Exclusive: Ministry Frontman Discusses Farewell Tour

Maybe it’s cuz we just saw the Cult or maybe it’s just cuz we’re sorta thick when it comes to these things. But we were left scratching out head for a minute to figure out what Ministry were getting at by naming their farewell concert run the C U LaTour. Then it hit us. SeeYouLaterTour. Yeah, like we said. We’re kinda thick like that. But we had no trouble grasping the significance of the event itself.

When frontman Al Jourgensen says this will be his last world tour with Ministry, you can bet he won’t be back in five years with some lame-ass reunion. This is it, the end of the line, the last hurrah for the most important band in the history of industrial metal – one without whom Nine Inch Nails, Static-X and even Linkin Park might sound entirely different.

In an exclusive interview with the Headbangers Ball Blog, Jourgensen revealed the details of Ministry’s final North American run, which will launch March 28 in Vancouver and continue through May 8 in Ministry’s birthplace, Chicago. Meshuggah and Hemlock will open all dates.

For the C U LaTouR, Jourgensen will be joined by singer Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory, Ascension of the Watchers), guitarists Tommy Victor (Prong) and Sin Quirin (Revolting Cocks), keyboardist John Bechdel (Prong, Ascension of the Watchers, False Icons) and bassist Tony Campos (Static-X). Campos will be taking the place of recently departed Ministry and Killing Joke Paul Raven, who died of a heart attack on October 20 in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Tony’s replacing Raven because we’ve gone through hell over the last weeks and I know Tony and Raven got along great and Raven would have loved it,” Jourgensen told Headbangersblog.com. “We just got done working with [Static-X frontman] Wayne [Static] and Tony on some cover songs, and Tony fits right in, so this is a great way to end it. And it just happened to work out great with Static-X’s schedule. So that rules.”

Since Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison (who played with Ministry on their 2006 tour) will be working again with his main band, Jourgensen recruited Jimmy DeGrasso to play on the C U LaTour. “I can’t really think of a better drummer to replace Joey with than somebody who’s used to doing Megadeth and Suicidal Tendencies tours,” Jourgensen says.

In addition to the metal celeb lineup, special guests will likely join the band on select dates. “In the past, in each city we’ve been known to have everybody from Kirk Hammett to [ex-Dead Kennedy’s frontman] Jello Biafra step onstage. And since will be the last tour, they’ll all be coming out of the woodwork.”

The set for the C U LaTour will feature songs that span Ministry’s 30-year career and the show will be two-and-a-half hours long. Exclusive pre-sale tickets for the North American C U LaTouR, will be available from Music Today starting November 15.

The same week Ministry launch their final tour, the band will release its last studio record, the 12-track Cover Up, which features newly recorded cover songs including The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb,” The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin,’” and Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen,” along with previously released covers of Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” and The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues.”

“It was great to do stuff that just didn’t require a lot of thought,” Jourgensen says. “Everyone’s always bitching, ‘All you sing about is Bush. Why don’t you keep your politics to yourself?’ So you know what we did? We did a party album that’s just pure, lowbrow entertainment. No more Bush, no more politics, no more thought. Just drink and put the CD on.”

Cover Up will also include Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” for which a video will be shot. The song will be included on a three-song press advance that will also include “Under My Thumb” and T-Rex’s “Bang a Gong.”

While much of the singing on Cover Up was done by guest vocalists, including Static, Bell, Mountain frontman Leslie West and Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, Jourgensen tackled vocals on “What a Wonderful World.” “It’s all me, baby,” he says. “It’s the final song on the record and it’s my final salute of having anything come out new that’s under the name of Ministry.”

Technically, that’s true, but the upcoming soundtrack for the horror film “Wicked Lake,” which was assembled by Jourgensen, will include two Ministry songs recorded during the sessions for the band’s last disc, The Last Sucker, which came out September 18. The soundtrack will also feature tracks by Jourgensen’s alter ego, Revolving Cocks, Prong, Ascension of the Watchers and Laika and the Cosmonauts.

Jourgensen has also recently finished writing the final Revolting Cocks disc and he’s got a pile of other projects he’s working on, but for now, Ministry’s farewell tour is at the forefront of his mind. After the final North American date, Ministry will head to Europe for eight weeks. The tour will continue at least through the beginning of August, and may include additional dates in South America and Australia.

“It’s gonna be good,” gloats Jourgensen. “It’s a good middle finger to the fans on the way out.”

Related Posts: Ministry To Meet Their Maker, Ministry Scream Farewell to Bush on ‘The Last Sucker’, An evening at Roseland Ballroom with Killswitch Engage

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