Exclusive Interviews Only Found Here at MetalCore!

Nate Dressel

Nate Dressel is an old fanzine editor who did Leather Knights fanzine way back when and when we reconnected on Facebook I decided to do an interview with him and here is this great interview:

CF: Where did you grow up and what sort of kid were you growing up? Did you come from a big or small family?

ND: I grew up in Rochester, Minnesota in an average nuclear family. I have two younger brothers.

CF: Did you have a lot of close friends when you were growing up and did you play any sports and if so which ones or did you pretty much keep to yourself? What were some things you did for fun back in the oldie days ha ha?

ND: I went to a really small Lutheran school and there were only six people in my grade so I didn’t have a lot of choice of friends there but for the most part we all got along and most of our parents were friends so I’d end up hanging with some of them once in a while even though none of them lived by me. My closest friend back then was a kid named Tony who lived down the block. He also went to a Lutheran school but a much bigger one.

As for sports, I had to play basketball for the Lutheran school team even though I didn’t like it and wasn’t much good at it anyway. Eventually I rebelled and my parents didn’t force it on me any more though I think the only reason they had made me was because there was pressure on them from the school as they wouldn’t have had enough kids for a team otherwise.

The only other sport I played on a regular team was soccer. Now this was a sport I loved. I played for nine years and qualified for the traveling team but my parents didn’t want to cart me around to games out of town so I didn’t get to do that. In high school I played soccer in phy-ed and the teacher asked me why I wasn’t on the school team. Well, the reason was that tryouts were in the summer and I didn’t know about them though I definitely had made it known I wanted to be on the high-school team. Both my parents were teachers so I think it was something that was kept from me on purpose. They had to know and never told me.

Fun back in the day often involved stupidity. Things I would never do now. Somehow we’d get our hands on fireworks despite the fact that all fireworks were illegal in Minnesota back then and shoot bottle rockets at each other. We also taped bottle rockets onto paper airplanes to see if we could get them to fly faster. Then we went through this phase, to prove we were ‘men’ or tough or whatever, where we would unzip the front of our jeans, positioning the end of a bottle rocket in there, light it and endure the blast of sparks to our groins before shooting off. If for some reason the bottle rocket got stuck in your zipper you had to be able to grab it really fast and fling it into the air. As I said, something I would never do now. Too many close calls.

We also had this huge sandpit in the park behind our house and we were always digging in it. There were times we dug such deep holes the City Department would come and bulldoze it in and if they didn’t my dad would be out there filling it in. He was always afraid of a small child falling down in one of the holes we’d dig which at times could get five feet deep. We’d make jumps for our bikes as well, then get neighbor kids to lay down behind the jump and jump them. Or we’d take turns but we had to draw straws (sometimes literally) to find out who was going to be the last one in line as the last person sometimes got landed on. This would go on until my mom would come out screaming at us.

We also got into making traps in the sandpit. We’d do this by digging 3ft holes or so, put sticks across the hole, cover the sticks with newspapers, then cover the newspapers with a layer of sand so you couldn’t tell there was a hole there and wait for someone to step on it. Or try and get another kid to step on it by tricking them into walking that way.

CF: When did music start to enter your life and what were some of the 1st bands that you heard on the radio and stuff? Was there any rock radio stations in MN back in the day and what were some of the 1st bands that you got into?

ND: My parents probably did their best to keep me shielded from rock music. However, my friend Tony who lived a half block from me got me into most of my early metal bands. It was at his house, when I was still in elementary school, where I learned about Quiet Riot, Kiss, Def Leppard, Scorpions and more. I learned about Motely Crue, Ozzy Osbourne and Twisted Sister on the school bus. The first metal album I bought with paper route money was Quiet Riot’s Metal Health on cassette. I didn’t even have a boombox then, just a cassette headset. As far as rock radio goes, we had one station that I was aware of but one time when I called them to request some Quiet Riot the DJ said, “eat my shit and go to hell.” Then he hung up on me. (too funny-cf)

CF: Were there any cool malls that had record stores that you went to? What was the 1st album that you bought if you remember and what were some early rock and metal bands that you got into and what got you into them, was it a friend that you introduced to a band or bands or was it the local radio?

ND: Rochester at one point had four music stores including one in the mall. Now we have none. But back in the day the best one was Broadway Records. In its prime it was located close to a music instrument store and there also was a comic book store not far away in the other direction either. It was a place you could hang out and talk music and they had the usual bulletin board full of flyers for bands and shows. Pre-internet it was the place to go to stay on top of what was going on.

