I noticed your avatar has changed Rockin' Robby. Are you into that Satanic rock 'n' Roll that the young kiddies are into? Ghost is evil and watch out for them or Tobias will get you for sure...and then some.
;>)/
Yes!!! LOL!!!!
I've always loved theatre, acting and heavy metal, so Ghost just naturally appealed to me on those levels. Nobody sounds like them. Nobody looks like them...and their arrangements are excellent and heavy. Then a local group asked me recently to help them put together a Ghost cover band for a Halloween show and I jumped at the opportunity.
I think back to a Tobias Forge interview a while back where he said,
"At the end of the day, one of the biggest misconceptions of GHOST is that it's just about the devil. It's always been about mankind and living." Ghost’s use of occult visuals has led to misunderstandings, particularly in the US: Forge maintains that they use this imagery because
“it looks awesome” rather than because they are trying to send middle American children to hell.
Forge maintains that Ghost isn’t mocking the church, but rather mimicking some of its rituals.
“A rock concert fulfils the same service that church can provide,” he says.
“It puts people in an environment that is greater than themselves.” As we talk, he debates the merits of organised religion with himself.
“You have to be in the favour of this condemning God who could throw you down to hell, and it’s this that makes especially linear religions so dangerous because it’s always looking up and kicking down,” he says.
“Even the architecture – churches were regarded as unearthly because they were so imposing. They combined threat with inclusion and salvation.” He thinks again.
“But then there is a lot to learn from the church. Not everyone going to service does that as a way of hypocritically fooling someone. Most people try to look after themselves and their own and are trying to do things the way that they see fit.”
I kind of take it in the same spirit I did performing Blue Oyster Cult's 'Burin For You,' in which the pre-chorus phrase is "I'm livin for givin the Devil his due," or the "demonic" phrases in 'Hell's Bells' or 'Highway to Hell." Over the years, I have sang and performed those songs hundreds of times, and never felt inclined to conduct a seance or bust out the Ouija Board.
I've had a couple of guy's tear into me recently about liking Ghost and preaching the "Guilty By Association" mantra, but to that I replied,
"I've played in band's with Gay musician's and I never turned Gay myself."
Religiously, I have shunned organized religion altogether and I personally oppose following the teachings or interpretations of any man, acting on behalf of any deity. I prefer to keep my personal beliefs private and they do not affect my character or characters, neither does my character or characters affect or influence my beliefs. I hope I can express that without offending anyone here.
I think it's all a matter of perception really...