Interview with BZFOS (1/2)
We grabbed Dead Richy Gein from Bloodsucking Zombies from Outer Space to talk to him about the new album “Blood Is for Suckers”. But let’s start with the beginnings …
The beginnings
Orkus: What was the motivation for founding BZFOS in 2002?
Richy: In the early 2000s, emo, the psychobilly and horror punk revival brought a breath of fresh air to punk rock, and I, who had previously played in a German punk band, immediately wanted to do something similar. Besides, I’ve always been a passionate horror movie and Alice Cooper fan – suddenly everything fit like a glove. I also found the idea of performing with make-up and lots of theatrics particularly exciting. It was clear from the start that this was the only way it could work. You can’t call yourself Bloodsucking Zombies from Outer Space and then stand on stage in sneakers and jeans.
Nomen est omen?
O: The band name isn’t necessarily catchy, but it has become a cult in itself. How did the decision come about?
R: In the beginning, we were heavily influenced by trash and B-movie cinema. I put the name together from two films officially known as the “worst horror films in the world”: “Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies” by Jess Franco and “Plan 9 from Outer Space”. Of course, we deleted “Nazi” for understandable reasons, so as not to be put in the wrong corner.
Remorse?
O: Have you ever regretted the decision?
R: We actually regretted the name a bit at some point and limited ourselves primarily to the abbreviation BZfOS. On the one hand, it’s extremely long and difficult to put on posters, and on the other hand, many people in the music business take you less seriously or regard you as dubious. As we got bigger and more professional, we realized that we were making it harder for ourselves to get ahead because of the name.
Title finding
O: To come back to the topic of “names”: Why does the title “Blood Is for Suckers” fit the new album so perfectly, or rather how did the title song come about?
R: Here, the horse was actually put up from the other side. The album title was the very first thing, and then everything was spun around it, including the song of the same name. I thought the title was just cool, and a nice spoof on Twisted Sister’s flop album “Love Is for Suckers”.
On tiptoe
O: It starts with an excerpt from Tiny Tim’s legendary interpretation of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”. Why did that have to be included?
R: Tiny Tim’s song already has something creepy/disturbing about it, in my opinion, and was already used in “Insidious”, among others. The fact that Tiny Tim died on stage in front of an audience during a performance of course gives the song an extra eerie feel, and I’d had the idea of using the song in some way for a while. When the order of the songs on the album was decided, it was clear that we needed something to break the mood after “Monster”, and “Tiptoe” fitted in perfectly.
Visual
O: There was already a thought-provoking video clip for “Monster”, your first self-made one. How did you feel during the shoot?
R: Overall, the shoot was one of the most harmonious and relaxed ever. However, the weather threw a spanner in the works because it was pouring with rain and we lost almost half a day before we were able to shoot. Most of the work was done by Marty Midnight, who filmed and edited the whole thing.
Vienna, Vienna …
O: I think it’s nice that you can see different corners of Vienna. And also some that aren’t so touristy. Was that important to you or did it just turn out that you filmed in your own neighborhood?
R: That was a very natural process. We wanted to have one or two typical Vienna images in the video, like the Giant Ferris Wheel. Apart from that, we mainly stayed in the areas where Jim and I live. In the evenings, we had to check out a few pubs until we found one that would let us film.
Monster-like isolation
O: The subject matter is of course a serious one. Why was it also important to you to deal with the subject of suicide? How did the song “Monster” come about?
R: Musically, I was really into the Canadian bands Schedule1 and Pøltergeist at the time the song was written, which was probably also noticeable in the songwriting. In terms of content, “Monster” is about exclusion and isolation – about how people can feel left alone or cast out by society. It was important to me to deal with this topic because it should show how serious such experiences can be and that nobody really has to remain alone in such moments.
Things get bloody in the next part.
Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg
Line-up:
Dead Richy Gein – vocals
Mr Jim Evilize – guitar
The Reverend Bloodbath – guitar, keyboards
Dejan Decay – double bass
Marty Midnight – drums
Bloodsucking Zombies from Outer Space – Tourdates:
February 14, 2026 AT-Vöcklabruck, OKH
March 19, 2026 DE-Kassel, Goldgrube
20. March 2026 DE-Essen, Don’t Panic
March 21, 2026 DE-Oldenburg, Cubes
23. May 2026 DE-Weilheim, Kult-Upr Open-Air
24. May 2026 DE-Themar, Kultugarten
12. June 2026 DE-Torgau, Ain’t Like You Festival
13. June 2026 DE-Gardelegen, Metal Frenzy Open-Air
18. -June 19, 2026 ES-Vitoria-Gasteiz, Azkena Rock
Do you already have your tickets?
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