Having recently completed a trek with Nile, Suicide Silence were preparing for their European/Russian tour — which starts April 18 in Bruschal, Germany and runs through May 14 in St. Petersburg, Russia — when guitarist Chris Garza took a few minutes to answer some of our stupid questions. And we gotta say, we learned more than we ever needed to know about his personal hygiene, grisly former day job and drinking habits. Suicide Silence will embark on the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour this summer with Slipknot, Disturbed, Machine Head and others.
Headbangers Blog: Your album is called The Cleansing. What do you do for cleansing when you’re on the road, since it’s sometimes hard to shower?
Chris Garza: Actually, we shower almost everyday which is a surprise. After a show just try to stop by at a friends house or get a hotel room and attempt to wash as much stench off as possible.
If you didn’t become a musician what line of employment would you have pursued?
Before I started touring full time, I was working at a hospital. I would have stuck with that. I was in sterile processing so I would get all the used trays from the operating rooms and wash all the blood and bones off of the instruments. Then, I’d put it all together, sterilize the tray, pack it, and bring it up to the room where someone was being sliced for open heart surgery. It Doesn’t get too much more metal than that. Don’t call yourself a metal band if you haven’t seen someone cut open and washed the blood remains.
What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you on the road?
All the crazy times, I really don’t remember from drinking too much. On the Sepultura tour, we were sharing a bus with Sworn Enemy and I turned 21. That’s when I first started drinking. [Guitarist] Mark [Heylmun] handed me my first Jack and Coke and it was all over from there. The drunk madness that went on [after that] was retarded. I just wish I didn’t black out all the time and could remember what the hell was going on.
You’re music seems somewhat influenced by gore flicks. Describe the freakiest movie you’ve ever seen?
Being 12 and seeing “Faces of Death” for the first time… F–k, I would have to say I was pretty freaked out.
What was your scariest near death experience?
Getting in a car accident with my mom and spinning around was pretty scary. All the crazy shit happened to me when I was little sucks. But I walked away without a scratch. Too bad I didn’t die.
Obviously, you’re into extreme music. What other extreme things are you into?
When I’m home, I get up at 5 a.m. and hit up the course to go golfing. That’s pretty extreme, wouldn’t you say?
Ever been arrested?
Only once. I was in high school and went to this girl’s house and completely destroyed everything. I thrashed the whole house. To this day, what pisses me off was the girl was with me and told me it was cool ‘cause they were moving. So, f–k, I was young and stupid, and I just went nuts and broke everything. Mom called the cops so I was cuffed and taken away. I received one year probation and 100 hours of community service — but I wouldn’t take it back for anything. It was one of the best times I’ve ever had.
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