Steve “Buckshot” Seabury has just cemented his metal legacy. Sure, as a player in bands like Moth Eater and Dirty Rig, he’s rocked for years, and as a band manager and label head he’s ignited and rejuvenated careers of metal legends and newcomers alike, but Mosh Potatoes? Well, that’s a different league entirely.
One look at me and you know two things: I like metal, and I like food. With recipes donated from the likes of Lemmy from Motörhead and members of OverKill, Fear Factory, Shadows Fall, Toxic Holocaust, George Lynch from Dokken (whose recipe we’ve been graciously allowed to reproduce below), and too many others to count, Mosh Potatoes offers not only tips and ingredients, but a slice of life as well and a unique insight to a side of headbanging life that’s never been shown before.
All of our senses are linked, and it’s no surprise that many of the same people who’ve blown our minds for so many years with sound would be able to do it with taste as well. In the interview below, Seabury talks about putting the project together and getting some of his metal heroes on board, where the idea came from and which of the recipes are his favorites. Enjoy and eat well.
Where did the idea come from to do a heavy metal cookbook?
I got home around 3 a.m. 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 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.
How do you go from, “Gee, that would be cool,” to the finished product? What did chasing down all these musicians entail?
All of the bands were super stoked to be part of the book. I got everything from them in a matter of a couple of days to a couple of hours. Some of the bands that were on tour were hard to track down but in the end everything worked out great. I am super excited of the final version of the book and I hope all of the fans of metal will dig it too.
The title is fantastic. Were there any others you were considering?
It was actually my first choice and I kept it. I think it is perfect.
How did you decide who you wanted to include? Were there people who wound up getting left out?
I am a music freak. I have about 5,000 CDs in my collection. I just basically went through my collection and started emailing my favorite bands and some of the bands I have worked with through the years. I received over 300 recipes for the book but I had to narrow it down to 150 for the final version.
As each recipe came in I would fire them up in the kitchen. I only wanted the best recipes for the book. I didn’t want people in the press or foodies to bag on the book and make fun of metal. People are always trying to discredit this style of music and make fun of metalheads. Sorry, but not on my clock. I wanted to deliver the most badass cookbook ever. All of these recipes will make your taste buds go bonkers!!! I bet the farm that the top chefs in the country will agree.
Was there anyone you wanted to include but didn’t get, or was everyone pretty into the idea of contributing?
I would have loved to have gotten Slayer or my all time favorite band AC/DC. But it didn’t happen. Shit happens. Maybe next time.
How long were you working on it, and once everything came together, how did the process of compiling the recipes go?
I started working on the book when I was employed at Artemis Records back in 2005. Once I got a handful of recipes I started pitching the idea to publishing companies. Basically everyone told me to take a walk. They all told me that metal music and food didn’t mix. I hung up every rejection letter on the wall and used it for motivation. Just because we all like our music loud, fast and heavy doesn’t mean we can’t cook and don’t like amazing food. Last year I got a call from the fine folks at Simon & Schuster. They prepared some of the recipes and were blown away on how great they were. They instantly got it and the deal was done.
Do you cook, and if so, do you make your own recipes regularly? Any specialties?
Name me one person who doesn’t like to cook or eat good food besides vegans? I love cranking up the tunes, chug some beers and fire up the grill. That’s what this great country was built on. I actually have my mac and cheese recipe in the book. It’s a family recipe that I loved eating growing up as kid. I could eat it every day. If you like homemade mac and cheese, you are going to freak out when you have mine. Trust me its the best in the world. No wait… The universe.
What’s your favorite recipe in the book? Tell me about making it.
There are so many great recipes in the book. It is so hard to narrow it down. I am a big fan of the Evile cheese on toast recipe. You are going to freak out when you try the Guns & Roses chili, Zakk Wylde’s spaghetti and meatballs, the Pantera Texas BBQ from Hell and Joey Z from Life Of Agony has a kickass recipe called “Stuffed Lobster Zampella.”
Wait till you try the desserts section on the book. The guys in Fear Factory, Hatebreed and Megadeth can bake some badass goodies. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. The Naam pecan pie is to die for. Amazing.
Is there anything you’ve made from the recipes you got that was absolutely disgusting? Anything you wouldn’t even dare attempt?
The one recipe that I haven’t tried yet is a recipe called “Krakatoa Surprise,” from Lemmy. Lemmy is a God so he can cook anything he wants. I want someone to send me a photo with them eating that one. It’s Insane! It’s actually super-insane. No wait. It’s actually super-fucked-up-insane. I dare anyone to try and prepare this.
How was the book release party in NYC?
The book party was so much fun. All of my friends and the bands were in full support. We cooked up five different recipes from the book for people to taste and enjoy. Oh, did I mention FREE BOOZE? If you come to one of my parties or a Moth Eater show and you better leave fucked up. That’s just how it is. Everyone got super-wasted, ate great food and the Grill ‘Em All dudes showed up to give a little hand in the chaos. It was a party of the ages.
Will there be a Mosh Potatoes 2?
Let’s see how this one does first. If this one crashes and burns then probably not, haha! Remember folks… Keep the beers on ice, the music loud and cook out with your book out!!!
Mosh Potatoes is available now through Simon & Schuster in bookstores large, small and online. More info at moshpotatoescookbook.com.
JJ Koczan is stoked to try the shrimp pesto fettuccine, but doesn’t know if he’s brave enough to tackle “Krakatoa Surprise.” jj@theaquarian.com.
Please box off:
Dokken
George Lynch
Shirmp Pesto Fettuccine
This recipe came to me from my mom, Barbara, who lives a very simple, healthy and bohemian lifestyle; well read and well traveled… traveling of the beaten path so to speak, who in turn, passed it on to my wife Danica a few years ago. Danica was going through a transformation in her eating habits and wanted to cook healthier meals for ourselves and our children and this recipe was both healthy and delicious. Its ingredients come from mixed sources. It has elements of Mediterranean, Asian and Italian cooking.
And some of the ingredients have been considered to have aphrodisiacal qualities… especially the asparagus. Bonus!
Serves 4:
8 oz whole wheat fettuccine
1 pound of asparagus, trimmed and cut
1/2 cups of sliced jarred roasted red & yellow peppers
1 table spoon crushed red peppers
2/3 cups of sliced green onions
1/2 cup of pesto (prepared)
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound of cooked shrimp
1 cup of dry white wine
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. Add the asparagus and continue cooking until the pasta and asparagus are tender, about the remaining 3 minutes. Drain the fettuccine and asparagus and return to the pot. Stir in peppers, sliced onion, pesto and the red crushed peppers. Cover to keep warm.
Heat oil in large skillet pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and minced garlic and cook about 3 minutes. Add wine, increase heat to high and continue cooking until the shrimp are curled and the wine is reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp to the pasta, toss and season with pepper and serve.