Later on I would find out about Molten Metal Records that was run out of the back office of Active Gym by J.B. Mestad. I don’t know what happened to him or Molten Metal Records other than I heard he moved to the east coast. I think the last time I saw him was at the Classic Metal Fest in Cleveland in 2002 where I watched his booth for a short bit so he could check out a band.

CF: Now what were some early metal bands that you liked? Are you still into any of these bands these days?

ND: Quiet Riot was my favorite, I wore out five cassette copies of Metal Health from listening to it so much. Thankfully, I got to tell Kevin Dubrow this in person before he passed away. Also, I was big on the Scorpions, Def Leppard, Twisted Sister and to a lesser extent, Kiss. I think the heaviest band I knew back then was Accept. And yes, I still do listen to these bands, but I don’t listen to them as often as I have quite a large collection now. I actually have albums I haven’t listened to in years. I never would have been able to even fathom that in my younger years. Back then every pay day I was at one record store or another wondering why it took so long for my favorite bands to put out another album.

CF: Now how did you discover the underground metal scene? When you 1st heard this style of music was it like ‘whoa” and “holy shit”? Did you get into the music right away or did it take a few spins of the music for you to really get into it? What were some of the early bands that you heard?

ND:In the mid to late 80’s metal was so huge I don’t think I ever discerned an underground. I was constantly finding out about new bands in a never-ending stream. But looking back on it now I remember hearing Coven’s “McDonaldland Massacre” in high-school and knew they’d never be mainstream like Metallica.

Some stuff was an acquired taste. I wasn’t into Metallica as fast as my friends were. But when a friend told me Anthrax had a song called “I Am The Law,” about the comic book character Judge Dredd, and then let me listen to it, I ended up going out and buying all their albums. At that point Anthrax became my favorite band. To me they were way cooler than Metallica who I was starting to dig as well. But Anthrax was the first thrash band I was into. They led the way for the rest.

CF: Now when you started to really get into this style of music was it like a drug that you wanted more of? Did you have any stores that stocked underground metal so you could get it or did you have to get it through mail order or drive somewhere to get it?

ND: Yes, it became a hunt. Before I knew it I was tracking down albums I’d heard of but hadn’t been able to find like the early Manowar records. I remember arguing with some dipshit at Face the Music that told me if it wasn’t in their catalog it didn’t exist. I knew those Manowar records existed but didn’t know how to get them pre-Internet and I couldn’t mail order albums while I lived with my parents.

CF: What has been some cool record stores that you got to go to over the years and be able to buy stuff or even have them stock your zine?

ND:Broadway Records was the only store willing to stock and sell Leather Knights. Though after I started giving them away free (locally only) with the third issue I was able to leave stacks of them at Face the Music as well as the music instrument stores. Sam Goody’s at the mall however, told me they didn’t have any counter space which was total bullshit. I never bought anything from them ever again.

CF: Now did you ever do any tape trading and do you have any personal rare demos or releases in your collection these days? Is there any stuff that you are looking for that you have had no luck in finding?

ND:Yes, but the majority of my trading was with other ‘zine writers. I did once trade for some rare Helloween photographs. Also, with the second issue of Leather Knights I released 75 copies of a red version of Twisted Tower Dire’s Triumphing True Metal demo which featured Janet Rubin on vocals. The first 75 people who bought the ‘zine got the rare demo for free.

CF: Now what are some of the early shows that you got to go to? Were there many shows that you saw back in the day? What were some of the clubs that you went to shows at? Do you have a personal favorite show that you have seen? Who is your favorite band and why are they your favorite band?

ND: The first concert I ever saw was The Chipmunks in elementary school.

The first big rock show I saw was the Bon Jovi and Cinderella tour. I also saw Great White and Whitesnake as well as White Lion and Stryper while in high-school. The only time Rochester got any heavy bands was when Metallica and Wasp played but I wasn’t allowed to go to that show. So the first heavy show I actually got to see was during my senior year and we had to drive to Minneapolis. It was Testament, Nuclear Assault and Savatage at First Avenue and it was my first time in a real mosh pit.

