Being Sober Is Like Being Addicted to Life

Alas, here is what Nikolas Kolenich turned in for his "newswriting" class on December 9, 2009. Thank you Nikolas for sharing your article and allowing us to peek into your Flickr account for show photos:

Thanks Brenda for the Photo

Front man Peter Steele has quit drinking and put down drugs as the 20-year-old Brooklyn doom-metal band Type O Negative takes a new approach.

            Standing at 6 foot 8 inches, with fangs and long jet-black hair, Steele is definitely the man people notice on stage.  After 10 straight years of playing intoxicated during shows, Steele admits it’s been his own faults that have held the band back from achieving great success.  Running into trouble with the law 5 months ago, Steele is now sobering up and kicking the use of drugs in order to make amends with the group.

            “I’ve made it a point to come sober and hopefully stay sober,” says Steele,47, who’s had troubles in the past coping with addiction. “I’ve done a lot of stupid things when I was drunk and high and I regret that.”

            Having formed the group in 1989, Steele is the bassist, vocalist and songwriter of the heavy-metal quartet.  Creating the group from a previous project known as Carnivore, a thrash-metal band from the mid to late ‘80s, Steele and his childhood friend Josh Silver formed Type O with previous experience in the industry. Silver, having past experience as a keyboardist for a metal group known as Fallout, went on to create Silver Records where he learned how to engineer recordings.  Producing records in his private studio for other groups, he began a name for himself as he helped get Type O into the national spotlight in 1992 with a faux live album titled The Origin of the Feces.

            Now, with 20 years of experience playing together, Type O has 7 full length studio albums including one platinum record (Bloody Kisses, 1993) and one gold album (October Rust, 1996).  Coming out amidst a new wave of gothic influence in pop culture, Bloody Kisses put Type O over the top in terms of success.

            “Bloody Kisses was a landmark album,” said Steele.  “I consider it to be our first album because Slow, Deep and Hard was actually left over Carnivore songs.”

            Leaving Roadrunner Records in 2005 and signing with the German metal label SPV, Type O released a live DVD titled Sympathy for the Devil in 2006. They followed the DVD with their latest album, Dead Again, in 2007.  Reaching the highest rating of all their albums, the new release hit number 27 on the U.S. billboard top 200 for the year. With the optimistic look towards another album, SPV hit a hang up as it filed for insolvency this past summer (similar to America’s chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S.).  No longer under contract with the record label, the company is still talking to Type O claiming they’d like to work with them.

            “We’re going to sign a deal with somebody,” said drummer and vocalist Johnny Kelly. “If it’s [SPV] we just hope they put their best foot forward.”

             Currently looking for a new label to sign with, there’s still uncertainty as to where it will come from. “We met with some people last night,” said drummer Johnny Kelly, 41, of Staten Island. “Right now we’ve got to find what the right home for Type O [is] and then we’ll go from there.”

            Still hopeful about the future of Type O, the members of the group have taken on other jobs as they await their front man’s next move.  With Steele moving from Brooklyn to Pennsylvania to escape his unwanted fame of being a rock star, the other three members have grown to accept that they need to occupy themselves with something to do in the mean time.  Throughout the past 20 years, Type O has been known to take upwards of four year breaks in between records.  Josh Silver, 47, currently lives on the same street where he grew up with Steele and lead guitarist for Type O Kenny Hickey.  With a wife and 2 children, Silver has decided to take a different approach to the hiatus of the band.

            In a press release from mid October this year, Josh announced he currently has been attending school for certification as a paramedic. Being in the heart of the program, he was unable to tour with the band during their October Tour for the first time in the 20 year history.  The press release stated that “Josh remains a member of Type O Negative and will continue working with the band going forward.”

            “Josh has kids and a family,” said Steele.  “If I was him, I wouldn’t wait around for me either.”

            Also needing to support their families, members Kelly and Hickey have put together a heavy metal group known as Seventh Void.  Being produced by Big Vin Records, the group’s first album was released in April, 2009. Keeping busy over the past 5 years is nothing new for Kelly and Hickey who have toured either together or individually for groups such as Danzig and a Led Zeppelin tribute band called Earl’s Court.

            Having over 15 years experience touring Europe and the states, Type O has touched the lives of many people around the world.  For the past 9 years, countless followers have dedicated their time to an online forum at Typeonegative.net to discuss everything and anything in relation to the band.  Many people discuss what they would like to see change and also stay the same with the future of the group.  The key concern on most people’s mind is Steele’s health.

            “They’re stellar musicians with enough life experience to inspire another album,” said Michael Effertz, 22, Minneapolis, MN. “Provided Peter can stay clean and win back the trust of his fellow band members.”

            Playing hockey in the street together as children, all the members of Type O have known one another since they were kids.  It’s that perseverance that has allowed the members to overcome their troubles and continue to record new material, said 7-year fan Matthew Politi, 24, Howell, NJ.

            Switching over to a more “jam session” like album, Type O’s latest album has brought something new to dedicated fans.  According to sputnikmusic.com, Dead Again is comprised of elusive guitar riffs, solos, haunting lyrics, psychedelic sounds and a dark dirty bass foundation.  Allowing other band member’s talents to stand-out a bit more, Steele has taken a step back from the spotlight bringing Hickey’s guitar into more solos and free rhythm. 

            “I’d like to see them divert back to their past style – not that I don’t like their newest album,” said Jeffrey Gray, 29 of Roan Mountain, TN. “I would welcome change from Type O.”

            Like Gray, other fans suggest a change for Type O.  Few suggest they move to more of a moody goth-driven sound such as what was found on October Rust.  Others want to hear a more ‘80s like punk sound with the new material.

            Some members of Type O frequent the online forum, reading and responding to fans’ posts.

            “I think they shouldn’t really complain so much,” said Kelly.  “There’s a bunch of whiners on there and they’ll always complain about something.”
            Referring to a topic posted only a couple months ago, Kelley says he wishes he has the five minutes of his life back after reading a bunch of fans accusing peter of drinking on stage during the October Tour.

            “Right now Peter’s sober,” said Kelly.  “He’s giving 110 percent every night and they’re still complaining ‘what’s he drinking?’ If they had it all figured out, why aren’t they all in bands [and] touring the world?”

            For Steele, being sober is like being addicted to life.  He sees the world completely different and for the past few months he says he hasn’t felt numb.  As for his past, “if I could change one thing, personally, I [wish] I had gotten closer to my faith sooner," said Steele.

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Darcie's Note: There are a few incorrect items in this piece, but they are too minor to point out. Hope you enjoyed.