How is it you're incorporating a preview of Operation:Mindcrime II? Is it a live preview, audio samples, video...
What we've put together is a video with a song that's potentially going to be on the next release. As of right now we're really looking for a sequel to Operation:Mindcrime. As soon as we're off stage - the last song is "Eyes Of A Stranger" - as soon as we walk off the video comes on with the new music. It's almost like a pseudo-encore. It's not really us performing but it's us giving them an audio track of a song that could be on the next release with a video behind it. We don't know if something like that has ever been done before. You'll see Operation:Mindcrime with the roman numeral II on the monitors. The fans get a kick outta that. There's a lot of anticipation for a sequel. I have a lot of mixed emotions with this because there is something magical and spiritual. There is integrity and the whole chemistry we had when we created the first Mindcrime. To do a follow-up for that is like, do we wanna mess with the mojo, ya know? You're gonna hear that throughout the course of the tour. Some fans will say it takes a lot of guts to do something like that, especially with the success of the first one. There's other fans that are saying they can't wait for the sequel. Some fans have been waiting for the sequel ever since the first one was released 16 years ago. It's a tough pill to swallow. All you can do is write the best you can. We really have no control over what it's going to do when it's released, how it's going to perform sales-wise. Hopefully it will connect.
It really sounds like you have some hesitations to do a sequel. Did the whole band question even doing the sequel?
We've been talking about that throughout the years. That's why it's never happened. We all tried to figure out if that was something we wanted to do. Fans are still wondering what happened to Mary and what happened to Nikki and Dr. X. Were they related? It's amazing how the fans are just reaching for these answers. Do we even want to miss with that? There's the hesitation you were talking about. Do we really wanna approach this? Maybe it is time. It's hard to say. We all have some mixed emotions about that. It can only help, ya know?
Was the original Mindcrime written with every intention of doing a sequel? Did you have the answers to questions like the ones you just brought up or are you having to think up a new story with the answers?
It's definitely like Operation:Mindcrime in the new millennium. Sonically it could sound different. Stylistically it could sound different. We're still trying to capture that same sort of sequel feel like they do in movies. Some characters are gone but you'll maybe create new characters to keep the story going. We never really anticipated doing a sequel, let alone still doing this 20 years later! Since this is happening, Mindcrime is definitely a lot more popular now that it was when it was first released. That's interesting because there's a whole new generation of fans being exposed to it. You've got to "Speak the word," ya know?
I saw you guys in '90 when you had Suicidal Tendencies opening. You did a version of Mindcrime then. What are you doing differently this time out?
Without giving too much away we have arranged some of the songs a little differently. There are some props and live actors. You're gonna get your video accompanying the music, too.
Since you're obviously working on Mindcrime II, how hard is it to write a song that can be delivered to radio when you know upfront that you have to write songs that follow a very strict story line? It can't be easy to write a song that follows a script and make it vague enough to where you can dig the song and not really know the story of Operation:Mindcrime.
Good question. I don't know if we've ever written songs exclusively for radio. Perhaps it might sound like I'm full of shit! Honestly, we write what we feel. If it connects, it connects. "Silent Lucidity" wasn't even going to be on Empire. We just didn't feel it was gonna fit. Our producer encouraged us to put it on there and look what it did. We had no anticipation it was gonna take off and be in the Top 5. This time around, writing a sequel, the pressure is on. There's more pressure now because we've created something and now we're trying to expand on it. Before we were just writing what we felt. I don't know what to expect but I hope our fans are open-minded. I think we've been very fortunate to have a fan base like that so we can evolve and experiment with our music. They allow us to do what we want to do. I hope this time around they appreciate that as well. We not only have to create a new story line but we've got to create the music to work alongside it. We're all up for the challenge.
So how far along are you with the songwriting process?
It's hard to say. We have quite a bit of material written. Half the material has lyrics that we feel could be complete songs. As it always happens you'll start to rearrange songs before you go into the studio. That's inevitable. Ever since we've been recording it's been very rare if we've written a song that's complete and not had to tamper with it.
Not many people take on the job of writing a concept record. I'm sure you want to make sure the music flows well while also keeping the story in order. Do you write the music first and piece the songs together or do you write the lyrics first? I could be a dumbass and it doesn't even work that way!
Don't flatter yourself! I think in the past we've written music before lyrics. Geoff might have a lyrical idea that we might have written music to. I'd say 80-90% of the time you're gonna get the music first. Since we're recording the sequel they're gonna have to go hand-in-hand. This is an exception to what we normally do.
There is a big difference in the band from the original Mindcrime - Chris DeGarmo is gone. Has he been asked or is he interested in contributing to the Mindcrime sequel?
There has been talk. Nothing has developed. It's hard to say because he stepped out in '97. He did help write on the Tribe record. There was always that possibility of him coming back and writing with us for the sequel. Whether it will or not remains to be seen. I think it'd be great to bring him back because he was part of the first Mindcrime. Stylistically it would definitely have that cohesiveness. Mike Stone's a very talented guitar player. He's got a little different style from what Chris had. That's not a bad thing. Maybe that's good. Do we want to create the same style like we did in the past? It has to have it's intensity and it's dynamics because it's 16 years later. Maybe it's not a bad idea to write the sequel with a different guitar player.
I'm a real sucker for guitar tones. Do you think the guitar tones will be similar to the first Mindcrime or is that the wrong thing to wish for?
For cohesiveness and to have it sound similar to the first one would be great. You're talking about a different engineer, a different producer. It's hard to say whether it's going to have the same sort of feel. We're doing what we can to make that happen. I thought there was a certain style to Operation:Mindcrime. To have that same style 16 years later...will it fit with the new styles of music out there? Radio has changed so drastically it's a whole different world now. It's a whole different industry now. I guess change is inevitable.
). To reiterate: I am very nervous about Operation: Mindcrime 2. Rather than coming up with a sequel they should just not do it at all. What can they work with? Last I heard Nikki was in a mental hospital. I think they're trying too hard, and they should just leave a classic as it is. But it would be cool to see the whole album performed. Too bad they're coming to NY on a school night. 
