Static-X released the official music video for their song “Dead Souls“. The band’s late frontman/guitarist Wayne Static recorded the vocals for the songs for Project Regeneration, Vol. 1 before his death. “Dead Souls” also features vocals from Ministry‘s Al Jourgensen. The video can be seen below. According to bassist Tony Campos:
“This song has become one of my favorite tracks on the record. We had no intention on doing a video for it initially, but it came out so good, we had to do it. I’m so grateful to Al Jourgensen for singing on the track with Wayne. Ministry was a big influence on us, and I know Wayne would’ve been just as stoked as I am to have Al sing on one of our records. I think the video fits the song really well. It’s dark, creepy, with just a touch of humor.”
Static-X bassist Tony Campos also recently talked about the death of the band’s frontman Wayne Static, who reportedly died in 2014 after mixing Xanax and other prescription drugs with alcohol. During an interview with Rock & Roll Beer Guy podcast Campos said:
“Long story short, the band fell apart. Wayne got really involved with drugs and he got addicted and, unfortunately, it cost him his life.
You can’t help someone that doesn’t wanna be helped. You can do whatever you think will help, but if the person doesn’t want help, they’re not gonna take it.”
Campos added that Wayne was the first friend that he lost due to drug addition, and that “it sucks every time.” Campos also said that even though he lost several friends because of drugs that he is not a strong advocate against drug use:
“I’ve always had the position of, ‘Do whatever you want, but if it starts getting in the way of what you have to do, then you need to start rethinking your priorities.’ I got to a point with alcohol where it was starting to affect my performances on stage, and I had to dial it back. And now I’m just old, and I can’t handle hangovers anymore, so I’ve gotta dial it way back now.”
He also explained how hard it can be for musicians when it comes to drug use.
“When you, as an audience member, go to a show, you may go to a show once, twice, three times a week, maybe, tops. For us, as musicians, we’re doing this every night, so in every town, there’s somebody new going, ‘Hey, man. Have a drink. Smoke this. Do a line of this.’ And when you do that every day, it catches up to you, man.”
Campos said he really only ever drank and smoked weed. He added that he tried cocaine once with he was 13, but didn’t like it. He said he was lucky that he never got addicted to crack, because he saw it mess up a lot of people’s lives.
The full interview with Campos can be seen below.
