When it comes to Type O Negative and their album covers from back in the day, they all typically follow a design choice. Band name and album title in the corners, evocative image in the middle — most people remember the two sultry women on Bloody Kisses. But what about Dead Again, which is getting a reissue and features the “Mad Monk” himself, Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin? What’s the story there?
Well, in a recent interview with the *Behind the Vinyl *podcast, Type O Negative guitarist Kenny Hickey revealed that it’s got a double meaning: one plays on the legend of Rasputin’s multiple assassination attempts and the other has to deal with the late Peter Steele’s massive dong — a trait he reportedly shared with Rasputin.
For those who don’t know the story of Rasputin, he was a family friend of last imperial family in Russia. Though he rose to prominence, many people within the imperial court didn’t like him much and attempted to assassinate him. Though they were ultimately successful, the legend goes that he survived poison, a gunshot, and being thrown into a freezing river. None of that was actually true, but it makes for a metal story. He was also allegedly castrated during the assassination attempt, where people apparently reported that he had an absolutely massive ding a ling.
If you’ve ever seen Peter Steele’s *Playgirl *spread, you know where the comparison lines up there.
To his credit, Hickey says he’s recently gotten sober, which is awesome news given the whole mortality thing.
You can check out the rest of the interview in the clip below.