Without doing some research there is now way I’m going to remember the names of all the clubs I’ve seen bands at as some of them no longer exist or they’ve changed their names so many times I forgot what it was originally called. Anyway, some of the more important ones are First Avenue which used to be the hotspot for most metal shows in the 80’s and early 90’s. Shows that weren’t in a huge auditorium or stadium anyway. Then in the 90’s Station 4 which I think was called Ryan’s back then, later renamed The Lab and I can’t remember what else, if anything, hosted tons of metal bands. For a short time there were shows at a place called Star Central but something weird or stupid happened with the lease and that place went bye bye. Station 4 is no longer around either. I believe the building was condemned. I should also say I haven’t been to that many shows in the last 3-4 years so I’m no doubt a bit out of touch with what is currently going on in the Twin Cities.

As far as favorite show, I’ve seen so many it is hard to pick out a favorite though I have to say one of the best experiences at a concert was seeing Iron Maiden with Blaze Bailey at the Mirage in Minneapolis. I was the only one to get past security and climb up on stage during “The Trooper.” I remember standing there in my Manowar t-shirt and black knee high moccassins headbanging and pumping my fists in the air while all the guys from Maiden were grouped together headbanging center stage and looking at me at the same time. Then the security guard who was totally oblivious to me standing right behind his head noticed everyone was laughing at him, he turned around and lunged for my feet so I stage dived right over his head. The crowd was so nuts they threw me around like a beach ball. I also had been drinking for free that night. The waitress said she recognized me even though it was my first time there and I had no idea who she was. I didn’t argue and I wasn’t even carded while my friends were.

Another memorable experience was at a Manowar show. I got a speeding ticket on my way to a show in Lorain, Ohio so when I ran into Eric Adams in the parking lot I asked him to sign the ticket, which he did, he then called Karl Logan off the bus to come sign my ticket, then one of their roadies ran the ticket into the venue where Joey Demaio and Scott Columbus were doing sound check, they signed it and the roadie brought it back out to me.

I have a lot of favorite bands nowadays, however Manowar is the only band that’s been painted on the back of my leather jacket. My jean jacket has had D.R.I., Anthrax and Helloween back patches on it at various times.

CF: When did you discover the wonderful world of fanzines and demos as well? Were you into buying demos from bands of shows that you were at? What were some early unsigned bands that you saw that you can remember these days?

ND: I read a lot of the rock rags when I was in 8th and 9th grade and somewhat in high-school so I was vaguely aware that fanzines existed but I didn’t order any back then. It wasn’t until after I was out of the Marine Corps that I ordered some ‘zines I had read about in Metal Maniacs and the Metal Edge classifieds. One of those was Sentinel Steel. I was totally impressed with the coverage of bands and the writing, and I respected Denis Gulbey’s opinion even when I didn’t totally agree with a review. I read Sentinel Steel cover to cover and felt like it had been written just for me.

I was so thrilled with Sentinel Steel I thought I should contribute. So I wrote something called “The Ballad of Heavy Metal,” sent it to him and got a very polite rejection letter in return. Honestly he should of just said it was total crap which it was but it would take me awhile to realize that. Anyway, by that time I’d gotten more ‘zines in the mail and decided it was something I could do too.

But the greatest surprise in one of the issues of Sentinel Steel I had ordered out of order was an ad for Molten Metal Records as the address was Rochester, MN. I had never heard of Molten Metal Records before and I had grown up in Rochester. What the hell was going on? So at some point I called the owner, one J.B. Mestad and asked him about Molten Metal Records. I ended up going there and meeting with him. He showed me his office and a bunch of metal mags I had never heard of before, then gave me a bunch of ‘zines including Ballbuster and Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles back when they printed the articles on the card-stock front cover.

When I started Leather Knights there weren’t too many acts in my area that were doing original metal. However, after Leather Knights was reviewed in Metal Maniacs and other ‘zines, bands and musicians started coming out of the woodwork so to speak. Still not too many locally and the ones that were didn’t have any demos available. So most of the demos I got were through the mail either sent for review or I ordered them. The more I got to the Twin Cities the more I picked up demos and local compilation CDs, which were often given away free.

Cain’s Alibi was definitely the best local unsigned band at the time. I interviewed them for the Fourth Crusade of Leather Knights.

CF: Now do you remember when you discovered the world of fanzines? Was it at a show or at a record store? Did you know about bigger mags like Metal Maniacs and Metal Forces?

