That's what makes me insufferable to be around, is that most of my life I have assumed that everyone wants to see me perform and do things all the time.
I was a little chubby kid that no girls ever talked to. I had little chance of becoming an internationally known rock star. Music was my escape and my belief system.
I knew that my love for the Sisters of Mercy, Lords of the New Church and that kind of stuff, was never going to lend itself well to a direct interpretation in Black Veil Brides.
The Misfits skull was my second tattoo, and the Danzig was my third.
In terms of stage presence for me, I'm influenced by a myriad of things. A lot of punk performers, people like Dave Vanian from The Damned and Davey Havok from AFI was a huge influence on me when I was younger.
There is no reason why a guitar player makes the guitar-playing faces. It doesn't help you play guitar. You've not improved your skills. It's because you're up onstage, and the natural inclination is to put on a show. The rock guy faces are just as much of a front or a show as us wearing crazy makeup. It's just a different scale.
I know what it's like to be an outcast in society. I know what it's like to want to find strength, and more importantly, I know what it's like to find that internal strength and rise out of the pain of being just sort of a weirdo.
I see the merit in religion, and I see the need for faith and hope and sometimes people who are more snide look at people who are religious, particularly people in rock bands, and they'll say, 'Oh that's dumb, you believe in whatever,' but I think everybody believes in something.
I don't know what metalcore is. I know what rock n' roll is... It's not rocket science.
I go to a lot of self-help groups in the day, and then I can sleep pretty well at night.
The devotion of the BVB Army, with its very big online presence, is amazing. We've been fortunate from the very beginning. It was something that was really able to spur on our career.
Kiss will always be Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley to me.
Whether I'm trying to or not, I have this inherent feeling that music is uplifting; it makes you feel victorious, and that makes you feel like you can take on the world.
Being able to be one of the headline bands on Warped Tour was a dream I had since I was in middle school.
The pen and the written word hold a great deal of power.
I am a clinical zombie.