Kerry King, Guitarist from Slayer
Carpet Pythons
March 1, 2008

PHFaust: On behalf of Jeff Barringer and all of us at kingsnake.com, I'm very pleased to welcome Kerry King to our Tenth Annual Chat Week. [b]

PHFaust: Kerry King, best known as one of the founding members of thrash metal band Slayer, has a passion for all things cold blooded and will be joining kingsnake.com Chat Week again this year. Kerry is a long time reptile keeper and hobbyist breeder who, when he is not touring, would prefer to be watching his snakes hatch.

PHFaust: Not quite ready to give up his "night" job to take up snake breeding full time, Kerry will be stopping by to chat about snakes before Slayer launches it's European tour in June. To check out Kerry at his real job take a look at the Slayer photo gallery at club kingsnake! www.club.kingsnake.com

PHFaust: Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls I present Kerry King!

KerryKing: Welcome my Slaytanic friends Ga

bp19881_nr: Do y ou have any pet ball pythongs?

KerryKing: No, never got sucked into the Ball Python Hurricane, I pretty much focus on Carpet morphs and a few Boa Species GA

JustinMitcham: how long have you been keeping snake , any intention of doing a website etc. devoted to your collection etc

KerryKing: I have been keeping snakes for over 20 years and yes, I definitely plan on starting a website this year GA

JungleDancer: which came first for you, the snakes or music? did you keep any as a kid?

KerryKing: Music was first, at thirteen, and snakes came after our first US tour and that was a Columbian Boa

Joe_Mikkelsen: sup Kerry, how are the metcalfei doin and are they gonna be ready to breed next season?

KerryKing: They are doing great and will be ready to go in 2009 GA

j5ive: Do you feed live food to your snakes?

KerryKing: I usually feed live until I can coax them into going to fresh thawed

jparker1167: whats your favorite non venomous and venomous snake

KerryKing: Favorite non venomous is probably an albino carpet Favorite venomous probably a Gabino

bp19881_nr: what made you become a satanist?

KerryKing: I'm not a satanist, I am an Atheist, and that choice was common sense

Eddie_nr: whats cooking for the carpets for you now?

KerryKing: Just breeding so far, but hoping for some Granites, Jags, 75% Irian Jaya Jags and hopefully some Jungle Jags

j5ive: whats the worst snake bite you have ever experienced...and what did you do to take care of it

KerryKing: I got bitten by an Anerythristic Boa prior to a tour with Testament, and had a tooth wedged under my nail for the first couple weeks!

KerryKing: Not much you can do for that

j5ive: jeez

213_nr: got any boas still?

KerryKing: Yup, South Brazilain Amarali and some Pearl Islands

bp19881_nr: How did you get into breeding snakes and what are some good tips on becoming a breeder?

KerryKing: i think just having some animals around and wanting to produce of your own. Do a lot of listening to your peers!

JustinMitcham: are there any colubrids you thought about getting into like hognoses, rats, kings etc.. btw thanks for the uncompromising tunes..

KerryKing: Your welcome! I went through a colubrid phase my first time around in the business and specialized in pituophis.

jparker1167: have you seen will bird's jags and have you gotten any from him

KerryKing: I may have seen some on MoreliaPythons.com, but I have not purchased any from him

cornball252: how difficult is it to house and breed jags? and would you reccomend breeding them?

KerryKing: I think it's just like keeping any Carpet, but if you want to get picky, Jungles are a little more tricky than say a Coastal

cornball252: thanks

KerryKing: yes i would recommend breeding them

slayer_is_god: Has your wonderful hobby had an effect in any of your band mates? gotten them intrigued?

KerryKing: Absolutely not, my hobby, not theirs haha

j5ive: how do you manage keeping snakes and working with the band?

KerryKing: My perspective is that the band is my job, the reptiles are my hobby...I just keep in mind that the band comes first

Joe_Mikkelsen: of all the breeding projects you have in the works which one are you most excited about?

KerryKing: I am most excited about Granite to Jaguars this year

dpd: First thanks for the great music. Where can I get one of your jags and when the hell are you guys coming back to New Orleans? I'm tired of driving to Texas or Georgia to see a show..

KerryKing: First, your welcome. Second, I will be putting a website up this year and posting on Kingsnake soon....Lastly, US tour 2009 but I don't know any dates yet

JustinMitcham: who would say were your biggest influences in metal

KerryKing: Judas Priest, Maiden, Sabbath, etc.

DonkeyKong_nr: Do you still have any retics and are you thinking about adding any more to your collection? Oh yeah, when are you and Crotalus going to callaborate on some music?

KerryKing: I still have one Retic, an albino purple phase, and I if I got any more, they would be super dwarves

Slacker6848: J5ive asked the first part of my question on how you care for the snake when on tour but is there anyplace where we can view your collection? and how many animals are in your collection?

KerryKing: My wife and I just got finished moving last night, literally, so photos and website will be trickling along sooner than later...it will be www.psychoticexotics.com

ExecutiveReptiles: If you had a choice of one carpet to work with would you choose a Jungle Carpet or an Irian Jaya Carpet?

KerryKing: I think Irians and Jungles are both great to work with if you are looking to breed Jungle to Jungle, Jungle to Jag, Irian to Irian, Irian to Jag or any other combinations, I think the future is bright for all of them

bp19881_nr: have you had any other herps besides snakes? by the way, your music is the only metal i like these days....im to much into the doors and pink floyd. i do love sabbath and judas priest too.

