Interview with SPV recording artist Tim
“RIPPER” Owens of:
BEYOND
FEAR
I talked with Tim “Ripper”
Owens (Iced Earth/Beyond Fear, formerly Judas Priest, Winter’s Bane) a day
after finishing final exams. I was
exhausted and that accounts for the shortness of this interview. However, I found Ripper to be a great person
to talk to and enjoyed doing the interview.
CRITICALTOM: How well has the new Beyond Fear
album been received?
RIPPER: So far we have received a lot of
positive feedback.
CRITICALTOM: You seem to me to be very comfortable
in your skin.
RIPPER: With me what you see is what you get. That’s it.
CRITICALTOM: I noticed that both with the lyrics
on this Beyond Fear album and on the earlier Winter’s Bane
album that you seem to be very interested in moral issues.
RIPPER: That’s true. On this album the song “My Last Words” was
inspired by the death of pro golfer Payne Stewart—not 9/11 as some have thought. I had the chance to see him play one
time. Later he was killed in a plane
crash with several others. I thought
about what it would be like in a plane knowing that you were going to die. What would you say? “Scream
Machine” on the other hand is just your sort of corny, fist pumping metal
song. It was the last song I wrote for
the album. I wrote it because I wanted
to show the fans that I COULD HAVE written from Judas Priest. But for the most part I like to write about
everyday stuff.
CRITICALTOM: I am very intrigued by the lyrics
to “Words of Wisdom”. What is that song
about?
RIPPER: It’s about the press. It is
about how so many so-called journalists ask questions and then go and write all
kinds of stuff that isn’t true, or that I didn’t say. It is like some of them are just making bad stuff
up to sell.
CRITICALTOM: Which song on this album is the
child you favor most?
RIPPER: I don’t know … That is hard to
say. I have reasons for liking each of
them. Maybe “The Faith” because it is
one of the songs I wrote in the Priest vein.
But this is the first album where I actually wrote music as well as
lyrics. So I am very proud of it.
CRITICALTOM: Why did you choose the name “Beyond
Fear”?
RIPPER: I wanted to have a band name and I
wanted it to be kind of in your face.
CRITICALTOM: If this album doesn’t sell will you
change your style?
RIPPER: No.
It’s not about sales. This is
what I like. I am a big fan of American
metal and this is what I love doing.
CRITICALTOM: You and Jon Schaffer of Iced
Earth seem to get along really well.
Are you good friends and will you continue to work together on Iced
Earth?
RIPPER: Yes. We are good friends and will continue working
together. In fact, I’m getting ready to
spend a few days at his house.
CRITICALTOM: Were you two friends before you joined
the band?
RIPPER: We knew each other and had talked
on the phone some, but we became friends later.