Ministry guitarist Sin Quirin is a busy dude. Wrapping up Ministry’s most recent tour in support of their AmeriKKKant album and releasing the debut EP from his side-project (3 Headed Snake) at the end of 2018, the two time Grammy-nominated guitarist is set to hit the road with the Lords of Acid for their Pretty in Kink tour. Quirin previously toured with the Lords in 2010 on their Sextreme Ball tour, so he’s no stranger to kink. Considering his tenure with the Revolting Cocks and his earlier band, Society 1, one might say he’s a bit of an expert.
The Lords hit the road on February 21st with Orgy, Genitorturers, Little Miss Nasty, and Gabriel and the Apocalypse. We caught up with Sin to learn about his history with Lords of Acid, his fondest memories of the Sextreme Ball tour, his connection with fetish-inspired bands, and the future of 3 Headed Snake.
the void report: I know you toured with Lords of Acid back in 2010, but how did you first get connected with them?
Sin Quirin: I got connected with them through an old booking agent of mine. The guy that booked the RevCo tour was somehow connected with DJ Hardware, who’s the guy I used to do these shows with back in early ’09. And Hardware was connected with Praga Khan and I think that’s the way I got connected, through them. It came up that they were gonna do a 2010 tour and so they brought my name up to him and that’s how Praga connected with me.
But, I’d been a fan since the early 90’s. I’ve always been into the Lords of Acid, since the Lust album. But, they toured…I wanna say in the 90’s with the Thrill Kill Kult. And it was the Thrill Kill Kult, Prick, someone else, and the Lords of Acid. And I went to that tour. I saw them actually at the Hollywood Palladium, so it was really a big thrill in 2010 when I was now in Lords of Acid with the Thrill Kill Kult opening for us, certainly trippy.
the void report: Lords of Acid shows are a ton of fun because it’s like a big party. Do you have any particularly fond memories from that 2010 tour?
Sin Quirin: One thing that sticks out in my mind on that tour is…I wanna say we were in Salt Lake City and I was backstage and all of a sudden I heard this commotion. The backstage at this one particular venue was kinda underground. And I heard all this commotion and I was, “What the hell’s goin’ on?” And all of a sudden a few crew guys and some random people that happened to be back stage run through, come into the dressing room that I was in, and they slam the door and they’re like, “Hide, Hide! He’s gotta gun!“
And I was like, “What the fuck’s goin’ on?” And they’re freakin’ out, right? And so we stayed there in the dressing room for a few minutes until we figured things had cleared. So now I come out and the coast seems to be clear. We walk out towards the bus, which was right outside the venue, and there’s all these cops and everything.
I start talking to Jacky, who’s a back-up singer in Thrill Kill Kult. And she says, “Did you hear what happened?” And she goes, “I just choked the motherfucker out and fuckin’ took his gun.” (Laughs) Apparently some dude climbed onto our bus, and at the time we were sharing it with the Thrill Kill. This guy came on the bus claiming he was a friend of one of the band members in the Thrill Kill Kult, right? And he had like a little plastic bag or something and he was asking for a particular person in the Thrill Kill Kult, and saying he had some drugs or some shit like that.
And when they were like, “Well who are you?” And you know, nobody knew who this guy was, he fuckin’ pulls out a gun. And he starts like aiming it and shit. And Jackie, Jackie Blacque, being the badass she is, she fuckin’ gets behind the guy and chokes him out.
the void report: Holy shit!
Sin Quirin: (Laughs) And at that point the drummer in the Thrill Kill Kult punches the dude in the face and breaks his fuckin’ wrist. And so the guy drops the gun and so now he’s being choked out and now a few other people jump in and subdue this dude and then they call the cops. But that memory always sticks out to me because I remember the cops being there. They took this dude away and then we had to drive to the hospital ’cause their drummer broke his wrist and he had to leave the tour. And yeah, it was a little fucked up. You know, that was a whole fuckin’ big party in Salt Lake City.
the void report: (Laughs) Yeah, that wasn’t quite the party I was expecting, but that’s a good story. Did they have to cancel or did somebody fill in last minute on drums?
Sin Quirin: Yeah, they basically went to tracks on drums. And the drummer just had to fly home. His entire arm, from his elbow to his fingers, was in a cast. I remember that night driving to the fuckin’ hospital. Which was, that was fuckin’…there were pieces of fruit going in people’s butts (Laughs). I mean that bus…holy shit. Lords and the Thrill Kill Kult on the same bus was, yeah…it was just insanity dude. Like no joke. Somewhere, I don’t have that phone anymore. There’s videos. There was actual fruit and fuckin’ shit goin’ into people’s butts and yeah…that was just on the ride to the hospital. So I don’t know what this tour’s gonna be like. But….(Laughs).
the void report: Well, it’s been nine years. You think everybody’s mellowed out?
