Click here to listen to Bench or Die.
Opening words: This is the ultimate industrial party band. They have a sense of humor, their music is old school and super danceable. A while back, a VAC fan posted a link to these guys on my forum(how I discovered them), they reminded me so much of my side project toxic coma, that I had to buy their stuff, I got a T-shirt and everything. My favorite song by them is probably “Punch a Christian in the Face”. Their music makes me laugh and have fun, which is something I cannot say about most of the music coming out these days. I also really like their song “THE HAUNTED GYM”. You owe it to your self to hear those songs. When I was djing on second life, I would play these guys and it would pack the dance floors and people would laugh their asses off. So much fun. Any how, I hope to help promote them some, that is why I sought out an interview with them, to share with you. Click here to go to their Official Web Site.

VAC: How are you doing?

Blasten Pastyah: Splendid.
Quitcher Bichen: Well, I just got back from the gym, where I did some pretty intense cardio and the usual round of squats, deads, benches, rows, curls, and pull-ups. I’m pretty stoked about the results I’m getting from my new routine.

VAC: What is the music writing process like for you guys?

BP: It involves plenty of time in the gym, flexing in front of the mirror. Nothing inspires like admiring the results of a superset. Also I get a lot accomplished in the shower. This usually creates a lot of little segments of lyrics, or music, which I then work off of later.
QB: I usually psyche myself the fuck up with the help of my pro wrestling video tape collection and a few energy drinks. Then I think “what muscle group deserves a song?” Then I blade my forehead, and once my proverbial crimson mask starts to flow, I lay down some beats and industrial rhythms.

VAC: How many people died in the making of your last lp?

QB: I suppose our last proper lp would have to be “BADITUDE Hijacks The Hits,” and if memory serves me correctly, 4 people died.
BP: I think it was 11. Wait, that one girl was pregnant. Make that 12.

VAC: Do you think you are the ultimate industrial party band of all time like I do?

BP: Let’s just say that I would like our chances in a 12-man double-elimination tournament, if you catch my drift.
QB: Although I feel that title is befitting of us, I think that honor must go to C+C Music Factory.

VAC: Do you guys break dance?

QB: Indeed we do, among other dance moves (such as “The BADITUDE Dance”, the Crip Walk, and the Josh Fenderman). In fact, at our last show, after I dropped an elbow on a pumpkin, I busted out a quick back-spin followed by a wicked stall. You shoulda seen it.
BP: I try to break dance. However, other than the fact that lots of things get broken when I dance, i don’t know that it could be called “break dancing.” I will say that I am inspired everyday by the moves of Josh Fenderman, and everyone’s favorite alien, Nukie. I also like to pull out a little dance known as The Zawistowski.

VAC: You guys are inspired by old school video games? Explain.

QB: The childhood years of BADITUDE featured many hours playing Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, when we weren’t out riding our BMX bikes around town and causing mischief and mayhem.
BP: Old school video games were great because you had to be a real man in order to beat them without cheat codes. It takes real balls to beat Ninja Gaiden 2 or Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. And they had some of the most simplistic story lines, so you didn’t get bogged down by having to think. You just relied upon your keen hand-eye coordination to blast through as many enemies as possible. Just like in real life, brute force wins the day. Also, the limited capabilities of the old audio synthesizers led to the creation of many awesome scores. The combination of quirky sounds and Japanese musical sensibilities completely warped the way I though about music.

VAC: Are you into any new video games?

QB: No. I haven’t the time, as I spend countless hours in the gym. And when the time comes for video-gaming, I still play Sega Genesis.
BP: I play them occasionally, but typically don’t have the time. Now, if they had a game that involved lifting weights, I would be all over it!
QB: The game of life involves lifting weights. And the cheat code is steroids.

Click here to listen to Religion is for the Weak.

VAC: Who are your influences?

QB: Fred Nietzsche, The Ultimate Warrior, L. Ron Hubbard, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
BP: Old video games and horror movies from the 1980s.

VAC: Who do you hate the most?
QB: I don’t know if it’s possible to answer that question! SO MANY CHOICES!
BP: Mike Mitchell – that guy is an asshole!

VAC: Have your shows ever been protested by christians, thanks to your hit song “Punch a Christian in the Face?

BP: Christians don’t have the balls! However, we almost made a marine flip out and go all PTSD on us by pulling the old switcheroo at an Independence Day show. You see, at first we made it seem like we were all patriotic (which is gay). Then, for our last song, we revealed that it was all a joke, and blasted out our hit song “Fuck U.”
QB: Our shows have evoked some pretty negative reactions. There was a time when some dudes were watching us do our thing, and then we busted out “Punch a Christian” and they were like “not cool” and they left. Fags. I look forward to the day that Christians really protest us. But nothing will ever top that time with the patriotic marine and how he “rescued” the American flags from us after we defiled them at our July 3rd show. Joke’s on him; one of those flags has my ball sweat on it.

