Alright, so the Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone and most of us are just now coming out of our food comas. What’s next? How about grabbing a copy of Mosh Potatoes, the new kick ass cookbook with a heavy metal twist? I recently had a chance to talk to Steve Seabury, the mastermind behind this culinary monstrosity, to find out a little more about his gastro-musical mash-up of a project. Read on.
Heavy Planet: First of all congratulations on the book...great idea by the way! What in the world possessed you to combine the worlds of food and metal?
Steve Seabury: Thank you brother!!! I got home around 3 AM after a good night of drinking with some friends after a concert. Just as most people coming home drunk at that time, I had the munchies and White Castle was too far away of a walk. The cupboards were bare, I had some Taco Bell Fire Sauce from the night before, a couple of eggs and some other stuff hiding in the back of the Fridge that I probably wouldn't feed my dog. I said to myself "What would Lemmy Do in this situation?". The next day the idea of Mosh Potatoes was created.
HP: When we first communicated, you mentioned Trouble, Naam and Nebula as a few of the stoner type bands that are included in your book. For my Heavy Planet readers, are there any others that fit the doom/sludge mold?
SS: I would have to throw my band Moth Eater into the ring for that one. We are a very heavy sludge style band and we love to eat. lol. Plus I also have bands like Black Tusk, Howl, Down, Sasquatch, Eyehategod, and Red Fang that would also fit the "stoner" vibe. All of these bands love their recipes and share some very interesting stories behind their recipes.
HP: Given that we're talking metal bands here, I can only imagine there were some interesting recipes submitted, to say the least. In your opinion, what was the most interesting concoction that you received for Mosh Potatoes? Put another way, were there any recipes that just flat out shocked you? Perhaps they were straight up disgusting or maybe they were super gourmet...or maybe both?
SS: The recipe that really frightened me the most was from Lemmy. You might say it was super fucked up gourmet style. In my opinion Lemmy can do or eat what ever he wants. I look forward to people emailing me about his recipe. I triple dog dare you to try and make or eat this recipe. If you do, then you got balls of steel!!!
HP: So how did the process of putting this project together work? How did you know which artists would be interested or willing to participate? Which band or musician was most enthusiastic?
SS: I am a music freak. I have about 5 thousand CD's in my collection. I just basically went through my collection and started emailing my favorite bands or some of the bands that I worked with. The reaction was overwhelming and I must have gotten over 300 recipes. It was a fun job cooking them all up and trying to figure out what recipes would work best for the book.
I think all of the bands were really excited to be part of this. Each band that I spoke to wanted to do it. Everyone has their favorite recipes or family secrets. Plus most of these bands have traveled around the world experiencing food and different cultures that most of us would never get the chance to do. So in this book you have a wide range of kick ass food from around the world!!!
HP: Along those same lines, what is your background pertaining to both food and music? Are you simply a fan of both or are you a combination sous chef/guitar virtuoso that we'll all be paying big money to see in the near future? Perhaps you could start your own restaurant featuring your signature dishes accompanied by tableside guitar solos? You heard it here first!
SS: That’s actually a great idea. Maybe I could get Yngwie to do the tableside guitar solos? LOL. I wonder if he likes BBQ? I personally love to cook, eat and have an ice cold beer with every meal. There is nothing like cooking in the kitchen with some Slayer playing on the stereo.
HP: Were any of the recipes submitted for the book specifically tailored to the metal theme? I can only imagine you had to have some version of "deviled" eggs or maybe "pit" beef. Which one was the most clever?
SS: There are some great metal themed recipes in the book. Here are a couple of my favorites. “The Satanic Burrito” by Toxic Holocaust, “Cheese on Toast” by Evil, Chuck Schuldiner EVIL Chili and the “Kale Em All” by Dillinger Escape Plan are all pretty bad ass. Evil Chili is truly pure evil. I love it.
HP: What is your favorite food? Was it represented in the cookbook and if so, whose recipe was it?
SS: I am a comfort food kind of guy. Give me the food that my Mom used to make. My favorite recipe in the book is my personal recipe. It’s called "The Best Damn Mac & Cheese In The Whole Damn Universe". You can’t fuck with this recipe.
HP: How many of the recipes have you tried out yourself since writing Mosh Potatoes? Which one is your favorite?
SS: I have tried out about 90% from the book. There are so many great recipes that it is hard to narrow it down. I personally love The Dream Theater Meatloaf, the Lamb of God Pasta, the Life of Agony Stuffed Lobster and Joey Belladonna of Anthrax's recipe for Tequila Shrimp is amazing.
If you like baking then you are going to love the Fear Factory, Megadeth and Hatebreed recipes in the book as well. These guys bake some incredible desserts.
HP: Finally...since this is a "stoner rock" blog, I have to ask...were there any recipes for "special" brownies included in the book?
SS: I don’t have a brownie recipe BUT there are a ton of recipes that include plenty of booze and bong hits.
HP: Hey thanks so much for your time Steve! As I've already told you, as a metal head and a foodie, I honestly can't think of a better idea than what you've come up with for Mosh Potatoes. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.
SS: Thank you brother and remember to Cook Out With Your Book Out!!! lol.
So there you have it…if you’re interested in learning more about what happens when some of your favorite stoner/doom artists put down their guitars and pick up their spatulas, you can score a copy here.
Mosh Potatoes
Amazon
The mastermind himself...Steve Seabury: