ICP's Violent J Ready for 12th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos

Detroit's own hardcore hip hop group Insane Clown Posse (ICP) have certainly made a name for themselves in their over twenty years in the music business.

ICP emerged in the early nineties and despite constant criticism for their violent lyrics and imagery and in spite of a lack of interest in the mainstream music world, they have managed to become a worldwide phenomenon selling millions of albums across the globe.

The band's clown makeup, wild stage shows, Faygo throwing and their Dark Carnival concept album series, the Six Joker's Cards, gained them a strong underground following of fans they coined "Juggalos".

Over the last couple of years the band has seemed to be everywhere in Saturday Night Live parodies, on Nightline and in the news after the infamous Tila Tequila incident at the band's annual music festival the Gathering of the Juggalos last year.

Their eleventh studio album Bang! Pow! Boom! debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 charts selling 50,000 copies in its first week and launched the band's first of a set of six new Joker's Cards.

ICP's Joe "Violent J" Bruce and Joseph "Shaggy 2 Dope" Utsler have done things their own way by themselves and have thrived beyond even their own wildest dreams.

ICP began their own record label Psychopathic Records which is home to a number of talented underground bands and even created their own wrestling promotion Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW).

The band has produced their own albums, videos, documentaries, merchandise and even two movies, 2000's Big Money Hustlas and its prequel 2010's Big Money Rustlas.

However, the band's annual Gathering of the Juggalos is perhaps ICP's biggest and best creation to date.

The annual music festival is unlike any other on the market and is a four day weekend that Juggalos flock to every year to experience all that ICP has to offer.

The festival features everything from wrestling shows to comedy to carnival rides to band seminars and autograph signings.

The 12th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos will be held next weekend from Thursday to Sunday August 11 through August 14 with an eclectic lineup that has everyone talking including an appearance by Charlie Sheen.

The event will once again be held in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois and on Thursday I got a chance to talk to Violent J about the festival as well as the new album that ICP is working on, The Mighty Death Pop!

Q: You have the Gathering coming up next week...

A: Yes, it's going to be devastatingly awesome!

Q: So you're getting excited?

A: Yeah, I am actually.

Q: You've been doing it for twelve years now. What do you think makes it so special?

A: Wow, you know it's definitely not just about who is playing it. When you talk about other festivals I think that is their main thing, whose playing it. I mean that goes without saying right? That's just what it is about but it's different at the Gathering. What makes it special is being with the other Juggalos and I mean this. That's what it is. It's about getting together with the other Juggalos. I mean you catch a lot of sh*t for being a Juggalo. We're the most hated band in the world and to be a fan of the most hated band in the world means people f*ck with you for that. It's like you listen to that sh*t? I think people like our music because we're clowns and maybe in some way they feel like clowns and they can relate to it. And of course we don't rap about things that everybody else raps about. We don't rap about having things and scoring hot chicks. We rap about other things and I think they can relate to that. We come from and approach things as the outsiders. We don't fit in and I think that the people who listen to our music and tend to like our music they feel like they can relate to where we're coming from. They don't fit in to anything at school or at work or anything. They pretty much feel alone, you know? But when you get to a concert or better yet the Gathering you realize you're not alone. It's like thousands and thousands of people just like you man and it just creates this wonderful buzz. You can feel it the second you start getting there. You even start to feel it on the way there when you're passing other cars on the way there and they say "Juggalo" or "Gathering Bound" on their car window. You can start to feel the energy coming out of this place for miles around and when you get there you realize that you are not the only one. You know it's not just about who listens to ICP, it's not about that at all, it's about who is a Juggalo. Maybe the name Juggalo is stupid, maybe that doesn't begin to capture who these people are, but whatever it is they are not alone and it's apparent at the Gathering. When you get there you realize that there is other people who are going through the same sh*t as you and other people who feel the same way about their life as you do and it's time to celebrate. That's why they chant "Family!" even if they're outside at a concert or something small like an autograph signing. They chant family honestly because that's the only way to describe the feeling going on when they're together. Imagine that man in 2011, you know what I mean? This world is cold and you can't even admit that you're religious these days. They just f*cking come down on you for even saying you believe in God! Yeah so you got 200 kids standing outside and they're chanting family talking about each other; embracing each other like that and that's amazing! I think that's what makes the Gathering awesome. I mean yeah it's about who is playing, people always want to know that and it's exciting but I think the real gem, what you take home from the Gathering is that knowledge that you're not alone.

