The British soap opera Eastenders is celebrating 40 years of being on TV! Why you ask is this relevant to Faith No More ? Well, Bill Gould  is a huge fan of the BBC television series. The bassist has celebrated Eastenders on his social media over the years commenting on storylines and revealing in 2012 that cockney thug Derek Branning, played by actor Jamie Foreman, was his favourite character. In August 2009 FNM played the Eastenders theme tune, composed by Simon May, during the interlude of Midlife Crisis at various shows including Reading/Leeds festival. Whilst on tour in 2012 Bill visited the set and the famous Queen Vic pub. It was during the same tour that FNM released a limited edition shirt dedicated to Eastenders.

On the 25th anniversary of   Disco Volante , Trevor Dunn  talks to us about Mr. Bungle 's second album. After we celebrated the 25th anniversary of their debut album with exclusive interviews from members of the band we followed up our conversation with Trevor with a discussion about the second record Disco Volante . Mr. Bungle's approach to writing music radically changed from the debut record to Disco Volante. Why was this? This album seemed to be driven more by individuals than a team effort. Was this because you now all had more projects on the go? I’m not sure I’d say our approach was different.  It’s true that instead of hanging out on campus where we were all going to school, by the early ‘90s we had relocated to San Francisco and were individually pursuing multiple music ventures.  I would say that after our first tour of ’92 we were completely done with that music and it took Danny, Trey and I a solid year to even get together in the same room with instruments.  Mike was constantly on the road.  Looking back I think that was a big learning period for all of us.  We were hungry for different music and culture and we used that time to research and absorb, individually finding things on our own as adults in “the big city”.  So once we started trying to figure out what our next musical move was we brought those new ideas to the table.  Ultimately our writing approach was the same, just more informed.   Also I think each of us was becoming more confident and secure as distinctive writers.  It was less about ‘let’s jam and create something’ and more about ‘here’s a concept; here’s what I have in mind’.  —not fully, but heading in that direction, which would solidify by the time we got to ‘California’.   I have often referred to DV as our “identity crisis” album.  I still remember Danny, Trey and I getting together the first time after the ’92 tour.  We sat there in our rehearsal studio with our instruments staring at each other with no idea what to do. The 'Sleep trilogy' was completed on this album. Can you explain a the concept?  I didn’t know it was a trilogy until I wrote parts 2 & 3 and realized I had a running theme that originated with Slowly Growing Deaf.  In a nutshell, that song (with Phlegmatics & Carry Stress In The Jaw) explores corporeal reactions to outside forces; the gradual decline of the human body due to social interactions.  There is also the idea that while we sleep, our bodies recuperate and our minds deal with what has been imposed upon us.  The fruit of that processing is phlegm which accumulates until we wake up and expectorate.  I suppose it’s a sort of digestion on the mental level.   The song Phlegmatics is more about the internal struggle between lethargy and productivity whereas the other two reflect a bit on misanthropy.  The human body deteriorates on it’s own, of course, but as the poet has said, sleep is death’s brother.  It’s a fairly pedantic and existential concept to be honest, but also a very personal one.  “Slowly..” was inspired by the ironic need to wear earplugs while listening to music and also people’s inability to listen.  “Carry Stress…” was inspired by actual teeth-pulling anxiety nightmares and a serious case of bruxism.  Trey said in a recent interview that due to the success of the debut album Warner pretty much left you alone. How did they react to DV?  I seem to remember that they always left us alone. Patton was a big asset to them financially and in that regard it gave us some power because they had to appease him.  That, for one, meant giving him the freedom to work with us as he always had.  I don’t believe any of our records ever recouped which isn’t that big of a deal for a major label who have much larger fish to fry.  For them it is just another tax write-off.  And I have a sneaking suspicion that they possibly believed we would “grow up” musically some day and make them some money.  We never had much of a real relationship with the small group of people who were supposed to be our A&R folks.  Also, there was so much time between our albums that the staff had usually changed by the time we came around again.  I can’t say I really remember their reaction or cared one way or the other.  I do remember that getting the artwork as we wanted was a total pain in the ass and ultimately failed to a degree.  Musically, however, it was a blessing to be left alone. Was any of the album improvised in the studio or did you have the whole thing carefully orchestrated?  The only moments of improv I can recall are some of the foley sounds on “Violenza..” and a few moments of “The Bends” as well as the breakdowns in “Carry Stress..” and “Merry Go Bye Bye”.  The whole record, including those moments, was certainly meticulously crafted starting with early demos and lots of rehearsals.  Once in the studio we had it in lock-out and basically lived there for close to two months.  You guys produced the album on your own was this simply because you couldn't find anyone to share your vision?  I remember driving my pick-up truck to Davis, CA with Zorn in the passenger seat on our way to a Masada gig (there was a short-lived West Coast quartet version with Kenny Wollesen, Ben Goldberg and myself).  On that trip I asked Zorn about producing DV.  I think Bungle had kicked around the idea of having him produce again but we were not 100% sure.  Zorn told me he felt that we didn’t need a producer and that we were capable of doing it on our own.  He was right. In 1994 Trey joined and left FNM, did this situation have any effect on Patton and Trey's working relationship in Bungle?  I can’t really speak on that for various reasons. Suffice it to say rifts were established. The extent of the effect and on who is difficult to measure, but Mike & Trey continued to work together for sometime after that, as you know. There is mystery surrounding 'Spy' or 'The Secret Song'. What is the story? I suppose it will be good to put this in writing as I am often coerced into telling the story. Firstly, it was never called “Spy”.  That is a completely distinct song, “Spy” being the working title.  It was later named “Lemmy Caution” based on a character from the movie Alphaville.  As I mentioned, we basically lived in the recording studio . We would spend entire days and nights in there without seeing the sun.  In addition to this we tried to carry on with some of our normal lives.  I had some jazz gigs in town and one night I had to step out early to go to this gig.  Unbeknownst to me, while I was out the other guys arranged a song and recorded it.  Since I wasn’t there you’d have to ask them how that actually went down, but the song was compiled from our ‘graveyard of riffs’.  The graveyard consisted of countless riffs and orphaned phrases that never found a home.  Anyone could pilfer from the graveyard at anytime.  A few days later I was rummaging around the studio and came across a DAT tape where I discovered a rough mix of this song.  Busted.  Incidentally that is Bär on drums, Mike on bass and I believe Danny is playing keyboards although I’m not 100% sure.  The next level of secrecy was that Mike didn’t know I had discovered the tape.  He wasn’t around that day, but everyone else knew that I knew.  Later, we were in another studio and I decided to record the old man vocals which were for the most part improvised (as if that isn’t obvious).  The plan was to keep these vocals a secret from Mike until the record actually came out.  That would have been a very difficult task to uphold.   It didn’t work and Mike somehow heard the recording with my vocals.  However, the other guys didn’t know that he knew, so when the record came out he pretended to be pissed of about it, saying that the vocals ruined the song.  I was the only one who knew he wasn’t really angry.  We maintained the secrecy of the song by 1) not listing it on the CD (some people continue to think it’s called “Carry Stress In the Jaw”) and 2) hiding it in a hidden groove on the vinyl.  We also never played it live. Do you have a favourite Mr. Bungle album?  Musically I am most proud of California however they each hold a distinct personality/history for me. Certainly they frame entire eras of my life.