I’m Spider One, the founder and vocalist of the band Powerman 5000. Our newest record the Noble Rot is available everywhere August 28th! Ask me anything!

Are you ready to go? Cuz I’m ready to go.

always!

What are the main differences in the technical specs of Powerman 5000 and Andre 3000? Which one is the better choice for the average consumer, and will I get a free upgrade if Powerman 6000 comes out before I'm done paying off my 5000 model?

that info is all very top secret. sorry.

What is your opinion of When Worlds Collide being part of video game history thanks to Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2?

I think it's great! I never realized how popular that game was until years later!

How close are you and your brother? Do you guys ever help each other out artistically or share ideas?

we talk all the time and always support each other creatively.

Huge fan. My friends and I used to listen to Powerman 5000 every Friday night in high school.

I collect rare music and one of my “holy grails” is your rap demo tape

What are the chances this still exists and would ever be re-released or remastered?

Thanks!! Oh, the old MC Spider tapes!! they do exist on cassette, hidden away safely in my closet! hahaha

Tonight the Stars Revolt was part of the soundtrack to my High School years.

What would be the top three albums that inspired you the most musically?

that's a tough question. I would say that The Clash were my main influence in high school and were the templet of what a great band should be.

Do you ever get tired of playing "When Worlds Collide" because it's probably the main song people get so excited to hear, or is it more you more look forward to playing that song because it's the one most people are excited to hear?

I can't lie. I def get sick of playing it but the crowd usually is so excited that it helps. haha

By any chance do you remember opening for danzig in like 97. I was at the show in Providence and the electric hellfire club came on first ... anyway my friends and I got into a fight with them and THEY got kicked out cus they started it . I guess my question is, they were dicks right?

haha. I remember that show. In fact we got kicked off that tour right after we played. No reason given. We were just told to go home.

Yooooo did you really work at the Tower on Mass ave and Newbury at some point? I got to work there many years ago and that was something that people brought up all the time. Thought it was so cool but realize it might’ve been a fable.

I did work there! for five years! I started in the cassette department and then eventually moved to the art department. I loved working there! I miss Tower Records.

Hey Spider! Long time fan. TTSR was the album I absolutely listened to most in high school and I just rocked The Noble Rot as I dropped my kids off at school, so the opening lyric "You're not the same as when you were young" was incredibly ironic.

ANYWAY, my question is: Looking back now, would you have done anything different with the release (or lack thereof at the time) of Anyone For Doomsday?

Thanks so much! I try not to think about the past and what would have happened if we released AFD. Who knows. Perhaps it would have been better if we had just released it but then again here we are almost 20 years later still kicking, so maybe we did it right.

From someone in your position, how do you feel about the music industry's move to streaming services? Is this sustainable for musicians who aren't friggin Katy Perry or whatever getting billions of plays a day?

Streaming services are great for fans and the accessibly of music. Its true that for band the money is a factor but you have to adapt.

Hi Spider! You guys were my first concert! You played the boathouse in norfolk with static x and fear factory. Crazy good show! Do you and your brother have any collaborations that you might share with the world at some point?

no collaborations in the works right now but hey ya never know.

Oh shit! Love your music! You have such an iconic and raw voice, how do you prevent vocal fry?

Thanks! I do occasionally blow out my voice on tour but I don't really have any vocal secrets. I never warm up. ha. Guess I'm just lucky.

How did things turn out with final fantasy 14 allegedly ripping off your song?

nothing happened. Everyone thinks we sued them but we didn't. I just made a comment about it and everyone lost their minds. ha

The Noble Rot is amazing. Your take on We Got the Beat is solid, and the rest of the album is killer.

I hate to ask about new projects when this one just released, but the inclusion of an updated "When Worlds Collide" as the bonus track got me wondering if you had any desire to update any of the older songs in the PM5K library?

Thanks! Glad you like the new one! As far as updating any older songs.. nope. No plans for that.

Is there any possibility of a second collection of rare, unreleased tracks like you did with "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Vol. 1"?

Def a possibility. We don't have a ton of extra tracks and b sides left but perhaps we could pull something together.

How'd you get John Ennis to be in your video for "Black Lipstick"?

John Ennis was a friend of my friend Azure, who is one the girls in Holly Holly and the Night Cloaks. She asked him if he would be in the video and he said yes! Now we are great friends!

Thank you for taking this time Spider!

• have you entertained the idea of revisiting your old pre-TTSR! funky sound?
• how did the composition and recording of The Noble Rot differ from previous albums?
• For a hypothetical Copies, Clones and Replicants II, what songs would you be interested in covering?

