Murray, I see I have been a bit too brazen in my pursuit of you. It is difficult to remember you Marines are soft and sensitive on the inside. So allow me to approach you in a manner more suitable to your delicate sensibilities. I am completely enamored by your mortal perfection. I have been so since the first time I met you. You would take my breath away if I breathed. You would cause my heart to pound if it could beat. I would but kill myself if I were not already dead. I long for you to melt into my rotting flesh as I in turn, decompose on your muscular perfection. You complete my Greatness. There is no one else I would rather be with. And so, it is with great awareness that you are no doubt in awe that I would allow you the honor of being allowed in my presence, that I may ask you the four most sacred of words: Will you marry me?

MURRAY: Absolutely not.

You dare bald mortal!

MURRAY: I am not into men. I’m especially not into dead men.

OK, but death has its advantages. Being my wee wee is shriveling up and will most likely fall off any day now, what if I just help it along by tearing it off, leaving a nice hole for you to think of as a vagina?

MURRAY: No. You don’t look, smell or feel like a woman. There is a difference.

What if you were gay?

MURRAY: If I were gay, who knows? At the very least you’d have to start running and going to the gym though. I’ve got to have that. Just living healthy. I mean, I am one of those people that can’t abuse my body. If I do, it starts to break down. I’ve never been much of a party person. I’ve never done drugs. I don’t smoke. I drink, but not too much. I’m such a puss when it comes to just letting it hang out and just letting things go. If I do, my life and body starts to fall apart.

What I find intriguing about you bald mortal, is despite your stubbornness, you seem to be a rather soft-hearted being. I find it strange that you are a Marine. How did this come about?

MURRAY: Basically I put myself in a situation that was the last thing on Earth I wanted to do. I kind of drew a line for myself in my life. I decided that if I went over this line, I would put myself in the worse situation I could to pretty much kick my ass. I felt like I needed it.

So what situation could have been so bad that you would have felt you needed something as severe as the Marines to fix it?

MURRAY: Well, it had to do with women and the band I was in at the time.

Ah ha! I knew it! Trouble with women. Tell me about it Jarhead.

MURRAY: There’s only so many worthless relationships that have a lot of potential that end up going no where that you just say “screw it” and you have to take a break from it.

So you join the Marines? What ever happened to getting a good night’s sleep?

MURRAY: I was just so disappointed in myself and my life at the time. As far as the band, we just kept on going through different members. It just got to the point where I said, “I just can’t keep doing this.”

Which band was this?

MURRAY: The band was called Xeriscape. We lived in Billings, Montana. We had a lot of success within the confines of a small city. We kind of created a little scene there. There were a lot of bands. It was good.

So being in a successful band caused you such suffering that you joined the Marines? I’m just not seeing the connection.

MURRAY: I was so bent on succeeding and making a career out of it, that I never let myself really be happy, enjoy it and have fun. That’s something I didn’t even do with DRUDGERY in like, the first few years. After we (DRUDGERY) took some time off in 2000, I really started looking at it differently. I’m totally in it for one reason now and that’s to have fun. I mean, I want to be creative and I want to get somewhere but all that pales in comparison to having fun. I enjoy music. It’s one of my passions in life.

So before I go on about DRUDGERY, let me ask you more about your stint in the Marines. Do gays belong in the military?

MURRAY: I kind of believe in “don’t ask, don’t tell” because, who cares? Its not…I don’t want to know what someone does in their private life. I don’t want everyone to know what I do in my private life. On the other hand, regardless of what anyone tells you and what anyone feels, you have to be in the military to know what kind of effect that really has. I think it’s OK if you’re gay and want to go into the military, but you’ve got to keep it to yourself. The morale is a very touchy thing in the Marines. There are a lot of people that are uncomfortable (with homosexuality.) It would really hurt morale. It’s just the same with the sexual harassment. That’s a big thing in the military and they’ve really cracked down on it in recent years. I remember going to classes multiple times for it. Between men and women, we had to pretty much treat each other like we were neutral sexes. It’s the same thing with sexual preferences. You’ve got to keep that out. Marines in combat units are all male. You really bond. You are out in the field for three weeks. You stink. Everyone is being as vulgar as hell, talking about sex and stuff like that. Someone “coming out” in that type of situation just doesn’t work in that harsh of environment. It would really break down morale.