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the debut album by Mr. Bungle we had the privilege of chatting to members of the band and discussed their thoughts on this seminal record. Five years later and we are revisiting our conversations. Our second interview is with the incredible bassist and songwriter....Trevor Dunn. Trevor formed the band in 1985, and grew up in Eureka with his co-founders Mike Patton and Trey Spruance . Even after there disbandment in 2000, Dunn continues to enthuse about the band. Since Mr. Bungle Trevor has played in a number of bands: Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant , Electric Masada, Fantômas, Secret Chiefs 3, Melvins, Tomahawk, MadLove and other great projects including John Zorn. He is currently in the studio with L.A. band Qui . When was the last time you listened to Mr. Bungle's debut album? Honestly, I can’t remember the last time. It’s rare that I listen to my own music, especially from that far in the past. I’m quite self-critical of my performance and compostion and that would extend to the group dynamic in this case as well. If I dive deep into my memory I would say the general sound of that album is a bit dated. It’s very “early ‘90s” with extremely bright guitar tones and cheap synths. I guess the kids are into that sort of thing these days though, the ‘90s that is. How did John Zorn become involved with production? What did he add to the band's sound? We were all appreciative of Naked City, Spillane and Spy Vs Spy —Zorn’s projects of the late ’80s that found their way onto the Nonesuch label. Since we had an actual budget thanks to Warner Bros. we decided to get an actual producer. Thomas Dolby was too expensive and Frank Zappa was too busy. I think it was Danny and Trey who approached Zorn when he was in SF and handed him a cassette tape of some songs and improv sessions we had made in Eureka (the “legendary” Chicken Coop Sessions that were recorded in an actual chicken coop with 4-ft ceilings where we used to rehearse. He tried to convince us that he wasn’t “commercial” and we might find a more apt producer somewhere else, but we were persistent as we felt that —due to his understanding of many genres—that he would understand us. In essence he helped us mix the album. Scheduling meant he couldn’t make the actual recording sessions. Later, he had us re-do some things and gave us a general guidance. Essentially he put the brakes on a bunch of hyper and overly-excited small town kids who tried, almost successfully to fill up every nano-second of space will some kind of sound. He kept us true to our spirit, however, always deferring to our desires, which was encouraging. ( tidbit: the Chicken Coop Sessions is where the bulk of Dead Goon was created). One song that didn't make the album (much to fans dismay) was Mr. Nice Guy. Did you ever plan to record this song? We did record it in that session along with an early version of “Platypus” and John Barry’s vocal theme of “Thunderball”. Unfortunately every album has a time limit. Well, that is actually a fortunate thing. I, for one, can’t stand records that are too long. I have always loved that song, too (mostly written by Trey) but for whatever reason we decided it didn’t fit in with the rest of the material. Something HAD to go. By the time DV came along, a revision of Platypus was appropriate, but Mr. Nice Guy wasn’t musically valid to us anymore. Will those recordings ever be heard? A reissue with extras maybe? It's possible. There are also rejected songs from DV ("Lemmy Caution" aka "Spy" --which I believe has made it's poorly copied presence known to the intraweb, and an extended version of "Everyone I Went To HS With..." (12 minute "Class of '86 remix) as well as "Coldsore") and from California ("Praise of Folly"). The truth is, we have piles of tapes lying around (various places....who knows!?) of possibly interesting jams and unfinished recordings, prank phone calls and monodramas. I would love to release them all but that is a huge can of worms. How much of your childhood growing up together in Eureka went into the album? A whole-fuckin’ lot. I would say that Trey and Mike and I, considering our ages and penchants, where destined to find each other. We disliked everyone/thing else and we gravitated toward each other in a very small, impoverished, and isolated area. I would say that every song reflects, in some way, our collective introspection, confusion, disdain and resultant social commentary and self-reflection that developed as teenagers in the ‘80s. While many of our peers were turning to drugs and alcohol, we found comfort in music. You had been playing many of these songs for years. Did this make recording easier? As you probably know, most of the songs were recorded on our previous demo from 1989. Frankly, I feel that they had more youthful energy on that demo than the way they ended up on the album. By 1991 we were already close to sick of those songs which is why many phrases and inflections changed. This was even more apparent when we set out on our first real tour in ’92 and really started to mess with tempos and arrangements. To answer your question, yes it made recording easier. We rehearsed the shit out of all those songs so that we could come in and do as few takes as possible saving us time and money. Are there any songs/moments on the album you are particularly proud of? Referring back to a previous comment I made about self-critique, I usually find songs that the other guys wrote to be the most rewarding. I think My Ass Is on Fire is probably my favorite. Trey and Mike have a good collaborative dynamic whereas I tended to work alone. I also like the additions and weird production we added to Carousel (a song that dates back to the mid ‘80s). There is an immeasurable amount of talent and crazy on the album. You guys grew up together, did you encourage each other to be eccentric or is this why you all gravitated towards each other? I met Mike in junior high school where we were gradually seceding from our respective cliques (he from basketball jocks, I from D&D geeks) and started trading rock records. I suppose he saw that I was playing in a band and saw something in common between us. Later, I met Trey in music theory class in high school where he turned me onto Poulenc’s Organ Concerto and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. We certainly encouraged each other, even into our college years and beyond (not just in music but also in literature, art and general discourse). We were all fortunate enough to be blessed with curiosity. Mike and I played in a metal cover band; Trey and I played in big band (jazz) together. The eccentric quality seemed natural to us, it wasn’t forced. Mike and I were eventually ousted from the metal band “Fiend” because the other members were convinced we were trying to make it more punk and in those days metal & punk did not mix. (They were probably correct in their assumptions. We wanted to add COC, SOD and DRI songs to our Metallica/Slayer repertoire). That division always seemed ridiculous to me and still does. Of course, those guys now have successful careers in construction. Trey, on the other hand, couldn’t find an apt bass player for his weird, harmonically adventurous metal band “Torcher”. Thus, we gravitated toward a central unit. And is it at this point Mr. Bungle formed or were you playing under a different guise before? Once Trey, Mike, Jed and I got together ('84 or '85) it was pretty much unanimous to start a band. I remember our first session being a haphazard jam of various metal covers such as "Whiplash" and "Chemical Warfare". We contemplated naming the band Summer Breeze for a moment. It seemed like the most un-metal thing we could imagine. By November of 1985 we had played our first show at the Bayside Grange off the 101 between Eureka & Arcata. Our 1st demo was slated to come out in April of '86 somewhere around Easter but took longer than anticipated to "produce". Dan Sweetman and P Earwig's illustrations on the cover fit the music perfectly. How did this collaboration happen? P Earwig was a guy I met in the early days of tape trading. He started sending us drawings influenced by our lyrics. The hyper-adolescent, cartoony, perverted and violent nature of his work seemed appropriate, so we paid him a few bucks to use it on our debut. The Sweetman stuff was not really a collaboration. We were aware of his work and reached out to him for permission to use the images which he allowed to be colored and chopped up. We had previously asked Joel-Peter Witkin for use of some images….if I recall correctly one of a circus freakshow guy hammering a nail into his own nose and another of two bodiless heads kissing. We were denied usage. I also remember wanting to use the black and white clown (on the disc itself) to be used for the cover but I was out-voted by the other members. So be it. Another tidbit: We had asked the designers to make the sky red, not blue, to represent the fire the clown had lit, but “artistic freedom” prevented us from having our way. How do think Mr. Bungle's future would have transpired if Patton hadn't found fame with FNM? I can only speculate. There is no denying that we were handed an otherwise unlikely opportunity. We were certainly looking for a label at that time and I doubt that, if it weren’t for that FNM video in which Mike wears a Bungle t-shirt, no one would have been interested or curious about us. We may or may not have continued on depending on how difficult it would have been without that hype. It was a golden chance to make the records we wanted with a real budget from a label that had no interest (i.e no meddling) in what we were doing. I know you were proud of Mike's career with FNM. But their must've been a real sense of brotherhood whenever he mentioned Mr. Bungle in an interview or was photographed wearing the shirt? There was never any doubt that he remained an inherent part of Bungle and in those days we were gung-ho about promoting ourselves in anyway possible. At that point we were merely a garage band and FNM was playing small clubs in SF. There was no sense that it could blow up like it did. That blow-up caused its own set of problems which led us to not using his name on the record and refusing to play shows if they were advertised with Mike's name and association with FNM (this is what led to a lot of the destruction we caused on our first tour in '92, which in retrospect conjures the word "tantrum"). We wanted to be our own thing. We were never "Mike Patton's other band" and aside from sharing a singer we had nothing to do with them. We were a collective that Mike was a part of from the beginning. Obviously, the "front man" in a band is often credited with more leadership than is deserving. I was certainly proud and happy for him with the success of FNM but to be frank, that band was never really my thing. I think his melodic ideas are what made it interesting, and I would support him by going to see them play live, but it wasn't something I put on around the house. You also have to understand that listening to his voice is a little too close to home for me. For example, I can't listen to Zorn records anymore. Once you are fully inside the music (by working on it and collaborating for years) it is impossible to be objective and not dissect everything. There are endless personal, micro-musical and non-musical connotations that distract me from the music itself, so it's not a normal listening experience. The inevitable last question. What would it take for Mr. Bungle to reunite? Ultimately it would take the collective desire, interest and, most importantly, inspiration from the individuals to say something new. I can assure you that if it were to ever happen, the fans would not be graced with material from our past. I am often asked this question and the analogy I continually turn to is that of the exgirfriend. How strange and uncomfortable would it feel to return to a relationship from 15 or 20 years ago? Especially when each had moved on to other loves. There is nothing wrong with things coming to an end having fulfilled their roles. Nostalgia is a double-edged sword and it’s rare that a return to past mind-sets results in something natural as in the way those things originally happened. It would have to be an organic process. I can’t say any of us are really in control of that.

Our exclusive interview with Jon Hudson from June 2016 revisited. Words FNM Followers Photo Jimmy Hubbard 2015 proved to be a hell of a year for Faith No More . Riding on the success of Sol Invictus they performed one outstanding show after another. Their DIY attitude to promotion paid off and not only was it a amazing time for us fans but the band seemed to enjoy every minute of their journey also. On the new album we heard some of J on Hudson 's finest work with FNM, and during the last 18 months we have finally got to spend more time in the company of the guitarist. He has been involved in interviews, the focus of great articles in various guitar based publications, and of course the subject of an episode of 'tour talk' with Roddy Bottum . Now the dust has settled we caught up with Jon to discuss his personal experiences of Tour Sol Invictus, the first FNM album in 18 years and what's next..... With the new album came the media coverage FNM had been so careful to avoid since the reunion. You have taken part in more interviews since the beginning of 2015 than ever before. Are you enjoying speaking for the band? I don't recall having that busy of a press schedule, but since I don't make a habit out of reading the interviews we've done, I'll take your word for it. The circumstances were different last year, and we finally had something else to talk about, so that was a plus. Eventually, though, it becomes tough to answer the same questions without repeating yourself verbatim, which means that I'm good for about one interview at the most. 'Sol Invictus' has been a real success, bringing the band much respect and attention. FNM have possibly never been so popular. How does it feel? Well, the success with the new album is largely due to the support and dedication from the fans everywhere who really make it happen for us. We're continually reminded of how fortunate we are in that regard no matter where we end up on tour. It isn't something that we take for granted. As for the rest of it, I don't think that you'd want to put too much emphasis upon whatever accolade or praise that comes your way. You have to be your own guide and determine whether or not something has met your expectations. Besides, the next time around, you might only be getting brickbats for your efforts, so you need to rely on your own judgment throughout. You and Bill continued to write together during the 11 year hiatus, did any of that material make it onto 'Sol Invictus'? Nothing from that time period ended up on the album. I'm glad we worked on it, regardless of the outcome. We put together a batch of songs that had potential, but the project didn't develop much beyond that, so we shelved it and that's where it belongs. There's no reason to work backwards into the old stuff that never quite made it unless you appreciate running into some of the dead ends that you previously encountered. At best, it might give you an idea for something new that actually works, so perhaps you always hold onto it in some form or another. How would you describe your songwriting relationship with Bill and the other members now? I don't think that much has changed over the years, honestly. I'm sure that I was the first to state in the press last year that I didn't bring any songs to the table. By the time I became involved in the process, there was already plenty of material to work with. It would've been counterproductive to try and finesse some of my songs into the mix at that point, so instead, I jumped in and began working on everything else that we had. That's simply how it worked out this time around. 'Sol Invictus' does not over emphasize any instrument yet each plays a vital part in the song construction. Is this something, as a band, you consciously set out to achieve? I'd say that that's an inherent part of the band's aesthetic - to include only the important information. We're just trying to make the songs flow well from start to finish without allowing anything that isn't essential to get in the way, but the emphasis itself isn't a major consideration. It ultimately boils down to getting the arrangement right for the song. This was your first time working with Matt Wallace. What do you think to his treatment of your guitar sound? I wasn't around for it, so I couldn't tell you who did what during the mixes. Bill had a fairly particular idea for how he wanted everything to sound on the record, so I'm guessing that he had his hands on it first at the desk, but either way, the result through their collaboration was great; I was more than satisfied with the overall sound of the guitars and how they fit into the mixes. Are there any particular songs on this record that you are proud of more than others? I think it’s fair to say that the songs that made it onto the album represent our best efforts, and also that they translated as well as we'd aimed for, so I'm proud of all of them. For me, Black Friday ended up being the real sleeper of the record. It just came together so well at the end - it’s one of my favorites on the album. All the others members have spoken in detail about what this album means to them. What does it mean to you? The album represents another chapter in the story, right? To have continued touring in the absence of anything new would have veered off into territory that nobody wanted to find themselves in: rehashing the good old days. I don't hear this album going in the direction of the ones that preceded it, so in another sense, it's about moving forward and refusing to be constrained by the past. After so long playing the old material it must have been a welcome change to fill the set with new songs? Again, it was necessary to have something new, and so for us with this release, it's like going back to school. Initially, we're feeling our way through the new stuff until it becomes as comfortable as everything else or at least in the ballpark. It doesn't take long until everything settles in, but in the interim, it's keeping us on our toes. It's informative as well; it's our first chance to get that perspective on the material outside of the studio. How does touring differ now than it did in the 90s? I don't feel like there's that much of a difference. At the risk of stating the obvious, you're connected like never before; you're never that far removed from everything going on at home, and you're capable of managing it much easier than before, so you're essentially bringing all of it with you on tour, so to speak - at the airport, in a hotel room, or on the bus. What else is new? The emergence of those selfie sticks at the festivals? Are there any shows from tour 'Sol Invictus' that stand out in your memory more than others? If so why? Concord Music Hall, Chicago - It was cool that the band finally got in more US dates and several in Canada as well, and this particular show, with the crowd making all the difference, set the tone for the others that followed on that leg. Hellfest - Hard to top in its variety: L7 or Scorpions? Killing Joke or ZZ Top? Red Rocks Amphitheater – Every bit as visually spectacular as reputed and beyond. Aftershock Festival – The performance was right up there with the best on the tour. It was a fitting way to round out the year; it was exactly how I'd hope to see things draw to a close after a year like we'd just had. How are spending your time at the moment? Are you writing? Actually, I am working on a few ideas right now. It's something that I wanted to focus on after the tour ended, so it's a good place to be in. I'll probably take stock and see what comes of it sooner rather than later, so we'll see.

