Faces | 1990

Mouth Off

Michael Patton of FAITH NO MORE

Favorite places to play:

"Scotland. It's just always a good vibe. It's either really violent or really fun. Those extremes I enjoy. I mean, there's places in the States where it's a great time too. It's just so much bigger … in Europe you can drive five minutes and you're in another country and completely different setting and completely different people. Different money - it just keeps your perspective a lot better. In the States, it just ends up getting … old (laughs). Y know, it's 'Party at Taco Bell' or something."

On gigs in the middle of nowhere:

"Sometimes they end up being really cool. We played a bowling alley in - I think it was Oklahoma City or Omaha Nebraska. Some city that had a lot of O's in it. There was a bowling alley next door. The gig was okay, but then we bowled all night and it was awesome! We got some free shoes."

On being paired with Billy Idol for a tour:

"I was expecting them to put us with some cheeseballs like … whoever the f**k, some glam rock. I hate that sh*t. I'm really glad we got to be with someone that I can respect a little bit."

On expanding their audience into different genres:

"Well, we're trying to expand our audience, but not into any category really. We don't really care who likes us, as long as they come and have a good time at the show, do whatever. Lately it's been a lot more weirdos. It seems like there  would be a lot more pop people because MTV's really picked up on us, but I've noticed a lot more … freaks. I guess that tells you about the people that watch MTV!"

On Black Sabbath and FNM's cover of "War Pigs":

"Most of us weren't really weened on Black Sabbath. Just like two guys in the band were big Black Sabbath devotees, Jim and the drummer Mike. I f**kin' hate those guys, to tell you the truth. I never really got into 'em. I never even owned one of their albums before I joined this band, and then we went to Warner Brothers and they gave us all these CDs. I didn't like most of them so I traded them in! I mean I like that song, and I have a couple of the albums and there's some good songs on 'em, but … I don't know, I just can't relate to a lot of it."

On the music he grew up on:

"Elton John was my favorite when I was a kid. Elton John, then I kind of got into disco (laughs), then after that I got into metal, then death-metal, then hardcore, then the whole speed-core thing, like the crossover thing, then I don't know."

On artistic tensions within the band:

"When someone says to me 'sing this way' or something, I just don't agree. I just get on the defense. I mean if I told Jim to play a certain way, he'd play the opposite way just to f**k with me."

On writing FNM's lyrics:

"I've always written real nasty, offensive stuff, so I had to tone it down a bit, and I had to kinda think in a different frame of mind. The whole experience was actually a lot different. I got in the band and I've never been in a band that's been - like, this music's pretty straightforward to me. So the whole thing was kind of a big adjustment! Putting lyrics to something that's always in 4/4 time - and it usually is in 4/4 time."

Why Red Hot Chili Pepper Anthony Kiedis was slagging him in the press with accusations that Michael is copying him:

"I don't have a clue. It just kind of came out of the blue. I mean, I could speculate, but I really don't know. It doesn't bother me a bit. I got a real big kick out of it, to tell you the truth. I mean, if he's gonna talk about me in interviews, that's fine — it's free press!

"It's pretty out of line. Either he's feeling inadequate or old or I don't know … That's beat, but I have no reason to talk sh*t about him.”