METAL RULES! MAGAZINE - Interview with Jeff Rappaport - Music - http://maxpages.com/aeazine/METAL

How long has Metal Rules! magazine been in existence now? What exactly inspired you to start the zine in the beginning?
Metal Rules! started in 1998. My friend had done a zine in the 80's and he showed it to me one day. He told me he STILL gets mail from it. I love mail and Metal so I said "Let's do one." His lazy ass never got it together so I did it myself. I was working in a comic book store at the time and when ever I wanted to order one of those cool alternative titles for the store I would tell the owner "C'mon, it rules!" What rules the most? Metal of course. Thus Metal Rules! was born.

Who have you featured in Metal Rules! so far? Which are the interviews that you've done that stand out the most that you really enjoyed doing and why?
Who has been in Metal Rules!? At this point who hasn't? Ha ha! I was actually trying to think of who to interview the other day when I realized that I'd done many of my dream interviews already. Ha ha! We've had Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, Stryper, Ratt, Godsmack, Adrian Smith, Amon Amarth, Steve Vai, Kane Roberts, Overkill, Testament, King Diamond, Kreator, Zakk Wylde, Manowar, Soulfly, Vanilla Ice, Doro Pesch, Annihilator, Sebastian Bach, Fred Norris (Howard Stern Show) , Little Steven, Dimmu Borgir, GWAR and tons of underground bands and more plus actors Gary Busey, Michael Madsen, E.G. Daily, Barry Williams (Aka Greg Brady), Rerun from What's Happenin' and more!

Since Metal Rules! first started how well known have you become worldwide? In what ways has the zine improved since the first issue? What changes would you like to make for the zine in future issues?
It's funny. I think sometimes in some of my mail that many people in other countries believe that we are the biggest magazine in America. Ha ha! Of course we aren't as big as Metal Maniacs or Pit but we're getting there. The first issue was 22 photo copied pages with a huge ass font. The latest issue #10 (on sale now or very soon) is 116 pages, pro-printed with a full-color cover. While we were once available only in the comic store that I worked in and through the mail we are now available in thousands of stores Worldwide. I think that's cool. You can buy Metal Rules! at the mall. That's almost stupid if you think about it. As far as changes, I hope to be full color and glossy for all my pages, not just the cover.

In what parts of the world does Metal Rules! receive the biggest response? Where would you like to see it more widespead?
It's defintiely in the most stores in America. As for other Countries I get the most distribution, orders, mail etc. from Europe especially Italy, the U.K., Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Slovakians love us. Where the fuck is Slovakia? Ha ha! I would like to expand more in Asia and the Middle East is very quiet. I'm in a few stores in Israel, I've receieved mail from Jordan and Iraq but it's not nearly well known enough over there.

Who else is on the complete staff of Metal Rules! with you? How long have you been working with them? What made you decide to pool your resources together? Would you ever consider taking on even more writers as the zine expands or do you intend to keep the staff as is today?
This may be my magazine and I may do 95% of the writing but with out my staff this mag would not exist. They are my backbone. Jeremy has been with me since issue #2 and he does the lay-out and anything else I ask of him. I mean it. The guy is multi-talented and has so many skills that he's irreplaceable. He's also the one that writes those funny comments to the photos in the mag. Not many people know that. Joe has been with me since issue #5 and does the copy editing and the website. He also assists in everything else when ever needed. He's also the most professional of all of us. You need somebody like that. Angus is our court scribe. Yep, he transcribes those long ass interviews and if you think it's easy then try it some time. A half hour interview takes about five hours. Josh is our resident artist and he's done some kick ass covers but now that we have photo covers he designs them as well. We also have some new writers Brian, Pete and gay Bill that are doing a bang up job as well. I love my staff. They rule. The chance of me taking on new writers is slim to none. I have had people that free-lance for Rolling Stone get turned down by me. It's nothing personl. Yes, it is. Who am I kidding. First of all the pay sucks and second I have very high (or low to some) standards for this magazine. The writing style has to mesh with mine or this might as well be Hit Parader. Plus it helps if I know you.

Have there been a good number of local shows in Jersey in addition to the larger metal fests? Here in New York, Long Island in particular, it's been getting harder for underground bands to find places to play. Is the scene in good shape in Jersey? Do you prefer going to local shows or large metalfests and why?
Fuck no. South Jersey has about three Underground Metal bands and they play the Steakhouse Bar Mitvah room every once in a while and about ten people show up. I would have to say Metalfests are better. Do you really need to ask why?