Faith No More 's masterpiece Angel Dust is of course an important part in the evolution of the metal genre with many artists citing the music as a huge influence. We reached out to some of these musicians and Mike Patton 's friend Max Cavalera was delighted to talk to us about his relationship with Faith No More and their innovative fourth album. The Cavalera brothers and members of FNM have shared a long friendship which Max tells us began when they "shared a crazy escapade" in 1991 at the Brazilian festival Rock In Rio II, he continues "We all liked FNM and simply met them for a dinner. We were fans of each other's bands." Max remembers Bill Gould wearing a Sepultura shirt in the video for Falling To Pieces which helped to bring the band to the forefront of the metal scene, "We thought it was cool he wore our shirt because that video was played all day." He also recalls with glee one particularly amusing event which almost ended in a night in the slammer for FNM, "Gloria and I took Zyon to a FNM concert when he was 7 days old. It ended with the police trying to arrest Mike and Billie for burglary outside our Phoenix house at 3:00am." Gloria (Max's wife) goes into more detail of these events on her blog. Faith No More!! You Are Under Arrest!! Max lists both Angel Dust and Introduce Yourself as his favourite Faith No More albums, his favourite songs are Kindergarten , Land Of Sunshine and A Small Victory . We asked him if Angel Dust had been influential in his songwriting, "Yes, the main influence was the Refuse Resist riff. I was listening to Angel Dust a lot when I wrote it." Angel Dust was of course voted the ' most influential album of all time' by Kerrang! in 2003. Definitely a bold statement and Max agrees on it's importance, "It's definitely an amazing record with many different styles." Sepultura's magnificent album Roots (an influential album in its own right) features on this list too which Max is particularly proud of, "....because it was a unique idea. I had always wanted to blend the roots of my Brazilian culture with Metal music." But he doesn't believe in living in the past, " It [the 90's] was definitely an exciting era but I think it is still continuing. There is exciting music today too." Moving on to more recent events we asked Max what it was like sharing the stage with FNM again in 2014 at Hyde Park Calling, "It was great show with sick bands. It was the day Brazil beat Colombia." He is of course referring to Black Sabbath and the now sadly departed Lemmy and Chris Cornell. We asked him if he thinks the time of rock icons has passed? "I think there will always be new icons appearing. Just like before Ozzy there was the Beatles." Max and Iggor have been on the road with live shows in celebration of Roots. He says of the Return To Roots Tour, "We had an amazing time and the shows were packed. It was something we wanted to give back to the fans." And commenting on that amazing moment that Patton joined the brothers in SF to perform Lookaway , "It took so long [to happen] because we are all on different sides of the planet. It was one of the coolest live collaborations we have done." Finally we asked if it is a collaboration that might happen again, "There are no plans now but anything is possible!" Rhino Records have released a vinyl boxset of the early Roadrunner Sepultura albums that feature both Cavalera brothers. The guys talk in detail about this great collection. Max and Iggor are currently hard at work in the studio in Phoenix, Arizona recording the fourth Cavalera Conspiracy album. Set to be released in the Fall of 2017 on Napalm Records, Max and Iggor have now left a message to their fans and the worldwide metal community with a first teaser and greetings from the studio.

Faith No More 's third studio album was released thirty five years ago on June 20th 1989. In 2019 we asked you to send us your questions for the core members of FNM: Mike Bordin , Roddy Bottum and Billy Gould . Photo Glen LaFerman The response was extraordinary! It took a lot of effort to collect all your entries and we selected the best to present to the band. Thank you to every one who took part and congratulations to those who were answered. A huge thank you to Mike, Bill and Roddy for taking the time to address all the fan questions and also the FNM management team for helping us out. We are sure that you will agree we have received some great answers and we hope that these interviews succeed in revealing more insight into such an outstanding record. As a drummer I've always been curious as to why you play your rack toms so flat. Especially with such big tom sizes. I've met you in person, you're a short dude. Seems like a strange setup. But hey, you're the man! Umm, thanks for that? Regarding the flat set up, there are many reasons/benefits. The main ones, off the top of my head, are as follows: The big tom sizes are for tone, power, and use for patterns, more than traditional fills. Not being overwhelmed by all of the high volume that surrounds you. Toms sitting flat take a straight on impact from the stick, not a glancing blow. Most of my tom notes are individual strokes, comprising rhythmic tom patterns (rather than faster, multiple note groupings of fills), so I want the notes to speak as clearly and forcefully as possible. The stick hitting the tom at a flat angle makes the drum speak sharply and cleanly, maximizing the air that the drum moves. It also forces you to keep your technique clean, both with posture, and holding (and swinging) sticks. A straight up posture is crucial- it anchors you to your seat solidly, which allows you a huge amount more forward force for kick drum power, rather than hunching over. Coming over the top with sticks in the matched grip technique, rather than using the traditional style, also gives you far more power, and gets you in and out of the drum head very quickly. A stick laying on a head will cut off and mute slightly the note that comes from the drum, like muting guitar strings with your fingers. Regarding tom patterns, a flat drum also allows me to catch the rim along with the head when I want more of a percussive sound/feel in the pattern. Make sense? Chris D UK: Thank you taking the time to talk with the fans Mike, The Real Thing is my favourite album of all time. Do you remember where and when you found out TRT had gone platinum? How did this feel after such a long time promoting it? Thanks for the kind words, Chris. The thing about record sales back then, and selling albums at such a high rate, is that there were tons of business people that would monitor the trends, and were paid to predict how they would play out. Point is, when we started selling a lot of 'TRT', gold and platinum were milestones that everyone was anticipating, and there were managers, label people, and agents predicting when that would happen for a period of time prior to it actually happening. We in the band were working extremely hard, and were touring no doubt somewhere, but I really can't remember exactly where. It was really gratifying though, to have actually reached that milestone doing something that We all put so much of ourselves into, and to see it connect on a large scale. Ben Myers, USA: What sticks in your mind as some of your best percussive work on The Real Thing ? Was there a track you had wish came out better? Hi Ben. In general, I stand by no regrets. The album, songs, and performances reflect my best effort at the time, with the technology, skill, experience, and head space that I had at that point. Andrew Bowie, Aus: Do you remember if there were any songs that were particularly hard to get right when recording The Real Thing? And did that difficulty translate live? Hi Andrew. My memory about stuff like that isn't particularly sharp. Others may have more vivid recollections about waiting around for me to nail something! One thing I can recall though, is playing between the side stick intro parts and then right into the loud parts on 'The Real Thing' song, I couldn't hear the side stick strokes through my headphones, and had to try and get the stick in the sweet spot of the rim (to get a good clean note) just by feeling it. That was kind of tricky. Live though, that was never an issue. Frank Slodysko, USA: When presented with the concept of covering War Pigs , how much pressure did you feel to do the song justice? Hello Frank. I am a lifelong Sabbath fan, pretty well documented by now. That said, I can also say that there was zero pressure to do anything but just play the song how we were going to do it. Dunno, maybe youthful ignorance? Either way, we played it because we wanted to, that's about the size of it. Frank Slodysko USA: When writing the songs, how much (if at all) did the bay area music scene change the course of the material? Did you ever happen to hear other bands doing something similar and alter your compositions to avoid being lumped in or pigeonholed? Frank, S.F. Homie. To answer the last part of your question first, Hell No! You have to remember, We were touring absolutely as hard as we were able to, doing so internationally, and mostly in a bubble. I also think this was still before Internet and cellphones connected us all instantly. We wrote, as we have always said, directly reflecting where we had been prior to that point, and also reflecting our growing experience in just physically performing what we had previously written live. Just sorta feeling instinctively what works/doesn't, and evolving from there. The individuals we had within the band were always more than enough, as far as opinions/input went! Aaron, UK: Wow! Do you ever get tired of people asking, ‘what is it?’ . My question is for Puffy. Your beats on The Real Thing seem to be more power driven and less complex than on the previous albums. Was this because that’s what suited the songs, or did you decide to evolve this way? Hi Aaron. Haven't been asked that question since the song was in the charts! I guess if I think about it, it probably would have been journalists asking, which would've seemed lazy and obvious on their part. Sure, stuff like that can get a bit tired in the moment, but it's a blessing to have something you write and perform connect with people on such a large scale. Who knows, if we ever meet, maybe you can ask me? Or not. Answering your question about evolution, I don't think it should ever be a conscious decision. You either value and embrace it, or you don't. The members of this band have valued that from the earliest days (like playing a completely different set of songs for each show), and that has never changed. I hope you can see that when comparing each of our albums. Evolution "on purpose" seems kinda forced, and maybe not particularly genuine. Dunno, hope that is not splitting hairs. Olivia: My Question is for Mike B. We all know that Patton used to get to all sorts to amuse himself on tour. I would like to know how you coped with the long hours on the road for two years? Thanks for talking to fans you are a legend! Thank You Olivia. The serious answer to that is I learnt- not even on purpose, but just to survive the experience of extreme touring, and all of the insanity that comes with it. I learnt why I was doing what I was doing (loving playing drums), what I needed to do to do it as well as I could (tons of rest, both physically and mentally), and what was important to me (not getting caught up in stuff that wasn't relevant to me, being a good person as much as possible, stuff like that). You have to remember that all of us were barely past being kids when we started. So growing up in that kind of environment is not natural, not private, not easy ,and certainly not forgiving. Adapt, evolve, or die, I guess. Louis, France: How did you guys feel when you first heard the lyrics. I mean paedophilia, drowning your girlfriend and masturbation aren’t exactly the most savoury subjects! Ha ha Bonjour Louis. Being in a Band, stuff like that coming up lyrically doesn't even raise an eyebrow! It's a very unique dynamic in a band with all of the different personalities together, pushing things along creatively. Also, we as a band were not intentionally shooting for the mainstream audience, Our focus was about writing and playing to the absolute best of our abilities. Maybe if you are on the business side of things, afraid of how to sell/market/exploit the music (product) and maximize exposure, you'd freak out a bit. But, that is really more part of the 'Angel Dust' story, now wouldn't you think?! Dan Loix, Belgium: What were your impressions and feelings about Mike when he joined the band and sang for the first time in rehearsal? Same for the first show with him during The real thing tour, can you remember how it happened? Thank you guys. Hi Dan. I was most impressed with his voice. I hadn’t heard Mister Bungle like the rest of the band members had. It kind of wasn’t so much my thing. Mike sang so well, I remember that. It was kind of shocking. Remember, we’d been playing with Chuck for a long time and yeah…. night and day. The first rehearsal was a ‘get to know each other’ sort of thing. He was younger than us. Way more into like… sports and we had different references. But we laughed at the same things. He had a cynicism that I related to, we all related to. He sang 'Falling to Pieces' and was abashedly kind of ‘poppy’ about it and I liked that right away. Like he wasn’t scared to go for that sound. Soon after I DID see Mr. Bungle and it was really clear that he was so good at so many different styles of singing. There wasn’t a lot he couldn’t do. Andrew, AUS: Was Woodpecker From Mars always thought of as an instrumental, or did Patton ever attempt adding lyrics during the demo process? Hi Andrew. We used to talk about our songs in terms of cinema. 'Woodpecker' was definitely one of those that we likened to a cinematic mood. I think we felt it had drama and energy without vocals. It is kind of typical of our attitude and bravado at the time. Doing an instrumental seems kind of prog rock of us now, looking back. It was d efinitely a pompous gesture. I’m so glad we stuck to our guns on decisions like that. Brad, USA: Roddy, your keyboards for the title track are so emotive. Do you go in with concrete suggestions that get approved by the other members or does someone say something like, "a riff that evokes sadness. . ." I'm thinking about the keyboard parts during "like the way you cry for a happy ending . . .” Hi Brad, thanks for your compliments. We worked as a democracy best, honestly. The things I brought to the table were usually accepted without question. A lot of times Billy had keyboard parts or ideas that he would play and we’d work on together but we always encouraged each other to make our own ideas work. The only thing we were really strict about was the guitar, funny enough. We had a chunka chunka sound that we always strived for and Jim hit that mark most of the time. When he would get too noodley and riffy we would try and reign him in. It caused disruption in our process but we definitely had a guitar sound that we usually strived for. Keys and bass and drums we all trusted each other more. Vocals too, Mike did what he felt 100% of the time. Synthesizer takes a huge part in creating Faith No More's sound and using synth sounds was one of the biggest differences comparing to the other bands of 90s. I recently watched so many interviews and I know every member in the band listens to different stuff. So, what were you listening to while recording The Real Thing? Who were your biggest influences? I think at the time I was still really into electro rap. Like Africa Bambaata and the Soulsonic Force, Grandmaster Flash, rap that employed synth sounds was sounding really fresh. There was no real specific band that we tried to emulate. Other than Killing Joke but that was just a feeling more than a musical flavor we tried to mimic. Kraftwerk I really liked and Throbbing Gristle and then Psychic TV were both weird arty bands we all liked. Post punk bands like Echo and the Bunnymen, Joy Division. Local bands like Flipper and Frightwig and Glorious Din. I remember hearing SPK and really liking that at the time. Lee Knott, UK: Were you ever shocked by some of the things Patton said when he bad mouthed other artists when you were on stage? Were there any repercussions? For the record, I thought he was brilliant doing it. Hi, Lee. We were such brats, y'know? We were young and really into just getting reactions from people. Part of that came from playing on tours with bands like Billy Idol or Metallica or Guns and Roses…. bands who liked us but their audiences didn’t really. So to get a reaction we all kind of pushed buttons. Mike saw this attitude in us immediately and kind of jumped on board. Looking back at it I don’t find it real brilliant but I do see it as provocative and I can still appreciate that. Bob Coldicott: I used to play keys in a metal band and I always struggled with the awkwardness of what to do with myself when I didn’t have parts to play (do I sway, head bang, walk around, etc). Did you ever have that feeling and how do you manage to look so cool while performing? Hey Bob. That’s a funny question. Yeah, I always just tried to commit 100%. And that kind of meant physically. We were very committed to our sound and treated it most like a crazy hypnotic trance sort of vibe. That’s how we started. It is kind of awkward, the keys onstage in that environment. Maybe not so much anymore but I remember it being kind of an uncharted territory as far as movement onstage. I remember the Fishbone guy was real fun with his keyboards. I