Scott Lipps sits down with Ian Astbury from The Cult for an in-depth conversation on the legacy of Death Cult and their highly anticipated upcoming show at the Gramercy Theatre on October 12th. Ian dives into staying true to the band’s roots, revisiting early lyrics, and defining what being an artist really means.

The two discuss everything from meeting guitarist Billy Duffy, writing the band’s first tracks, and turning down major record deals, to the influence of David Bowie and the rise of AI and music bots in the modern era.

0:00:00 - Start

0:00:45 - Death Cult LIVE 

0:02:52 - Staying true to Death Cult roots

0:03:51 - Early shows and revisiting lyrics

0:05:37 - True Dark Wave 

0:09:28 - Music bots

0:12:42 - Meeting Billy Duffy

0:14:27 - Writing early tracks

0:17:40 - David Bowie

0:21:29 - Turning down deals

0:25:00 - Upcoming shows