So the whole “Gays in the military” issue aside, what can you tell me about shower time in boot camp?

MURRAY: The only thing I remember is the drill instructor yelling at us. There was no time to look, feel or anything.

So are you saying that if there had been time, you would have looked and feeled?

MURRAY: (Laughs) Well, if I were gay, there was no time to enjoy the scenery (More laughter) Everything was a scramble for three months. Everything was like a count down.

Certainly, you must have seen some hot Marine wee wee while you were in the shower.

MURRAY: The only thing I saw was my soap bar, my wash cloth and my hands moving really fast

Ooooh. That’s a hot visual. So when you were lasciviously lathering up your manly body, rubbing the bar of soap in a rugged yet gentle manner over your big boy nipples, did you ever jerk off, thinking, “Yeah, I’m a hot manly Marine stud now. I’m gonna work on my hot, manly, Marine dick until I make it shoot?

(Much Laughter)

MURRAY: No. I don’t even remember being horny. But then again, there were no women there. I think I saw like, one female Marine, maybe the last week I was in. I remember thinking she was pretty hot. She probably wasn’t (laugh) but it had been so long…(Much Laughter)

There is a guy named Dirk Yates who has a worldwide business where he pays straight military men to jack off for videos he sells throughout the gay porn industry. Would you jack off for such a worthy cause?

MURRAY: Well I consider myself a very sexual, horny person. But it’s a very private thing for me so there’s no way in hell.

How many times per week do you privately jerk off?

MURRAY: That depends on how much I’m “getting some.”

What if you’re not “getting some?”

MURRAY: Over the course of a week?

Yeah.

MURRAY: One to five times. But that’s only if I’m lonely.

That’s hot. Morning, Noon or Night?

MURRAY: My horniness doesn’t follow a schedule.

Where is your….

MURRAY: You know, people don’t need to know how many times I jack off.

Yeah but we…

MURRAY: No. People don’t need to know that “Murray may jack off five times a week.”

I’ll have you know, my readers DEMAND to know such things. Where’s your favorite place to jack off? Are you a shower kind of guy? Or maybe in your big butch truck?

MURRAY: 16th street mall! (Laughs)

Through my sources, I found out you recently had a vasectomy. My Greatness is intrigued.

MURRAY: (Laughs) Well, just for the record. I don’t know how this became a public topic. It’s not anyone’s business.

I told you, studly skinhead, It’s my loyal readers business!

MURRAY: Well, it’s nothing to be ashamed of either. I’m 31 years old. I never wanted my own children. It’s something I always wanted to do. I waited because I didn’t want to do something stupid. But I think there are too many children in the world. Overpopulation is the most important issue facing the world today. No one is doing a damn thing about it.

Tell me about the operation.

MURRAY: Well, they give you a couple of shots to numb the area. I remember getting two shots on each side of my scrotum.

Ooh. This is hot. Continue.

MURRAY: It was very quick. It was very tiny. There’s a little pinch.

Did they shave your manly, Marine pubic hair?

MURRAY: No just the underside of your scrotum.

Do you have a lot of studly, Marine hair under your scrotum?

MURRAY: No. Not an excessive amount.

So where do they make the incision?

MURRAY: Just on the underside of your scrotum. There’s like two little incisions. Actually, that’s not true. There’s like one incision. This Doctor was so fast; it was almost like he was tying his shoes.

Did you get an accidental erection?

MURRAY: No. Believe me, I was very nervous. But the Doctor was so cool and the environment was so nice. Really it was nothing. I couldn’t believe how quick and how nothing it was.

So are you still able to ejaculate?

MURRAY: Yeah, you still produce semen. You’d have to have your balls cut off to not produce semen. There’s just no sperm in it.

Then what are you ejaculating?

MURRAY: You have these other glands that aren’t attached to that. Lubrication and transportation fluids are still present.

So is your cum still white?

MURRAY: I haven’t really looked at it that closely. It’s probably a little clearer. I don’t know. Different guys probably have different shades of white. (Laughs)

How long did you have to wait after the operations before you could cum?

MURRAY: Well, they say you should wait at least four days.

How long did you wait?

MURRAY: About a week.

Did you cum by masturbation or…

MURRAY: No, no no. I didn’t even want to touch myself (Laughs) Can we talk about the music please?

Very well! Let me see, where were we? You are in a successful band that is causing you terrible suffering, you join the Marines, your bio says you were stationed in Japan. It’s there that you came up with the idea to form DRUDGERY?

MURRAY: Yeah, but it was a solo project that started at the end of 92. I didn’t have a band while I was in the Marines.

How did you come up with the name?

MURRAY: I picked up a dictionary, started at the beginning, and started going through it until I found a word that really hit me. Luckily I only had to get to “D.” (Laughs) This was back in ’92 when I came up with it.

Does the word refer to your suffering?

MURRAY: To me it was always a cool word. I just wanted a heavy, dirty, kind of raw name. It wasn’t “This sucks. This is a pain in the ass.” That’s not what we are. DRUDGERY to me is about the hardness of life. The harshness. The grind. It’s like my tattoo (Murray has a large tattoo on his back saying ‘I Suffer’) It’s not me whining. It’s an expression of strength.

Are DRUDGERY lyrics about the harshness of life?

MURRAY: A lot of my lyrics are kind of down. They are about the grind of life. That doesn’t mean that’s who I am as a person. They (lyrics) are just kind of about those down kind of experiences.

Did being in the Marines and being around that kind of hyper-masculine environment shape you as a lyric writer?

MURRAY: Well, when I was in the Marines, I was an angry man. I shaped that anger and focused it in positive ways. I kind of coined the term, “Fine tuned chaos.” That’s what I was at the time. I was angry. I was full of hatred. I had a lot of ghosts in my past. I was so bitter about my past.

Tell me about the “I SUFFER” tattoo on your back.

MURRAY: Well, when I was in the Marines, this was about in ’93, some guys showed me a picture of a “I Suffer” tattoo. It wasn’t the same writing as mine but that’s what it said. It was on this man’s back in a tattoo magazine. I instantly identified with it. I said, “that’s me.” It just seemed perfect. It just seemed so strong. At that time in my life, I kept drawing lines for myself. If I’d go over them, meaning failure, I would basically do something extreme like that, whether it was getting a tattoo or shaving the side of my head when I had long hair. I once remember getting pissed off and I went and got a perm! (Laughs) I mean I would do something that would drastically change my life or my appearance. At that time, I came to the conclusion that “life was about suffering and that is why I am here.” It might have been bullshit or not true, but at the time, it worked for me.

Who influenced you to get into metal?

MURRAY: Hard music was a slow progression for me. Back, like in the 70’s, I was like this huge Styx fan. I listened to music when I was really, really young. That evolved into me getting into Van Halen. I was kind of late. I got into them around the “1984” album. I became this really big Van Halen fan. Then I got exposed to Iron Maiden and Celtic Frost right about the same time. If I had been exposed to heavier music when I was younger, I’m sure I would have gotten into it sooner. But when I did, I was already like 15 years old. I loved it. Eventually, I ended up meeting this guy who was into Metallica. This is the mid 80’s. I came to him one day and I said, “I want something really heavy and really aggressive.” He loaned me (Metallica’s) “Master of Puppets.” It was a cassette. It was re-wound on side B. so the very first song I ever heard from them was “Disposable Heroes.”

Oh, that’s a great song.

MURRAY: I LOVED it! From that point on, my life literally changed. I mean, I really believed that Metallica and that album changed my life. From that point on, I stopped being college orientated. I wanted to be a musician. I started growing my hair. It wasn’t because I was posing, it was like, “These guys look cool! I thought what they were doing was awesome. Lyrically they inspired me. Just the whole thing. One thing I really liked about the guys at the time was that a lot of Heavy Metal musicians, to me, looked funny. I was never a Judas Priest fan. I never got into the leather and spikes (Laughs) I remember seeing the Scorpion’s album “Love at First Sting.” I remember thinking, “I really like their music, but they kind of look like dorks.” (Laughs) I know that kind of thing was “in” back then. However, to me, when it came to Metallica, seeing these guys playing this incredibly heavy, complex metal, with these incredibly complex, intelligent lyrics and seeing them come out and playing with jeans with holes in them really left an impression on me. The fact they could come out wearing T-shirts and jeans and not caring about the whole “look” thing really impressed me. That’s where I was at. That’s what I wanted. I wasn’t into all the flash. I was into being myself and loving the music. From that point on, I went off the deep end. I got into all sorts of metal. Today, my favorite Metal band is Meshuggah.