think he had like a stand that swivelled so his keyboard would swing all over the place. Jarlath O'Grady: When writing the music without a singer, how conscious of leaving space for verses and choruses to be added later were you? Or were you just writing instrumentals/jamming without too much consideration to lyrics that would be added later? Hi Jariath. Good question. kind of a little of both. We loved pop music and traditional rock stuff and hated it at the same time so we usually tried to cover bases. We’d do a song with a traditional verse/chorus vibe and then do a freak out in which things could be added however the singer determined. I feel like we didn’t pay as much attention as we should have to the overall gist of the lyrical content back then. It was kind of an afterthought to the rest of the band. I think we’re kind of lucky that Mike just happened to be really good with words. I love his lyrics a lot. Jed, USA: I've always been very inspired by FNM choice to do such a variety of covers, both for the purposes of homage and for satire. Were there covers that FNM did in the practice space or wished to learn but couldn't agree upon, or it just never worked out etc? Hi Jed. Most of the songs we talked about covering we did. The only one I can remember not coming to fruition is 'Ca Plane por Moi' by Plastic Bertrand. I think maybe I wanted to do a GoGo’s song once that we never did. At one point I remember we each got to choose a song and then we did all those as covers. It really came about because of getting pigeonholed with the whole 'War Pigs' cover. People really wanted to hear that song, particularly our more metal kind of fans. It irked us and we felt like we needed to prove that we weren’t that kind of a band so we did 'Easy'. Then we just went with it and started finding songs that moved us in ways that more heavy songs didn’t. Courtney, USA: Hey Roddy, May I firstly say what an inspiration you are. How difficult was it as a gay man to be surrounded by such a macho scene when you found success during TRT touring and the metal crowd picked up on FNM? Did you feel you had to hide your sexuality? Hi Courtney. Thanks for those words. Yeah, that was a weird process and a really personal one. Everyone treats it differently and comes out on their own clock. I guess I wasn’t willing to acknowledge being gay until I did for some reason but I’m not sure why. Looking back on it, I wish I’d been more honest with my family and the band and all my friends and just gotten on with my life. I think it came to a point when we were being thought of as a more metal macho kind of band that I felt the need to make the statement. Like, ‘hey… we are SO not that. in fact…..' It was a scary place to go cause honestly there wasn’t a lot of gay in that type of music at the time. Like… Elton John, Freddy Mercury, Rob Halford, Bob Mould, on and on and on… still in the closet all of them at the time. It was uncharted territory and it was scary for a kid. It’s about as political as we got back then. Jim, UK: Whose idea was it to record the role reversal skit on the set of the Falling To Pieces video? You guys nailed your impressions by the way! Hi Jim. I can’t remember. It seems absolutely ridiculous now. I remember being Mike Bordin and drawing on his moustache. And doing some drum tricks that I’d seen him do. It’s a good thematic for a video. If the entire video had been that it would have been more effective. Nick Bashaw : I consider you a pioneer in modern bass tone. It seems like you were one of the first to embrace distorted bass that really stands out. It was your tone that inspired me to play. Can you give some insight into what you used for distortion back then? And maybe what you use now? Thanks! Ha, all I had was a cheap Peavey Mk III amp that began to distort at higher volumes. I found that I actually liked the way it distorted and began to see how to make it fit with the other guys. I think it kinda worked...! Wyatt, USA: I'd like to ask what bass rig did you use in the recording of the record? I know you started to use Aria Pro II SB Integra's basically exclusively around this point in your history and I know that the Integra was the main bass you used on that album from what I've read, though you also were still using the Gibson Grabber bass sparingly too in some points of '87 and '88. And you use Peavey amps too along with what you said a long time back a DOD Bass Flanger and Ibanez Tube Screamer... I'd just like to know if the Grabber was used on The Real Thing or if it's mark was left on WCAL and IY . And what other equipment you used in the recording. Sorry for the long question. Have a great day y'all! STATION! Hey Wyatt! Yes, this album was where I transitioned from my Gibson to my Aria, for several reasons. One is because after all of the years of touring the Grabber,, it had been smashed and split so many times that it (the body) was just being held together -literally- with duct tape. Secondly, the Integra just a better guitar overall, it was actually a prototype of what later became the Integra series, it still had the sort of tone I liked (or even more of it), and was a real step up in quality. As far as amps go, I believe at that point I had what at the time was a new Peavey MkIV …had a similar tone (though not quite as classic) to the earlier Mk III but with more power and size. And I mic’d my original Peavey cabinet along with a new Peavey 2x15 … in fact, I had this old cab blended into every recording all the way up to AOTY. Mike Mayberry, USA: Could you please give us some details on the song The Cowboy Song ? Like, when and how it was written? Why it was chosen to be demoed early? Is it an older song? Was it written when Chuck was still there? If so, what was that version like? Why was it left off The Real Thing ? Was this one of those infamous cases where Patton had to be told to kinda tone down the more violent imagery in his lyrics? The subject matter is rather explicitly dark! Perhaps that's why it was omitted? Has it ever been performed live? If not, how come? Would you ever consider bringing it back or revisiting it in any way? It is a personal favorite. Thanks for all the great music! Love & respect! Hey Mike. It’s funny, the 'Cowboy Song' never blew any of us away as a song (which is why we never play it live) but you are not the first one to speak it’s praises; it seems to have connected with a lot of people. I can’t say for sure when it was written, but sometime during the transition between Chuck and Mike P. It was originally written on a 4-track in the same manner (and time frame) as 'The Real Thing'. And the demo version was not much different from what ended on the original, except that the solo section was worked out later between all of us in rehearsals. If it was the right occasion, I’d totally be willing to give it a crack live. Ben Brown, USA: Bill, could you clear up a rumor? Were the titles of The Grad e and The Cowboy Song accidentally switched on the Live at Brixton release? The names seem to fit better if they were switched. HA, they probably do fit better…but no, those are the original titles to each. What song was the hardest to record for The Real Thing performance wise and why? Another good question. The answer is, we had each song completely worked out before we went in to record this album. You have to remember, we had about a year between singers so we had had a fair amount of time to rehearse them together. I believe most of the tracking went fairly quickly. Danny Newell: If there’s one important thing/lesson you learnt while writing/recording this record that still resonates with you today, what would that be ? Hey Danny. I remember hearing this album mixed for the first time and what shocked me is that we actually sounded like a 'real' rock band…as strange as this sounds, I had never imagined myself being in one before. And once I heard it, it already was a success to me. The truth was, that we were still quite under the radar and it would take almost two years of touring to get it over the net. But I had much greater sense of satisfaction on the final mixing day than I did when it eventually went platinum. And I would not have expected that. Martin Guth: Hi Bill. What is story behind Sweet Emotion ? Why wasn't part of the album? That was a song that never really clicked with us. We gave it a shot, we worked on it, maybe even too much. But we never really liked it. Eamon O'Neill, Ireland: Billy, what was the first song you heard played back in the control room with Mike Patton singing, and were you aware of the immediate impact / difference to what had gone before with Chuck? The first song I heard with Mike P was 'Out of Nowhere'…we had a rehearsal recording and he came over to my house to work on his vocal ideas to a few songs. I hadn’t heard