Wayne Static on Why He Left Los Angeles for Life in the Desert
On Oct. 4 Wayne Static will be releasing 'Pighammer,' his debut solo album. After 15 years fronting industrial-rock favorites Static-X, the frontman was eager to start working on his own material, but before he got to work, he and his wife, former adult actress Tera Wray, had to take care of some other business.
"The first thing we did was sell our house in Los Angeles and then we moved out to the desert. From there I spent about a year writing and recording my solo album. I was influenced a lot by living in the desert and being away from all of the distractions a city like Los Angeles can bring. It's a completely different vibe out here."
Noisecreep asked Static what brought the move on. "It was a necessity for our sanity. My wife and I both grew up in small towns. I was raised in a town called Shelby, Mich. and then lived in Chicago for 7-8 years. I eventually came to Los Angeles and got Static-X started. But now that we're living in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors, I feel like we've both come full circle."
Not only did he leave the City of Angeles behind, Static also made some changes to his support team.
"I needed to start fresh with this album so I got rid of my whole team and get out of my deal with Warner Bros. Records. That took a lot of time and effort, but now I have my own label and it was definitely worth all of the work. I'm happy with my life right now," says the singer-songwriter.
Watch 'Assassins of Youth' From Wayne Static
Static and Wray don't have any children and he's fine with that. "I don't know how people in the music business actually have kids. It just doesn't make any sense to me. We're always travelling and by nature it's a business where you have to be selfish and keep looking out for yourself in order to succeed. I don't know how other people in bands manage to do it."
Wayne Static's 'Pighammer' will be out Oct. 4 via Dirthouse Records.