Feature / One Question Interviews
Ministry

Words: Loren • July 12, 2014

Ministry
Ministry

Al Jourgensen (Ministry)

SPB: Is there a sample you’ve tried to get the rights to use but were denied?

Jourgensen: ALL OF THEM.... Just kidding. Actually the biggest sample pain in the ass was on Houses of the Molé with the use of Carmina Burana on “No W.” It was a nightmare. We'd reached out to the publisher via Sanctuary's contacts and had gotten an initial okay, but then the record came out and all of a sudden the publisher sent a Cease and Desist letter to Sanctuary about the sample after 30,000 units had been pressed. I had to go back in the studio and re-do the track and a second pressing was made. Then I found out later, it was ‘cause Capital One wanted an exclusive on the use of Carmina Burana and you KNOW they were paying the big bucks. And that fucking Capital One commercial played over and over. Every time I turned on the TV it was that Capital One commercial with Carmina Burana.

Loren • July 12, 2014

Ministry
Ministry

Related features

Sacrosanta Decadencia Occidental

One Question Interviews • April 16, 2026

Maria (Sacrosanta Decadencia Occidental – vocals/artist) SPB: The artwork of your album took over a year to make. What was this long experience like for you? Maria: If I were to put it shortly, the first thing that comes to mind is a long and winding road: exhausting but exciting … Read more

Brux

One Question Interviews • April 14, 2026

Brux SPB: You choose to skip English and sing in your mother tongue. What are the pros and cons of this choice for you? Brux: Our songs are mostly in our mother tongue (spanish / catalan), we just have a few in English. Pros: they sound more natural, the link … Read more

The Goons

One Question Interviews • April 13, 2026

Serge (The Goons - vocals) SPB: How did writing the new material compare to when you sat down and started work on your last record – 19 years ago? Serge: The old stuff was written more collaboratively than the recent songs. These days we don’t get together as often as … Read more

The Arrivals

Interviews • April 12, 2026

The Arrivals have been a band for 30 years -- though they’ve made us wait 16 years for the follow-up to 2010’s Volatile Molotov. While a ton of time has passed and the band has moved, literally in some cases, and raised children in others, their sound is still the … Read more

The Gits

Interviews • April 11, 2026

Almost three decades after their original run, The Gits remain a vital part of Seattle’s punk rock history. Their raw intensity, emotional directness, and fiercely independent spirit continue to resonate with new generations discovering them through streaming platforms and reissues. In 2026, the band’s legacy is further honored with the … Read more

Related news

3 days of Milwaukee Metal

Posted in Shows on January 31, 2026

Ministry lands with Cleopatra

Posted in Labels on October 10, 2024

Mo' Ministry

Posted in Records on January 25, 2024

Related reviews

Ministry

Relapse
13th Planet (2012)

Al Jourgensen has managed to create a genre early on in his career and according to most has never quite surpassed the classics of the genre he helped to create. In a sense it would be a hard task for anyone to do such a thing. Imagine a 50 something year old man trying to recreate "Thieves" would that be … Read more

Ministry

Rio Grande Blood
13th Planet (2006)

Al Jourgensen doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve; he rips it out of his chest and smothers the bloody, still-beating remains in the face of anyone and everyone he can get his hands on. Since forming the industrial power-house that is Ministry, Jourgensen has been the driving force behind album after album worth of seething, stomping anger. In a … Read more

More from this section

Sacrosanta Decadencia Occidental

One Question Interviews • April 16, 2026

Maria (Sacrosanta Decadencia Occidental – vocals/artist) SPB: The artwork of your album took over a year to make. What was this long experience like for you? Maria: If I were to put it shortly, the first thing that comes to mind is a long and winding road: exhausting but exciting … Read more

Brux

One Question Interviews • April 14, 2026

Brux SPB: You choose to skip English and sing in your mother tongue. What are the pros and cons of this choice for you? Brux: Our songs are mostly in our mother tongue (spanish / catalan), we just have a few in English. Pros: they sound more natural, the link … Read more

The Goons

One Question Interviews • April 13, 2026

Serge (The Goons - vocals) SPB: How did writing the new material compare to when you sat down and started work on your last record – 19 years ago? Serge: The old stuff was written more collaboratively than the recent songs. These days we don’t get together as often as … Read more