Weston Cage, the son of Nicolas Cage, who got his father into Darkthrone seems like a very interesting figure. I briefly met him and his lovely wife at the Revolver Golden Gods a few months ago for this interview and he seemed like a pretty down to earth guy.
Cage is about to unleash a new album. He released a track a few weeks ago and recently sat down with Noisey for a very in-depth interview where we learn a lot about the dude.
For example, how he got into metal:
Noisey: How did you get into metal?
Wes Cage: I gravitated toward it at a very young age. I started with more atmospheric music, but I wanted to hear that coupled with something. First I found out about bands like Rammstein, who were using industrial elements, and System of a Down.Those were your gateway bands?
Yeah, very much so. As I grew up a little more, I started to appreciate the more extreme stuff, like Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir.
Also, his very black metal 18th birthday party:
Did someone turn you on to these bands, or did you find them on the Internet?
I kind of found my way into black metal on my own, just navigating the web. Before I knew it, at 17 years old I was in Norway hanging out with those guys. It was an honor. I actually had my 18th birthday party there, that’s where I met everybody. The party lasted three days. [Laughs] I remember the first 24 hours, but not the rest. I’m still pretty close friends with Hellhammer from Mayhem and [former Dimmu Borgir bassist] ICS Vortex.Did you go over there specifically to meet them?
I went there for vacation, but also to get inspired. I’m big on the input-output theory, that you have to keep feeding the engine with as much information as possible, so I wanted to see the fjords and everything.
That sounds like a pretty insane 18th birthday party. On my 18th, my friend snuck some liquor from his parents' cabinet and we thought we were being super rebellious by getting drunk.
On his constant association with his father:
You’re doing your new solo project under your own name, and the press release even mentions who your parents are. How do you strike the balance between trying to succeed on your own terms and not hiding the fact that you’re the son of a famous movie star?
After Eyes of Noctum, I kind of had a reality check and realized that I could not change who I am. I had no control over where I was born, and I take pride in it now. I know I had privileges growing up—I was able to travel and attain wisdom from the places I went to. All I want to do is take that and share it with everyone rather than trying to hang onto it selfishly. There’s a lot of stuff I’ve read and seen that I want everyone to know about, that I wish was more accessible to the world. That’s the reason I want to be more commercial now, so I can share it with a larger audience.
Overall, it's a very enlightning interview that touches on his previous band, Eyes of Noctum, the occult and more.