Sin Quirin: You know, I don’t know. It’s a different line up that we had, than we had in 2010. So, I don’t know. I know the other guys in the band. I never met Marieke, the singer. I haven’t met her yet. You know Praga, he’s a fuckin’ a lunatic. He’s always nuts…in a good way. But we’ll see, we’ll see how this goes.
the void report: I saw recently that the L.A. Weekly published a list of ten fetish inspired bands. Lords of Acid number one. Genitorturers number two. And then some band called Society 1 was number three.
Sin Quirin: I saw that, dude. So crazy that I’m connected to two of those bands.
the void report: Yeah, I didn’t know you were so into the fetish shit. But, that’s cool.
Sin Quirin: Yeah, dude, you know…I was young and I needed the money.
the void report: The story of any young gigolo.
Sin Quirin: Oh man, the Society 1 days. That was a whole other fuckin’ ball game. Jesus Christ, I don’t know how we all made it. But yeah, I saw that. Somebody sent that to me actually just a couple of days ago. And I was looking through it and I was like, “Holy Shit.” I’m like, “Lords and Society 1 are both on there.” What a coincidence.
the void report: Well it’s funny, man, because I checked out Society 1 like shit, I don’t know…whenever you first hooked up with Ministry. But, I didn’t know that. I just heard the songs. I didn’t know it was “fetish inspired.”
Sin Quirin: Well, I think that the band was included in that because of the suspension thing. And I think that’s why they sort of threw it into that fetish thing. Because the band, I mean honestly, you know we weren’t like a fetish band. We weren’t like a Genitorturers type of band. We were around in the early 2000’s to mid 2000’s and it was more like that sort of shock rock kind of thing in those early days. And before I joined the band, Matt (Zane) used to direct porn. And so he was connected with that world and they used to have actual porn stars on stage dancing and shit like that. So, the band had that sort of image, you know? But not necessarily a fetish, like we weren’t doing spankings and fuckin’ strap-on’s on stage or shit like that. But I think the suspension thing is what turned it into that, or getting us into that fetish thing.
the void report: I don’t think I’ve ever thought of Revolting Cocks as fetish inspired. But, I think it’s safe to say that they’re definitely spiritual cousins with Lords or Acid.
Sin Quirin: Yeah, yeah. I would agree with that.
the void report: Last year there was some talk that there was gonna be some work on some RevCo material. Is that still in the cards?
Sin Quirin: The last thing I heard was there would be some new RevCo stuff, which I’m ready for. But, then recently I’ve been hearing that new Ministry stuff might come out before that or might have to be worked on before that. So, you know, whatever Al (Jourgensen) decides he wants to do is what we’ll do. But it’s still in the cards as far as I know.
the void report: Going back to Lords of Acid…Based on my last experience at a Lords gig, I thought I should ask you some advice that might be useful to someone going to see the band for the first time. At my first Lords gig, I’m hanging out and I scope out these two gorgeous girls. And they’re wearing these pleather bodysuits. They look sexy as hell. And I’m like, “Damn. That chick’s fine as fuck. I’m gonna go chat her up,” you know? But, then I look down at her waist and I notice there’s like a 10-inch bright pink dildo hanging from her crotch. And it kind of intimidated me. So, what advice do you give somebody who comes across that situation at a Lords of Acid show?
Sin Quirin: Well, it all depends on what you’re into (Laughs). I would proceed with caution. But, you know, it could just be a…some sort of fashion statement. It could be just, you know, her playing the part for the gig. And clearly you want to establish all those things when you talk to her. And if everything is a go and you’re down for what they’re about then by all means. But, I always proceed with caution. I always like to put it all out on the table, so to speak, and find out what people are into or not into and then move forward. The Lords of Acid gig, I mean shit. You really got to check everything. Like, you know, you gotta check under the hood a couple times just to make sure (Laughs).
the void report: (Laughs) Solid advice.
Sin Quirin: And not that there’s anything wrong with whatever you’re into. That’s just my advice.
the void report: So, she might not necessarily want to peg me?
Sin Quirin: Exactly.
the void report: It might just be a fashion thing.
Sin Quirin: Exactly, yeah. A pegging might not be in the cards for you. She might just be honest and say, “I couldn’t find my Forever 21 belt, so I had to grab this to keep my pants up.”
the void report: No, I respect that. You know, I shouldn’t be so judgmental.
