Stage Buzz Q&A: Wednesday 13 at Concord Hall

For Wednesday 13 [Joseph Michael Poole], horror and spooky things aren’t just a hobby. It’s his full-time job. There’s a reason he’s known as The Duke of Spook. For the past three decades, he’s been making music about hideous creatures, evil monsters, and all things horror. He’s a modern-day Alice Cooper. He lives and breathes horror. If he’s not singing about it, he’s watching it, collecting memorabilia, and is involved in the horror scene. And that’s how he likes it. 30 years into his career, he’s not looking to reinvent himself, trend chase, or shift gears. Rather, he’s happy to stick to what he knows best: singing songs about zombies, vampires, and other things that bump in the night.

With his tenth album, Mid Death Crisis, Wednesday 13 remains the master of the macabre. Songs about graveyards, dead girls, and the devil aren’t new territory, but it’s what he knows, loves, and excels at. It’s also what his legions of fans want to hear. And for Wednesday, 13, that’s reason enough to keep going.

Before heading out on tour with The Birthday Massacre and Lord of the Lost in support of his latest album, Wednesday 13 chats with IE about his latest album, his upcoming big birthday celebration, and what keeps him going this far into his career.

Illinois Entertainer: You’ve been making music about horror and all things macabre for 30 years now. And you clearly still love what you do. That came across loud and clear on Mid Death Crisis. You can hear how much fun you had recording it. That’s part of why I enjoyed it so much. What motivates you to not only keep going after three decades, but to keep making new music as well?

Wednesday 13: Thank you for what you said. Yeah, I love what I do. I never wanted to get a real job. So, my goal in life was to do something I loved. I wanted to be in a rock band and tour the world and play music and go to different places and have people know my music. Now, I’m able to do that. I started professionally 25 years ago with Murderdolls. I’ve been doing it before that, obviously, I started when I was 15. But Murderdolls kicked in when I was about 25 years old.

What’s keeping me going is that I still love what I do. I achieved my dream. I have fans all over the world who can’t wait for my concerts or can’t wait to hear new music. They inspire me. And with social media, fans can message you every day. That’s like writing a fan letter, like what I used to do back in the day, but you’ve got a better chance of someone reading it now. So, I get to hear what people think about the music. People will write to me every week and tell me how my music saved their life or got them through a difficult time or just thank me for doing what I do. That’s what keeps me going.

IE: You highlighted something positive about social media, which we often forget because we tend to focus on how toxic it is.

W13: Yeah, I mean, you’ve got to take the good with the bad. It’s the internet now. Anyone can express their opinion. Everyone has a voice or has something to say, and it’s not always positive. But through all that negativity, sometimes there’s a lot of positive stuff. I have very thick skin, so I don’t let those comments and things that are negative bother me. I read more into the positive ones. Those are the better ones anyway. Every day when I finish my shows, I’m guilty of being on my phone for an hour or two afterwards.

As soon as I go to my Instagram, an hour or two after my show, there are at least 50 to 100 messages from that particular show. Someone is sending a picture or a video they took from where they were in the audience, or if they met us after the show. I go through every single one of those pictures and usually repost and like them. That’s the equivalent of going out after the show and shaking their hand because it means that to them. They’ll write back, “Oh, my God, I can’t believe you like my picture!” because I’m not able to go out and meet everyone all the time. I do meet a lot of people. I do paid meet-and-greets and meet people after the show when I’m not hiding out. I appreciate my fans and where I am because they’re the reason I’m able to still do this after so many years.

IE: That’s what it should be about. And for Mid Death Crisis, you had the fans in mind. You wanted to take them back to the beginning, back to the sound and vibe of your debut Transylvania 90210. After going in a heavier direction on albums like Necrophaze and Condolences, what influenced your decision to taper back from that heavier sound and go back to the fun punk rock glam sound?

