It’s not often that an author gets to interview one of the actual characters from his book. I just happened to be lucky enough to be able to do just that. Todd Flash, guitarist for Kitty In A Casket (and star of my Last Casket series), was kind enough to take a little out his busy schedule to answer a few questions. For your enjoyment, here they are.
What led you to being a part of Kitty in a Casket?
I’ve always had a love for music and when I turned 16, I decided it was time to pick up a guitar and start doing something. One project led to another and over time I ended up working with quite a few musicians from different genres. A couple of years later, one of the singers (and a dear friend of mine) I had previously worked with introduced me to Kitty in a Casket and it so happened, that they were looking for a second guitarist. I gave it a shot and we just clicked.
KiaC’s songs tell a story…what is that story?
It’s the story of good and evil, success and failure, happiness and sadness. So pretty much every part of life, just told through fictitious stories. The lyrics have a deeper meaning, it’s not just zombies, blood and horror. If you’re able to look deeper than the surface, you’ll find the hidden messages and that’s the beauty of our way of storytelling.
How do you like being a bad ass character immortalized in the series with the other band members?
To be honest, it’s pretty rad. I had a smile on my face whenever reading the book because Jack really nailed our characters. It’s mad fun reading about a particular situation and thinking ‘This is how I’d react’ and then seeing the character in the book react the same way.
What was your reaction when you found out you’d become a character in a book?
At first I was like ‘cool’, but at the same time I was also curious because I had no idea what to expect or where this was going. Someone coming up to you and saying ‘Hey, I’m writing a book and you’re in it’ doesn’t happen on a daily basis you know.
Are you a reader? If so, what genres do you prefer and what is your all time favorite book?
I enjoy fantasy books. I guess my favorite setting would be the typical ‘fantasy, middle ages’ thing involving swords, dragons and magic. Well actually, generally books set in past times. My favorite book… that’s a tough one. If I had to pick only one it’d probably be ‘Treasure Island’ by Robert Louis Stevenson. It has a bit of a sentimental value for me.
For those that might not be familiar with your genre of music, explain it.
If ‘The Walking Dead’ were a band and you throw in some Van Helsing, Count Dracula and pure old punk rock with rockabilly licks into the mix, that’d be us I suppose. Our sound changes from album to album as we evolve both musically and personally so it’s hard to define us with a main genre. We like to call our genre of music ‘punkabilly with horror influences’.
What is your favorite part of the artistic process: Writing new music, recording new music, or performing new music (and why)?
Well, all of the above really. These three aspects are so different from one another and yet they’re all interconnected. Writing is always fun because you’re in your zone and just let the ideas flow until you reach a point where you’re like ‘This could be a potential song’. Once you reach that state, you just continue to build up on that one idea and before you know it, you have a new song.
Recording can be stressful at times but seeing the album slowly come together is worth all the sweat and time invested. This is the process which also heavily influences and shapes the sound and mood/setting of the album.
Performing the songs for the fans and seeing them sing along to the tunes is an amazing experience. We’ve met so many cool people on the road, have made new friends and have seen and been a part of so much radness it’s hard to find words for it.
If/when the zombie apocalypse does occur, what would be the one thing that could most help you survive?
I believe balanced inner values can be more of a life saver than any weapon, bunker etc. So I’d go for calmness, clear-mindedness, discipline, loyalty and the like, more so than an object.
What’s the most challenging aspect of being in a band? What the most fulfilling?
There’s a couple. Getting used to the general lifestyle can be tough for some people.
Being away from home and your loved ones for long periods of time… having to make important decisions under stress… thoroughly planning ahead and yet being able to handle the unexpected… restraining the urge of one’s own ego in certain situations… These are all challenging aspects but if tackled correctly, push you to be a better version of yourself.
The most fulfilling? That’s easy. It’s living out your dreams and doing what you love!
If you could tell the writer of The Last Casket series (that’s me) anything you’d like to see happen in the next book, what would it be?
Surprise me Jack, you always get it right! ?
Don’t forget to support Kitty In A Casket! Check them out live if you get the chance, and purchase their music and merch. They’re not only wonderful people, they can rock the apoc like no other band!
Hell yeah!
\m/
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