The Herald Dispatch out of West Virginia had a chance to speak with Violent J about their show later tonight at The V Club. The online publication and Violent J spoke about ICP’s extensive touring, what they do in different cities/towns prior to the show that night, their stage theatrics, and more! You can see the majority of the interview below.

From Herald-Dispatch.com:

ICP has seen its share of controversy over the years with brushes with the law, disagreements with music reviewers and even a lawsuit brought against the FBI by the group when the organization tried to brand “Juggalos” as a “hybrid gang.” But they have seen success as well with albums such as “The Amazing Jeckel Brothers,” which combined hardcore rap with heavy metal music and special guests like Snoop Dogg, hitting the top five of the Billboard charts in 1999. The group would do the same 10 years later when “Bang! Pow! Boom!” also charted in Billboard’s top five.

ICP still loves to hit the road and tour, even after all of these years.

“I love it. I just miss my kids,” Violent J said. “It’s all about that moment. It’s all about that 75 minutes. I think about it the whole day – from the time you wake up, and we’re in the city, parked outside of the venue, or we’re parked outside of the hotel. They are setting up the lights and setting up the sound. They are bringing in the speakers. They are bringing in all of the stage props. They are bringing in all of the Faygo. They are getting the monsters ready and are setting up all of the uniforms. They are washing everything and going to the laundry mat. Everybody is doing the merchandise set up and making it look all fresh. They are getting the sound levels right and EQ-ing everything and getting the echo dialed in and everything. They are doing this all day long for that moment. That show.”

Going from town to town, ICP does little to no visiting the historical parts of a city. It is all about the concert that night.

“That is what the whole day is about when touring,” Violent J said . “That is the fun of it. We don’t do anything but that. I like to be there. I don’t go sightseeing. I am there. We’re at the venue. I like to be at the pulse of the day. It is the same with Shaggy. We’ve been to towns so many times that we have already seen everything.”

The desire to add theatrics to their rap shows began early on in Detroit.

“I remember back in the day when we did one show every two months when we were just local in Detroit, and we did some of the coolest stage props because we would build it for that one show,” Violent J said. “One show was called ‘The Mental Ward Show,’ and the whole stage looked like a padded room with blood splattered everywhere and doctors hanging from the ceiling and all kinds of crazy stuff. It was all white and red. Every two months we’d do another stage show and another gimmick. Now, that is how we try and do our tours. Every time we do a tour, it is centered around something like the name or concept of an album.”

In the midst of sometimes profanity-laden and over-the-top rap lyrics, ICP has been known to throw in some cautionary tales that highlight good over evil. An example is their latest video of the cut “I See The Devil.” An R-rated song that is definitely not for kids, the song addresses the theme of knowing right from wrong.

“We’re in our prime right now,” Violent J said. “If you are a Juggalo and you are following ICP right now, we’re in our prime, man. It doesn’t matter that we’ve been doing it this long. We’re masters of our craft. We know exactly what kind of music we like to make, and we school it. We know exactly what kind of shows we want to do. We’re not just some band that takes pride in our one old hit, starting with it and ending the show with it.”

Contributors:

• PunkRockJuggalo

Websites:

• Don't Forget your Faygo and Face Paint @ Herald-Dispatch.com