IE: Mina, let's start with something very topical - the return of Life of Agony - the Alcatraz Festival, Belgium,  on August 8. A lot has changed for you on a personal level since the band last performed. How and why did this decision to hit the stage again come about?

MC: It was kind of a no brainer for the band. One of our agents usually keeps us up to date with offers and depending on our schedules we either take it or leave it. It’s that simple. Everybody in the band has alternative creative projects. So if it works out all the better. If not we go about our lives.

IE: Is this just a one off date or can fans expect more?

MC: Expect the unexpected, as we do

IE: Some cynics might suggest that Life Of Agony won't be the same without Keith, that the songs might come across differently, whether it be sound-wise, etc. What would you say to those who might question whether a Mina-fronted LOA is a good idea?

MC: Come to the show and find out for yourself, that’s all I can say. Just because I identify as a woman soulfully, universally and biologically doesn't mean I can't sing anymore, play music, write records etc. If anything I've blossomed like a flower! When I hit that stage, it's not about gender, it's about spirit. My spirit is infinite. My spirit is genderless!

My consciousness is like the sun. I'll burn anyone who tries to belittle my abilities because I express my vulnerability, fragility and nakedness to the world. I've been naked my entire life. It's nothing new. I can safely say that I tried my best to unite society and that's what the world needs to focus on.

People should stop putting other people under the petri dish and judging them through and through. People need to look within, judge themselves, correct themselves, find the little bit of compassion that they have and exercise it.

At the end of the day, people have been judging me since 1989, since the band started. It doesn't matter what people say, especially the envious people. We focus on our die-hard fans. They'll be with us to/thru the end of time. Isn't it obvious? It is to me. 

IE: Are there any plans to record new material or is “Broken Valley” likely to be the band's final album?

MC: I can't comment on this at this time.

IE: Have you and the guys missed being in LOA? You all have other projects but is LOA always in the back of your mind whatever and wherever you are?

MC: LOA is a big part of our lives. Personally I miss it. It depends what's going on. We have a lot of fun and we have a lot of great experiences on and off stage. We know how to take a piss with one another and not to take the situation so seriously. 

IE: The news got out in 2011 that you were a transgender woman. I understand you felt you wanted to lead a more feminine life since your late teens but, due to the success of “River Runs Red” and the touring cycles which ensued you never really found the right time to make the change. Can you tell us a bit about that - how you felt and how you managed to deal with it while being in the public eye?

MC: I actually came out to friends and family in 2009. Most of 'em. Coming out was the most difficult hurdle in my life thus far. 

I also started hormone therapy in 2009. I kept it a secret for as long as I could bare it. Yes it's true, ever since I was a child, I knew that I was Trans, but I didn't know the name of it! I didn't know how to describe what I was going through either. I just never felt like a man. Well, your typical man. 

Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, there was no internet, therefore, the information wasn't ready available to me like it is now. It's the trippiest feeling being born biologically a boy, but identifying intuitively/solely as a woman.

I grew up in a very male dominated world. I was extremely scared, as one can imagine. Everyone was racist, and everyone was homophobic, and trans-phobic, although back then there wasn't a name for people who hated on transgender folks. I was very self-destructive and that's how I dealt with my pain.  I blurred my vision with drugs and alcohol for many years. I literally wanted to die. The cruelty of ignorance really pushed me to the edge. I pushed myself to the edge. 

IE: It must have been a relief to finally be able to be yourself. What was the reaction like from your band mates?

MC: Well I was very unfair. Joey always knew. Sal kinda knew it, but Alan didn't know it. They all knew I was eccentric though. But they didn't know the depth of my pain.

IE: I assume you have been subjected to bigotry and sheer ignorance by those who don't, can't or won't understand?

MC: Of course.

IE: Has there or will there ever be SRS (sex reassignment surgery) for you? Or is it more a case of expressing yourself as a female and living as one without feeling the need for SRS?

MC: I can't answer this at this time, it's too heavy for me. And quite frankly it's nobody’s business. No offense to you. 

IE: I read in a 2011 interview that you would stab someone to protect yourself if they laid a hand on you. Strong words.  Is that still the case?

MC: If someone tried to harm my life, you better believe I'm going to retaliate. I am the last person to be violent. But I will not hesitate to put a motherfucker out. I'm from Brooklyn New York, what the fuck are you thinking!? Lol.

IE: What are your top three LOA songs and why?

MC: Jesus I love too many of them. I can't say darling. They're all my children.

IE: Do you have a favorite touring story you can share with us?

MC: I have many crazy touring stories. Twenty-plus years of crazy touring stories. But what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

IE: What is the strangest fan request you've ever had?

MC: I am getting many of them now, believe it or not, from the most unexpected folks. 

IE: I loved what you did with Indiegogo. For those not familiar with the concept can you explain what it entails and how it has provided you with a platform for your recent solo album.

MC: Thanks. While I was recording “As Much Truth As One Can Bear” in 2012, I started to create an art collage lyric book. It turned into wanting to give my fans a unique product that they can hold in their hands. I didn't want to just release an album in a cold way, like on iTunes only etc. I'm all about the romance of holding artwork along with the album.

Anthony and the Johnsons released a book called “Swan Lights” years ago with a CD. Anthony inspired me, so I pretty much sailed that sea. It made sense to me at the time.

My favorite perk was to write songs for my fans. My fans would send me letters, poetry or lyrics and I would create a song for them using their lyrics, etc. I still do commissions.

You can go to www.MinaCaputo.com and read more about it. You can check out some of those songs on my YouTube channel too! I'm actually finishing up the song “Nutshell” by Alice In Chains, for a fan in Austria. I look forward to doing more in the future. I will actually release a CD of all the songs I did for the fans, including originals, covers, interpretations etc, sometime soon. 

IE: Tell us a little about your first solo release as Mina, “As Much Truth As One Can Bear”.

MC: What could I say about it? It's a masterpiece. It's like a Picasso painting. But what do I know!

The album was mostly inspired by James Baldwin, one of my favorite authors. My dear friend Michael Alago turned me onto his writings in 2010. Ever since he was introduced to me, I morphed into a bastard angel - Baldwin was black and gay. A double whammy in today's society and back then it was even harder.

The record is about nakedness, vulnerability, digging within. Not being afraid to dump your guts out onto the table. It's about not believing in consequences because there are none. It's about art and for the sake of arts last breath. I had great friends involved too, adding their creative spunk.