What is your full name?
Joseph Edward Gagliardi III
Do you have any aliases?
JoeyDiabolic, JD, JoeyD, Diablo and Martyr Art
What bands are you actively involved with?
JoeyDiabolic (solo project) and Visions of Empyrean (session musician).
What was the first instrument that you played?
Keyboards (age 7).
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?
As a child, my dad would throw “Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin on the record player and I would totally lose it, jumping up-and-down on my parents bed, thrashing about… one could see it as moshing, lol.
White Plague (1997-1998)
Diabolic (1998-1999)
Dislocate (1999-2001)
Martyr Art (2003-2019)
Mama Doom (2019)
Tell me about the genesis of Joey Diabolic. What inspired the name?
It’s actually a nickname given to me by Brian Goble (White Plague bandmate). I had started my own band, Diabolic in late ‘98 and labeled my guitar cases “Joey” and “Diabolic”. He came out to one of our shows, saw the labels, simply said them conjoined and then the nickname stuck.
It also came to the point where the name Martyr Art was a never-ending uphill battle of explaining myself, it’s meaning and also conveying that, in fact, it was not a christian music group. Going back to my nickname slid on like Freddy’s glove… with ease.
How long did it take you to write and record Through Soundwaves Vol. 4?
Both ‘Vol. 3’ and ‘Vol. 4’ were done around the same time, January through December 2020 at my home studio, Vindication Sound Design.
What was the inspiration behind the Joey Diabolic ‘Through Soundwaves: The Complete Series’ box set?
The short answer, I despise being overlooked and ignored… especially when it comes to my music and art. The boxset is definitely a statement piece… kind of a “fuck you” to certain people. Unlike a cd, cassette or vinyl release… the box set created a completely different conversation with people (who previously) wouldn’t give my music the time of day. That alone is worth the cost of making them by hand.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band would it be and why?
Depends. What’s the pay / employee benefits?
Everything. A random sound, a scent, a conversation, a thought, a desire… it’s endless and infinite.
You have a lot of tasty cover songs in your releases. What is your process for selecting a cover song?
Thanks! With JoeyDiabolic, the cover song selection process is really about the sort of vibe I’d like to recreate based on bar/venue scenes in films and tv shows, where I’m like “I want to go there”. The only venue/bar I’ve ever been to that has recreated one of those vibes is Lucky 13 Saloon.
The year is 2003. Where are you at and what are you listening to?
Mountainville, NY. Probably rediscovering Depeche Mode with ‘The Singles: ‘86-’98’, Kittie ‘Oracle’, Bjork ‘Post’, a few early Front 242 albums, Skinny Puppy ‘Bites’... and a bunch of other random releases as well.
What advice would you give young musicians that are just starting out in the music business?
Be prepared that your dreams may never, if ever, come to fruition. Set realistic goals that you know you can achieve with a little bit of grit… then set the next 5 goals and knock them down like dominos… and then keep going, something… especially unexpected, will happen.
What is an absolute killer band?
I’m gonna go with killer live bands on this one… MoonTooth, Mama Doom, Dissolve, All Out War and Hatebreed to list a few.
What’s the longest time you’ve gone without bathing?
3 days... though that’s only if I’m exclusively home and no one is stopping by to hang.
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
That I mostly keep to myself, for the fact I believe I have nothing to offer… until I do.
In no order..
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, ‘Halloween’, ‘Se7en’, ‘Friday The 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan’ and ‘Aliens’
Is the Fistful of DOOM show in the top 10 of your favorite music podcasts?
To be honest, I’ve never heard it. I subscribe to ‘A Fistful of Faceful’ podcast and that’s pretty cool. I’m actually in-development for my own music podcast, which should be live sometime in September 2021.
Do unicorns sleep standing up?
The real question is… do they even require sleep?
You’re driving cross-country and you can only listen to one album the whole time. What album will it be?
Metallica’s ‘Black Album’. That album has a lot of miles on it and it will never run out of gas.
You are writing a book about your life thus far. What is the title of that book?
If I was, it would be entitled ‘Closure In Death: When The Last Rites Brought New Life’.
“Burn” off ‘The Crow’ soundtrack.
White Zombie or Anthrax (if you had to choose)?
White Zombie… oh, the horror.
Doobies or Boobies (if you had to pick one)?
Boobies fo’ sure.
Waffles or Pancakes (if you had to pick one)?
Pancakes.
Star Wars or Star Trek (if you had to choose)?
Star Wars, Episode 3… though I prefer the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Favorite band t-shirt you own?
Nine Inch Nails at Woodstock ‘94. Lived in Saugerties at the time, wasn’t allowed to go. Heard the concert from my house and boy, that manifested some long-term anger… insult to injury. Seeing them live in 2014 (which was the closest thing to a religious experience I’ve ever had) and having that shirt kinda resolved those long-term hard feelings.
Favorite meal?
Filet Mignon (medium rare) topped with sauteed onions (cooked in Riesling) and a dusting of blue cheese crumbles, with a side of roasted Asparagus (seasoned with pink himalayain sea salt and black pepper) and Mashed Potatoes with a dash of butter.
‘Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual’ by Jocko Willink.
Favorite movie?
‘The Wraith’
Favorite album?
Impossible to answer. Many of my feelings and memories are associated with music... to select one would negate the importance of others.
Massive thank you to Mr. Diabolic for taking the time to answer my queries. I appreciate it. You absolutely have to check out the Through Soundwaves box set. It is an amazing piece of artistic ingenuity in and of itself. When you add in the music within it is a wholly immersive industrial, gothic, synthwave horror opus.
(interviewers note.. I did a video “review” of the Through Soundwaves box set that will be appearing on this very site. Be on the lookout. It’s absolutely horrifying.)
~El Pedo Caliente (aka Uncle Jameson from the Fistful of DOOM show)
https://joeydiabolic.bandcamp.com/album/through-soundwaves-the-complete-series
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