W13: There’s a lot of factors to it. This is the 10th record and 20 years of doing this. During the very first few Wednesday 13 albums, I was off doing side projects. I started my Gunfire 76 project. I did Murderdolls for the second time. I did my Bourbon Crow project. I experimented with stuff and put Wednesday 13 on a break. Then, when I came back to it, I assembled an entirely new band behind me. I recruited some of my best friends and sort of handed off the guitar-writing duties to our guitarist, Roman Surman. Those records you mentioned were the ones where I gave him full range to put his style on it. It was almost like doing a side project under the name Wednesday 13. I got to experiment doing a heavier record. I’d just signed with Nuclear Blast, which is a heavy metal label. So instead of doing a side project, I just experimented with my sound, and I enjoyed it. I can still listen to that record and enjoy it.

When I go back and listen to the entirety of the Wednesday 13 catalog, to me it all goes back to that first record, maybe even that second Murderdolls album [Women and Children Last] – that’s the sound I like the most. It’s the sound that’s most natural for me. And that’s what I zoned in on. I didn’t really try to do anything new. I didn’t try to experiment. I just tried to focus on what I used to do really well: write fun, catchy, heavy, hard rock songs that had a sense of humor to them. It wasn’t all doom and gloom. It had a little bit of comedy in the tragedy.

IE: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it kind of mentality. And there’s nothing wrong with that because you’re a master of your craft.

W13: Thank you. My view on music right now is everything is heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I do a unique thing that stands out from that, especially my latest record. I’m not doing anything different; it just sounds different compared to what’s going on right now. So, I just sort of just honed in on what I think I do the best.

IE: That energy and mindset you put into your albums, you also put into your music videos. The videos for this album have been fantastic. You’re one of those rare artists who still put a lot of thought and effort into their videos. It’s not just a performance clip of you miming on a screen or something. There are sets, costumes, and little stories happening. How do you come up with ideas for your music videos?

W13: There’s a lot of time to think when you’re recording these songs and you’re in the studio for a few weeks working on lyrics and listening to playback. I get ideas immediately for certain songs; some songs I don’t get a vision for at all. It’s like pulling teeth, and I ask other people to help me with it. With this record, I had a video concept for every song or at least three different ideas for each song. I had the high budget to the low budget; what we could get away with. What it all comes down to is when I’ve made these videos, I’ve usually been in a good mood and a good place. I take it seriously because they’re going to last. They’re like mini movies of your song. So, it’s important to try to capture something. I don’t always nail it with my videos. I’m not always walking away 100 percent happy.

But with this album, I was really happy with all the videos, especially “In Misery.” That might be my favorite video I’ve ever made. It just captured a vibe. We built that set from scratch. It was literally nothing. We built that entire graveyard, and behind the scenes, a fire broke out in the middle of that whole thing. It was this time last year, with fires breaking out every five seconds. We found out later that some homeless encampment started a fire on the side of the highway. It was right where we were filming. We put out the fire and ended up filming the video afterwards. It’s hard to believe that actually happened and we pulled it off. If we hadn’t put it out, it certainly would have burned down our entire video set.

IE: Unbelievable. I remember hearing about that. So, you already have some new music out. You recently did a collab track with tour mates Lord of the Lost called “I Hate People.” It’s an appropriate anthem to start 2026, considering all the crap that’s going on right now. Tell me a bit about this song. How did you guys come to join forces for this one?

W13: Lord of the Lost came on my radar several years ago. Some of my fans had their T-shirts and were talking about them during COVID, so I heard of them around then. Somehow, our booking agents spoke about touring. I can’t remember exactly how it happened, but I got in touch with the singer Chris [Harms] and found out he was a big Murderdolls fan. He sent me a picture of him and me hanging out in Germany from years and years ago. We must have been drinking because I don’t remember it. He’s been a fan for years, and we had this tour coming up. And then he was like, hey, would you want to sing on the song? It’ll be coming out right in time for the tour. It’d be a perfect setup. And I said yes. I recorded this back in June or Jul,y and I kind of forgot about it. Chris wrote all the lyrics and sent them to me. He was really cool about it. He goes, ” Hey, I know this title might just come off sounding like I hate people, but it’s not really about that. I read the lyrics and thought they were cool. They’re smart and really fit the world right now and the way a lot of people feel and how people are being divided. Itcovers a lot of subjects, so the words speak really loud on it.

