Zombie promises a 'really big show' at Darien Lake
by TERRI MEDINA East Aurora Bee Editor

Rob Zombie

Multiplatinum musician Rob Zombie kicked off a six-week tour last week and is slated to open for Godsmack at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 4, at Six Flags Darien Lake.

"It's going to be a really big show, with lots of pyro, dancing girls and other secret elements that will be very interesting and exciting," said Zombie in a telephone interview. "It should be the biggest stage show, minus the elephants, people have seen."

However, Zombie, who is promoting his band's newest album "Educated Horses," is cautious about giving away too many details.

"Anyone from Beyoncé to KISS would be jealous and could steal our secrets," he halfheartedly joked. "People will just have to see the show firsthand."

Zombie said "Educated Horses" is relatively different from past projects in that it doesn't boast much nudity, gore or graphics. But what it lacks in those topics, Zombie delivers in evil woods creepiness.

He also said the term "educated horses" doesn't hold much meaning other than it being an old carnival term for smart animals, or trained animals. He said that while he is fascinated with the concept, it really doesn't mean anything, but people are free to interpret it any way they would like.

"I really wanted to do something more stripped down," he said. "This album doesn't feature much in the way of effects, it's just a stripped-down band."

Fans of Zombie and former band White Zombie may be a little surprised by the new album. But, he said, the show itself features traditional Zombie effects.

Zombie said that as a child growing up in Haverhill, Mass., he was often bored and that he turned to movies and television as a way to escape the boredom and his disinterest in school.

"I was totally fascinated by comics and horror movies," he said. "It's something I attached to for no particular reason, but it has become a part of who I am."

That is evident in the two movies Zombie directed, "Devil's Rejects" and "House of 1,000 Corpses." "I like to go for the visual effect, from dramatic scenes and costumes to authentic-looking blood and guts."

However, Zombie said he wants to take the cheesy element out of horror movies and make them as honest and real as possible.

Fans of Zombie's films might be interested in his take on the John Carpenter classic "Halloween," which is scheduled to begin production after the tour, and will be wrapped by October 2007.

He is also working on an animated feature based on his Spookshow International comic book "El Superbeasto." The story will follow the adventures of a masked wrestler who has a greater interest in strippers and gore than crisis-intervening adventure. Zombie will executive produce and write the story, which is scheduled for completion in May 2007.

For now, Zombie is dedicated to this tour and is looking forward to the promotion of "Educated Horses."

The new single, "Let It All Bleed Out" came out two weeks ago and "Educated Horses" peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in April.

Fans of Zombie will appreciate the familiar sexed-up, bootstomping, B-movie swagger the band delivers, and will look for Zombie to carry the concert, despite not having headline status.