Dug Pinnick is certainly one of the hardest working gentlemen in rock, as evidenced by his seemingly non-stop touring and recording schedule – whether it be as a solo artist, as a member of the mighty King's X, or as a contributor to one of his many side projects. And on October 25, 2024, he issued his latest solo effort, the curiously titled Thingamajigger. Pinnick spoke with BraveWords correspondent Greg Prato shortly before the album dropped, and was up for discussing his latest solo offering, if another King's X LP is in the cards, and his favorite modern day metal bands.

BraveWords: Let's discuss the new solo album, Thingamajigger. How does it compare to your previous solo efforts?

Dug Pinnick: "It's like a child…I've got a new kid coming, and this one is different than all the rest – even though it looks like me. [Laughs] I don't compare my stuff anymore. I've done so much stuff that it's just my new offering – my piece of cake for the party."

BraveWords: How did you come up with the album title and the cover image? 

Dug Pinnick: "I love naming albums, with names that are really uncommon. And I like words. I'm a word guy. And I like names of things. My great grandmother – who raised me – she used to say it every now and then, it's an old folks' thing. People are dead probably at this point that used to say it. But they'd say, 'Pick up that thingamajigger over there.' If they didn't know the name of it, they'd call it a 'thingamajigger.' And I saw a picture online that was an inspiration for the album cover. It was kind of like a guy standing there, looking off into something. And all I could think of was 'Thingamajigger' – that's his name. We just came up with that album concept."

BraveWords: One track that sticks out in particular is the album-opener, “Climbing Up The Mountain.”

Dug Pinnick: "Musically, I was just in this AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers funk vibe in my head. I came up with that drumbeat and I thought, 'What would sound good with this?' And I just came up with the guitar part. And I always write the songs first before I get the lyrics. But when the lyrics came to me for 'Climbing Up The Mountain,' I think I had just turned 71 – because I just turned 74, so it's somewhere in the last three years since I put out Joy Bomb. Somewhere in between there, I started thinking about life at my age. And sometimes I feel like I'm climbing up a mountain, and just looking back at all the things that I've done and learned – the good, the bad, everything. And as I look back, I look back at all the others who are younger than me, going through what I have already been through, and it makes me feel like I just need to be thankful and cherish the rest of my life. And not to drag anybody else down as they try to get my age, as I try to get to the next age."

BraveWords: You just mentioned you turned 74. What is your secret for looking so good for you age?

Dug Pinnick: "[Laughs] I think it runs in the family, but I've always been a healthy eater. I've always taken care of myself, I've always exercised. I've always been told, 'It's all about the balance.' And if you just do enough of everything, you'll be OK. The problem is we either overindulge in things or under indulge in things, and I think that's what the big problem is. But if you balance your life out, you can maintain."

BraveWords: How do you approach writing songs for a solo album compared to a King's X album?

Dug Pinnick: "There's no different approach. I write from my heart what I feel at the moment. I get a pile of songs together, and I go, 'Hey guys, check these songs out. Let's make a record.' And there will be 25 of them, so they'll only pick 7 or 8 – because they've got songs, too. So, I've got all these extra songs. They're all my kids, so I want to put them on something. So, I keep them. They're basically demos made to be put out at the end of the day. I just keep writing. I've been writing since I was 18, and that's 500-600 songs I've written that I just archived on tape…I put everything on hard drive now. So one day, I'll put the whole box set out!"

BraveWords: Have you thought about playing shows in support of Thingamajigger?

Dug Pinnick: "The thought has crossed my mind – maybe one day I'll do that again. I haven't taken a [solo] band out in ten years or more. Maybe, I don't know. Basically, if I do, I'd like to do a bunch of shows around LA and play a bunch of little clubs. Play four or five shows just for fun – with some of my rock star friends."

BraveWords: Is King's X planning on working on a follow-up to Three Sides Of One? 

Dug Pinnick: "Yeah. I have submitted a handful of new songs to them I have written since Thingamajigger. And Ty [Tabor] and Jerry [Gaskill] have both said they have a bunch of tunes. So, the next thing is to finally figure out when we want to get together and the whole thing you have to go through to make a record – because we live in three different parts of the country. So, sooner or later we'll get serious. We haven't yet really, but we talk about it – so that's a good thing."

BraveWords: Who are some modern day metal bands that you enjoy?

Dug Pinnick: "Gojira is really, really killing it right now. I love them. Issues, their latest record [Beautiful Oblivion], it's like if Michael Jackson put a little frosting on djent music. That's the way it puts me – with a second of Prince. But just enough to make you turn your head and go, 'That's a great idea.' His melodies [singer Tyler Carter], he's not a 'Cookie Monster' – he sings some really great melodies, and there's screaming in there, as well. But he's got some great melodies and harmonies happening. It's a real good mixture of good music, great songs."

BraveWords: Any other upcoming projects?

Dug Pinnick: "Robbi Rob, he used to be in a band called Tribe After Tribe, he's been continuing making music, and about 20 years ago, I made an album with him and Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam. We are going to go into a studio in January and make a new Tribe After Tribe record – me, Mike Hanson, and Robbi Rob. Just the three of us. Other than that, I'm always talking to George [Lynch] and Ray [Luthier] – we just can't get our times together. But we had a conversation about working it out, it's going to be good – we're going to make a fourth KXM record sooner or later. George and Ray both have studios in their houses, so we've been arguing over which house we want to go to. They both think their place is the best! [Laughs]"

Thingamajigger can be ordered by clicking here.

(Photo: Lo_Fi_Eye.)