ND: The bigger mags are how I found out about ‘zines but I’d have to drive to the twin cities to pick them up in the early to late nineties. Eventually, I badgered Barnes and Noble enough they started carrying metal mags in Rochester and to this day they still do.

CF: Now what led to you deciding to start your own fanzine? How long did it take you from the idea of actually doing it to releasing your 1st issue? Did you do the zine all by yourself or did you have other people helping you out?

ND: I think putting out a ‘zine was my calling. I really feel it was what I was meant to do at the time though the process of deciding to start was a bit drawn out. According to what I wrote in the The Power of Mystical Insight, the letter from the editor in the first issue, it took me three months to complete the first issue though I’m sure I thought about it for at least a couple of months or so before I started. I think Bryan Martin of Witch Meadow had some influence there.

William Morrow, who had his own ‘zine called Mercury Thirst, wrote some reviews for the first issue, I wrote everything else. In later issues a few other people contributed most notably Matt Coe who contributed the Tad Morose interview in The Second Crusade of Leather Knights. All in all, I wrote the majority of every issue though the artwork on the covers and within was done by others. Aldo Requena did a fantastic job with the covers of the Third and Fourth Crusades. If Leather Knights would have continued on as a print ‘zine, Aldo would have been my Derek Riggs so to speak. He’s that good.

CF: When did the 1st issue come out and who was featured in it? How many copies did you print up and how easy or hard was it trying to sell copies? How was the response to it and have you have ever recently read through it and liked what you saw?

ND: The front cover states: Spring/Summer/Fall ‘97 but I’m quite sure it came out in January or even December ‘96. I think I put that on the cover because I knew how long reviews could take and I didn’t want it to appear too dated.

I printed up some copies at Office Max but I printed up more at work. I was the janitor at a fiberglass manufacturing company at the time so I’d use the copy machines in different offices to print up copies as well. Because I’d do some every night I don’t really know how many copies I actually made. Probably around 175 but I’m guessing.

The first issue was reviewed in Metal Maniacs and I got a bit more response than I expected. I traded a few issues as well and sold some at Broadway Records. I had a poll called “Hidden Fates” on the last page and got several replies.

I have looked through it recently and a lot of it makes me cringe. In some respects it is so awful I can’t believe I put it out though I guess everyone has to start somewhere. I was planning to re-release all of them as PDFs, but after reviewing them there is no way I’ll ever do that. So what I plan to do is release the best of Leather Knights whereupon I will correct grammar, spelling and style errors as well as having a much better and consistent layout.

CF: How many issues did you end up putting out and do you feel you improved with each issue? Did the circulation go up with each issue or did it stay around the same? Did labels send you stuff at all for promos and did you think you were pretty fair with your reviews?

ND:I put out a total of five issues but the last issue was The Fourth Crusade. What happed was that I released what was essentially a half-issue. It was called Ambush the World and it was meant to function like an EP does for a band but I think it just confused people.

The circulation went way up. After getting reviewed in Metal Maniacs twice as well as getting reviews literally all over the world and in several languages I couldn’t make enough fast enough which is why the Third and Fourth Crusades were printed through the Small Publisher’s Co-op with print runs of 1000. I could have done a lot more than that too. It just about got too big for me to handle on my own, especially when I was working 60 hours a week at my delivery job. I was totally burning out.

And yes, I did get a lot of material from labels and individual bands. I would come home from work and my mailbox would be overflowing. In the winter sometimes packages and envelopes would be froze to the top of the mailbox as there wasn’t room for them inside, and I have a large mailbox. Sometimes I’d open the screen door and packages would fall out all over the place. Geffen Records would send me seven copies of the same CD. I couldn’t believe it. Atlantic Records bombarded me with stuff too. So did CMC, Metal Blade and Century Media who were all generous with promos. It got to be more than I could handle so I had to change my policy of reviewing everything that was sent to me as musicians and labels sent me stuff that had nothing to do with metal.

When I was trying to follow my rule of reviewing everything I was sent I wasn’t fair to those bands and labels who sent me material that did not fall within the bounds of the genres I covered. I was pissed off they were wasting my time by taking advantage of my review everything policy which is why I changed it and why the Third and Fourth Crusades explicitly stated the genres Leather Knights covered at the top of the covers.

CF: What styles of music did you zine cover or did you cover all styles? Is there any style of music that you just can’t stand? Did the zine at any time become a pain in the ass and that the writing of letters and sending out interviews, etc just overwhelmed you too much? Did you make or lose money with the zine?

