By Meltdown | 101 WRIF – Detroit’s Rock Station
Had a chance to catch up with my buddy Piggy D before he and Marilyn Manson roll through Detroit this weekend. Always cool to have him on — and man, we covered a lot. This is Part 1 of our chat — don’t miss Part 2, where we get into his Alice Cooper stories, horror movies, and his insane t-shirt stash.
First off, Piggy’s fired up for the tour.
“We’re pretty well rehearsed at this point,” he said. “And Michigan? Always a fun stop. It’s a rock and roll state — always has been.”
I mean, dude’s right. We don’t mess around when it comes to live shows here, and Piggy knows it. The Manson show coming up is sold out, and it’s gonna be packed to the rafters.
Playing With Manson vs. Playing With Zombie
Now, Piggy’s done time with both Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, so of course I had to ask him what the difference is.
“My role with Rob was very much that of an entertainer,” he explained. “We rehearsed so much we didn’t have to think — it was all about bringing the show to life and getting in people’s faces.”
But with Manson?
“Manson’s like playing a songbook,” he said. “You’re thinking about every note. You’re playing songs that hit people on a different level.”
And yes — when there’s pyro involved, you better keep your head on a swivel.
“Pyro is something you need to pay attention to,” Piggy laughed. James Hetfield will tell you all about that!
Rock’s a Small Town
We talked about how bands like Zombie, Manson, and Ozzy — it’s like musical chairs sometimes.
“It’s like a small town,” Piggy said. “The same knuckleheads forever. Somebody probably slept with somebody’s sister at some point.”
Man, I didn’t say it — he did! 😂
Funny enough, Piggy almost ended up in Manson’s band way back when John 5 left.
“It’s weird how life circles back sometimes,” he said.
From Guitar Slinger to Bass Man
Piggy told me he actually never planned on being a bassist.
“I turned down bass gigs! I just wasn’t interested,” he laughed. “I thought like a guitar player.”
When he joined Zombie, the bass parts mostly followed the guitar — made it an easier transition.
“But Manson’s stuff? Totally different. Twiggy wrote real bass lines. Now, after 20 years, I actually feel like a bass player.”
Michigan Memories: Live Albums and Killer Crowds
We got talking about Michigan crowds — and Piggy had some serious props for us.
“We recorded Zombie Live at Pine Knob because it was the best crowd,” he said. “We couldn’t think of a better place.”
Michigan love, baby. 🤘
And since you can’t mention Detroit without mentioning John 5, we had some laughs about him, too.
“John 5 is the only red-blooded man I know who could successfully wear a sock as a choker,” Piggy said. “And his KISS collection? Legendary. Even KISS doesn’t know some of the stuff he’s got.”
👉 Stick around for Part 2 where Piggy dives into Alice Cooper, his massive vintage t-shirt collection, and his deep love for horror flicks and monster merch!
