EGL Magazine
EGL Magazine
Exclusively Gothic Lifestyle
11 November 2009
The Gospel of Filth: An Interview with Dani Filth
Halloween 2009 saw the release of a dark and probing book into the history of the controversial rock band Cradle of Filth. 'The Gospel of Filth' digs deeper than your average biography, delving into the darkness from which Cradle of Filth was born.
Written by renowned music journalist Gavin Baddeley (Dissecting Marilyn Manson, Lucifer Rising) and Dani Filth himself, this book is a shadowy and intriguing insight into not just the dark side of Dani Filth, but the shadowy parts of culture, media, literature, art, film, music and history as a whole.
The book consists of over 500 pages crammed with pictures and Dani Filth's own poetry as well as enlightening narratives from many of today's dark music ringleaders, including H.I.M, Type O Negative, Within Temptation and many others.
If you haven't written your letter to Santa yet, make sure this book goes on it.
EGL Magazine got an exclusive interview with Dani Filth, frontman of Cradle of Filth, and quizzed him about the book release, his inspirations and his ideas about the band's place in the world of music.
You talk about the 'passion' of black metal being your appeal to that genre. How important is passion in music?
The core of it. Passion drives the emotive state forward. Our passion is making our music as atmospheric as possible, without suffocating the actual songs.
What audience is 'The Gospel of Filth' aimed at, and what do you hope readers gain from it?
With 'The Gospel Of Filth' we were firstly aiming for Cradle of Filth and black, gothic, horror fans, but as the book grew fatter the more time and research elapsed, and the more the various subject matters travelled from the platform of the band; the more we knew that man's interest in the dark-side of life wasn't just confined to those who wear it openly on their sleeve. Freaks come from all walks of life.
Cradle of Filth is a band known for pushing boundaries. How important is this and are there any boundaries you wouldn't cross with the band?
It's not a motto with the band, it's just that we enjoy our little ventures so much, our forays into film and media, that we persist with the pushing. Maybe we're a tad ambitious, but this is a career we love, we believe in, blah, blah, blah and so, whether we're making a horror film or writing a book, we're a 100% into it and endeavour to be as perfect as we can with it. We're also fortunate in the fact we've met some really good friends in the business, which makes everything that bit easier when it comes to sourcing the right people... Boundaries we wouldn't cross? The one into Wales?
The biggest influences would have to the 'Batcave' era clothing, the works of the late 18th/early 19th century romantic poets, gothic architecture, Diamanda Galas, the Victorian fascination for the morbid and creepy, and the fact that I grew up in two small villages in Suffolk, both connected strongly to Ye olde witch-crazes.
The image and performance side of Cradle of Filth is very theatrical. Are the theatrics as important as the music?
Obviously they're not as important as the music. The music remains the essence whilst all the facets that decorate it are explored. We've always had artistic aspirations and dalliances with renowned artists, that's just one of many the areas that bands can better themselves in. We love giving people a show. We love indulging their escapism.
England's gothic history is explored deeply in the book, which elements of this have had the biggest influence on your music?
You say that 'Cradle of Filth is about trying to keep the spirit of this haunted island alive.' Why do you believe this is important?
It's important because it has defined us a people for centuries. There is such a wealth of mysticism, romance and history scattered on this island, tempered by fate and fury, love and passion; Kings and witches, giants, highwaymen, thieves and murderers, solstice eves and wooded glades, flames, conquest, ghosts and blood. That's good enough reason for me from the off.
You talk a lot about fairytales, citing Tim Burton's work and 'Pan's Labyrinth'. How does the idea of fairytale feed into your music?
Our music has a very 'otherworldly' feel to it and our lyricism and subject matter are pregnant with symbolism. Fairytales are fantastical ventures, often dressing up vicious horror as fable, with roots firmly embedded in the bloody pagan pastures. Fairy-tales are sometimes lavishly re-interpretated with atmospheric classical accompaniment, something we also aspire to as Cradle Of Filth.
Besides the fact that growing up in Suffolk placed you in the midst of 'Witch Country', how did you become drawn to the darker side of British history and culture?
These things grew on me from a young age; from dinosaurs it went to monsters, which in turn led to horror movies and heavy metal, which eventually bled into a serious interest in all matters of the occult. I also get a huge swelling of nostalgia for the legends of our past, Hammer horror films, The British Empire and the sentiments of superstitious rural culture. I could seriously live in a M R James novel!
Article Written By...
Keller is EGL Magazine's editor. She has a degree in Writing which includes Journalism and has got 'The Gospel of Filth' on her Christmas List.
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