Al Jourgensen, frontman and founder of industrial metal band Ministry, has bared his soul in an autobiography that epitomizes the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. The book contains an in depth look at the creation of many of Ministry’s albums, vicious stories involving fellow musicians, his love affair with Aimee Mann, and more.
Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen promises to be an honest window into the live fast, die young life of metal icon. According to Rolling Stone, Jourgensen himself claims to be surprised that he is still alive, as he dives into the dark side of drug and alcohol abuse. After discovering he was cured of Hepititis C, Jourgensen made light of his health problems:
“You know, I’ve actually been printed up in ‘medical marvels’ for the AMA [American Medical Association], where I lost my hepatitis C. That’s a permanent condition. I just had another liver scan last year, and I have no C. Which kind of sucks, because I was working my way through the alphabet – I have A, B, and C, and I was really hoping for D. But D didn’t come around yet, and C is gone. So now I’m just a hepatitis poser.”
His addiction led to a volatile lifestyle, but the lows were balanced with intense highs. According to Jourgensen, his relationship with Aimee Mann inspired ‘Til Tuesday’s 1980s hit “Voices Carry.” About their relationship, Jourgensen stated:
“We had a very dysfunctional relationship in Boston. I love her to death – to this day. I just saw her when I did that Sgt. Peppers/Cheap Trick benefit at the Hollywood Bowl, and she was there. We get along great. As a matter of fact, I get along great with all of my exes. That’s really cool. That’s a good sign. That means that, ‘OK, you were an asshole at times, but you weren’t a complete asshole all the time.'”
He also recalls tales of other well-known musicians, including Courtney Love, Madonna, and, most interestingly, Fred Durst:
“The Limp-dickster motherfucker, whatever his name is. I got him naked and in a cowboy hat [in a recording studio]! I’m showing him, ‘Look, you want my sound? This is my sound. This is what I use.’ And he wouldn’t believe it because just by hitting the magic button on the harmonizer that it wouldn’t make him sound exactly like me. He was that naïve. I’m like, ‘Well, try the cowboy hat.’ So I gave him my cowboy hat. . . and it still sounded like shit. So I go, ‘Why don’t you try and get naked? That’s how I sing.’ I was just bullshitting him. So he goes out and does that, and is thoroughly embarrassed, again. And then he just left. I got paid to just humiliate him for three songs. It was awesome.”
The book comes prior to the release of the final album of Minsitry’s career, From Beer to Eternity, as well as Jourgensen’s first novel, Mind Fuck.
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