Are you still a Metallica freak?

MURRAY: I’ll tell you what. Metallica might have brought me into this world of Metal, but to me, they don’t exist anymore. They were cool, but now they make me sick. A few years back I put a little sticker on my bass that said “Kill Metallica.” Where that came from goes back to years ago when Metallica was cool. They played a big festival, I think it was in Europe. The headliner was Bon Jovi. While Metallica was playing their set, Bon Jovi flew over in a helicopter and was just kind of flying around the crowd and stuff, totally interrupting what Metallica was doing. It was rude. So James put a sticker on his guitar that said “Kill Bon Jovi.”

Was the turning point for you with the Black Album?

MURRAY: Yeah. The thing about that album is that I think they should have never done Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters. I think everything on there could have probably stood on it’s own. It’s just…that wasn’t them.

OK, let me get back to the formation of Drudgery. Was it while DRUDGERY was a solo project during your hot, manly stint in the Marines, that you met your first guitarist Bill Hope?

MURRAY: Actually Bill and I graduated high school together in ’89. He was also in Xeriscape, so that’s how I knew him. We kind of (parted ways) on not so good terms. Everything just kind of fell apart at the end of ’91. I was disappointed in the people that were in my band. I didn’t feel like I could trust them or hang with them anymore. Everyone was just going in different directions. I was just so disappointed in my life. Bill was just a part of that life. So while I was in the Marines, he was in Finland. He moved to Europe for a year. He contacted me in ’93, I believe. We just started just throwing ideas around at first. We started getting this really good vibe going. We basically just corresponded for the next two years. We sent each other demo material back and forth. I told him my plan was to move to Denver.

Why Denver?

MURRAY: It had been a place I had wanted to move to for years. There wasn’t enough going on in Montana. Bill actually moved here before I did. He set up base camp. I got here, like four months later. I had a lot of money from being in the Marines. I saved thousands and thousands of dollars. I blew it all on the band when I came to Denver. We had T-shirts and CD’s within six months because I had the money. I put my whole life into (DRUDGERY) when I first moved here.

Where did you guys jam?

MURRAY: We had this leaking, crumbling brick garage over in east Denver. We called the place the “Sonic Death Hole.” (Laughs) We immediately started advertising for a drummer. We put up some fliers in music stores. The very next day we got a call from Nick (Seelinger, DRUDGERY’S first drummer) He came down, he had a quick interview. It went really good. We clicked. We gave him a little cassette Bill and I had made of some of our music. He learned it and a few days later he came to our jam space and…it was there. It was all there. What you hear on our first CD is pretty much what he came to the table with.

You had Bill on guitar, but didn’t you initially want DRUDGERY to be a four-piece?

MURRAY: Yeah. We were always set on being a four- piece. Finding a drummer came very quickly but finding a second guitarist took about a year. We interviewed like, eight different guitarists. It took about a year and then we found Jeff.

Was the idea that they were gonna do duel leads?

MURRAY: Just starting off, they were switching, doing some cool stuff. But Bill was much more the lead player. It was working out really well. We did one show as a four-piece and then Bill left the band.

Why?

MURRAY: It turned out that Bill was just unhappy with his life in Denver and what he was doing with his life. He really didn’t know how to handle it all. He just kind of bailed without any notice.

How did you react to that?

MURRAY: I felt like I was stabbed in the back. We’ve since repaired our friendship. For awhile there, I didn’t even recognize his existence.

How did it affect the band?

MURRAY: Instead of worrying about it, we just kept moving forward. We decided to keep it a three-piece rather than go on another search for a guitarist.

So the first EP came out. Tell me about Strength Beyond The Pain.

MURRAY: Well, basically we jammed for four months with Nick and then went into the studio. We did four songs. We recorded at Time Capsule Studios. It came together pretty quick. It’s really raw.

How did the metal scene embrace it?

