Faith No More | Metal Hammer | March 2026

WADE WORTHINGTON

Founder and original keyboard player/backing vocalist with Faith No Man, who became Faith No More, 1979-1983

Metal Hammer | 5 Mar 2026

“My first band was The Spectators, but that fell apart and then there was Sharp Young Men, which then became Faith No Man. I had this ad up in the local record store in Berkeley [in the Bay Area], and the first person to answer was [bassist] Bill Gould. We’d been at a frat party and seen [drummer] Mike Bordin play. We ended up at his family home. In the hallway there was a picture of him with this huge afro, and I think that’s why he got nicknamed Puffy at some later date.

“Bill got us a show at a club called Frenchy’s in the adjacent town of Hayward. I couldn’t hold a tune but I would sort of scream. We recorded a demo [as Sharp Young Men] at [future FNM producer] Matt Wallace’s garage at his parents’ house. That led to more gigs – I remember one show that was like an art gallery with a trapdoor and a ladder that was a deathtrap to get your gear down. We were standing outside, and these kids jumped out of a low-riding car and started attacking Mike. We jumped in the van and ran a red light and drove to Bill and Roddy’s [Bottum, future FNM keyboardist] apartment, which might have been Courtney Love’s place as well at that time.

“I was hoping to hide my shyness in my performances, but I didn’t like what I saw and I didn’t like my singing. I was trying to graduate and I wanted to do this trip with my sister, riding round Ireland on bikes, so I apologised and told them I was leaving. I let them use my garage while I was away and even let Roddy, who didn’t have a keyboard at that time, use mine.

“We did this show at this club called The Sound Of Music in San Francisco, and I played half the set then passed the baton to Roddy. I really thought they were going nowhere. I remember seeing Bill some time later and he took me to his rooms. There’s a dead rat hanging in my face, a guy in a loincloth and turban playing a flute in the corner and this lady, belly dancing topless.

“In the 90s I totally tuned out. I was working at a frame shop and talking about bands I’d been in, and mentioned Faith No Man. They said, ‘You mean Faith No More?’ I had no idea that they were popular. That was a big shock. I probably had regrets. Everybody wants to be famous but I’m very grateful to have had those experiences and I’m really happy for them.”