VAC: Do you guys like playing live, If I had to choose a band to open for me, It would be you.

QB: We should totally play a show, bro. Our live shows have grown increasingly awesome with each performance, and I am proud of our antics. We now use dual electronic drum pads! How fuckin’ sweet is that?
BP: We love to play live. There is nothing like the surge of adrenaline one gets by running around on stage like a retard and then screaming your lungs out in some nerd’s stupid face. Unfortunately, most people who go to shows in our neck of the woods just stand around like dickheads, so you have to get out there and really kick some ass.

VAC: What is your favorite synth?

BP: Some of my favorite sounds have come from the DX7, and a crappy old Yamaha Portasound that my sister got for Xmas in the mid-80s. I also use a Virus a lot – mostly for leads, pads and rhythms. I should add that I am very interested in trying out the Arturia Origin. I use a couple of their virtual synths as plug-ins, and have been pleased with the results.
QB: My primary synth for the past decade has been my Nord Lead virtual analog synth. It looks and sounds gnarly and has proven itself to be unstoppable.

Click Here to listen to Never Give Up.

VAC: Favorite rhythm maker? Beats.

QB: My original source of sweet beats came from a Kawai R-50e drum machine. But it died after I suplexed it through a table. So now I am back to using the good ol’ Alesis SR-16. The key here is the use of old drum machines.
BP: I do all of my beats and rhythms by hand in a MIDI editor, primarily using a Roland drum pad for the sounds. I have also started using a software percussion synth called Microtonic. I also want to start experimenting with an electronic drum kit, but that will have to wait. Other than that, I have used an 808/303 combination a couple of times.

VAC: If you could time travel, where would you go?

BP: I did – I went back in time and killed Abraham Lincoln and then framed John Wilkes Booth.
QB: I would go to a distant, post-apocalyptic time, so I could get my hands on some post-apocalyptic warrior armor. I’m talkin’ shoulder pads, shin guards, guantlets, all that shit.

VAC: What do you think of the night club scene in your town?

BP: I am not sure. Most clubs I see around town are usually trendy spots full of douchebags.
QB: LAME. I’m in the midst of trying to get a shot at DJing at a dark, evil club, where I will surely inject the place with a lethal dose of audio steroids.

VAC: Who is your favorite fighter?

BP: Don Frye. He has an amazing moustache, and looks like Mike Haggar. His fight with Takayama is legendary.
QB: Quitcher Bichen. That dude is one tough son of a bitch.

VAC: What is your favorite finishing move?
BP: Powerbomb through a table, onto concrete.
QB: Head Rip (forward, down, forward, high punch)

VAC: Name each of your specialty skills.

BP: RNC, Kimura, Guillotine Axe-Kick, Hadouken
QB: I possess a deadly submission manoeuver called The Viper Lock that incapacitates opponents quite quickly. My uppercuts actually set things on fire. I can beat Contra without losing a guy.

VAC: What kind of underwear do you wear?
BP: Burlap – it keeps me honest.
QB: A snug jockstrap. I have to keep my large testicles in order at all times.

VAC: Have you heard of the Rusty Trombone?
QB: I think that Blasten Pastyah invented that move.
BP: Yes. I one day aspire to open an instrument repair shoppe called Rusty’s Trombone and Instrument Repair.

Click Here to listen to Exorcism 2: Turbo.

VAC: How do you like life?

BP: Medium rare!
QB: It’s fuckin’ terrible, and that’s why you have to be motivated and work out and kick ASS and don’t take shit from all the bastards that make life as terrible as it is. You gotta MAN UP and become the one thing that makes these bastard’s lives worse than yours. Life can’t be good, so make it BAD.

VAC: What are your goals as a band?

BP: To kick ass, take names and create awesome music that you can dance to. In order to get a record deal or mass appeal, you usually have to compromise in a big way or write bullshit music. Fuck that. I would rather toil in obscurity and have a product that I like, than try to sell records.
QB: I think one of our goals is to be the band that is responsible for helping humanity to shed millions of unwanted pounds and to develop the biceps that they deserve. We would also like to be responsible for ending religion. And causing the complete and utter collapse of the system would be nice.

VAC: Who do you plan on running over?

QB: Whoever the fuck gets in my way!
BP: A hitchhiker, like in Creepshow 2. And I would like to crush the Popemobile with a monster truck.