MURRAY: There was no Metal scene at the time. There was no place to play. I didn’t know of any Metal bands in Denver. There were bands like Corruption and stuff, but I, being new to Denver, didn’t know about ‘em. There definitely wasn’t a scene. There could have been a local Metal show here and there, but there was no real place to play. We got our first show like a year after we came to Denver. It wasn’t even in Denver. It was in Colorado Springs. They had a pretty healthy scene going on down there. That’s where all the Metal bands were. I remember bands like Chaos Theory and Blister. I remember trying to get shows with those bands but it just never happened. I remember taking our first CD to every club that played rock music that I could think of, trying to get a show. I never got a call. Cricket On The Hill eventually called us, but they were doing this, “Thursday night Battle of the Bands” kind of thing. So we had to wait a couple of years before there were places to play in Denver. As soon as there was, bands started popping up everywhere. It exploded.

Do you think the Metal scene is now healthy in Denver?

MURRAY: In my opinion, the Metal scene is bigger then any other scene in Denver. Why we don’t get the media attention from the main media outlets just blows my mind because it’s almost like they are prejudice.

So next was your first full length CD was called The Path of Most Resistance. What was the attitude in recording that CD?

MURRAY: Well it was just the process we were in at the time. Bill had only recently left the band and we got everything together with Jeff. We had a lot of songs. It was always our intention to go in and do a full length CD. Jeff had only been in the band like six months. He had it all down and we went in and did it. We got hooked up with a really good studio, FTM studios. We worked with one of the best engineers in the state, which is Kirby Orrick. At the time, when it came out, it was probably the best produced Heavy Metal CD that had ever been done in Denver. It’s really gratifying coming out with something so complete, well packaged. It was just really good.

The Lost Art of Dying?

MURRAY: The Lost Art of Dying came together really well. You could tell our writing techniques were starting to improve. We were tighter as a unit and getting used to the way each other played. I think it came out great. A lot of people who have it really like it a lot. People who hear it don’t think it’s local. It came across so well.

What did you do differently from Path’?

MURRAY: Just basically got some gear upgrades and just got a heavier sound overall. We had to simplify some things to make them come across better. Overall, the song writing and just the end result was just a more mature, more diverse, heavier album. We did it in basically the same studio and same engineer, but we had that much more experience.

There is a little spoken bit at the beginning of Burn Cycle. Who is that?

MURRAY: That is Ted Nugent. He’s actually talking about Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. We cut out all the stuff that identified with that and just made it so it could be talking about a certain kind of person in general. It was something that fit the lyrics of Burn Cycle really well because the song was centered on a past relationship I had with somebody.

Does Ted’s point of view of the world resonate with you?

MURRAY: To a certain extent. Like my rigid side…yeah, but he’s like that 24,7. That’s just a part of me. Just like when I’m up on stage. People say I’m a totally different kind of person than I am when I’m off.

There is another vocal snippet at the beginning of Feeling of Betrayal. Is that Dave Mustaine?

MURRAY: Oh that’s a great story. People never ask me about this. It’s such a weird little intro. When I was in high school, I knew this guy who was actually my best friend growing up. I have a musical background that goes back years in piano and trumpet. This guy was the first guy I actually first got together with as far as playing instruments, like bass and guitar. We both had a friend who got us into Metallica. This friend moved away. In order to correspond with him, we would make these tapes for each other and send them back and forth. They were under the guise of a radio format. We would pretend to be DJs. We would record new music that we had purchased that we wanted to turn him onto. He would do the same for us. We’d have these fake interviews with Metal musicians. That little recording is me interviewing Dave Mustaine. My friend was playing Mustaine. The laughing at the end of that little snippet is genuine. My friend emulating Mustaine just cracked me up. Putting that little snippet on the beginning of ‘Betrayal” is because that song was actually written basically about feelings I was having about that same friend later. Where it just seemed like our friendship had just kind of faded away. That intro was a little window to the past when we had good times.

The Lost Art of Dying was the last LP that Nick played on. Why did he leave?

MURRAY: Nick is much younger than we are, more talented than we were at his age and would go to the ends of Earth to have a career in Metal. I can speak for Jeff and me in that our lives are a little too complicated to just say, “fuck it!” and go struggle on the road. We need money and lots of it! Nick rules. I’m very happy that he and Silencer are working hard to get somewhere and that it seems to be paying off.

When he left did you feel betrayed?

MURRAY: No. It was a lot different of a situation than when Bill left. Nick is just so young. He has a long life ahead of him. A Heavy Metal performing kind of life. It was a bummer that he left and it did set us back a little bit, but I couldn’t hold him back. If I had his talent when I was his age, things would have been a lot different. But I didn’t. It took years to get good at what I do. It wasn’t too hard to just let him go. We’re happy for him.

