Interview- Kult Ikon

KULT IKON is a one man Industrial outfit led by Johnny Daggers. Influences range from one end of the Industrial / Electronic  spectrum to the other. The end result is evil musick that you can dance to!!! KULT IKON's song, Iconoclatic has ranked as high as #4 on the Soundclick.com Industrial / Electronic charts. KULT IKON has received acclaimed reviews in Bubblegum Slut, Inclincation, Oblivieon, Psicoterror Magazine and Grave Concerns E-Zine.

GC: Hello Johnny Daggers how are you?

KI: Good thanks.

GC: So tell us a little about Kult Ikon, such as when you first started your project?

KI: The idea behind KULT IKON started roughly 3 yrs ago. It was something that I never went full force with until 2009.

GC: Where are you from? Where do you currently reside?

KI: Just outside of Pittsburgh, the zombie capital of the world.

GC: Who or what have been your major influences?

KI: Many artists have inspired me but I feel that KI stands apart from them all in sound. I would say Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Test Dept, Boris Mikulic, Mussolini Headkick, STG, Numb, Combichrist, Consolidated, KMFDM, The Thrill Kill Kult and the list could go on.

GC: Are there any other members?

KI: Just myself. With the exception of live shows, there will never be any other band members. I have worked with too many talented but lazy musicians. KI was my way of saying fuck off, I can do it myself.

GC: I see that KULT IKON's debut release "THRILLS AND KICKS" is scheduled for release on March 1, 2010, is there anything you would like to tell your fans about this album?

KI: The album has a little bit of everything. I have many styles, all of which are conveyed on Thrills And Kicks. I try not to limit myself and piegonhole myself in any one genre. What comes out is what I am feeling at that particular point in time. I never intentionally sit down to write a specific style of song.

GC: What genre of music do you consider your work to be?

KI: Electronic would best sum it up. KI will always be electronic. Some songs will be considered Industrial. Some will be what I call electro-sleeze. Some will be more trance.

GC: What do you think your music conveys to your fans?

KI: My goal is to create evil musick that you can dance to. I would hope that the musick is conveyed as fun and dancable but shocking at the same time.

GC: What are your immediate music career goals? (Next 1 to 3 years.)

KI: After the rlease of Thrills And Kicks my goal is to have a second album out in no less than 14 months. After that a small tour.

GC: What are your views on the current Industrial/Electro scenes?

KI: I'm not a scenster anymore. I am not sure I can honestly say. Scenes will turn on themselves and destroy what they have become. This can be good or bad. With any scene you will get your elitests and certain fads in clothing that you are expected to wear. Crtain bands you must listen to. Blah, blah, blah. It's all bullshit to me. It's funny to me that gasmasks and respirators have become trendy. My father worked in construction as a painter. I remember being 3 or 4 years old and wearing his respirators, I loved them. I still have an affinity for them today. I just do what I do and I think that individuality in the dress, the music and whatever else makes the scene thrive and fresh is what counts. As far as the music, not to age myself but the bands I consider new have been out for a few years. Combichrist and Aesthetic Perfection. They are two of my favorites.

GC: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own band?

KI: Stay dedicated and loyal to yourself and never fear doing it alone. Realize that you cannot count on 99% of the people you will encounter.

GC: So tell us about Torso Tina and Mrs. Daggers? What are their roles in KULT IKON?

KI: That is a great question! Well Torso Tina was created by Mrs. Daggers many years ago. Torso Tina has become the official KI model / prop. I have a very funny story about Torso Tina if you have the time and space to print.

This past summer I was doing a Kult Ikon photo shoot with Torso Tina. I set up Torso Tina and numerous skulls and bones. After the photo shoot I was in transit back home. I had Torso Tina and the skulls and bones in the backseat of my car. It just so happened that I got pulled over. The reason being is that the officer stated that the skulls and bats that I had hanging from my rear view mirror obstructed my view. The officer shined his flashlight around my car, looking in the front and back seats. There he discovered Torso Tina and my collection on bones and skulls. I literally saw his face turn 3 shades of white. He walked back up to the drivers door and stuttering he asked if I had anything in the car that he should know about? Any drugs or alcohol? I responded by telling him that other than the naked torso and skulls I was clean. Surprisingly the offer let me off with just a warning and watched me as I removed the bats and skulls from my rear view mirror. When all was said and done the officer almost sprinted to get back to his car. I sacred the shit out of him. I think that he just wanted to get away from me as fast as he could. If only he would have insisted on searching my car, he would have found my Serial Killers book in the trunk. As far as Mrs. Daggers. Mrs. Daggers is my lovely wife. She is the main force behind my inspiration. She will be doing some of the future KI modeling as well as some video appearances.

GC: What is something about the human race that really gets you down…makes you wonder…how could that person do that, act that way or say that?

KI: Oh so much. So much so that I am a complete recluse. If I could make music in the confides of my home and never have to see the public again, that would be just fine with me. I could go off on a long tangent of complaints and hatred towards people so I will just leave it at that.

GC: Let’s get to know you a little more, what is your favorite?

Color - Green.

Holiday - Halloween.

Pass time - Staying in and watching horror movies with my wife and playing with our 20+ cats.

Foods – Mexican.

TV show – None. I do not watch sitcoms or Television shows.

Movie - So many. All horror and all classics. Last Man On Earth, War Of The Worlds, The Blob. I have over 3,000 Horror movies in my collection.

Drink – Guinness, Yuengling, Rum. Not all together.

Weather – Mid 70's. Slightly overcast with a chance of rain.

Season – Fall.

Sport – None.

Animal – Cats.

Vacationing spot. Home.

GC: If you were granted three wishes what would they be (you cannot ask for more wishes or ask a friend to ask for more wishes for you)?

KI: Health, Immortality and to be forever with Mrs. Daggers.

GC: If you were granted one special power, invisibility, invincibly, or immortality, which one would you choose and why?

KI: Immortality.

GC: Is there anything else that you would like to let us, your fans, know? Anyone you’d like to mention?

KI: Yes. First off I want to thank you and your fantastic publication for taking the time and interest to interview me. And lastly, I would just like to state that the Thrills And Kicks release is quite diverse. It takes an open mind to get what I am doing. There is going to be something on there for everyone. It's just all around good electronic music that doesn't need to confined to any specific electronic genre.

Well Johnny, thank you very much for giving Grave Concerns the gratifying opportunity to have this interview. We here at Grave Concerns wish you continued success and we look forward to hearing your upcoming album.

Thanks again!If anyone would like to know more about KULT IKON check out https://www.myspace.com/kultikon