his voice recorded before, and within 30 seconds of hearing his contribution, it almost freaked me out on how well it worked. And it wasn’t even in a control room, per se, but I could hear it and it was quite exciting. Rodrigo Roros, AUS: After the album was done, did you have any song that after listening you thought “this one would’ve sound better with Chuck” ?? Did Chuck sing/record any other song other than New Improved Song? Chuck’s departure during the writing/recording was still pretty fresh in my mind. I didn’t really give it much thought, I was too interested in moving forward. Douglas, USA: The song Falling To Pieces has one of the more straight forward arrangements, almost radio ready formatting. Was this a decision in the studio, maybe with Matt Wallace or label input, or just how the song got written? Also, when/why has the song fallen out of favor with the band? Yo Doug!! Matt was like an extra band member, but in our situation, he worked more on the technical side of things. I would say 90-95% of the arrangements on that album were worked out between ourselves in the rehearsal room. And yes, you’re right, it is very straightforward and pop. That was the intention of the song, though we still tried to anchor it in a way that it would retain some depth. I would say it feel out of favour around the time of 'Angel Dust' touring…and the biggest reason in my mind is because we had played it to death during the endless touring of 'The Real Thing'. We just got really tired of playing it, and that feeling seems to have lasted to the present. Gavin, NZ: I saw you live on The Real Thing tour in Dublin. You were a couple of hours late as you played the Top of the Pops TV show in England that same night. You had to mime, and Patton took the piss by making faces rather than mime the whole song, was that planned? I could be wrong, but this could have been our first appearance at TOTP; I don’t think we had given the mime situation much thought until the cameras were rolling, but I would say that whatever happened while they were was completely spontaneous. Ava, Brazil: Bill. Firstly, thanks to you for taking the time to speak to fans. Secondly thanks to this website for keeping the spirit of FNM alive. My question is: You guys have always thrived from the differences in personalities within the band. Were there many disagreements in the studio when you recorded TRT ? Hey Ava. There have been disagreements on every recording. And in fact, 'TRT' might have been the biggest case of that, as the band originally set out to make this record with Chuck, and we all know how that turned out! However, between the 5 of us (Mike included), I would say that, once we were in the studio, things went fairly smoothly. The biggest drama I could remember was Jim’s frustration at finding a guitar sound he was happy with; it took days, and something like 17 different microphones. But we gave him some space with that and let him work though it with Matt. I always thought your first two albums with Chuck were much more punk that TRT . During the writing, recording or touring of TRT did you ever think you had left punk behind, and maybe gone in a direction that betrayed your roots? Commercial success was obviously fantastic for your bank balance but did it at any point feel like you had compromised your integrity? BTW I love TRT this is not a criticism !! Interesting question and not offended at all. Yes, there is a huge difference in vibe and intent between 'IY' and 'TRT', but no, this never felt like any kind of compromise, and the reason is because we wrote this music ourselves and we did it intentionally. Any musical departure that we made with this was in the spirit of taking our music somewhere new and trying to surprise ourselves. As I mentioned in an earlier question, I think we did that, and I think we grew as musicians from this experience big time.

Matt Wallace produced and engineered Faith No Mor e's third studio album The Real Thing . Matt started working with members of FNM in 1982, he produced the band's first demo in his parent's garage, mixed sound on their first live show, and went on to be an essential part of We Care A Lot , Introduce Yourself , The Real Thing , Angel Dust and Sol Invictus . His skills behind the desk have helped to shape the unmistakable signature sound of the band. ...they took the world by storm There is a notable precision in Matt's engineering of music and with The Real Thing he found ways to highlight the right instrument at the right time. This album features some of J im Martin 's best guitar parts caught on tape perfectly by Matt, Mike Bordin 's drums sound punchy and explosive and Mike Patton 's voice is a crystal clear that would begin his journey to being one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Matt helps the band's different shifts in mood, dynamics and genre blend seamlessly, from Roddy's atmospheric keys to Bill Gould 's funk/punk bass twang. The overall textures of The Real Thing are more polished than it's predecessors. "It made us look more professional than we were. It actually had a big dimension to it. I liked seeing ourselves in that light. I didn’t see us like that before. I thought we were just scraggly, filthy people. I was like, Oh my god, I’m in a rock band. It was something I never thought I would have been even a year before. " - Bill Gould 2017 We caught up with Matt and he kindly spoke with us about the recording process and how he feels about the album thirty years later. Matt also sent us some fantastic photos from the studio to share. In late '89 The Real Thing became a sensation. How did it feel to see your friends and colleagues gain such deserved success after years of producing music with them? I was thrilled for the FNM guys having kind of ‘grown up’ with them and having had success with them. They were, and still are, the only band where I slept in the same damn room with them (all 6 of us slept in a loft during the making of the 'We Care A Lot' album, and Jim, Bordin and I slept in the same room during the making of the 'Introduce Yourself' album). We learnt as we went along and, of all the bands I’ve worked with, FNM felt the most like brothers or kindred spirits to me. It was so rewarding to see them gain success and be able to make a living after working so hard for so long. Thirty years later and it is revered as a seminal album that changed the course of guitar based music and inspired generations. How does it feel to have been such huge part of that? I am just damn lucky that they guys kept me as part of their team after they got signed to Slash Records. I was in contact with Mike Bordin a lot during that time so I had the inside scoop as to who was offering them a deal and how things were progressing. Honestly, they could have worked with anyone after I did the 'We Care A Lot' album with them but they brought me along and I’ll forever be grateful to them. The fact that Bordin and Gould recorded in my parents’ garage when they were part of Sharp Young Men and Faith No Man and that I did live sound (and recorded) their first show at On Broadway in San Francisco is pretty fucking cool. Were you aware at the time of the impact on the industry The Real Thing might have? No. The band and I always thought we were making ‘pop music’ while working on 'The Real Thing' but, honestly, it became pop once they took the world by storm with 'Epic'. Prior to that, Warner Brothers (now a part of the team, along with Slash Records) kept saying ‘we love this album but radio will never play it' because radio had never played ‘rap metal’ until FNM. We always set out to make the very best version of music that FNM wanted to make at any given time but, no, I certainly never had any belief that we would make it to number 9 with 'Epic'. What effect did the success of the album have on you? A lot of bands began to notice me as a producer. Korn, System of A Down, Hoobastank, etc all started reaching out to me to work with them. And, of course, it was the first record I ever did that actually paid royalties so, along with being paid to produce other records, it helped me buy my first house (but it was the biggest financial windfall I ever had up until that point). The music is an obvious progression from Introduce Yourself yet it retains an unmistakable FNM sound. Can you remember hearing the new material for the first time? I absolutely remember the new material because the band was down in Los Angeles for a while when they were a 4 piece (no Chuck Mosley) so we were rehearsing some of the music they’d recently written. It’s interesting because all the music was written before Patton came on board so any and all ‘progression’ from 'IY' to 'TRT' is strictly the band trying to grow and continue to push boundaries. The music was exciting