Name John Bechdel
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Best known for Keyboardist for Ministry since 2006. Vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist for False Icons. Former keyboardist for Fear Factory, Killing Joke, Prong, Murder Inc., Ascension of the Watchers.
Current residence Central Pennsylvania.
Really want to be in I love Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and many other beautiful places on Earth. Yet, I have come to appreciate my native rural Pennsylvania. Growing up here was pleasant, I enjoyed the natural surroundings, but I knew at a young age I would need to travel to urban cities to pursue a music career. After living in NYC for seven years, getting established in the music industry and traveling the world, I once again wanted to get back to nature and live in the countryside. Pennsylvania seemed to call me back. I love to make music. I can do that anywhere, and I love the changing of the seasons—spring and fall especially.
Excited about I am excited about the upcoming North American Ministry tour, performing Ministry’s early-years material and releasing The Squirrely Years album to coincide. As a fan of Ministry since 1983, it is very exciting bringing back this era and reinventing some of these songs. I am also excited about releasing some new False Icons material and releasing my John Bechdel solo album.
My current music collection has a lot of ‘80s electronic post-punk. Killing Joke,
Joy Division, New Order, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Cabaret Voltaire, Fad Gadget, Einstürzende Neubauten, Gary Numan, The Cure, XTC, Simple Minds, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Devo. There’s also a lot of ‘90s-2000s electronic: Crystal Method, Delerium, Tycho, De/Vision, recent Gary Numan.
And a little bit of ‘80s punk/hardcore, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Flipper, Gang Green, Suicidal Tendencies.
Preferred format Vinyl, by far. I enjoy the sound, the warmth and the overall listening experience. The layout and design is better than CDs and easier to read.
5 Albums I Can’t Live Without:
1
Killing Joke, Killing Joke
The first time I heard it in 1981, the opening track “Requiem” entranced and captivated me with the pulsating synthesizer intro. The brilliant guitar riff, the deep counter bass line, the heavy tribal-style drumming, the anthemic vocals and the unique modulation and distortion effects on the vocals. From there, the songs are more post-punk, energetic and driving tracks with “Wardance,” “The Wait” and “Complications” to the slower dirgier songs like “Tomorrow’s World,” “Primitive,” and “S.O.36.” This album marked the beginning of something no one had heard before: heavy and incorporating synthesizer. Countless bands consequently were influenced by this album. It is the soundtrack of the early ‘80s. It’s as if much of the ‘80s and ‘90s music to come wouldn’t exist if Killing Joke never happened.
2
Computer World, Kraftwerk
The follow-up to their 1978 album Man Machine, Computer World opened the door to the future with the songs like the title tracks, “Computer World” and “Computerwelt 2,” “Nummern,” “It’s More Fun to Compute,” “Home Computer,” “Computer Love,” and the more cynical “Pocket Calculator.” I saw them on this tour in August of 1981 in NYC. It changed my life. The music started and when the curtain opened, no one was on stage, the entire show was automated. It looked more like the inside of a spaceship or Mission Control than a typical rock show with guitar amps and conventionaldrums. The driving electronic dance beats, sequenced synthesizers, and haunting melodies, combined with vocoded and digitized vocals, were like nothing ever heard. This was a portal into the future, the age of computers and the way humans would interact with them. This album is quintessential, crossing all musical genres in a way that I don’t believe has ever been done since. It seemed nearly everyone who was listening to music at this time had heard of Kraftwerk. It solidified synthesizer music by proving conventional instruments weren’t needed. Even the rhythms were futuristic with members using electronic drum sticks and hitting electronic pads, technology that would soon come to be ubiquitous. The beats from “Numbers” even influenced hip-hop and rap music. Kraftwerk are true pioneers of techno music.
3
Peter Gabriel 3 (a.k.a. Melt), Peter Gabriel
For those of us coming of age in the late-‘70s/early-‘80s, it was like a musical renaissance—so many new bands and so many new sounds. It was an amazing time to be alive. Before, much of the music of the late-‘60s and ‘70s like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath were very popular and practically everybody listened or knew these bands. Then prog rock bands like Genesis, Yes, and later Rush became popular. But the new music was hard to find and wasn’t on the radio. Much of it was imported and more expensive so I became more interested in the more obscure music. Although, it wasn’t long before new wave was “big.” When I first heard Peter Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers” on the radio, I was impressed with its unique style, very different from Genesis. I liked it but felt it was too popular so I didn’t buy the record. However, as more and more songs off the record got airplay and stood out from much of the other music, I became more of a fan. In 1984, I saw Peter Gabriel live and it was one of the best shows I ever saw, even to this day. I love his voice and willingness to explore and expand on music and production. And his early use of sampling and the fact that there are no cymbals on this album made it less rock ‘n roll. I have always loved Peter Gabriel’s work and continue to appreciate it. His subsequent albums are all masterpieces. I love his new album i/o and prior alum Up very much.
4
Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind), Gary Numan
Splinter is a true masterpiece. It solidifies the sound of Numan’s preceding albums into a defined work of art: The atmospheres and ambiences combined with the driving bass, synthesizers and guitar riffs blended together into one big sound; the iconic and ethereal quintessential Vox Humana sound of the Polymoog, made famous on “Cars” and throughout The Pleasure Principle. All combined, with Gary’s unique and dynamic vocals, I would easily put this album into my Top 5. Not to take away anything from the subsequent Savage and Intruder albums, which are equally as amazing. Splinter encapsulates everything that came before and for that matter after. I was fortunate to see the Splinter Tour live and was truly impressed how it sounded just like the record.
5
The Trip Out, The Crystal Method
Although Vegas is perhaps their most iconic album, The Trip Out embodies all of what makes The Crystal Method great, while bringing a modern element that keeps TCM as relevant now as in the ‘90s. I love the blend of dance beats andmesmerizing synth lines. The way the music keeps you interested yet takes its time. It’s great to dance to and great to listen to. They are true masters of their craft especially now with Scott Kirkland solely at the helm. My girlfriend and I have seen them live multiple times and absolutely love the show. TCM continues to deliver, rounding out my Top 5!
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