I do love that old sound. It would be fun to do another record like that . The new record was created in a similar way as the past few. So much is written and created in the studio as opposed to the old days where we would jam it out live first.

Take on me by Ah ha. Time after time by Cindy Lauper maybe..

Hi Spider! Tysm for doing this ama, I’m a huge fan of yours. Anyway my question is what song of yours was the most fun to record/perform live?

Hi! Most fun song to play live is Horror Show because we play it different each night.

What is it really like when worlds collide?

I'll never tell.

Hey Spider Long time fan seen you 3 times in the last 2 years but want to ask a simple question. I am a huge fan of the Transform album and Free may be my all time PM5K song. Why did you guys stop playing it in concert? Also cannot wait to see you a 4th time at Whiskey A Go-Go in march and happy belated Bday

we do still play Free live but occasionally change up the set list depending on how we feel. Maybe next time you will hear it!

Why was the song 'City Lights' cut from Destroy What You Enjoy?

PS loved your newest record

If I remember correctly City Lights was never meant to be on DWYE. I think that was written and recorded before we started on that album. I could be wrong. That was long time ago. ha

What is your favourite song of the new album?

Hmm... hard to pick one. Black Lipstick, Play God Or Play Dead and Brave New World are my top three.

Black Lipstick, Plat God Or Play Dead and Brave New World are my top three.

Hey Spider!

Congrats on the new record! I’m glad you made the time to do this and I’ve been a fan of your work for some time now. I have a few questions for you if you don’t mind.

• As a MA native; what were the hardcore shows you were seeing those days and what was that like? Also what do you think of your fellow Haverhill natives, Vein?
• What are you top five underrated horror films for people wanting their shit fucked up?
• You and Jay Gordon (Orgy) seem to be kindred spirits with your 80s influence. Do you see a possible collaboration in the future?
• What three records by other artists would you say were the biggest creative inspiration for The Noble Rot?
• And lastly, I’m a moderator at r/numetal, I know you guys never considered yourselves “nu-metal” but what do you remember about that time when you toured with bands like Static-X and Dope?

P.S. Can I get you to join us for our 20th anniversary discussion of “Anyone for Doomsday?” this time next year?

that's a lot of questions! ha! Back in MA I saw so many great hardcore shows! Back then the kings of Boston hardcore were SSD. I probably saw them the most. But I did also see greats like Husker Du, the Minutemen, Black Flag! Too many to mention.. I haven't heard of Vein but I will def check them out! Nu Metal? Never really thought of us as nu metal but we def get lumped in that scene. Doesn't really bother me.

What do your kids think of your music?

they could care less about it. haha

Do you have a day job or does Powerman 5000 still pay the bills? I've been curious about that since your little stint on fearnet.

I don't have a day job. I have been very fortunate that Powerman 5000 has been my job. That said, I will do other things like the Fearnet gig for fun.

Hey Spider, thanks for taking the time to do this!

After many years at the same job I'm being laid off as we speak, which of course sucks big time, have you ever been laid off? From where and how did you take it?

At least I have The Noble Rot to spin tonight! So I have that going for me, which is nice.

Sorry to hear about that. Well, with this covid 19 thing, I feel like I am laid off right now. Haven't been able to perform live since Feb and who knows when we will again.

Thank you for taking this time!

You have a new album out. Static-X has a new album out (and another on the way!), your brother is sitting on a finished album as we speak (or so I understand, please ask him to release it)...there seems to be either a resurgence or just a coincidence in new albums from "nu metal" bands (I dont think you all are nu metal but I digress).

Have you considered or would you be interested in touring with all of them to support these efforts? Plus Dope can tag along because for some "strange reason" (wink wink) they seem to tour with Static-X a lot.

Hopefully you can all band together and come down to Argentina, Rob was here a few years back and I had a fucking blast, some of the best 2 shows I've seen, plus he seemed to enjoy us as well.

​

PS: If you speak to Rob, please let him know that we are not all stupid morons like the guy that blew and stole the inflatable alien at the show, we were all yelling for him to just give it up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I would def be up for a tour with any or all of the bands you mentioned!

Any chance of another season of Death Valley?

I wish. We tried but no luck so far.

Hey Spider, How has COVID been affecting a established musician/band of your level who can't tour to generate income?

It has been tough. Especially since we have this new record out today and would love to be out on the road playing it live.

I saw the "what if your fav PM5K song to play" live question: if you could play ANY song live that you haven't yet (not just the PM5K library) what would you like to have a stab at?

