AL JOURGENSEN Is Saying Goodbye To MINISTRY — For Real This Time: “My Ears Are Tired From Music”

After more than four decades at the helm of Ministry, Al Jourgensen is finally ready to step away. In a candid conversation on Full Metal Jackie (transcribed via Loudwire), Jourgensen explained the reasoning behind his decision to end the band once and for all — and it has nothing to do with drama or health issues.

“My ears are tired from music,” Jourgensen said. “The reason I say that, and that’s the reason I’m ending Ministry, it’s not so much for any health reasons or any kind of band conflicts or anything like that. It’s just that my ears are tired. I’m starting to find myself really slapping myself on the wrist, not repeating stuff that I’ve done before, and trying to keep going further. It gets harder as you keep going.”

While fans might expect this final chapter to be melancholy, Jourgensen insists the music remains strong. “That’s not to say the next album won’t be great, because it already is. We’re halfway done, and it sounds amazing. Amazing. But just saying that it’s a different kind of vibe. It’s more like a job now as opposed to having youthful enthusiasm.”

Jourgensen’s current project, The Squirrely Years Revisited, marks a rare return to his early synth-rock roots — territory he once refused to revisit. Surprisingly, it was his bandmates who brought him back to it. “The band had been talking about doing this for a while, but they knew I hated this stuff,” he said. “So, they reworked a bunch of stuff and then ambushed me after a show before Zombie on the tour bus and played me this stuff when they knew I was good and drunk.”

He recalled being stunned when he first heard the updated versions: “They played this stuff and I was just like, ‘Who’s this?’ And they’re like, ‘That’s you stupid.’ I’m like, ‘Oh!,’ cause I haven’t heard those songs in 40 years.”

According to Jourgensen, the idea was not about breathing life into songs from With Sympathy but to sort of rewrite their place in his legacy.

“Once you listen to it, you realize, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s that song from With Sympathy.’ But it’s just got a new kick in the pants to it” – even more remarkable is the fact that these tracks had to be completely rebuilt – “Yes, I did actually burn the master tapes. I had a barbecue, and, man, that was just horrible smelling.”

The release also sparked a strange but welcome change in his relationship to these songs. “Yeah, actually, I do [like some of them now],” he said. “There’s a couple of the early pop hits, even before With Sympathy… One of them is called ‘I’ll Do Anything For You,’ and that one is a good pop song. I can’t believe that wasn’t even on the record.”

Other tracks like “Revenge” and “Effigy” have been reimagined into something closer to arena rock.

Ministry’s final tour includes Nitzer Ebb, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and Die Krupps. The lineup is deeply personal to Jourgensen. “Thrill Kill Cult, I used to be in a band with their lead singer Frankie Fun before Ministry. So it all kind of ties in.”

What’s striking is how deliberate Jourgensen is about the farewell.

“This is just like one final album and tour, putting a bow on it and having Paul Barker come back into the band.”

Barker, a longtime collaborator from the band’s defining industrial years, has rejoined Jourgensen in the studio for the final record. “Paul Barker was an integral part of that, and he’s part of these recordings now as well. So, yeah, I’m just putting a nice little bow on a nice little career.”

While Jourgensen is closing the book on Ministry, his passion for activism remains alive. “Democracy is under threat, and so everyone should pay attention. If you like this system or if you don’t, I would suggest maybe going to live in an autocratic country for a while and voicing your opinions and see how that goes over.”

And even though he’s stepping away from the stage, he isn’t leaving art entirely. He’s found a new purpose in scoring films — including an upcoming documentary on the exploitation of Indigenous people in Oklahoma. “I did the whole score and also a song or two that’s coming out from the record… it’s called Long Knife.”

What’s next for Al Jourgensen? Nothing, and everything. “I might now be able to sleep a full eight hours at night and enjoy my swimming pool and just kind of chill out. I really don’t have any plans outside of just doing art, like just canvases and stuff like that.”