Tell me about the coming and going of Chris Reser and Steve Patt becoming your newest permanent drummer.

MURRAY: Well, we took quite a few months off in 2000 after Nick left to recharge the old batteries. During that time we put the finishing touches on our new CD. After awhile, when it was getting close to the CD release, it was time to start getting ourselves in shape for playing again. We didn’t have any offers from anyone in town to play drums for us, so Jeff recruited an old friend and past band mate of his to pound away. That person was Chris, who had played in the original lineup of Blister and years before played with Jeff in Slug and Fatality. Over time there seemed to be few issues that came up with Chris that just didn’t jive with what DRUDGERY was going for. Steve replaced him, another old friend and band mate of Jeff’s. Steve has been the perfect fit for us and we are completely back on track now.

Is the suffering Murray of yesterday the same Murray today?

MURRAY: No, not really. I mean as far as pain, suffering and being depressed, there is nothing more I could say about the subject in my lyrics that I haven’t already said. All that anger and suffering and the belief that life is about suffering actually allowed me to take in all the hardship in life a little easier. Once I came to that conclusion that that was what life was about, I accepted it and suffering just became more of a show of strength than being beaten down. That’s very much who I was at the time.

You recently told me that you are in the process of leaving the idea of suffering as your destination behind you.

MURRAY: I had to get beaten down enough to start chilling the fuck out and allow myself to start being a little happier. I was too stressed, tense and negative. So now that I’m at the point where I still feel life is tough and pain in the ass at times, I wish I didn’t have the tattoo on my back. In fact, I’m having it taken off. It’s quite expensive to do so, but important to me at the same time. Even if the suffering thing is me, and a part of my roots, I want to disassociate myself from it. Even if it’s not real, because that kind of lifestyle led only to failure.

Since you are leaving that viewpoint of life, how will DRUDGERY lyrics be affected?

MURRAY: I almost feel like I’m a free man now because I’ve done all that stuff to death. I can actually be more creative in other ways. I can deal with other things that mean lots to me that are not in that same kind of vein. Right now, the new songs we’ve been doing are songs that actually go back way in the past for me. I’ve got a lot of really good, old material that never got lyrics. I’m gonna have to pull some serious lyrics out of my ass here soon. (Laughs)

Is there anything currently upsetting in your life that might make for a great lyric?

MURRAY: You could say that. I had an over two-year relationship go down in flames recently. I was convinced I was gonna marry this woman and I lived my life toward that future. In the end, it was just a tragic waste of my time. She lied to me and used me and basically has turned into a despicable person. I’m better for it in that I’ve found a long lost peace within myself. I’ve really taken control of my life and am starting to kick some serious ass in many areas of my life. She may think she’s better for it too, but it’s all an illusion. Most everyone around her can see it. It just makes her ugly. It’s quite sad. There’s still a lot of injustice and lack of resolution in the whole matter but I’m not holding my breath.

Well, now that you’re single, that makes more room for me doesn’t it? But for the sake of the argument lets pretend you’re straight and highly available. What kind of qualities in woman do you find attractive?

MURRAY: I love women in general but… I’m most attracted to a real lady. One who is strong and independent, yet affectionate and feminine. She takes care of her body and likes to be active. She’s intelligent- someone you could get into deep conversations with. She has a great sense of humor, very honest, no games. She’s not afraid to deal with problems and say what’s on her mind and wants the same from a man. More than anything, I want to find my equal.

So you’re looking for a bald female mortal?

MURRAY: (Laughs) No not bald! Neither of us settling for less with each other. Best friends and true partners. I could go on forever…

What an amazing coincidence, that sounds like me! What qualities do you possess that you think make you worth the time of a zombie…er…female mortal?

MURRAY: My integrity. I’m very honest and loyal to the women I’m with. I’m a hopeless romantic – very affectionate. I keep myself in shape and generally try to keep myself attractive. I accept nothing but being the best at everything I do. That includes being someone’s lover. I’ll treat the right woman like a queen.

Your fierce appearance is appropriate to my Greatness but it might be intimidating to women. They don’t realize what a nice male mortal you really are. What’s the best way for a woman to approach you and get to know you?

MURRAY: Approach me and get to know me. It’s pretty simple. I’m very friendly and like to meet new people. Don’t be shy.