ND: Leather Knights covered thrash, speed, power, melodic, progressive and traditional heavy metal thunder.

I’m not big on death or black metal. I like to understand the lyrics even if I’m misunderstanding them. I can handle the occasional country song but I’m not a huge fan and couldn’t listen to it all day. Jazz is something else I’m not a fan of, at least in the context of itself. Rap gets annoying awful fast and alternative is too whiny. That said, I do believe a good song is a good song so I won’t condemn styles of music I don’t normally like, though I have done that in the past. I guess with age I’ve gotten more tolerant and understanding.

Overall, I lost money with the ‘zine but this didn’t happen until The Third and Fourth Crusades where I gave the issues away free locally. The Fourth Crusade cost me about $700 to print up and while I sold quite a few issues through mail-order it didn’t cover the costs of the issues I gave away. I might as well have walked into a Guitar Center bought a guitar and then just handed it to some random kid walking down the street. Though the plan was to cover the printing costs entirely with advertising after the ‘zine became even more known. This never happened. I was burning out and did not have the time or inclination to deal with advertising.

CF: How much mail were you getting? Did many bands send you demos for review? Did you send out flyers with your mail like us old farts did back in the day?

ND: From the second issue to the fourth I got a lot of mail and a lot of demos. I sent flyers for my ‘zine and others with every order and every correspondence.

CF: Now you told me in between issues you put out a newsletter called Hard and Heavy Days and then you called it Heavy Metal Thunder later on. What was the purpose of the newsletter and how many issues/copies did you put out of this?

ND: The newsletter was meant to keep the name Leather Knights out there and most of the issues also had an order form. Or if they didn’t I would stuff the S.A.S.E with flyers along with the newsletter. This did snag me more orders but I didn’t keep track of how many. I’m not sure how many I put out especially as I changed the name of it. In the end some were just left in the local area and largely contained tour dates. These were never mailed out that I can remember.

CF: How did you come up with the name for your zine, which was Leather Knights? How many issues did you end up putting out before folding it? What was the reason for the folding of the zine and were you sad to see it go? Have you ever done any writing for any other zines over the years?

ND: My reasoning back then was that Heavy Metal is the king of all music and kings need the support of loyal knights or their kingdoms would surely fall. Well, fanzines support the underground kingdoms of Heavy Metal, so that’s where that part of the name comes from. And what do you see at metal shows? Lots of leather worn with as much pride as knights of old.

There were five issues total with the last issue being The Fourth Crusade. Leather Knights folded for a few reasons. I unexpectedly lost my job as a delivery driver and surprised myself by enrolling in college. Also, I got into a tiff with a group who were using the same name which I’m quite sure they stole because they didn’t start using it until after Leather Knights was reviewed in Metal Manaics. I have also seen recently that someone in South Africa is using the name Leather Knights for a metal ‘zine. However, I was the first to use the name and can easily prove it. Nevertheless, I changed the name to Legendary Kingdoms which I think is more encompassing and overall a better name anyway.

I did submit some reviews and interviews to other ‘zines like Battle Helm and Promethean Crusade but these all folded as well, as far as I know. So I don’t believe any of my submissions were ever used.

CF: Now you told me your newsletter ended up becoming a radio show that you did called The Metal Storm, which aired for 2 years, 4 hours every week. How fun was it doing this and what sort of stuff did you play on the show?

ND: It was an incredibly great time. I loved doing it and would do it for a living if I could. I played variety of rock and metal, everything from Trans Siberian Orchestra to Slayer to Ace Frehley. I also played material from local musicians and bands like Wes House, Cain’s Alibi, Reality, Aaron Kristo, Lance King - and that is all I can think of right now. I’m probably forgetting some.

CF; I know you told me you have a website, but it has not been touched in sometime. What is the url to that and will it be updated anytime soon?

ND; The website URL is: legendarykingdoms.net and no it probably won’t be updated anytime soon. I was going to redo everything from scratch. I’m talking complete redesign. But due to life events I’ve had to set it aside for now. The search engine is still functional and it is the only search engine out there specialized for Heavy Metal.

CF: Have you ever seen any of your issues up on Ebay at all and if so what was the going price for an issue?

