Life Among Angels
Ivette Ruiz
There is really nothing average, predictable or typical about Faith No More. Mastering diverse variations of sounds that fluctuate from record to record, FNM has set themselves apart by simply refusing to be pigeonholed into one distinct musical classification.
The band's latest release, Angel Dust, contains more of what this Bay Area group is known for: music that disassociates them from the expected norm yet with enough substance to establish credibility in the music world.
"I think this record takes us a step further." begins drummer Mike Bordin. "It shows us as a more confident unit and [that] we're still learning and growing. This is a definite progression. This time we just wanted to make an even better record and not necessarily follow the guidelines that the press and others tried to lay on. We really tried to dig inside ourselves and bring something out that was challenging, confrontational and extremely unique. I'm very pleased with it.
"If you allow yourself to be stereo-typed, then in a way you insult yourself and your audience", he continues, ''Some bands - after they achieve success - think if they do anything else they'll get kicked off the goddammed gravy train, and that's not music, that's fill in the blanks."
After selling millions of records in 1989 with The Real Thing, Faith No More became one of MTV's hottest commodities, and they were propelled into the public eye. In most circumstances, a band in such a position usually succumbs to record company pressure in order to secure equal or greater success on their next release. Bordin says that's not what FNM is about and they certainly don't feel comfortable with the concept.
"I think our fans will say we this is a new record because it's not like the old one, actually it's [another] step," he elaborates. "I think this record is heavier, with a better sound - a better band. To be quite honest, if someone buys our record to hear one type of sound that they heard two years ago, they should look somewhere else. We don't play that. The quickest way to get anybody angry is to say, 'Hey, this is all you can do.' That's not where we're at.
"The only way you can really approach something is from the heart if you have something to say. I hope that people will listen to our record with an open mind. It's like getting into a cab and the driver's going to take you on a trip, but we're the driver. If you take them (the listener) to a place they've already been, well, that's stupid."
Living with success as well as adjusting to it is something that doesn't come easily to most. Faith No More is no exception. Although the band experienced fame and fortune for the first time recently, there were no mind struggles because of it. They just dealt with everything on a down-to-earth level, and continued doing things their own way, regardless of how everyone expected them to react to their newfound notoriety. "Nobody could have told us two years ago that the record we thought was so great and were so proud of was going to do what it did. It told us we were reaching a lot of people and that we were on the right-track," Bordin says. "It made us realise that a lot of people, for convenience sake or whatever else. will put you in a little glass box and have you be just like everybody else - interchangeable. It's really untrue and some people believe that, which is unfortunate because it really limits your brain power. It means you're a band that's expected to do only this and that's it. That's bullsh*t because you grow, and if you don't grow you lose. We're not interested in dying. We're not interested in hanging onto anything, we want to take it further because we feel we have something to contribute."
Diversity and originality are just small aspects of what FNM has to offer. As they flawlessly blend various styles to create their own distinct flavour, each recording marks the be-ginning of a new adventure for the band and their listeners.
"All l want is for people to listen to our record with an open mind and make their own decision," affirms Bordin, "It doesn't bother me what people say or think. It would bug me if people saw us as a strict metal band. I personally don't like certain things about heavy metal, and that would definitely bug me because that's a limitation. I think that being considered trend-setters is a compliment, because that means we're doing our job. We're not living in the future, we're making records for now, and that's the point. Things have to change. It's normal."
Faith No More remain driven to retain their individual qualities while increasing their longevity and notoriety. Bordin expresses that they just want to continue being themselves.
"I honestly hope that I remain a human being and don't think of myself as the most important person in the world and forget everybody else," Bordin states, "One thing I hope doesn't happen is that we become too cynical and end up not giving a sh*t. You see these guys in other bands traveling around in private planes with their security people and it's all so IMPORTANT. It's just about fun. If you don't have fun and present that to people, it's not gonna work for anybody.
"I hope that we get super successful and reach as many people as we can through our music," he continues. "I hope everything happens to us because of the strength of our records and that we told the truth while doing it. We want to teach people that it's cool to listen to many different things and be very open-minded. It's okay to do that. There's room enough for everybody."
