If You Like What You Hear, Then Go Tell Somebody: An Interview with dUg Pinnick (King's X)
Doug (dUg) Pinnick has been at this for a while. In fact, his first interactions with music predate even his own memory. When Steve and I sat down to interview the legendary bassist and vocalist for King's X, one of the many stories he told us was about his first experience with music at 3-years old - that had to be relayed to him by his grandmother long after it occurred.
Now some 70 years later, after a plethora of albums with King's X, side projects, and solo ventures, dUg seems to have no intentions of slowing down. His main outfit King's X released their first new album, Three Sides of One, in nearly 14 years in 2022 and have been touring consistently since its debut. He's also planning to release a new solo album that should be ready later this year in October.
Alongside guitarist Ty Tabor and drummer Jerry Gaskill, dUg and King's X have produced a number of classic albums in their nearly 40 years together that have been widely respected amongst their rock and metal peers. Despite that acclaim, commercial success has always seemed to elude the band. We sat down with dUg to discuss the key to the band's longevity, their experience opening for AC/DC in Germany, his perfectionist tendencies, and working with producer Brendan O'Brien on 1994's Dogman. He also touches on playing Woodstock '94, how King's X chooses their setlist, playing with Iron Maiden, and how he reconciles the band's lack of commercial success with the high regard their musical brethren have for them. More than all of these, with every response, dUg shared his philosophy on life and exuded passion and gratitude for being able to create and play music for a living.
You can view the full interview HERE:
dUg was extremely generous with his time and gave thoughtful answers to anything that we asked him. His love for music made it easy for us to find common ground, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is doing exactly what he's meant to be doing.
In a bit of personal "full-circle" moment, I also shared a photo I took with dUg after the band played a local Long Island venue in support of 2008's XV. Ty, Jerry, and dUg came out to the merch stand after the show and stayed to take photos with all their fans waiting there. I thanked him for that moment because I feel it reflects the band's humble attitude: no matter who they have played with or how many high profile friends in the music industry they have, the most important thing to King's X is their music and their fans.
King's X will be playing shows throughout the United States through October in support of Three Sides of One. dUg told us to expect some changes in the setlist - you can find tour dates and ticket information at https://www.kingsxrocks.com/.
If you're unfamiliar with King's X, go through their entire discography and give it a listen. And if you like what you hear...then go tell somebody!
