GET TO KNOW mike chuck bill

DATE OF BIRTH
November 10, 1971 which happens to be the Marine Corp Birthday. My uncle (who was in the Marines for like a zillion years) named me. Get it? MCB... Michael Charles Bill... Marine Corp. Birthday. Needless to say, he was slighty disappointed that I didn't join the jar heads. I wonder what he thinks of me now.

HEIGHT
6'7". And I don't fucking play basketball. But I have big feet and a big ol' schlong!

PIERCINGS/TATTOOS
I have several tattoos so far. Most of them are Clive Barker pieces. Two of them are Christopher Lee, another two are Zappa related, and one is Chastity (comic book vampire biatch). The Barker pieces are his pen and ink drawings he did in the 1970's through the 1990's. Most people see them and say something like "That looks like shit. Who did those for you?". Then I usually say "Well, first of all it's what intellegent folks call ART. But since I have the misfortune of talking to a walking penis with ears, yeah, you're right. That fucking tattoo artist really fucked me over. You see, they were ALL Tasmanian Devils and fucking Celtic knots. Oh and that one was a nice tribal piece. By the way, are you going to the gallery hop tonight? Good. My Louisville Slugger and I will see you later."

INSTRUMENT PLAYED IN DEVILCAKE?
Skin Flute. Uhhh, I mean guitar. Yeah... guitar.

WHAT GEAR IS IN YOUR CURRENT DEVILCAKE SETUP?
Well, for now I have two guitars. The first one is an ESP H-100 and the second is a Fender Squire hunkashit. I then run the axe of choice through a Crate 212 combo running clean through a Zoom 505. That's it. Pretty fucking amazing, huh? At least now you now how I come up with the worst guitar sound of all time.

FAVORITE DEVILCAKE SONG?
That would be a tie. Chicken Nuggets of Sin and Deez Nuts.

SIDE PROJECTS?
I'm currently trying to get together with Gourley to do a Doom Metal thing. Other than that I'm woking on my solo album, which will probably be the absolute worst thing ever recorded. As you can see I have set high expectations for myself.

WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING MUSIC?
As I was raised by a gaggle of geese, there wasn't much music in my family, except all the fucking HONKING. Anyway, I started to play guitar when I was like 14. A friend of mine bought a used SERIES 10 which was like a REALLY bad explorer-type rip off. But it was orange and black tger striped. So it pretty much ruled. Anyway, he started taking lessons at the String Shop when there was one in Delaware. So I asked my mom, and we went one weekend and found the absolute best thing a 14 year-old could find. A beaten up, used, puke green Tokai flying V. We bought it and I also signed up for lessons.

WHO WERE YOUR EARLY MUSICAL HEROES + INSPIRATIONS?
Yngwie J. Malmsteen
George Lynch
Blackie Lawless
Carl Edwards (guitar teacher)
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Black Sabbath
Randy Rhoads
(Insert ridiculously large list that I can't remember right now)

WHAT OTHER INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY?
Skin Flute.

ALL TIME TOP TEN ALBUMS
It would be sheer futility to attempt an accurate top 10 list here, so I'll just make some shit up.

Freak Out! - Mothers of Invention.
This album started all of the FREAK ROCK nonsense. Without this album, many people would still think that Donnie and Marie were "Pusing the Envelope".

Step Inside This House - Lyle Lovett.
Lyle may be ugly, but he dipped his stick in Julia Roberts (or so I've heard). This album is all covers of Texas song writers. Many people think Lyle is country, but he is just a very good writer/performer.

Shout at The Devil - Motley Crue.
Need I say more?

Rage For Order - Queensryche.
This one made me realize that you could be smart AND be in a metal band.

Blue Valentine - Tom Waits.
Tom rules the "out-of-tune-I-sing-with-a-mouthful-of-gravel" piano thing. Actually, now that I think of it... He's the ONLY one who does that.

The Boatman's Call - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
Nick Cave can write a ballad about the most fucked up things in the world and it makes you feel pretty good.

Shampoohorn - Z (Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa).
Makes 90's rock fun and mentally retarded in a good way.

Faith Hope Love - King's X.
Semi-religious rockers with a 12 string bass. You go Doug Pinnick!

W.A.S.P - W.A.S.P.
Blackie Lawless introduced me to the rack!

Nothingface - Voivod.
Have you HEARD it? Then shut the fuck up!

ALL TIME TOP FIVE BOOKS AND WHY?
Any and all Castaneda
Any and all Jim Carroll
Any and all Nietche
Any and all Lovecraft
Any and all Clive Barker

Right now I'm reading Jim Carroll's "Void of Course" and "Forced Entries", as well as the first Castaneda book. I usually re-read my favorites. I think I've read these 3 like 10,000 times but still enjoy them immensely. Carroll's writing is amazing. This is a guy who grew up in New York in the 60's and 70's, who was intensely addicted to just about every drug in the world. It almost killed him. Like ten different times. His poetry is based on/written during those times. "Forced Entries" relays what took place after "The Basketball Diaries".

