Paws, Pets & Metal is Metal Insider’s newest column on bands with pets, discovering who watches them on the road, and more. Get to know more about these metal furbabies. We caught up with Gigantum as they shared how their pets have become metal fans, starting with the sounds of Black Sabbath.
Tell us more about your pet(s) and their names?
MIA: I have two long furry dogs that I share with Chase. One is a mix that I think is corgi, beagle, and cocker spaniel. His name is Louie and is a senior and a lady’s man. The other is a little hellion chiweenie named Leo. His goal in life is to one day bite the tires off the garbage truck and that is why even though he is small, he has a very thick leash.
CHASE: My pets are the best, Louie and Leo.
MARK: Two cats named Two Minutes to Midnight and Nasty Ronnie, two turtles named Mr. and Mrs. Derp, a large South American Cichlid named Jupiter, a bearded dragon named Boudoux, and a couple of fish.
BLARE: Kitty – Lil Bit – small but fierce – sort of fierce – well maybe just small and the cutest kitty in the world.
Have you ever taken your pet on tour?
MIA: I have never taken my pets on tour but would love to one day travel in my own bus and take them wherever I go as part of my entourage.
MARK: None of these guys are tour-ready, but we’re working on it.
BLARE: I tried but she kept trying to steer and that didn’t work out well.
Who looks after your pet while on the road?
MIA: I ask my friends at the local occult shop in town, The Crooked Path. They are the only ones I trust and scare any would-be robbers and creepers away from my house while I’m away so it’s a two-for-one deal. You don’t need an alarm system when there are practitioners of the dark arts around.
MARK: My lovely neighbors.
BLARE: My wife, mmm I think it might be the other way around.
What’s your pet’s favorite song or album?
MIA: I have fooled my pets by changing lyrics, so they think the songs are about them. I don’t know if they would like the songs if they knew what they were really saying. One of their favorites is the Faith No More Song, “Who Cares A Lot?” I changed the words to, “We poop a lot – it’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it…” A hit classic by dogs and children alike.
MARK: They really like the entire Aura Noir catalog lately.
BLARE: Pink Floyd – Meddle.
How did you introduce your pet to metal?
MIA: if you are truly into metal, the pets aren’t introduced to it, they are born into it, like I was. They don’t like the music too loud but they do like to sleep in the guitar case or hang out when I’m practicing bass on the small amp.
CHASE: Introducing our pets to metal was easy because it’s always playing and they are always around to hear it.
MARK: The Black Sabbath records did the trick.
BLARE: She channels it, any music really, she just starts bouncing all over the place.
What animal charity means most to you?
MIA: The two rescues that mean the most to me are The Barking Lot in Echo Park and The SoCal Boxer Rescue. The Barking Lot is owned by an incredible man named Jf and is so giving to his community and dogs. That is how I got Leo. The SoCal Boxer Rescue is important because Delilah, the dog that assisted in recording us at Ultimate Studios, came from there. She has been very influential and is a big advocate, so I am as well.
MARK: Mountains’ Humane Society Pet Rescue and ASPCA.
BLARE: Stray Cat Alliance and Rescue Kitty Los Angeles.
