Townsend: First off, thank you for recognizing that, because that’s exactly what it is. Ultimately, I’m going to do what I want to do, and that’s the bottom line. The more that people demand I do something, the less I want to do what they demand me to do. When I was a kid or first in a relationship with my wife, she would comment, “Whatever it is I want you to do, I make sure I don’t tell you to do it.” I’m aware of it, which is a good first step. It’s the truth — I hate being told what to do and I won’t be told what to do. So the more people go on with these self-serving demands about STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, I’m like, “Look, NO!” Not now, more than ever before, because I keep being bugged about it. For me, having Jed there and playing STRAPPING was important because I didn’t have the opportunity to really — other than being “Fuck you, quit talking to me about STRAPPING” — I’ve not had the ability as a musician or as a person to reflect on, “How do you feel about STRAPPING?” Regardless of what anybody feels or their misinterpretation of it, how do you feel about it? And how do I feel about it? I’m totally proud of it; it’s a huge part of my life. It’s something I have an immense emotional connection to, and respect for, but in the same way that what I’m doing right now, which is “Ziltoid” or “Casualties”, STRAPPING is what I was doing then. I find that I can totally sympathize why people would want it back, but my frustrations lay with any band, GUNS N’ ROSES, GODFLESH with “Streetcleaner”, anything, I don’t understand the process people go through in terms of assuming that if the band was still active right now, they’d be like the period that was of emotional significance to them. I don’t understand and I’ll say that straight-up. But the more I look into it, I realize that it’s everywhere. I read something about Ihsahn and about EMPEROR getting back together, and in the interview, he gave a very explicit and perfectly logical explanation as to why EMPEROR wouldn’t be the same now as it was then. I thought, “Okay, that makes perfect sense.” But the comments are unequivocally, “No, I don’t agree — you’re wrong. EMPEROR would be perfect if they came out again.” My reaction is just confusion. That being said, because it’s a reality and you can’t escape it, I have no problem explaining myself.