It might be fun to do some of the cover tunes that we tackled on Copies Clones and Replicants. Maybe Space Oddity.

Not a question but my biggest regret when meeting you was calling out for World's Collide 5 minutes into a PM5K acoustic set in Hollywood. That's the show where you guys were dressed as The Allman Brothers. What I meant to ask for was Blast Off To Nowhere. Redo?

That night, you ended up gifting me one of your original art pieces. I still have it displayed. I just wanted to thank you again!

ha! That was a fun night!

You wanna come on our podcast? We'll give you 6 beers to drink with us.

6 beers? deal!

Hey, Spider! I've been listening to PM5K for years now. Keep up the great work. :)

My question: what really motivated the shift in style? On records like Transform and Destroy What You Enjoy, you guys took a pretty different direction with the band's sound. Were you kinda bored with the sci-fi stuff? Did you just want to explore something different?

(I really dig those albums, by the way! When will DWYE be on Spotify?!)

Thanks, dude! Congrats on the new record.

I think at that time that is just the sound I felt like pursuing. we try not to repeat ourselves too much and make each record a new experience. As far as DWYE on spotify. I have no idea. That record is wrapped up in some legal issues.

Hello! Just wanted to stop in and ask about your reaction to Herd Immunity Fest. Was there any drama or conflict thrown your way for speaking out against it? Thank you for speaking out as well. It was much needed.

No drama. In fact, I received a lot of thoughtful and thankful messages regarding what I said.

I know you guys are very politically motivated, have you thought about doing a song for BLM?

Not specially but more and more I have become more outspoken on these subjects because to stay quiet seems wrong these days.

I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while and have been seeing you doing more in the cinematic realm. My question is, has the discussion between doing a sibling collab film ever come up?

Mad respect for you and the band. Been a longtime fan ever since I got Mega Kung Fu Radio on CD.

Thanks!! No collaborative things in the works as of now but ya never know. Thanks for being a fan since the beginning!

Hey! I saw you guys play at the L.A. Colosseum in 2000 or 2001 for the Summer Sanitarium tour and y'all were fantastic! My question is what would be your favorite venue to play and why?

Thanks! fave venues? hard to say but that LA colosseum gig was def up there!

If you were a hotdog and you were starving... Would you eat yourself?

I suppose I would

So did you guys ever get to actually meet Tony Hawk in real life?

Never have met the real Tony Hawk, just the video game version!

Spider, what was the inspiration behind the title of the new album, The Noble Rot?

The Noble Rot is a term used in wine making. I first heard about it from the movie The House That Jack Built staring Matt Dillon. He play a serial killer.

Any advice for young musicians?

Yup. Do what you want and don't worry about anything else.

What was your craziest memory from working the carnivals as a kid? Which makes for the more wild lifestyle... Rockstar or carny?

Craziest carny memory was the whole carnival being set on fire! Carnies are way crazier than rockers!

I saw you guys play a side stage at Buzzfest at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion outside of Houston in the early 2000s. I remember moshing, losing a shoe, and then puking in a trash can. It was hot!

Did you and your brother get along well growing up? I know you guys have done your own things professionally, but I’m a fan of both of you guys individually.

ha. great story! yup, we got along great!

we did get along great growing up.

Hi Spider,

what is it about Texas that makes you guys play all over the state all the time??

Is it because it's 5 miles from hell??

PS: THANK YOU for this you gave me a few years back in Houston. You were really kind and welcoming!

Texas is one of our favorite states to play plus there are so many cities to play in that state you could do an entire tour there!

Drop the Bombshell is one of my favorite songs. What influenced you to write the song?

thanks! I think I was just trying to write a song that would go off hard when we played it live.

Congrats on the album release!

With the release of this album, can we expect a future project or release of Dead As Punk? Still would love to see some songs of those used during a show, and even a possible few dates of unplugged shows.

Again congrats! As you certainly deserve it!

Jimmy

Thanks so much! Dead As Punk will never die! ha!! some day we will def get back to it and put some new songs out!

What's it REALLY like being a rock star?

rock star? hmmm. don't really think of myself as one. I will say being a band in great fun!

I loved Noble Rot, and in the "Brave New World" vid I enjoyed seeing the "Nobody's Real" mask thing show up lol. I guess since you have short films coming out now, I'd like to ask: Any film inspirations? And what are your favorite movies in general?

Thanks! glad you noticed the Nobodys real helmet! Fav movies? so many. Jaws, Alien, Clockwork Orange, Taxi Driver, Star Wars, The Shining...

Hey Spider! Thank you for getting back to us on these questions!