KerryKing: Thanks for listening still! When I have more time, I would probably keep a red Tegu, I have always had a soft spot for those

slayer_is_god: is there any snake or any other reptiles that you would like to get into in the future ? (if this hasent been asked already)

slayer_is_god: like a dream snake kinda thing

KerryKing: Two things I haven't gotten yet, would be albino carpets and zebra carpets and definitely Imbricata if I could get my hands on them

jparker1167: you said gabinos are your favorite venomous will you ever keep them ?

KerryKing: If my wife gets her way, I would keep them

KerryKing: She wants one BAD'

jparker1167: i may try to produce some

KerryKing: Keep me informed then, and don't tell my wife hahaa

KerryKing: just kidding

jparker1167: lol

JustinMitcham: you get to go to many cool destinations..do you ever get to do any feild herping

JustinMitcham: can I trade a snake for a guitar..LOL

KerryKing: I much rather see private collections, because I have friends around the world that show me some crazy things

KerryKing: What kind and how many?

JustinMitcham: lol any...I have a autographed dimebag

slayer_is_god: is your wife as much into the snakes as you are? and where did you get your blood lines for the jags

KerryKing: She loves it, but is new to it, so she's still learning.....JBC, Will Leary, Anthony Capenetto and Urban python for bloodlines

ExecutiveReptiles: Have you ever experienced any Nuerological issues with Jags?

KerryKing: Not with any I have produced, but some I have purchased from other people have had some odd head "ticks"

DonkeyKong_nr: Do you view the fact that animals can no longer come out of australia a good thing for carpet pythons as a hobby, or a bad thing. Its hard to picture them as the next ball python without mutations coming out of the wild...

KerryKing: Just being in Australia last year, and seeing so many things that I can't have here, makes me wonder what the big deal is because people there are breeding them in private collections, therefore I see no problem sending those captive born animals to be shipped to whoever wants them anywhere in the world- especially to my house

Joe_Mikkelsen: where do you stand on the purity debate? mainly the problem with high percentage jag sibs flooding the market and eventually being passed off as pure.

KerryKing: I don't have a solution, I have been lucky enough to work with people I trust wholeheartedly

KerryKing: and I have seen the parents of all the offspring I have ever purchased

KerryKing: I understand not everyone has that luxury, just be as informed as possible

Sebring: Do you think carpet pythons are going to take over if they ban a lot of the other pythons?

KerryKing: I think with all the morphs popping out in the last few years, carpets are in the position to be the next big thing

KerryKing: to me, they are a perfect size, not too big, and sorry ball pythons breeders, they aren't too small

slayer_is_god: I would assume you keep your snakes in some type of racking system to save space ? if not what might it be homemade or commercial? and a little off topic ... I was watching a video on whats in your cd player so are you listening to anything right now if so what is it? got a favorite snake watching song lol...

KerryKing: I use Animal Plastics racks, so commercial. I don't have any oddball favorites in my iPod right now, just been going back to some old ones.....no favorite snake watching song - yet

AngelofDeath_nr: are you still keeping retics? And any album in the works

KerryKing: I have just one retic- albino purple phase...and I am writing for the new album

KerryKing: i am disappointed that EvilMorphGod had no questiions

EvilMorphgod: I do

EvilMorphgod: I was planning on buying a medium sized Jungle Carpet from you and was hoping that you would autograph it and possibly inscribe it “Hell Awaits for Kevin and his band CROTALUS!!!” ….. I would pay extra to have it signed in BLOOD.

KerryKing: I'll tattoo it instead

PHFaust: lol

EvilMorphgod: You are THE METAL GOD!!!!!! DOOM!

cornball252: LOL

PHLdyPayne: I feel sorry for the snake

slayer_is_god: does your wife still have her sugar glider lol?

KerryKing: No, she died a couple years ago, not my wife, her sugar glider

slayer_is_god: lol alrighty

Joe_Mikkelsen: died? or was fed to one of your snakes?

KerryKing: too expensive for snake food

helena_nr: love the tats by the way, and how many snakes are in your collection

Joe_Mikkelsen: sometimes you gotta pamper them Kerry :)

KerryKing: just a bit under a hundred

carr65_nr: what boas are you working with kerry ? and when is the next slayer cd coming out

carr65_nr: i just got here

KerryKing: I am working with South Brazilan Amarali and Pearl Islands, may have some baby South Brazilians this year...Slayer Cd, if, my manager had his way, October, but time will tell

PHFaust: On behalf of Jeff Barringer and all of us here at kingsnake.com, Thank You for taking your time to chat with us. Transcripts will be posted with in a few days. Once again, Thank you Kerry!

PHFaust: The Chatroom is now open! Chat month has officially ended. Stick a fork in it! Its WAY done!

slayer_is_god: I love you in a very unsexual way kerry!

Joe_Mikkelsen: ewww

helena_nr: holy guacamole, that's a bunch thanks

slayer_is_god: lol..

j5ive: Thanks Kerry! See you in New Orleans soon...hopefully.

JungleDancer: thanks Kerry!!

KerryKing: Thanks to everyone that had a question! Keep watching for website debut and of course, Bottom's Up!!

carr65_nr: bye kerry

PHLdyPayne: GLad to have you Kerry and thanks for coming again