March 24 marks the first time DOOM (formerly MF DOOM) has released anything close to a new studio album in nearly four years. After denying allegations of sending in a masked performer as his stand-in last year [click to read], DOOM tells Rolling Stone that it really shouldn’t matter who takes the stage.
“I tell you one thing: when you come to a DOOM show, come expecting to hear music, don’t come expecting to see,”DOOM explained. “You never know who you might see. It has nothing to do with a visual thing. Use your mind and think. I might be there. Next time I do a show, I might tell everybody to close they eyes. Use your own mind’s eye. That’s better than a camera phone, know what I’m sayin’?’”
And while Born Like This features Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and the late Dilla, DOOM says he might’ve drawn the most inspiration from another poet.
“Don’t freak with old Buke. Buke is nice. He’s as good as the rest of the rappers on there,”DOOM says of Charles Bukowski, whose poem is read on “Dinosauria, We.”
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DOOM concluded by saying the allegations of sending impersonators to rock shows in his place has not hurt his touring; he’s actually receiving more live show requests and increasing his appearance fee. And while he never gave a definitively answered the question of using impersonators, he joked that Michael Jackson’s new tour may use the same frowned upon practice.
“Word. That nigga was crazy as hell,”DOOM said. “How do you even know he’s still him? He might’ve been doing the technique.”
