Rob Zombie Talks Marilyn Manson Tour, Remixes and His Love for Hockey

This fall, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson will co-headline the "Twins of Evil Tour," a 28-date U.S. trek that includes a number of major festivals that the two will also co-headline. The tour starts Sept. 28 at the Desert Uprising Festival in Phoenix, and closes out in Dallas on Oct. 31, Halloween.

Zombie will be out in support of Mondo Sex Head, his new album featuring new and unique remixes of his solo work by some of today's top DJs, including Korn's Jonathan "JDevil" Davis, Photek, the Bloody Beetroots.

Earlier this week, Noisecreep caught up with Mr. Zombie to talk abut the tour, the new album and his love for hockey.

Rob, how do you feel about the remixes on the new album? It has to be interesting to hear these artists reinterpreting your work like that. You must be excited.

I really am. I wasn't sure if it was time for another record like this but there's been a resurgence in this kind of music so the timing seemed pretty good to do another one. I think my music translates well into remixes like this because of the groove. My music over the years, regardless of guitars or what vocals were laid on top, the underlying groove was always pretty heavy. So no matter what gets put over it, the groove remains pretty true to what it was so I think that's why it works.

You recently purchased the theatrical rights to the story of the Broad Street Bullies, the legendary mid-'70s version of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team. There was also a great documentary made about that team. What kind of hockey fan are you?

I grew up on the East Coast. As a kid I was a huge hockey fan. I mean, I'm wearing a Boston Bruins jersey in my kindergarten class photo, so I was into hockey at a really young age. It's kind of an east coast thing, if you grew up around Boston or New York or Philly it was like growing up in Canada when it came to hockey. It's a great story. I've been researching it like crazy – I'll be the ultimate Philadelphia Flyers expert by the time I'm done. The story is crazy – it reads like fiction – I just love it.

This fall you and Marilyn Manson hit the road – you always seem to create great pairings in your co-headliner tours.

The big thing these days that I always try to put together is a really strong package because I know that, it's a cliché, but times are tough and people don't have a lot of money to throw around. So I love the idea that every tour is a co-headlining tour where you can see two bands basically for the price of one, both bands doing their whole show. I did it first with Alice Cooper, I did it with Slayer, I did it with Megadeth and now I'm doing it with Manson and it's really a fantastic night for the fans because they can get so much for their money. And it's fun for me because I really like all these other bands.

Were there shows you saw as a kid that influenced you?

I was too young to go to concerts in the early '70s, during that time period when Alice Cooper and KISS were fairly new. But I watched a lot of it on TV, on Don Kirchner's Rock Concert, Midnight Special, things like that, and looked at pictures in the albums – I was just so greatly influenced from that time period. I loved those shows because they paired together so many weird combinations – KISS, Helen Reddy, the Captain and Tenille, hosted by Martin Mull, with Barry Manilow [laughs]. I accepted it as a kid, I just watched it all, but it makes you strangely accepting of everything. Whereas today it's all so compartmentalized. Today it all gets so stale so fast.

Not when it comes to a Zombie show.

Well I always thought that if you're going to pay all that money then it should be a big show. There are a lot of bands today that have brought back big shows, even a lot of the pop acts, which is great. For a while there, you'd go to a concert and get nothing for your money. Bands would jut give you the bare minimum – come out, play and do nothing. I think after a while, people may see a show like that once, but I don't know if they'll come back twice. They feel ripped off.

You seem to have a good relationship with your audience.

I do. But things have changed in general with audiences over the years. I've taken a lot of great opening bands and kids have been really apathetic or even hostile toward them. And in some cases these are legendary bands. It's really scary when you start to think that rock fans are getting closed-minded. Because that was always the scene in rock music, that it was the free thinking, open minded culture.

What do think is causing that?

I dunno. It really upsets me sometimes. But I'd say it's like a weird conservativeness, for lack of a better term, in rock music. For me as a kid it was the opposite of all that. Rock music was like fuck you, I don't care, do whatever you want, grow your hair long and be insane. Now it's like, we look like this, we act like this, we think like this and if you don't then fuck you! I think they've got it backwards! I don't now when that started but it's definitely there.

You and Manson should be okay.

[Laughs] Right, I'm not too worried about that.

You and the band band have recording what will be your first new studio album since 2010's Hellbilly Deluxe 2. Can you share anything abut it?

We're all very excited because I feel like it's gonna be a pivotal record. You always have those moments in your career when it encapsulates that chapter. And I feel like this one is that. There's a loose, free vibe and nothing seems forced. Every once in awhile you feel super-energized and I feel that right now. I felt it on White Zombie's Astro-Creep 2000, I felt it on Hellbilly Deluxe – not that the other records you've made aren't good or valid, but you can't always be at your most inspired moment. There are ups and downs – and right now it feels like one of those 'up' times. That's why we're so thrilled. I think it has to do with getting older – you have these new revelations as you age – these new trains of thought you never had before.

Mondo Sex Head will hit stores on Aug. 7.

Rob Zombie / Marilyn Manson tour dates:

U.S. leg:

09/28 - Desert Uprising Festival, Ashley Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ

09/29 - 48 Hours Festival, Las Vegas, NV

10/01 - USANA Amphitheatre, Salt Lake City, UT

10/02 - 1st Bank Center, Denver, CO

10/04 - Topeka Expo Center, Topeka, KS

10/08 - Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln, NE

10/09 - Verizon Wireless Center, Mankato, MN

10/11 - Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL

10/12 - DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, MI

10/13 - US Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, IL

10/15 - Covelli Center, Youngstown, OH

10/16 - The Armory, Rochester, NY

10/19 - Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ

10/20 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

10/21 - Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH

10/23 - Agganis Arena, Boston, MA

10/25 - Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA

10/30 - Reliant Arena, Houston, TX

10/31 – [to be announced], Dallas, TX

European leg:

11/26 - London, UK

11/27 - Manchester, UK

11/28 - Glasgow SECC, UK

11/29 - Birmingham, UK

12/01 - Luxembourg

12/02 - Bochum, Germany

12/03 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

12/05 - Stockholm, Sweden

12/06 - Copenhagen, Denmark

12/08 - Vienna, Austria

12/09 - Munich, Germany

12/10 - Basel, Switzerland

12/12 - Bologna, Italy

More dates will be announced soon.