The candid conversation explores the tragedy and triumph of Sex, Death & the Infinite Void.
Ahead of the band’s follow-up release, ‘Sex, Death and the Infinite Void’, Creeper frontman Will Gould sat in for session on Mosh Talks with Terry Bezer.
(Check the album here – https://bit.ly/CreeperVoid )
Though the conversation jumps around chronologically, the crux of the discussion explored the year following the band’s onstage disappearing act where Creeper infamously called it quits onstage and escaped out of the back of the venue.
The move was met with a mixture of impassioned reactions from fans ranging from grief to anger. It was a move however that Gould mentioned was needed otherwise, “we would no longer be a band.”
Traveling even further back, Gould traverse to the era prior to Creeper, while he and Ian Miles were still involved in other projects, though destined to work together.
While recalling the previous bands, it became very apparent that the creative nexus of Creeper is the profound connection between the frontman and guitarist. Partnering once their other respective projects fizzled, the duo bonded over a Hanoi Rocks (of course they played “Dead By X-mas”) cover in the basement and have been a force to be reckoned with since.
Skipping ahead to the year Creeper spent in radio silence, the tumultuous time actually started auspiciously. Gould and Miles landed in Los Angeles with the intention of reinventing the band. They met with producer Xandy Barry and the creative chemistry was immediate. The collective bonded over David Bowie and there was a mutual understanding that Creeper had no intention of playing it safe. Citing this notion that a band should only change by 20% or risk alienating their fans, Gould scoffed at the idea of being repetitive and explained that his audience is a lot more clever than that.
What would come next is no exaggeration for Gould. When asked about the the experience of making ‘Sex, Death & the Infinite Void‘, the frontman described the time as “the single most extreme experience I’ve ever witnessed.” Adding, “it almost finished my band off and affected me in such a way that I was in a very deep, dark place for a very significant amount of it.”
While recalling the hospitalization of Ian Miles and the passing of his mother’s partner, the emotional toll became plainly evident in his body language. Its important to note that all of this happened within the same week that Gould was due to fly out to Los Angeles to begin work on this record.
Sparing some of the details, (the complete story is documented in the band’s podcast that specifically focuses on the making of the record), Gould details how he explored ways to disappear be it with booze or his work in the studio. Finding an escape in the excess of Los Angeles, Gould confides that he was medicating and masking real hurt and emotional heft. It’s part of why the release of this record really does translate as a triumph both personally and professionally.
The conversation would cover lots of additional ground ranging from Creeper’s time on Warped Tour, Gould’s fascination with American culture, and the personal underpinnings of this record. There just aren’t many conversations with an artist that get this candid.
Enjoy the complete interview with Will Gould of Creeper on Mosh Talks.
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