How do you keep your edge as an artist?

MURRAY: Well even though I’m a little happier and things are getting a little more stable for me, there’s still too much in me. I’m often overwhelmed by myself and I can’t…I need two of me to do what’s in me. To be able express myself and do what I want to do in my life, I need two of me. There’s always a let down. I’m never satisfied. I’m very, very hard on myself. That’s just who I am. In a sense, I will always have that edge.

In addition to DRUDGERY, you’ve written two books. You are just starting a whole new thing writing-wise. Tell me about it.

MURRAY: It’s a SCI fi / humor novel about a very strange planet called Plasmort. Anyone who is familiar with and enjoys stuff like Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy would appreciate what I’m doing. It’s ridiculous. I have a website at http:/www.plasmort.com to promote it. I’m putting a lot of time and money into it because I want to have a writing career more than anything…well, maybe a good woman too. (Laughs)

Are you a spiritual person?

MURRAY: I am very spiritual. However, I do not believe in organized religion.

Why not?

MURRAY: Well that’s based mostly on my own experiences and how I see organized religion affecting society. I think organized religion could be a great thing. At least in the context of America…well wait maybe the Middle East or even in something like Ireland, it’s turned into something that helps destroy society and make things worse. I tried different churches when I was younger. I was raised Presbyterian. I went to church and Sunday school for years. There came a certain point where the people that were at church weren’t as good of people as people I knew in my day to day life. I kind of realized, that kind of defeats the whole point. So, I pretty much abandoned religion. My best friend at the time was Agnostic. I always respected that because it was like, if you don’t feel it, you shouldn’t believe it. You shouldn’t follow that path just because you were raised that way. So I pretty much abandoned everything and started with a clean slate. I decided to let my life experiences dictate what I believe. I went through some pretty hard times. My spiritual beliefs just evolved out of that. I believe in God, but I think religion should be a personal thing. God means different things to different people. My beliefs in God come from my own personal experiences. They’re not even really beliefs. They’re fact to me. What I’ve learned and how it applies to my life is what I believe.

Amuse me mortal. What do you think happens once a person’s body dies?

MURRAY: As far as the afterlife or anything like that, the way I feel is that I am this mind (He points to his head), this intelligent energy trapped in an imperfect vessel. My body, whether you like to look at it or not, it’s continually a source of annoyance for me. I always have these little annoying health problems that make my life sometimes a living hell. I always feel separate from my body. I really do. My body, at times has made me feel clumsy. Whereas I feel I’m not clumsy in the mind. I believe this body could die but I’d still have that mental energy. Your mind, your thoughts are energy. Energy does not disappear when the body dies. Energy just transforms. You cannot destroy energy. Energy just evolves. I don’t know what the perimeters are of heaven or the afterlife in general, but I believe our energy survives. To me, that is our emotions, thoughts and experiences. To me, that’s what the soul is.

You will make a wonderful mate for me in the afterlife. You may now continue.

MURRAY: I believe… and this just sounds like common sense to me. How you are gonna exist in the after life depends on what you accomplish here on Earth. It’s not based on great successes, it means personal evolution, and repairing the wrongs you’ve done, growing and making peace with certain things. I believe that if you go into the afterlife with addictions, you are gonna feel the pains of withdrawal once you’re there. I believe if you go to the afterlife with a lot of hatred, you are gonna have that. They’re burdens. To me, that’s what hell is. Hell is the burdens that you don’t take care of. I believe, in most cases, we have the power here on Earth to control and modulate those burdens. My ultimate goal is to make peace with all those sad times and hard times the anger, hatred and failures that I’ve had. To be able to accept them and to learn from them and become a better person. I’ve been suicidal for a lot of my adult life but never felt like I could actually do it. I’m so glad that I haven’t done anything because I think I’d be miserable in the after life. I’ve needed the time to go by to heal and become a more complete, in control type of person. I love life. I think it’s hard. I can’t stand people who think life is easy. I think that’s bullshit. I don’t think life is supposed to be easy. I don’t think life is supposed to be necessarily anything. I believe you have to work with it. Were not here just to screw off and have fun. We’re here to do meaningful things and grow as life forces. I think so many people have untapped resources. They end up living that kind of life and dying that way. I believe where we can go, as humans, is limitless.