Back in the megatronic message board days, if I recall correctly, a fan from Wales sent you a knitted blanket or something of the like for what I recall was the birth of a daughter....am I remembering right or am I crazy/senile?

Anyhow, what has been an unexpected or crazy gift you got from a fan?

Hey! I do remember the guy from Whales. We would communicate pretty often. I have received lots of great gifts from fans. the best ones are always from Japan! Usually Godzilla related.

PM5K’s use of guitar pedals to make other worldly sounds was always interesting to me.

What pedal or effect do you think is the most important to PM5K’s sound?

Thanks. You would have to ask the guitar players. When it comes to that stuff, I'm clueless. haha

Do you plan on ever releasing your older releases on vinyl? And thanks for the noble rot and clones copies vinyl releases. Part 2 when touring opens up would you look into Wichita Kansas . Thanks

no plans for any more vinyl right now. OK, see ya in Wichita!

Is that JP Saticoy story true?

When doing interviews for TTSR you would say you found the poem 'An Eye is Upon You' in some old book by JP Saticoy at a thrift store. I've always wondered... was that story made up? Or is there really a book by JP Saticoy?

it's true! I swear!

Thank you for replying and still making music we enjoy!

What's your take on bands that play the entirety of their new albums on tour vs the bands that play 2 or maybe 3 songs tops and then seem to forget about the rest of the new album forever?

I think playing an album in it's entirety is cool idea. We haven't done that sort of tour yet but maybe someday we will give it a shot.

There seems to be a big push for cover songs these days. You’d be a fantastic group to do an eclectic mix of songs that inspired you. Love your stuff and I can’t wait to see you live again. Would you ever consider a cover album?

we have an album of cover tunes! It's called Copies, Clones and Replicants! go check it out!!

Hey been a fan of yours since I was 13 (27 now) Really enjoyed the album transform and the song you had on the Shadow the Hedgehog game. Was there ever a project or someone you've wanted to collaborate on? Have you and Rob Zombie ever thought about doing something film related together?

thanks for the support!! no collaborations with Rob at this time. Maybe some day...

Yeah, hi, how are ya? Your family doing okay in these trying times?

all good. thanks for asking!

Do you remember playing at a place called Coney Island High at St. Marks in NYC during the late 90's? Cause I think I do, good times!

I do remember that place! cool club! we played a show there with Sugar Ray! ha

Was it fun being on 90210?

It was actually very fun being on that show. That was my first real "hollywood" experience and it was a blast!

Assuming you'll be playing live shows again at some point in the future, what song or songs from The Noble Rot do you think will make it to the live set list?

we were already playing Black Lipstick and Play God or Play Dead. I think maybe we would play Brave New World, Cannibal Killers.

Cheers! Got the timezone wrong and thought this was already over lol. Anyway, question: do you ever doodle lyrics on your notebook or whatever when you're supposed to be paying attention to something else (for me it's at work and used to do that in class back then)?

haha. I'm always do that!

To be honest, when Destroy What You Enjoy came out I wasnt too pleased and kinda checked out, but then one day I heard Somewhere On The Other Side of Nowhere and holy shit is it a great album. Top 3 for sure for me.

About a year ago you mentioned that SOTOSON was your favorite album of yours (or maybe you were proudest of it). Does that feeling still hold?

That album is def one of our best. Pretty excited about this new one too!

Worlds Collide was used for everything back in the day. I remember playing RAW vs SMACKDOWN on ps2 and loving that combination of hard rock and heavy hitting wrestling. It was a perfect track to get hyped on before getting in the ring. My question is: is or was there a deeper relationship between PM5K and professional wrestling? Rock on🤘

no deeper relationship. I think that our music just fit in with the action on WWE and they would use it frequently.

Has anybody ever told you that you look like an aged up version of the dude from Jak and Daxter?

now they have.

How is it being related to rob zombie and did you both grow up learning to play music together ?

the funny thing is, we didn't grow up playing music. we where big music fans but didn't really play music until later.

Hey Spider! Please help me solve my youth mistery!!

The first song I heard from PM5K was Get On Get Off and I love it!

I suppose the live sounds are fake? I mean, it is not a real live recording...or is it?

On the side, could you give any info or history on how that song came about, its meaning, why you guys never seem to play it live? anything to feed my need to know more about what took me on the great path of PM5K!

I think that song was an extra song that we didn't use on Tonight the Stars revolt. We ended up using it for a soundtrack. I do believe that it was a real live recording but sometimes even with live recording you go back and fix stuff.

Which album caused the most growth as a band and as an individual?