VAC: If you could work with any artist, who would it be? Music of course

BP: Falco.
QB: Dude, Falco’s dead. I’d say definitely that ripped dude from The Lost Boys that plays the saxophone. What’s his name? Tim Capello? He needs to join BADITUDE. Him, and a huge black dude with a flat top who wears a tank top and plays a Steinberger bass. Do you know someone like that?

VAC: What is your favorite thing to do on Halloween?

QB: Torch a church or two, in celebration of my dark lord Satan’s birthday. Sometimes I spray-paint Satanic imagery on banks, too.
BP: I terrorize children and the elderly all year long, so I actually take a break on Halloween. I like to relax, eat stolen candy and watch absurd horror movies. I stopped trick or treating because I got fuckin’ tired of people saying that a 6’3″ dude with a beard shouldn’t get candy. Fuck that shit! My costumes were way better than anything some retarded 8 year old could come up with. This year, I went as Bennett from the movie Commando! It was awesome.
QB: It certainly was awesome. You let off some steam.

Click Here to listen to Monosyllabic Mesomorph.

VAC: How do you record and write your music, what software?

QB: I utilize my trusty Nord Lead synth, my various drum machines, and perhaps an effects processor, and I record into a Roland digital 8-track mixer, in a very retarded, bootleg fashion. I don’t use any software in my music creating process. Then everything gets transferred to Blasten’s computer using ProTools, and the vocals are added and the mixing is done (we have developed a special series of effects known as the BADITUDE Effect that is always applied to the percussion tracks).
BP: I don’t have any set way. I could start with drums, bass, melody, or lyrics. For the drum parts, I either start by playing patterns on my drum pad, and then cleaning them up, or I just program them in by hand. For the bass, I sometimes write the lines using a bass guitar. Most of the time, I just start out with a patch that is a rough approximation of what I want, and then record it with a synth or keyboard. While I record, I output MIDI data and record that as well. The same goes with melody and lead lines. Right now, I am recording using a couple of outboard preamps and a Digi 003 rack. I record into Pro Tools and use plug-ins from waves, arturia and native instruments. I then bounce down to disk and clean things up in Wavelab. I don’t really use sequencing or loop software. It might make things a little easier, but I question whether or not it would be a worthy investment.

VAC: Analog VS Digital? Your take

BP: They both have their places. As for a recording medium, I think that tape can certainly yield desirable sounds. But it is too much fuckin’ hassle for me. With modern techniques and gear, you can get pretty fuckin’ close to that sound, if you so desire. Digital recording has come a long way, and for my money, it is ideal. As for synths, I usually prefer analog basses and pads, but go digital for most everything else. This, coupled with the stability and repeatability of digital causes me to lean toward digital instruments. But nothing will ever replace the freak-outs and wacky accidents that occur with analog gear.
QB: I say digital. Welcome to the 90′s, dude.

Click Here to listen to Conisder Your Ass Kicked.

VAC: List your top ten favorite lps.
QB: 1. “Oh, No! It’s DEVO” – DEVO
2. “New Traditionalists” – DEVO
3. “WAT” – Laibach
4. “VivisectVI” – Skinny Puppy
5. “Ctrl” – ORI
6. “That Total Age” – Nitzer Ebb
7. “Fire Dances” – Killing Joke
8. “Für Immer” – DAF
9. “No Comment” – Front 242
10. “Big Sexyland” – Revolting Cocks

BP: 1. “Special Music From Special Kids” – The Kids of Widney High
2. “Let’s Get Busy” – The Kids of Widney High
3. “Act Your Age” – The Kids of Widney High
4. “Hulk Rules” – Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band
5. “Be a Man” – Macho Man Randy Savage
6. Wrestlemania the Album
7. “Sleight of Hand” – Guy Mann-Dude
8. Tenebre motion picture soundtrack
9. Rad motion picture soundtrack
10. Friday the 13th Part 3 motion picture soundtrack

VAC: What is the future of Baditude?

BP: I don’t want to tip our hat too early, but there are a few surprises in store that no one will have expected. For now, suffice it to say that we are going to keep kicking ass!
QB: If there is an audience for BADITUDE, then we’ll keep cranking out our electronic industrial workout music and we’ll keep playing sporadic shows to small groups of people, and you can bet your stupid ass that we’ll keep honing our fighting skills and developing larger, more ripped muscles. There’s only one way to go with BADITUDE, and that is UP. TOP THAT.

Please buy some of their cds and t-shirts. Click Here to go to their store. You have to email them, so click on the C Baditude thing at the bottom of the page. Click here to goto their Myspace page.