It’s a cool track. Our voices fit well together. Our fans seem to like it so far. It’s cool that we have a tour coming up and we have a single out a week before. It’s a cool way to set up a tour. I’m going to be playing this song with them live every night as well. So, again, just trying to get in front of a different audience. We might have a handful of fans there that may know us, but there’s probably half of the Lord of the Lost fan base who have no idea who we are. So, it turns them on to our band. I’m always looking for new fans. I see them at our shows all the time. We’re getting younger audiences, and I just say to myself, I’m your favorite band, and you don’t even know it. So still trying to get the word out, 20-some years later.

IE: Speaking of Murderdolls, in 2023 and 2024, you started playing those songs on tour. What was going through your mind when you were revisiting these songs, especially in the aftermath of Joey Jordison’s death?

W13: Lots of emotions. When I first started doing it, there were nights that were tougher than others, because for a lot of people, it was the first time they ever got to hear those songs. It was also the first time anyone had done something publicly and talked about Joey. It wasn’t easy, but then I got to play these songs, talk about them, and carry on with the show. It was fun, but it was also kind of tough. I guess it got a little easier the longer I did it. I took it all over the world. We played everywhere from Australia to Turkey. And I realized how many people loved and appreciated that band and how many new fans have come along since then who want to know about it and who missed out on it.

Murderdolls put me on the map. It’s the reason people know who I am. It’s a big deal for a lot of people. It’s still a big deal to me. Next year is the 25th anniversary of that first album [Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls]. It’s been a long trip, but it’s been fun. I’ve been really lucky to have fans stand by this long. It’s a lot of new people, too. There are a lot of new people discovering the band. A lot of old fans are still there. A lot of people came and went. But it’s always good when I do a tour, and I look in the front row and see younger kids. That’s a good sign.

IE: Yeah. It helps keep the music alive and going. It’s great to have young fans to keep discovering you.

W13: It shows it’s timeless. Because when I was a kid and first started listening to older rock, even though I appreciate a lot of that music now, – when you’re 80s kid and you hear “Shout at the Devil” and then someone plays you like Foreigner, you’re like what is this? It’s so easy for a younger kid to hear what I do and go, “That’s classic rock! That sucks!” But they resonate with it, so that’s a good thing.

IE: In past interviews, you’ve talked about seeing artists like Alice Cooper and Mötley Crüe and how they scared your mom, which made you want to know more about them. I had a similar experience stumbling upon cassettes my older brother had of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, and how freaky they looked. It’s kind of scared me, but I’ve also been drawn to it. So, I’m curious, why do you think we seek out these things that scare us?

W13: I don’t know. Your experience with those cassettes is like my experience, except it was going into my brother’s room and finding Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil, Black Sabbath, or Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast. This was during the whole satanic panic of the 80s, when everyone thought backwards masking was in the songs. I lived in North Carolina in the Bible Belt, and my mom watched all these religious church shows on Sundays. They would have specials like are your children being influenced by the devil if they’re listening to this music or have these symbols on their notebooks? My mom was terrified of that. She was terrified of horror movies, like The Exorcist. And like any good kid, you do anything your parents hate or tell you not to do. So that’s what got me into it. I loved horror movies, and I resonated with rock music. My mom supported me and loved what I did and everything, but she was just protective of me. As a ki,d being rebellious, you want to go against anything your parents say you can’t do. Don’t listen to that. That’s the devil. Okay, I’m going to listen to it now.

