What's That Dude Play? conducted an interview with Voivod guitarist Dan Mongrain in late August in Oslo, Norway. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
What's That Dude Play?: Tell me a bit about being the new guy. Obviously you were a big fan and had a mentor relationship with Piggy. How does it feel playing those songs?
Dan Mongrain: It's awesome. The first time I heard Voivod, I was like 11 or 12 years old. I become a fan right away. They are the band I've listened to the most in my life. I am pretty open-minded towards any kind of music. I listen to jazz, blues, reggae. I don't mind as long as it's well done. I listen to a lot of classical too. But Voivod has such a great progressive side to their music. Piggy's chords are crazy! It's like keyboard chords on guitar. He plays in the high range of the guitar a lot, then he goes heavy. It is very unique, and I like uniqueness in a band. It is pretty crazy to play with those guys. They are my all-time favorite band and now I'm playing with them. It's ridiculous. It is like a dream come true in a way, because my dream came true because Piggy passed away. It is a delicate situation, but I enjoy every second of it and I try to do it with respect for the music and for Piggy. I am very honored to do it.
I understand the "Infini" tracks appear just as Piggy recorded them without any re-amping or tweaking like was done on "Katorz".
Exactly. He recorded them professionally, I think it was in his bathroom in his apartment with a Marshall amp and a Mac with Pro Tools. I think he knew something was wrong with his health. He did all of the tracks without really saying to the other guys he did it. All of the solos… everything was there. Just a couple of days before he passed away he called Michel [Langevin, a.k.a. Away; Voivod drummer] and gave him the code for the laptop. That was it. That was the 23 songs they composed with Jason Newsted [Voivod/ex-Metallica bassist]. They made "Katorz" and then the rest of the songs "Infini", but it was the same session except for bass, drums and vocals.
How was it playing the homecoming date in Quebec last July?
It was crazy, actually! A lot of people showed up – three or four thousand people. The first band on was old friends of Voivod. There was a lot of competition between the bands… 20 years ago! It was friendly. Piggy's family was there. It was great fun… it was my birthday that day as well. That was funny. Piggy's family talked to me and were very kind to me. It was raining like hell during "Nuclear War". It was the best version. Everybody was soaking wet in the audience.
Speak to this as a fan. The endurance and longevity of a band like Voivod. A band that has had some success, but is far from a household name. Can you point to something and say this is why Voivod continues on?
I think Voivod is a band's band. It is a band for the bands. They get so much respect from other musicians. There are huge bands that are inspired by Voivod — Mastodon, Mike Patton, Phil Anselmo… Dave Grohl is a huge Voivod fan. They influenced a lot of people. They had a good career, at some point it was getting pretty good, then after "Nothingface", grunge music was taking over and Voivod could never be a huge thing because it's too weird, and I think it's ok like that. It got to be underground a bit. It is very progressive. Every album sounds different. I think they deserve more than what they have, but I think the guys, as long as they are willing to do, they don't really care about being bigger or famous… they just can't stop because it's too much fun.
There is still a child-like excitement that surrounds the band, even 25 years later.
There is always a fire burning inside. I guess they are institutionalized or something. I mean, look at The Rolling Stones. They're rich. They can stop anytime, and they continue to do it because they can't stop. When you are a musician and you have the chance to tour and to play music and to write music and make records, I think you just can't stop.
What about going forward? Is there a Voivod after this, now that the Piggy tracks are exhausted?
Snake [vocals] and Away talk about it a bit. We talk about it a bit, but nothing is confirmed yet. I think it's a day-by-day thing because it is a very delicate situation. Piggy was writing most of the music for Voivod. If the guys want to try something, I'll be there. If they want to tour and play other songs from their repertoire, I'm gonna be there. If they want to right something else… sure, let's give it a try. But there is no decision at this point and I think it is a day-by-day thing. I'm just going with the flow. I love those guys. We get along well. The tour is doing good. I've got no problem playing with many bands. I've done this all my life. I've been in 17 bands and I'm 33 years old. I've played a lot of music in my life… different styles. I've had my own band for 15 years.
Read the entire interview from What's That Dude Play?.
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