SKot: What year did you first come to Chicago, and start working with the PTP/Ministry gang?
CC: It was in 1987.
SKot: How did you come to be involved in recording with PTP?
CC: The "PTP" project was the first piece of music I recorded after arriving to stay for good in Chicago, to be more precise - it was "My Favourite Things". The music was originally going to be for a project called "ZOO DISCO"--essentially Ministry working under a guise that Sire Records couldn't get their hands on--they all were (the "side projects"), but this seemed to be funded by some rich silent partner who wanted to be involved in music, and had chosen Al & Paul to be his benefactors--well--it never happened, one in a long long line of never happeneds, who knows what ever became of this guy, I think he probably ended up in jail... anyway, I came up with the lyrics, which was based on an old Fini Tribe song that never got finished (the last Fini Tribe song I had a hand in) - I had the engineer slow the track down so my voice sounds sort of girly (that's why everyone mistakes it for Al!) (just kidding!!).
SKot: Though you were not involved at the time it was recorded, do you happen to know the real story behind why the first PTP song, "Show Me Your Spine", wasn't included on the Robocop soundtrack album, and has only just now been released?
CC: This often happens with short pieces of incidental music, they want to pay the least amount of money possible whilst still representing the film in soundtrack form.
SKot: The "Side Trax" CD reissue of the PTP material incorrectly credits Al Jourgensen for vocals on "My Favorite Things". To set the record straight, you sang lead vocals on both "Rubber Glove Seduction" and "My Favorite Things", correct? Did Al sing backing vocals on either track?
CC: Yes - it's me singing lead, though there is a crowd, including Al and me and Paul...and whomever else was available, singing the tick-tick tock, tock tock bit!
SKot: Who were all the members of PTP, as you recall? I believe you were $corpio, Al was obviously Alien Dog Star... was Paul Barker Frenchie L'amour? What part did each person play in the band?
CC: Yes - me Al & Paul; like so much, the basic tracks probably started off as a Ministry song, but got sideswiped by our sense of humour, only to become something else. Al plays guitar; I also know that he played a glass half full of Dr. Pepper! The dialogue at the beginning is from a cop show, sped up.
SKot: The music that ended up becoming "My Favorite Things" was originally a Ministry work-in-progress track called "I See Red" that Al sang vocals on in 1986. Do you remember this track at all when you first started working on PTP, or had the concept completely changed by then?
CC: Yes I remember the track, but I have never made the connection; the track "I See Red" was for the WaxTrax! "Animal Liberation" album, but because Al was on Sire, the track could not be used. I remember that Patti Jourgensen, Al's wife at the time, sang on it.
SKot: What can you tell us about the songs "Rubber Glove Seduction" and "My Favorite Things"? What are they about?
CC: "Rubber Glove Seduction"
is a study of domestic fetishism, I suppose, nothing deep...
"My Favourite Things"?
A laundry list of my imagination...
More about the lyrics: "Rubber Glove" is bored housewife and kinky
predator--and how they both get something they want out of a beautiful, yet
perverse relationship, it's supposed to be funny...
SKot: On the record sleeve, there was an address for the "PTP Fan Cube" [sic]. Did this actually exist?
CC: Yes, it was Paul Barker's mailbox, I used to send fake fan mail from all over the world to wind him up! I think I was the only one who ever did!
SKot: Was there ever talk of continuing the PTP project after the one single came out?
CC: No, there never was.
SKot: Would you ever record anything with PTP again, or is it a moment lost in time?
CC: Definitely one of these little quirks of our careers, done, because at that time we could get away with a lot...
SKot: During Ministry's many live shows over the years, a number of side project songs have been performed (i.e. RevCo, Lead Into Gold, LARD, 1000 Homo DJs). Do you know of ANY instance where a PTP song has been performed live?
CC: No - these have never been performed live.
SKot: And lastly, are there any group photographs in existence of PTP?
CC: No, no pics!
SKot: Thanks! I'm pretty sure this may be the first PTP interview ever.
CC: It is indeed!