Q: It is definitely a different feeling from other festivals. I haven't been since it was out in Garrettsville, Ohio but it remains the most unique thing I've ever done.

A: Were you at the one where it rained? That was a tough one because it rained and it was a 150 degrees so it was tough but they still made it awesome. But we've mastered the art since then after getting to where we're at now. We found a home, a place we really like and we can unwind and it's a great place that just gets better. I don't look down at any Gathering but that one where the monsoon came through I felt bad for everyone. It happens, mother nature!

Q: You got a lot of performers this year but what else makes this year's different?

A: We've got the bomba** wrestling show. What can I say man? What can I sit here and say about this year's Gathering? It's like I feel like Richie Rich. You know the cartoon character? I feel like Richie Rich like somehow everything that me and Shaggy have loved in our lives that we grew up loving is happening this weekend. The wrestling card is so amazing. Growing up and watching some of these classic wrestling matches that are impounded in my memory forever and now we're going to have the rematches for the first time in twenty-six or thirty years! They're having the actual matches that we remember and spent our whole lives talking about. For example, one of the first matches I ever saw as a kid was Greg "The Hammer" Valentine versus Tito Santana in a steel cage. This was 1984. That was one of the things that I saw that drew me into wrestling. Somehow these same two athletes are coming to have that match again in a steel cage at the Gathering! It's better than anything we can even explain and then the rest of the card is made up of dream matches that have never happened. I mean a lot of these wrestlers are older and they're not as fast as they used to be but it's them. It's Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. It's Rowdy Roddy Piper versus Terry Funk. This is a dream match. These are the two biggest bad guys in all of wrestling history. Everybody always wanted to see or wondered what would happen if Terry Funk wrestled Piper and they're gonna do it in the name of the Juggalos. It's f*cking awesome man and it feels like we're king and for this weekend like Shangri-La on earth. It's like being in heaven. We're Juggalos and so we can only assume that the rest of the Juggalos are similar to us so we think they will like it as well. I mean we could be wrong. I'm sure there's a lot of Juggalos who don't watch wrestling but when we're putting this together it's hard to predict because Juggalos come from all walks of life but you can only go with what you know. We pretty much satisfy ourselves when booking these things. We're bringing our favorite groups who we think would be awesome and hope the Juggalos feel the same but it's a guessing game. I mean we always thought they would like Gwar who is sort of similar to ICP but at the same time our fans didn't seem to match. It's hard to predict and not like you can know exactly who to put us with for it to go smoothly. It's hit or miss. I mean we've got Bobby Brown playing the Gathering this year, why not, maybe it will work! We got MC Hammer and I don't think that would have worked when Hammer was in his prime but now it seems to make sense for some reason.

Q: You have a wide mix of bands playing this year from Saliva to Ice Cube but it seems to be focused on nineties hip hop. Is that because that is the era when ICP came out?

A: Right, it's what we know! I'm saying that the Gathering lineup this year looks a lot like my cd collection. I mean it's mostly rap but there's some rock in there. It looks a lot like the sh*t me and Shaggy grew up riding around and playing and it looks a lot like our wrestling DVD collection as well.

Q: You are working on the new album. Any idea on a release date yet?

A: Probably early next year but that doesn't mean that we're going to just disappear. We've got some surprises coming up for the rest of this year. We can't talk about them because of our ICP seminar at the Gathering. We have to save our big secrets for that but we're definitely doing some really cool things this year. This time we decided to stay around while working on the album. You know a lot of bands when they're working on a new album just go away but we have such cool momentum going right now that we decided to kind of stay alive until the album comes out. The Juggalos are making so much noise out in the world these days that we decided to try to not disappear and try to stay relevant and drop the new album on top of it all.

Q: This album will be continuing your second set of Joker's Cards?