Castaneda is mind boggling, but incredible at the same time. He is an archaeology student in the early sixties who befriends a Yaqui indian "sorcerer" who teaches him all about perception and how man cannot perceive the "real world" as it truly is.

ALL TIME TOP FIVE FILMS?
Damn. O.K. here's an estimate...

Jaws.
Because it made me fear sharks. Which is a good thing to fear, so that you don't try to ride one sometime.

Full Metal Jacket.
"What is your major malfunction, numb nuts??!?!?!?!?!?!"

Sling Blade.
"You ort not say that. You just a boy".

Horror of Dracula.
I remember watching that film when I was like 11 years old. Scared out of my fucking mind! Christopher Lee rules.

The Exorcist.
See above reason.


FAVORITE TV SHOWS?
All in the Family
Taxi
Magnum P.I.
Old Scooby-Doo
Roseanne
Barney Miller

FAVORITE ACTORS/ACTRESSES?
Pacino
Oldman
Newman
Christopher Lee
Jeff Goldblum
Fairuza Balk
Christina Ricci
Geena Davis

FIRST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?
Triumph and Yngwie. 'Nuff said.


BEST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?
Satriani during the "Surfing with the Alien" tour
Z during the "Shampoohorn" tour
Lyle Lovett (twice)
Sting (Like 4 times)
Flaming Lips (Bubble machine!)


LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?
GWAR

WHAT'S THE FURTHEST YOU'VE EVER DRIVEN TO SEE A CONCERT?
Pittsburgh to see Aerosmith. Actually, I didn't go there to see Aerosmith. I went there to meet this chick, and she wanted to go. I figured if I wanted to get laid... Thank you Steven Tyler...

YOUR FIRST LIVE GIG?
There was this HUGE party out in the middle of nowhere that my first band played at. We didn't even have a name. It never dawned on us to have a name. Anyway, we played ALL covers. Here was our permanent setlist

All Along The Watchtower
N.I.B.
Looks That Kill
Somebody Save Me
Cocaine
Bullet The Blue Sky
I Don't Know
Purple Haze
Breaking The Law
Cult of Personality

People looked at us like we were fucking retards. Our version of cocaine was played at like 244 beats per minute with feedback and distortion. Cult of Personality was horrible. As was the rest of the set. The only thing that semi-worked was Purple Haze, and we FUCKING HATED playing that one. There were only three of us. A drummer, bass player/singer, and me. Anyway, all I can remember is that the party mostly consisted of 70 year old men in golf clothes sitting in lawn chairs. I think that if they had ANY AMOUNT of energy, they would have kicked our punk asses. But instead they just sat there wishing for their own death, I'm sure.

YOUR BEST LIVE GIG?
That would have to be the first DC2K show at High Five. It had been SO LONG since I played live. I was pumped up like a mofo. A close second would probably be the GWAR show at the Newport. Not because I played well, but rather because it was THE NEWPORT. And we collectively PISSED EVERYONE OFF.

WHO ARE YOUR MUSICAL HEROES + INSPIRATIONS NOW?
Ummmm... I guess I get inspired by LOTS of different things, not just musicians. Being in DevilCake makes it easy to get back in touch with my metal roots, which is a lot of fun. But with that aside, I guess I really like good song writers. In just about every style. Sting, Lyle Lovett, Tome Waits, Nick Cave to name a few favorites. It's hard to say specifically, mostly because my inspirations are very dependant on my mood. Hell, some days I'm inspired by taking a shit.


WHATCHOU LISTENING TO NOW?
See EVERY PREVIOUS QUESTION, then add just about EVERYTHING ELSE THAT'S MOSTLY NOT ON THE RADIO. I've been listening a lot lately to Swans, Nick Cave, Tool, Dave Brockie, Flaming Lips, Johnny Cash, Zappa, etc...

NAME THE LAST 3 CDS YOU BOUGHT.
Dave Brockie
Skinless
Tool

FAVORITE FOODS?
Anything and everything. Literally. Unless my Mom cooks it.

CAN YOU COOK?
Yes. (Do I win the shortest answer award?)

FAVORITE BEVERAGES?
Anything wet. Except urine.

WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON THE PLANET?
I don't have a favorite place on the planet. I just kind of roam the earth. You know, kinda like The Incredible Hulk.

I HAVE TO ASK, WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?
Shit stain brown.

DARRIN AILES | MIKE CHUCK BILL | TODD SKAGGS | IAN C STEWART