Looking forward to checking out the new album later!

I feel like each album you grow and change with. If I ever listen to past albums it's almost like it's not me. I always try and make each record about how I am feeling in that moment and honestly never consider any commercial appeal or even what the fans will think. It's the only way to create stuff and not go crazy.

Hey, Spider! Congrats on The Noble Rot's release!

• Are there any past members of PM5K that you regularly keep in contact with? Are there any past band members you want to work with again?

• What's the writing process for a typical PM5K song? Is there such a thing as a typical PM5K song to you?

• Are you allergic to shellfish?

I stay in touch with some past members, others I haven't heard from in years. In fact I just did a guest vocal on The Sons Of Jupiter record which is ex PM5K Jordan Cohens band.

Not allergic to shell fish.

My band also works with Greg Johnson. What do you think of him as a producer? How has working with him changed or influenced the way that you guys have made your music?

Greg is great! He really understands a wide spectrum of music and gets what I am going for. I feel very fortunate to have worked with him on the last two records.

Really enjoying the Noble Rot, love how it sounds so different and fresh from the last album. In my opinion this feels like a follow up to Copies Clones and Replicants in the feel of it. But my question is will you ever release a song called "Give Me Something I Need" from a b-side zombie film from 2005 called "Return of the living:Rave to the grave"?

I watched the whole thing on YouTube only to find literally 5 seconds of it in the entire film. Thanks again for another good album and for doing this ama!

Thanks. So glad you like the new one! No plans to release that song but maybe if we do anther B sides record that one can be on there!

I recently randomly played golf with Siggy and he kicked my ass. Was this a common occurrence back in the day or do I suck at golf?

haha. I didn't even know he played golf!

Spider, why do you like playing in San Diego so much? Seems like you come here a lot and I try and go every time. Please keep doing it!

they ask and we show up. ha

Hey Spider! Absolutely love your music! Would it be cool if I used your song "Thats entertainment" to splice a bunch of celebrities into a video? Every time I hear that song I just keep seeing a video reel of all the Hollywood pop stars thinking that they're in charge in my head and would like to put it out there.

I have no problem with you using the song but Universal might have a different feeling.

After touring with satyricon in the late 90's early 2000's did you find yourself a fan of black metal or did it spark any curiosity in the black metal scene ?

I def could curious about that scene but can't say I know much about it. My favorite memory of those guys is seeing the drummer at the beach in shorts and full death metal spiked arm bands!

Congrats on the new album, I've been a fan since Tonight the Stars Revolt and Noble Rot's great.

My question is one of pure, unadulterated nerdiness, but who's the Machine Man fan in the band? I've been wondering about it ever since Marvel's Nextwave comic released back in 2006 and it clicked that I'd already been listening to you sing about him for years. After reading more of his old comics he quickly became my favorite Marvel character on his own merits, and it makes me smile every time I listen to Public Menace or Son of X-51.

Thanks! I grew up on Marvel Comics and loved machine man. I was a big Jack Kirby fan and he created that character.

How come you have a net worth of 40 million (according to Google) but you wear a hammer and sickle?

I wish I had a net worth of 40 million! haha. Don't always believe google. that shirt was not a political statement just a great graphic design.

Was only able to order the new album today, but I've got it coming and I'm stoked!! Also, do you think the band will ever go back to their roots, and release music similar to the first few albums?

thanks! It's possible. All depends on how I'm feeling when we start a new one.

Will you ever be inspired revisit the sound from the Transform era?

Try not to look back. always forward!

How did you learn all of your various singing styles/techniques? Have you picked up more vocal skills with each new album?

I just did what came naturally. I was never a traditional singer so I kind of just made my own style that was a mix of influences.

Hey there! I was introduced to your music as a teen and have always been a fan. My ex bf (still friends) and I would rock out on road trips to y'all! What's your most obscure band/genre that you like? I love finding oddball music. My current bf calls me audiophile all the time. Thanks!

I love so many obscure bands and music. There is great british band called The Blinders you should check out!

Are we going to see a Vinyl collection of all the albums at some point?

Hard to say. I really can't make that decision for all the albums but The Noble Rot is available on vinyl!!!

Have you ever considering joining Cameo?

have not considered that.

What is the gear you use now compared to back in the day, and how has this altered your creative process?

the main difference is how we record records. Back in the day it as on tape and mainly all played live. Today it's protools and computers.

"Spider one", "powerman 5000", "noble rot".

Did you try to find the words that would sound the edgiest to teenagers or did it just happen naturally?

haha. I never "try" to do anything.