A: Yeah the last album started the second deck of the second hand and I mean why not, I didn't know where we'd be after the original Six Joker's Cards but sh*t here I am at 39 years old but I still feel young. I still feel like I did when I was 29. I feel my mind works the same and I don't feel like I want to stop rapping at all. I don't feel like I'm too old to say whatever the f*ck I want and Shaggy feels the same. We want to keep it moving. We've got a lot more music in us. I hear rappers say you shouldn't rap past forty and I'm thinking f*ck that! I'm going to be rapping Ice-T style.

Q: All the other genres do!

A: Right! The Rolling Stones and everybody else play rock and roll until their fingers blow off. That's how we want to do it. I want to be a Vegas act later. I want to be stationed in Vegas and have the Juggalos come vacaction; come to us. That would be awesome!

Q: So the new album will be sticking to the style that you're known for?

A: Yeah you know similar but as different as possible. At this stage in the career we take great pride in doing these albums. We want to do the best record possible. Every time we go to do an album, and it took me years and years to realize this, but we say the same thing every time. When we go to drop a album we end up saying this is the best album we've ever done . We say it every time but I believe it. It feels like we're once again breaking new ground. I feel like the new album is the greatest one we've done and we take great pride in that. We'll never just put a album out, it has to be the best and it has to have the coolest concepts and the coolest sounds and I think we're doing that. The concepts for The Mighty Death Pop! are awesome and at this stage in the game when you have a hundred albums out like we do that's the hardest thing to come by, the concepts, and I think we're nailing it. Some of these concepts are so dope that I can't believe we've never done them before. It's sort of like when we first came out we did a song called "Murder Go Round" and I mean with the carnival theme that makes sense but once you do an idea you can't do it again. We had a song called "The Funhouse" and that made sense right but some of these new concepts I just can't believe we never thought of before now. It was in our face. We're real, real happy about the new album. Maybe it's a sign of getting older but when we do a show or tour we've got to take a little more time off after we come back to get our voices in order. Both of us get real raspy when we get back so we have to wait to record. It used to take 2 or 3 days but now it takes 2 or 3 weeks to get our voice back in order and then we can hit the studio. It's a little harder in that aspect but we're schooling it. We're kicking a**. We've got most of the album done but now we're looking for certain songs and that is always the hardest part. When you start an album you can go with whatever feels fresh but when you're finishing one you're looking for certain feelings.

Q: You mentioned being the most hated band in the world but over the last couple of years it seems like the albums have been doing pretty well and you've been getting more positive exposure.

A: Yeah but I feel like we are still hated. Definitely I do but I do think it is changing though. Maybe it's because we've been around so long that people are taking a second look. it's like why are they still here? A lot more positive stories are coming out and it's really interesting but I think the reactions to "Miracles" is proof that we are still the most hated band. If f*cking Neil Young or somebody did that song they'd probably be looked at as a genius but because it was us doing it everybody says how idiotic we are. I think that's still proof that stuff we do is always going to be made fun of or misconstrued.

Q: You see artists like Rob Zombie or Alice Cooper or even Eminem who have similar violent stage shows and lyrics and they don't get that type of criticism. Why do you think you do?

A: I don't know. I guess we're clowns so we're an easy target but those guys also play their own instruments. It's like we're too rap for rock and too rock for rap. We don't play our own instruments and people diss us because we don't. Who the f*ck plays their own instruments in rap? And then in rock they say these guys don't even have a band. That's because we're rappers! Everyone just constantly has something to say. Tell me this ain't common sense: I was talking to a friend the other day about this and how is it that when we put out a new album they have someone come and review our album that doesn't even listen to our sh*t? Shouldn't they get a Juggalo to review our new album? A Juggalo will tell you this is classic ICP or they're doing something else and I don't know know what the f*ck they're doing now! Why would they send someone who doesn't listen to our type of music? That would be like having me review a country album. I don't listen to country music so I'll tell you the greatest country album of all time sucks because I don't know the difference so why does some music critic get to come review us who doesn't even know our style? How do you even have a chance to get a good review out of that? I just don't get it. It's the same things at our concerts. A guy will come to review our show with 2000 people and everybody's singing every word and loving the sh*t out of the show and he'll be sitting up in the balcony saying this sucks. It's like really? You thought it sucked and everybody else is wrong and off? How does that work? It's common sense.