IE: Along with horror, you’re also a collector of retro memorabilia. I’ve seen videos and pictures of your toy room, and it looks super cool. It reminds me of this record shop in Chicago called Bric-a-Brac Records. Have you ever visited the store during one of your Chicago stops? I think it’d be right up your alley.

W13: I don’t think I’ve been there. I try to visit shops and stuff if I ever have time off on tour. I’m always out shopping. Fans also bring me gifts and stuff all the time. I’ve always liked toys since I was a kid. I never really wanted to stop collecting them, so I didn’t. As I got older, got a job, and was able to purchase all these things for myself, I just kept getting more and more. I would say 75 percent of the toys in my collection were given to me. Fans just bring me stuff. Last time, I came home with five boxes of toys, T-shirts, and gifts.

It’s just fun. This stuff keeps me young. I’m a product of the ‘80s. That was my favorite time. I love that era. I love those movies. I still watch those movies. I’m still kind of living in that era. That era inspires me, and I surround myself with it. It’s like I’m in this time capsule. So, when the world sucks, which it does most of the time, I can turn it off and surround myself with this and put on a movie or do whatever I want and just X out of the real world. That’s what this whole thing is about, like I said, to be in a band, not have a real job, escape reality. So, I’m living my dream, and I’m escaping reality as much as I can.

IE: What’s something recent that you added to your collection that you’re very excited about?

W13: Something recently I added… There’s a guy who keeps bringing me all this crazy [stuff], like how’d you find this? He brought me this plastic Rambo costume from 1984, made for a child. It’s already displayed in this glass box, the size of a huge poster. He has the costume pinned to a board with a Rambo toy gun from that era and a knockoff figure. It’s like a Rambo collage. Because I have Rambo toys and fans found out about it, they bring me these things.

IE: That sounds awesome. In addition to the tour, you’ve got a big birthday coming up this year. Have you thought about how you’re going to celebrate reaching 50?

W13: Yeah, I have a really big show a few days before my birthday, which is what I’m calling my birthday show. We’re playing in England at Bloodstock Festival, and we’re headlining one of the side stages. It’s going to be a really big show. It’s one of the biggest UK headline [shows] we’ve done. So that’s sort of going into my birthday. Since I’m already going to be in the UK, I was looking at going somewhere else and taking a vacation. Hawaii is on my list. Greece is on my list. So, I don’t know, I may just go somewhere for the day, chill out a couple days and come back. I plan on touring heavily at the end of the year, too. So, there’s not going to be a whole lot of celebrating, but I am going to make time to celebrate the big day.

IE: What better way to celebrate than with a big show and a little vacation? Wrapping up, you’ve accomplished so much throughout your career. What’s the next thing you hope to achieve? Is there a project or a different avenue you’d like to explore?

W13: The thing I’ve been putting off for years, probably since I was a teenager, is making a movie. Before I wanted to make an album, I wanted to make a movie. I was very involved in theater in high school. I used to make my own little home movies with my video camera. And now that I’ve been making a lot of music videos, coming up with all the concepts, and being very involved with every angle of the videos, I’m learning that maybe I could make a movie. I’m basically doing a short form of it with all these videos.

The whole reason I started writing songs about horror movies is because I couldn’t make a movie. It’s easier to write songs about it. So, that’s the inevitable thing I need to do. I just need to sit down, take the time to script one of my many ideas, and make a movie. I’m involved in that scene – I do horror movie conventions in between tours all the time now. I’m involved in that world. Ever since Rob Zombie got involved with horror movies, that’s the question I’ve been asked the most. It’s the natural thing I need to do. I just need to take the time to do it. Maybe I’ll start on it this year. It’ll happen within the next 10 years. It has to.

Wednesday 13’s new album, Mid Death Crisis, is out now. The band will play Concord Music Hall with The Birthday Massacre and Lord of the Lost on January 31st.

-Ashley Perez-Hollingsworth

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