ND: Yes, I have seen them on Ebay. I have been blown away that they are going for such high prices, especially the ones I gave away free. I just looked now and saw someone has The Fourth Crusade of Leather Knights going for $17.99, marked down from $71.95. I’m flattered.

CF: Obviously the metal scene has changed a lot over the years as fanzines are gone and Facebook and Bandcamp are big for bands and even cds sales are down and tapes are history. Where do you see the metal scene in 5 years? Do you feel there are too many bands and labels these days?

ND: I think the metal scene will still be around in five years. I have a Cracked magazine that declared metal dead in 1984 just before it became more popular than ever. Then throughout the 90’s it was said that metal was dying or dead and of course we all know that wasn’t true at all. The bands and the fans were still there. The mainstream media just went away and I won’t comment on the overall economy as that is not my area of expertise but I think it had an effect as well. People just couldn’t afford to spend as much money on shows and albums as they had.

CF: Do you still follow the metal scene and is there any bands that you like or love these days?

ND; I still follow it but I don’t dedicate as much time to it as I used to as I’ve been doing the family gig and taking care of an awesome little boy that I’m not the natural father of. So that is where my priority has been.

There are so many bands and so little time to check them all out. I recently bought a bunch of CDs lately but they are all of bands I’ve known for years like Iron Maiden.

CF: Have you ever been asked to manage a band or work at a record label? What are you doing with yourself these days?

ND: A few years ago I was asked to manage Schizopathic but I said no. I’m friends with the guys that were in the band so I knew that friendship would end if I was their manager. I think it would have been easier to manage Motley Crue or Spinal Tap if that tells you anything. Maybe someday I’ll write a book about them. Then again, maybe not. I don’t want to get sued.

J.B. Mestad of Molten Metal Records once offered me a part-time job working at his gym. He said I could work on my ‘zine between selling protein powder or drinks or whatever. At the time I lived in Chatfield and it just wouldn’t have worked out for me. I don’t think the pay was that great either but to get paid to work on my ‘zine would have been cool. If I had lived in Rochester back then I probably would have taken him up on it.

These days I’ve been busy learning a lot of new software as I started a new position less than a year ago. So I’ve been preoccupied with that. Though I do have my own band project called Herostratus I may or may not pick up again. I have one demo song online called “Pyromantic Pleasures.” It’s very old news and I haven’t touched the Reverbnation page in quite some time, so everything on it is out of date, but if you re bored you can listen to it at: https://www.reverbnation.com/herostratus.

CF; Have you reconnected with many people from the oldie days on Facebook at all besides me ha ha?

ND: Yes, so many I would no doubt forget some if I tried to start naming them all but Jon Kollnot, Matt Coe and Jeff Rappaport come to mind.

CF: When you think of the days when you were doing your zine, what thoughts go through your head?

ND: The craziness. I mean I was on the phone talking with A&R reps from Geffen Records, Atlantic Records, Century Media and Metal Blade. They would just call me up and ask if I wanted to interview this person or that person. And sometimes we’d just talk music like old pals. It was weird. I almost couldn’t believe it. I actually had to turn down a lot of interviews, including one with Ronnie James Dio because I was getting so overwhelmed.

Speaking of Ronnie, I was able to meet him after a show and handed him a copy of the Third Crusade and he paged through it, looked at me and asked, “you did this?” I said, “yes.” And he said, “this is really good.” I was totally wowed. One of my greatest memories.

Also, this really cool metalhead in the twin cities sent me a photo of an issue of Leather Knights The Third Crusade that he framed and hung on his wall. I’ll always remember that.

I also feel a bit of sadness. I never wanted Leather Knights to end but going to college while owning a house made it impossible. I didn’t have the time or the money to continue the ‘zine as I would have liked. I felt like I was disappointing the metal world after I had received such positive reviews and acclaim.

However, I did carry on by way of hosting the Metal Storm radio show on KRPR 89.9 and writing metal reviews for the RCTC newspaper The Echo. I also conducted interviews with Jag Panzer, Primal Fear and Lance King for this same paper. It was the best I could do at the time.

CF: Nate horns up for doing this interview, any last words to wrap this up?

ND: Thanks Chris! It’s nice to be remembered. Especially for something I started doing almost twenty years ago. Things didn’t go like I wanted them to but to see that so many years later Leather Knights still has an impact is mind blowing.

By the way, I still have all the ‘zines I bought and traded for including yours.

All the best in metal.