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Rock On The Range 2009 Interviews

By Steven Patrick

Korn guitarist Munky

UW: So this is the first ROTR for Korn, correct?

M: Yeah, I believe it is.

UW: Have you had a chance to see anybody play yet today?

M: No, we got in late last night. I couldn't sleep last night. After the show...it was really good. We played outside of Detroit last night.

UW: Whereabouts?

M: DTE (Energy Music Theatre)

UW: That's a nice venue.

M: Yeah, it was cool. It was a really good show and after a show like that, man, my adrenaline keeps going. It's hard to go to sleep.

UW: Well, Brian "Head" Welch has written one... Fieldy has written one... When can we expect the Munky autobiography?

M: *laughs* No time soon.

UW: Is that what your side project Fear and the Nervous System kind of takes the place of?

M: Yeah, I think so. Yeah, that's what I did while everyone was off doing their own thing last year.

UW: Is that still going to be released?

M: Yeah, I'm still working on it. It's like three quarters done. The music sounds great. I'm really happy with it.

UW: Now, Wes Borland was involved in some way right?

M: Well, he came in and did two or three songs with us, but we ended up scrapping them because the other songs...we didn't really have enough time, you know? And the way I was working was really unorthodox. I was kinda running in and out of the room. I was a mess. *laughs* I was just a mess and there was really no focus. I didn't have any songs...we were just jamming, which was fun. We had a good time doing it.

UW: Now is it completely distinct music from Korn?

M: Yeah, it's more of a rock thing. I guess it has kind of a...I don't know how to put a label on it. I guess it has...obviously it's me playing. And I tried different tunings so it would stand apart from Korn because I didn't want it to sound like Korn obviously.

UW: Naturally. In terms of a new Korn album, is that on the horizon?

M: Absolutely. Yeah.

UW: How far along in the process?

M: We're still in the writing process, so I think we have more songs to write. We've probably written about...fifteen ideas. Uh, but once we get back home and off the tour we'll have time to really map 'em out as songs and we're going to do them as we did our old Korn records. No Pro Tools. Straight to tape. We're gonna create the song. We're gonna write a song and lay it down. Instead of writing parts and parts and sticking them together in Pro Tools and then polishing them all through Pro Tools. I mean, that's what gave birth to this band, was the writing a song and recording it as it was. You know, there's always some improvisation but it was always the best way to capture the raw energy of the song and I think that we got away from that. It was just a journey. It was a way for us to explore new ideas, new ways of recording, and now it's kinda like, "Okay, let's go back and try the original recipe."

UW: I almost hate to say that cliché "back to roots" or "return to form"...

M: It is. It's true.

UW: So you're doing vocals on your side project?

M: I'm working on it. It's really hard, I mean I haven't done it yet. I mean, all the music's done on it. I have to do the vocals and it's kinda hard. It's like, you're in a band with one of the greatest singers in the world. People expect a lot from you, you know? So, I think once the melodies are mapped out I'll be able to write...I do have books of lyrics that I've written and, you know, they're not...great, but I think if I can capture a performance then I think the message will come across.

UW: Well there's been a lot on your shoulders being the sole guitarist member of Korn since Head left. What's that like?

M: Well at first there was a lot of pressure I felt. There was a tremendous amount of pressure. Um, but then it really pushed me to become a better musician because I didn't have anybody to bounce ideas off of like I did Brian. I was kind of left to explore my own melodies and kind of re-shape what I do.

UW: Were there any Spinal Tap-like moments where you went to play something live after Brian had left and realized that he handled a particular part or song so it had to be dropped from the set?

M: Yeah, yeah there were. I can't think of any, but there were plenty of them.

UW: So this is your first ROTR... are you a fan of any of the bands here today?

M: Uh, Slipknot. I'm a huge Slipknot fan. And I really like Flyleaf.

UW: Helluva voice.

M: Helluva voice coming out of that little girl.

UW: I read that the reason you started playing guitar was as therapy for a finger injury?

M: Yeah, I cut my finger off when I was 13 years old.

UW: So do you identify with Tony Iommi in that respect?

M: You know I had a chance to meet him briefly when we were in England and he was hanging out a bar. We were sitting there drinking. We talked for about five minutes about it. I didn't wanna like, you know..."Dude, you're so...KILLER!", you know what I mean? *laughs* Go nuts on it. But, yeah, we do have that in common. I can't remember how he lost his finger. He lost two I think...just the tips, but he wears prosthetics.

UW: Yeah, that he made himself.

M: Yeah, it's kinda crazy.

UW: To go back to the new Korn...the process is back to roots, but is the sound as well?

M: We're using Ross Robinson (producer) and he has a really unique way of drawing raw energy out of people.

UW: Well, what is it that he brings to the plate that other producers don't?

M: He's able to dig into your soul and pull out heart felt emotion. I've never worked with a producer that has ever been able to do that. I mean, we did our first two albums and you can clearly hear the raw emotion on those albums. Now working with him again over the past few months it's like, "Wow." You don't realize how much you miss it, you know?

UW: In terms of large festivals like this, do you feel that you're kind of rushed on stage because of the abbreviated set?

M: Yeah, we definitely feel rushed. We have maybe 25 or 26 songs that we've rehearsed that are really tight. A lot of old stuff too. But, you know, you want to be able to cram in as many songs as you can, so it's tough coming up with a set list to satisfy the fans and just to keep the set pumping all the way through. Because you want to be the band that people remember! Believe me, all the other bands want the same thing. It's kind of an unsaid competition. There's no band here that will probably admit it, but...

UW: But Korn will. *laughs* I saw a bunch of band posters out there with other band's stickers on top of them. You can definitely sense the competitive atmosphere.

M: You know, you wanna be on top. Who doesn't?

UW: Well do you have any parting words for your fans in central Ohio?

M: Uh, well I would just like to express my gratitude for all the years that the loyal Korn fans have been behind us. A lot of people haven't agreed with a lot of the things that we've done and, you know, that's life. You make mistakes, you move on, you learn from them...as with anything, especially with a band. You learn new things But mainly I would just like to express my gratitude for staying behind the band. A lot of people find...what's the word... they find kind of a security when listening to the band, when listening to any bands. I don't know...if there wasn't heavy music like Slipknot or Korn, man, there'd be mass murders every day. There's a release in it that the fans get...that I get. I'd probably murder everybody outside this bus, you know?

UW: And here I am alone in the bus with you... *laughs* I know what you mean though, it is therapeutic.

M: It's very therapeutic and it is for me too. You know, I come from an abused childhood, so I'm so thankful...grateful for it...to have the music and I'm grateful that the fans enjoy it. I hope they get something out of it as I do.

UW: Well, I'm sure they definitely do and we certainly appreciate your time you've given here at UWeekly to talk to us.

M: You're welcome and I really appreciate what you do getting the word out there.

Originally Published: May 20, 2009

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