Al Jourgensen started Surgical Meth Machine earlier this year, but we haven’t heard much from that project. But Uncle Al has now launched a Patreon page, which is sort of like Kickstarter, but supporters contribute each month. By becoming a monthly patron, he’ll “give you an unfettered, all access, behind the scene view of what the life of Al Fucking Jourgensen really looks like.”
From his official Patreon page:
“You’ll be with me backstage before shows, hanging out with me and my longtime partners in crime in various situations and places, getting and giving interviews, discussing politics and getting first hand election coverage from me and people like Jello Biafra, discussing all sorts of shit that I, and hopefully you, will find interesting. We’ll go on road trips ala Anthony Bourdain style (only with a lot more debauchery), doing videos of all sorts, movie, book and music reviews and fuck, I might even teach you how to cook a good goddamned meal…..that’s right, a cooking show!
…and of course this would not be complete without me “picking” shit at various flea markets with equally interesting guests.”
In typical Jourgensen fashion the 57 year old icon speaks fondly of the current climate of making a living as a musician these days
“Artists in this country get no government funding like say, Canada or the Scandanavian countries….most of our shit is downloaded for free or bootlegged….you can’t count on any MERCH money as most of that is bootlegged too… and good luck trying to make a living off touring….you’re lucky if the scumbag promoter even pays you anymore as I recently, personally, just found out..
Record contracts to record labels are a joke and soon to become a relic from a bygone era…even getting one is not the panacea you were led to believe while growing up….basically you become an indentured servant, and paid like one while toiling for “the machine”. Oh, there’s profits being made all right, but the amount going to the artist is negligible…..starving artist indeed!”
Crowdfunding has certainly helped members of the metal world in recent months. Fans raised money for heart surgery for Rigor Mortis vocalist Bruce Corbitt, helped cover the funeral costs for the late Lazarus A.D. drummer Ryan Shutler, and very recently raised almost $140,000 for A Ghost Inside who were just involved in a horrific accident.
Hopefully Patreon becomes viable revenue stream for metal musicians, similar to how KickStarter and IndieGogo have helped so many bands in recent years. Bands like Obituary raised over $60,000 to fund the release of Inked in Blood in 2014, and Vagus Nerve (Doc Coyle’s latest band) raised almost $7,500 to release their debut EP Visceral.
(via ThePRP)