Q: What should people expect from your Gathering set this year?

A: Awesomeness! They're going to hear all the collection of songs that we know people like to hear in our concerts. All the goodies and then they're going to hear plenty of rareness because we play an extra long set at the Gathering. We break out songs we've never done in concert. I think the theme is awesome and that's all I'm going to say about that! We've got a really cool stage set going. Something we've never done before.

Q: You've been broadcasting Internet pay per views for awhile now and I hear that you will be broadcasting some of the Gathering footage?

A: Yeah I mean every night the main stage is on pay per view. Today everyone has Internet on their tv so they can get it and watch it in their living room. We're charging real cheapness and it's going to be great.

Q: You have Hallowicked coming up as well. Have you been thinking about that?

A: Oh yeah we've got it all on lock. We've been doing this man, we've got it down. It's like clockwork. It's a science now.

Q: You have two Psychopathic Rydas albums coming out at the Gathering. Anything else being released?

A: I have a new t-shirt coming out. I do my own t-shirt designs and they're different, they're not just ICP shirts. I try to do like weird designs. My sh*t usually flops. [laughing] I design shirts like one with a chalkboard on it where someone wrote "I Killed Somebody" so I don't know how many people would want to walk around with that. We got a new one coming out this year with Chris Hansen on the front. He's the guy from To Catch A Predator and on the back it says "Have A Seat", which is what he always says to the pedophiles. I'm proud of that!

Q: Is there a particular performer you're looking forward to this year?

A: Yeah, Paris. I've never seen Paris and I'm a huge fan. He's a friend of mine and we talk on the phone a lot and we did a song together and he went above and beyond. He didn't just do his verse, he killed it! I've been a huge fan of his since way back in the day. We literally have nothing in common with music stylings. He comes from things where and I don't want to get it wrong but he says things like white people are the devil and he sort of has this Black Panthers type of deal he does. It's so cool and one thing we do have in common is that fear and that aggression in the music and he is awesome at it. That's why I think we talk because we do have that in common. When we did our track we didn't know what to rap about because we are so different so we just rapped about being independent in the game.

Q: If someone doesn't know your music and wants to jump in where should they start?

A: Jump in anywhere man. Yeah, if they're interested in it I would say jump on the train. Jump on the beginning and the middle and then move to the end. Wherever, but just get on board and go for the ride of your life! If you haven't listened to us because you've been critiquing us all along then go ahead and f*ck off! We'll be out of your town in a minute, we're just passing through. We never subject our sh*t to an audience that's not ours. In other words, we rarely do festivals where you have to sit through our set while you're waiting for your favorite group to go on. We don't open for anybody even the biggest names in the world. You don't have to sit through our sh*t and have Faygo poured all over you. We always make sure we're the last band playing and it's there if you want it but you got to look for it. When people start critiquing our music it's f*cked up because they came into our world. It's not like we're on MTV where you're waiting to see Lady Gaga's video and you got to sit through ours. We're not on the radio where you're sitting waiting for the new Britney Spears' single but you have to listen to ours first. If you want us you have to come and find us. That's the underground.

Q: You have a number of Detroit bands playing the Gathering this year like Critical Bill and Wolfpac. Who else is on the bill from this area?

A: Yeah, there's King Gordy. Mastamind. Downtown Brown. Prozak, he's from Saginaw. Yeah, there's a few.

Q: The events begin on Thursday but the campgrounds open on Wednesday. Will you be out there?

A: On Wednesday there's a place in Evansville, Indiana on the way there. It's a colisseum and they have a wrestling promotion called CCW, Colisseum Championship Wrestling. It's a small kind of rinky dink promotion and they do a wrestling show every Wednesday. We usually drive to the Gathering and we're driving up that way on this long a** freeway and we stop in Evansville to check out the promotion. This year we booked a JCW versus CCW event. We told all the JCW wrestlers we're not paying anybody but if you want to stretch your legs come by the colisseum and we'll kick these guys a**es really quick. I don't know who is gonna show or not show but we'll do that Wednesday night and then head into the Gathering. I'm single this year and it's my first time in like eight years so you're gonna find me at the Gathering riding around with like 25 chicks on a golf cart!