How about places to buy underground music? Are there many places where you can find the really obscure stuff in addition to label releases? Do you see the independent distro/mail order scene gaining ground in years to come?
There are a lot of really good CD stores in the area. You can't really buy demos (just some) but most everything that comes out on a small label is available. I think if you offer good service and selection and most of all good prices then these distros will grow in success.

What do you think of the whole Metalica versus Napster thing?
It's silly. The same people that use Napster and won't buy the CD's are the same people that will tape their friend's CD when Napster goes down. Nobody is losing money with Napster but many people are gaining fans. It's a great way for you to get your music and notoriety out there. Any ass can see that.

What bands are you listening to these days? Which of these are you listening to the most? Any new stuff you particularly enjoy?
I always listen to Maiden. I can't get sick of them. As for the new stuff this is what's heading to my 10-disc player as soon as I gather a few more discs SOILWORK "A Predator's Portrait", PRIMAL FEAR "Nuclear Fire," FLOTSAM AND JETSAM "My God," AMON AMARTH "The Crusher," DIMMU BORGIR "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia," CATASTROPHIC "The Cleansing" and TRAIL OF TEARS "Profoundemonium."

Are you keeping up with the fanzine industry yourself? If so, which ones do you read most and would you recommend to those who might not have heard of them?
Oh yeah. I love fanzines. My favorite is Lamentations Of The Flame Princess. It's so damn good and honest. I think that's why many zine editors don't like it, they wish they could do a zine half as good. I also love Feast Or Famine, Promethean Crusade and quite a few European zines although they are kind of stuffy unless their from the UK then there's so much brit humor that I get confused quite a bit. I'm getting feeble-minded in my old age.

Since you started the website for Metal Rules! how much more well know has the zine become? Has the print zine for Metal Rules! or the webzine been receiving a bigger response? In what ways has the advent of underground webzines affected the scene in your opinion?
The print zine gets a much better response. The website is mainly a tool to keep people informed on our progress. I just put teasers of the mag on there to titillate you into buying the mag. There is some exclusive stuff on there. Check it out; it has close to 50,000 hits. We have a "store" there and you can order stuff with your credit card. Webzines have saved people a lot of money and have ruined many pairs of eyes.

What is your opinion of the infighting between fans of different styles of metal, such as the whole black-metal-versus-death-metal thing? What effect has it had on the underground overall?
That is true and it's completely assinine. It doesn't influence my opinion in any way. I put whatever I feel like in the magazine. It's my magazine. We have a great variety that covers the entire spectrum of Metal and way beyond. Why fight? I know we're not hippies. Open your mind. People who only like one style lead a very boring existence.

You recently interviewed Michael Marsden for Metal Rules! Was that a good experience for you? Is Michael Marsden an actor you admire? Which other actors or actresses do you admire that you would love a chance to interview for Metal Rules! What movies have you seen that you particularly enjoyed?
Do you mean Michael Madsen? Ha ha. Yes, I think the guy is great. Don't you? He is one of my favorite actors. He's a bad ass. It was an excellent experience. He called me a couple of times and even had me at his Movie Premiere. I think I'm the first Metal zine dude invited to a Movie Premiere but I can't be sure of this. Ha ha. There are many other actors I want to interview but I'm keeping it on the hush-hush. I like to surprise people. Movies I've seen recently that I enjoyed were "The Insider", "Gladiator" and "The Patriot". I don't get out much because I'm sooo busy so I have to usually settle for video. My favorite movie of all time and the funniest movie ever made is "Better Off Dead." You didn't ask but my favorite TV shows are Oz, The Sopranos, Survivor and any news shows like 20/20 or Dateline. I loved THE MOLE and I think I'm the only one. That show was so clever.

Where do you see the zine industry, the metal underground and all forms of extreme music as a whole headed in the future, in relation to the way the mainstream looks at the scene?
The same as always but isn't that great? I think so.

What are your aspirations for Metal Rules' future?
To be bigger than Rolling Stone. It's going to happen. I'm not kidding.

Any final remarks?
Thanks for liking (or disliking) me enough to interview me and thanks to anybody bored enough to read this. Make sure you buy Metal Rules! Magazine! It will change your life! Stay tuned to http://www.metalrulesmagazine.com If you can't find Metal Rules! at your
local store e-mail me and let me know where you live! I can help! You can also order it off the website or just send $5 (Worldwide) to me in cash, check or money order or even stamps (Postal not food stamps) and I will get your ass a copy. Also, bands send and labels send your shit in for review and your flyers to spread. I'm one of the guys that likes to review demos. Also, zine dudes send your stuff in for a trade. Contact:

Metal Rules! Magazine
2116 Sandra Road
Voorhees, NJ 08043 USA
http://www.metalrulesmagazine.com
metaljeff@home.com

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Page Updated Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:40pm EDT