Sin Quirin: No! How dare you (Laughs). Yeah, but especially a Lords of Acid show…it’s a zoo. The shit you see, man, it’s just…sometimes you gotta do a double take and be like, “Okay, let me assess the situation here to make sure.” Cause, yeah, you never know what you’re gonna get at a Lords’ gig.
the void report: Let’s talk 3 Headed Snake. That came out last year and got an incredible response. That had to be satisfying.
Sin Quirin: Absolutely. I was beyond blown away by the response. Because, as you know, it was initially not intended to be out or heard by the public. So to see the kind of response that we got for it and that we’re still getting has just been amazing to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better response from people.
the void report: I think it goes down to the quality of the song writing, man. And then Johnny Ray’s ridiculous voice.
Sin Quirin: Johnny, in my honest opinion, is what makes the project. Because, you know the music that I wrote…had I gotten a different singer I think it would have been just another angry metal guy singing. It would have sort of lumped us in just this very generic kind of group.
And I think what sets it apart is Johnny’s voice. Because you’ve got the shit that I wrote musically and if people haven’t heard it they’re expecting a different kind of voice. And then once they hear Johnny wailing they’re like, “Holy shit.” And that makes it, you know, it has this kind of throw back kind of sound to it. But, with this modern sort of music. So, I honestly think that Johnny is what really sets that apart.
the void report: It’s hard to imagine those songs with anybody else singing.
Sin Quirin: I agree, I agree. And I tell you man, I have a couple of other demos with a couple other singer that were trying out in the beginning.
the void report: Oh really?
Sin Quirin: Yeah, and it just does not sound, you know, it just wasn’t happening. So yeah, I couldn’t. Especially now, I can’t picture anyone else singing that stuff.
the void report: I know you’re on tour through March with the Lords. Have you given any thought to doing some 3 Headed Snake shows?
Sin Quirin: Yes. I’m not exaggerating, I’m on this stuff literally from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. So, I’ve got this Lords tour coming up that is from February 21st to March 27th. It looks like we’ll be rehearsing in Phoenix, is what I’m hearing. I’ll be in Phoenix for a few days before that. We only got what looks like two or three days before the start of this Lords tour. So after that, in April I’ve got some stuff that might be coming up that I can’t talk about right now because it hasn’t been confirmed yet. Not 3 Headed Snake stuff, but something else.
And then May, I’m supposed to go to Greece to DJ a gig. And then Ministry tours Europe mid-June to mid or end of July. Now while all this is going on, I am currently talking and negotiating with some European agents right now that are interested in picking up 3 Headed Snake.
We’ve already been offered to play a really big festival in the UK in August. But, in order for that to make sense we’re trying to set up some dates around that. You know, to make it like a little UK run, or European run, or something like that. But I have the offer for this huge festival. Which is kind of crazy and unheard of because the agents that I’ve been talking to are like, “Dude, they don’t offer this to like unsigned, relatively unknown bands.” Which is what we are. We’re an unknown band. So, keeping our fingers crossed…if this stuff goes through, then 3 Headed Snake will be in Europe sometime in August. And if and when we sign on with this one particular agent, that will pave the way for some US touring as well.
the void report: Kick ass man, that sounds awesome. Do they know that you guys only have three songs (Laughs)?
Sin Quirin: (Laughs) Well, we don’t have just three songs. We have a lot more. And that’s actually another thing that we’ve been doing is writing more and more. I just sent Johnny another song demo a couple days ago. Cesar (Soto) and Johnny have written together as well. And then Johnny and I have another three or four ideas that we could’ve recorded, but we just didn’t. We definitely have a sets worth of material already. But, we’re just writing, and writing, and writing.
the void report: Obviously, I want you to come play Dallas.
Sin Quirin: You know, it looks like right now there’s a lot of interest from Europe and the UK, which is great. I always had a feeling those regions were really gonna be into this thing. But, of course we can’t wait to bring this to the states and do shows here. It’s where we all live and we’re hoping that people out here dig it as well. And if things go as planned that will be happening relatively soon.
the void report: The European metal scene is fuckin’ like a rabid dog.
Sin Quirin: Yeah. Unbelievable dude.
the void report: And that makes sense to me, you know. Just thinking about Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, you know, that those fans would really respond to 3 Headed Snake.
Sin Quirin: Yeah, absolutely. Out there it’s, I mean, just to give you an example…a band like Saxon will still draw a shit load of people out there. Out here, they’ll do okay, but no where near what they do out there. People still seem to dig that kind of stuff and they stick with it a lot longer out there. So we’re gonna go wherever people want us and are into it.
Lords of Acid 2019 North American Tour Dates. VIP Meet & Greet Tickets Here.
