound?
Pontiff Benfunk: Swung sludge party rock party party party. A demonic incarnation of 50’s rock meets punk meets sludge meets whiskey meets cocaine.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: Cerebral impregnation via sonic penetration.
Q4 – Which bands and artists influence you directly as musicians?
Pontiff Benfunk: Little Richard, Elvis, Log, Captain Cleanoff, Blood Duster, Sylvester Stallone, Gary Busey, Machete, Black Dynamite, Eazy-E, N.W.A. and Pope Benedict XVI.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: Parliament, God God Dammit Dammit, Notorious B.I.G., Church of Misery – but above all we are influenced by our own extreme sex drives.
Q5 – Are you all full time musicians or do you have regular jobs to pay the bills.
Pontiff Benfunk: We sling tha dilz to pay tha bilz, biatch.
Q6 – Are your family and friends supportive of your music.
Pontiff Benfunk: Battle Pope ain’t got time for friends and family. We only got time for dollar billz, mad grillz, party, pussy, pussy parties, and hardcore 100% thugaboo warriors.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: I know no friends or family. It’s fuck or be fucked out there fool; and I ain’t being on the wrong side of the denigration of pulsation and thrustification.
Q7 – What is the song-writing process in the band? Is it a group collective or is just down to one individual? In my mind your music sounds a work from a group of deranged individuals.
Pontiff Benfunk: We get a bunch of hookers, surround ourselves with microphones and do a Tony Montana quantity of cocaine. Pretty much writes itself.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: We build up to an obscene level of party-hedonism then flail our genitals wildly.
Q8 – Your new split EP with Jesus Christ Posse has just been released. How did that come about? Obviously you know these crazy souls rather well.
Pontiff Benfunk: I am indignant. We do not associate with those repugnant righteous-wannabe ego-trippin’ sacrilegious suckas. We stumbled across those heathens in a crack den one day – a young emaciated crack head came out and said he used to be a proud soldier, hounding pussy 24/7, then he found JCP and entered a downward spiral ending in crack addiction, male prostitution and a penchant for terrible 90’s punk. We were outraged, and knew something had to be done about these jive ass turkeys.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: Pitiful scum that are as mentally, artistically and spiritually impotent as they are sexually.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: I know no friends or family. It’s fuck or be fucked out there fool; and I ain’t being on the wrong side of the denigration of pulsation and thrustification.
Q7 – What is the song-writing process in the band? Is it a group collective or is just down to one individual? In my mind your music sounds a work from a group of deranged individuals.
Pontiff Benfunk: We get a bunch of hookers, surround ourselves with microphones and do a Tony Montana quantity of cocaine. Pretty much writes itself.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: We build up to an obscene level of party-hedonism then flail our genitals wildly.
Q8 – Your new split EP with Jesus Christ Posse has just been released. How did that come about? Obviously you know these crazy souls rather well.
Pontiff Benfunk: I am indignant. We do not associate with those repugnant righteous-wannabe ego-trippin’ sacrilegious suckas. We stumbled across those heathens in a crack den one day – a young emaciated crack head came out and said he used to be a proud soldier, hounding pussy 24/7, then he found JCP and entered a downward spiral ending in crack addiction, male prostitution and a penchant for terrible 90’s punk. We were outraged, and knew something had to be done about these jive ass turkeys.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: Pitiful scum that are as mentally, artistically and spiritually impotent as they are sexually.
Q9 – How do you come up with the names for both album and individual songs? Some great titles you have in your catalogue so far.
Pontiff Benfunk: We get a bunch of hookers, surround ourselves with pens and do a Tony Montana quantity of cocaine. Pretty much writes itself.
Q10 – With you being involved in so many superb musical groups. How do you find the time to feature with them all? Or is it just being involved with one band when the need arises.
Pontiff Benfunk: Egoflex fuck machine.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: Various configurations of the ONES of SELF. This is hendon-hunk party-self of dick-slinging’, soul-winnin’, spliff-tokin’, blunt-smokin’, ovary-stompin’, tab-chompin’ righteousness.
Q11 – Have you toured with any of those great bands or know them on a personal level.
Pontiff Benfunk: Most transportation devices cannot accommodate our mass, hence we limit our touring.
Q12 - Is there a scene for bands like yourself to perform in your home town on a regular basis. Or do you have to travel further afield to perform on a regular basis.
Pontiff Benfunk: The scene comes to us muthafucka.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: We regularly perform public parties. Female bloke-sheaths flock to such gatherings to lap up the residual seed like so many deep sea suckaz sustained on the marine snow which drifts down to the ocean floor.
Q13 – I know the record scene in Australia is a bit hostile to the whole Sludge/Stoner/Grind metal scene. How do you overcome that? Is it a hindrance at times to get your music played?
Pontiff Benfunk: We slay and we play. We are the undisputed champions of the world baby. You cannot stop us. If we want to play, we play. If you disagree, you die by the hand of the Battle Pope. For our hand is heavy, and your soul weak.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: People are right to fear me and my far-from-innocuous genital bulge.
Q14 – What are your favourite bands around at the moment? Do you listen to modern day rock/metal or do you just listen to the classic era of Stoner/Sludge/Doom/Post-Rock/Post-Metal?
Pontiff Benfunk: Radio Moscow. Church of Misery. The Bronx. Looking Glass. Hydromedusa. God God Dammit Dammit. All have played their part in the Battle Pope ethos.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: Killsong are righteous brothers, as are Snakes Get Bad Press, Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt, Space Bong and Looking Glass amongst many others. Music is the soundtrack to our eternal party.
Q15 – What are your views of blogs such as Sludgelord featuring and reviewing your records, as opposed to mainstream music magazines? Has your music reached the mainstream mags at home or around the world?
Pontiff Benfunk: You disgust us.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: You arouse us.
Q16 – What is your view of bands and blogs giving away music for free? Lot of bands and people have different perspectives.
Pontiff Benfunk: Our word saves. Our word heals. Our word rejoices. Who are we to charge for such an affair? We wanted to give the split release away for free, but those corporate hounds JCP demanded cash money. Battle Pope has a soft spot for weeping bitches, so it is sold.
Q17 – What are the most and least rewarding aspects of participating with the band?
Q17 – What are the most and least rewarding aspects of participating with the band?
Pontiff Benfunk: Most? Pussy. Least? Gonorrhoea.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: Fuck all these “sexual assault” charges. Ingrate, jive-ass she-hoes.
Q18 – Do you have any future plans for the upcoming 12 months or so? Anything we should be excited about.
Pontiff Benfunk: Pussy. Penicillin.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: We will bless the world with a new Book of Party when we feel so compelled by the sexual forces deep within us.
Q19 - Finally, Do you have anything to say your fans.
Pontiff Benfunk: Baby.
Michael Angelo Batio Pope: I got the good dick girl, you didn’t know?
And for our tour: bring drugs. And your sex organs.
Well there you have it folks. A great interview from the tourette-filled-pussy-loving-sex-addict party monsters that is Battle Pope. Thanks guys for a brilliant and funny as fuck interview.
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