Interview: Bob Noxious, Vocalist for Punk Band Horror of 59

Horror of 59 is a horror/punk band based out of Cleveland, Ohio. They serve up raw slabs of ghoulish gore-rock that recall The Misfits, The Cramps, and Social Distortion. They aren't strictly punk, so die-hard metalheads like myself can enjoy tunes such as "Helltown," "Human Remains From Outer Space," and "Black Hearse Cadillac." I shot a few questions into the inbox of one Bob Noxious, HO59's lead throat. This is what he had to say for himself...

Dom Coccaro: What separates Horror of 59 from all of the other horror/punk bands out there?

Bob Noxious: I hope it's the quality of our songwriting. That and our striking good looks.

DC: The material I've heard from The Golden Age of Sin seems to be going in a more musical direction. Was there a conscious effort to break a few punk stereotypes? I ask because I'm frustrated by punk bands who are afraid to be "musical" for fear of becoming less "punk."

BN: Personally, I've never worried about what little box I fit in musically. I grew up in the eighties listening to punk, metal, classic rock, synth-driven alternative bands...all kinds of stuff. The other guys in the band have fairly wide ranging tastes, too.

I don't mind if people call us a punk band. That's certainly where our roots are, and punk music will always be a major influence on what we do. But we don't really waste a lot of time worrying about whether any given song is "punk" enough or not. If we all agree it's a good song, that's all that matters.

DC: Speaking of The Golden Age of Sin, the cover art is amazing. What's the concept behind it (aside from Blacula Rules)?

BN: It's about that period in the sixties and seventies when previously taboo subjects like sex and gore were starting to come out into the open in pop culture through things like Playboy magazine and Russ Meyer, Roger Corman and H. G. Lewis movies. It's about drive-ins and grindhouses and cocktail lounges and burlesque shows. All the stuff that seems kind of tame and nostalgic these days, but at the time had more of an aura of being dirty and forbidden and dangerous than hardcore porn does now.

DC: What's your favorite b-movie?

BN: Hmm...probably 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'. But I'm also very fond of 'Plan Nine From Outer Space', the original 'Night of the Living Dead' and the original 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

DC: Some of HO59's songs are about local legends. What are some of the more interesting Ohio ghost stories?

BN: I have two favorites from the area where I live, which is northeast Ohio. One is the Melonheads. These are supposedly small humanoid creatures with large heads. In some versions of the legend they're more or less harmless, but the best versions have them being cannibalistic mutations. I also like the stories about "Helltown", a little area in the Cuyahoga Valley supposedly overrun by Satanists and ghosts. As if that wasn't enough, there's also supposed to have been some Bigfoot and Wendigo type sightings in the area, and a giant snake that got loose there in the thirties or something. It's completely ridiculous, but it makes good fodder for lyrics.

DC: Who are your influences as a singer?

BN: Hopefully I just sound like me, but some of the vocalists I especially admire and probably at least subconsciously borrow from are Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Ronnie James Dio, Glenn Danzig, Roky Erickson, Bob Calvert from Hawkwind, The Cretin from Dayglo Abortions, Dave Wyndorf from Monster Magnet, James Hetfield, Keith Morris from Circle Jerks, L. G. Petrove from Entombed, and Gibby Haynes from the Butthole Surfers.

DC: How did the band's soundtrack appearances come about?

BN: Horror Convention Massacre came about because I had interviewed the director for the newspaper I write for and I got to know him that way. When he was done with the movie, he wanted to use music from local bands, and since he knew our band would be a good fit, he asked us for some tunes. The guys who made 'Aquarius Rising' I think just got in touch with us through MySpace. Nothing all that exciting, I'm afraid.

DC: Anything outside of HO59 that you want to plug?

BN: Yeah, visit www.rocknrollpurgatory.com to read my movie reviews, and be on the lookout for 'The Red Skulls' and 'Cordoba Nights' on DVD. I have cameo appearances in both movies, and did some writing for 'Cordoba'.