Al Jourgensen Admits Ministry's End Is Near

When Al Jourgensen hung out on Loudwire Nights on Tuesday (Feb. 20), he admitted he's tired — well, part of him is tired.

"I've given a lot of births," Jourgensen said about the upcoming release of Ministry's 16th studio album, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES. "My uterus is tired...I need to find some birth control, man. I'm just spouting out babies all over the decades."

Joking aside, Jourgensen told host Chuck Armstrong that he's proud of Ministry's new record and believes it's a testament to the members of the band who have now been together for about 10 years.

"We're really getting to know the nuances of each other and how we write and how we play," he said. "I think it shows not only live but in the studio as well."

For fans who have heard some of the new songs from HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES, there's no question the intensity of Ministry's unique brand of rock and roll has grown over time. When asked how he not only maintains that intensity but grows it, Jourgensen was quick to answer.

"Look at the world we live in. I mean, that pretty much raises the intensity level. I don't want to be a frog in a boiling pot. I want to get the hell out of the pot, so I start screaming about things. The more the world goes down the toilet, the better Ministry seems to get."

Al Jourgensen Says the End of Ministry Is Coming Soon

As Jourgensen considered Ministry's growth over the years, he said the band has gotten better the longer they've played together.

"Like a fine wine, we age well."

That was an interesting comment to make because last year Jourgensen hinted at the potential end of Ministry coming relatively soon.

"We have one more new record coming out," he told the Loudwire Nights audience. "And we're recruiting an old mate from the early days. Paul Barker is going to rejoin the band and we're going to record together and that will be our last one."

Jourgensen said, simply, that there comes a time when you realize you've done all that you can do.

"I think we've kind of perfected our genre — whatever genre that is. People like to call it industrial, I just call it music. But it is certainly our genre."

With that sort of perspective, it became clear why Jourgensen was so comfortable and confident in discussing Ministry's end.

"There comes a point in time musically when anything from here is going to be downhill," Jourgensen said.

"I see so many bands do that. I don't need the money. I don't need the whatever. It's a good time to stop. I just turned 65, which means I'm getting my mailbox stuffed with AARP shit. I took my piercings out. I took my dreads out. I decided at 65, I'm going to become an adult."

What Else Did Ministry's Al Jourgensen Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

What it means to him to hear artists like Richard Patrick or Trent Reznor praise him as an influence and inspiration: "We just do what we do and I'm glad that it's noticed and I'm glad that it inspires people. I'm hoping HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES inspires a whole new generation to do things slightly different than the industry norms."
Why the next Ministry album with Paul Barker might not be their final record as they plan to re-record Ministry's debut album, With Sympathy: "I'm really happy with these new versions, so that's actually going to come out before the last album I do with Barker. So, we'll have two albums out next year and a bunch of tours."
What's next for him once Ministry ends: "I'm pretty much into film scoring and activism...I really think I'd make more of a difference in the long run by being an activist without pay, very similar to what Tom Morello is doing."