and, being a FNM fan, I really liked it but you never know what you have in terms of actual songs until the singer steps up to the microphone. Speaking about the studio sessions. How much input did you have in the writing, arrangement and dynamics? I had no input in regards to writing as that was 100% the band. I did jump in with arrangement ideas, which is kind what I usually do with bands and artists. I can’t imagine that I had much input on dynamics during 'TRT' whereas during 'We Care A Lot' I believe I was a bit more involved in dynamics. Did the band involve themselves in the production? No, the band wasn’t involved in the mixing nor engineering of the record other than the usual creative input by them which I then tried to put forth in terms of sonics, levels, vibe, and aesthetic. You have talked in the past about Mike Patton’s tone of voice and vocal skills on this album. But what was he like to work with? Working with Patton was like trying to ride a bull or a racing motorcycle in that he was absolutely prepared to write and sing and deliver the songs and he was (and still is) an exceptional singer. He and I had disagreements about ‘tone’ and the fact that we weren’t able to capture the full range of his voice. But, I don’t believe that I’ve ever worked with anyone who was built to sing like Patton because he made everything sound and appear to be effortless but, if you really listen, he’s doing some amazing singing, phrasing, and lyric and melody writing. Whilst recording Introduce Yourself there were issues with Chuck and during the Angel Dust sessions issues with Jim. Does this mean The Real Thing was the easiest FNM record to work on? Good question. The easiest FNM album was 'We Care A Lot' because we were all focused together and it only took 6 days to record AND mix. 'The Real Thing' was a relatively easy record to make because it felt like everyone was moving in the same direction and everyone was contributing equally. 'TRT' was one of the highlights in terms of us getting the guitars right. You have said that you almost quit after hearing the final mix. What was it that you were so dissatisfied with? I mixed with far too much high frequency EQ and too much compression. I thought it sounded terrible on my car and home stereo. BUT, it absolutely killed on radio and MTV so, at least I got that part rig ht. What are your moments are most proud of now? Well, getting a song to number 9 with 'Epic' is certainly a highlight of my career. Working with the guys who were all hitting a creative peak and having become excellent musicians was a thrill. The fact that the album is pretty eclectic and diverse but still has a thread that runs through it is pretty cool. I love the melodic ferocity of 'Woodpecker From Mars', the ugly, horrible sonic assault of 'Surprise! You’re Dead!', the lyrics and vocal on 'The Real Thing', the fact that 'War Pigs' sounds more powerful than Sabbath’s original version, watching a stripper in San Francisco dance to 'Edge Of The World', the weight, instrumental melody, and lyrics of 'Falling To Pieces' and 'Zombie Eaters' is just flat out brilliant. If you had the chance to re-engineer the album with modern technology in a similar way to 2016’s We Care A Lot reissue, would you? No, I wouldn’t change a thing. The album, with all it’s flaws and limitations, is absolutely perfect. My sketchy engineering and mixing abilities somehow contributed to it being a great album. To be fair, at least 90% of the brilliance of that record comes from the band’s brains, hearts, vocal cords, hands and feet. They generated the sound and the fury and I was just lucky enough to be there to witness and capture it. If so how would your approach differ? I would have probably ruined it if I re-recorded it. As much as I would love to re-mix the album and ‘make it better’, it really was a moment in time when the 5 guys in FNM burned bright, with tremendous focus and spirit, and their songs and performances made the world stand still, if even for a moment, to listen.

Faith No More 's ground-breaking record The Real Thing re-imagined guitar based music during the 90s and by doing so inspired a whole generation of musicians including Greg Puciato . Jim Louvau The lead singer of The Dillinger Escape Plan , The Black Queen and Killer Be Killed explained on BBC Radio One Rock Show how FNM's third album changed his life. Greg has cited Mike Patton , who of course sung with DEP on their EP Irony Is A Dead Scene , as a major influence. We reached out to Greg to help us celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Real Thing and he kindly explained to us his love of the album. "The Real Thing came out during a time where for me popular rock music I had exposure to was either in the world of hair metal or thrash, and even at nine years old I was already tiring of both. At that age, and where I grew up, it was hard for me to find out about anything new besides via MTV, radio, or standing around in the local convenience store reading magazines until they kicked me out. I don’t remember exactly when the first time I saw the video for Epic was. Or when I consequently got The Real Thing (on blue cassette), the You Fat Bastards VHS not far behind. I wore both tapes out. A wave of alternative music hit me like everyone else quickly and unavoidably afterwards. But what a lot of people don’t realize now is that before all of the other 'alternative' bands got their major mainstream exposures, Faith No More was out there first. I remember seeing Epic on the 1990 MTV awards after being into them for a bit already (a little time is a long time when you’re nine), and even that was a good YEAR before Nirvana broke, a year before Sailing The Seas of Cheese, before Pearl Jam's Ten, before Badmotorfinger, etc. This was one of the first truly 'free' albums I ever heard. Something that felt less like branding and more like expression, more identifiable and exciting to me than anything else I had encountered. As a budding musician and as someone who already had a strong distaste both towards authority and towards feeling trapped, it was inspiring to see and hear a band that didn’t even look like they should all be in the same band together! Using 64 musical crayons instead of 4, and not even bothering to color in-between the lines. That record and attitude no-question helped pave the way for a lot of what I (and we) ended up doing in The Dillinger Escape Plan and in my career as a whole approach-wise."

Sharon Osbourne and Tony Iommi have announced that the original Black Sabbath lineup will perform for the first time in 20 years. The band will headline 'Back to the Beginning' on 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham. The event has an incredible lineup including an Ozzy Osbourne solo set and a set from Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy as the original Black Sabbath. “It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning….time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy Osbourne said. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.” Music Director Tom Morello said: “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.” The conert will feature sets from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon. Our very own Mike Bordin will join other artists including Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), KK Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token ii (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen and Zakk Wylde. Tickets go on sale at 10am GMT on Friday, February 14. All profits from the show will be shared equally between the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

Every Faith No More fan should know of Steffan Chirazi . This unforgettable name was in the heading or footnotes of almost every important FNM story from 1986 to 1998. It's true other music journalists such as Phil Alexander, Neil Perry, Paul Brannigan, Chris Watts and Mike Gitter wrote significant and engaging articles on FNM. However none of those guys understood the band like Chirazi, none of them went on the road, lived the myths or were considered family by the band and fans alike. Steffan has written about FNM for publications all over the world. He wrote their very first feature article for Kerrang! in 1988 which set the tone for many FNM interviews to follow: honest, gritty, outlandish and unique. He went on to write no less than eight FNM cover story features for Kerrang!. He reviewed the very first Mike Patton fronted show for Bam Magazine and reported on historic events such as the goliath Metallica / Guns 'n' Roses tour, the departure of Jim Martin and the 1998 split. Nearly every notorious tale (piss drinking, shitting on stage, trash talk for Poison, Lenny Kravitz or whoever) originated from a Chirazi interview. Steffan wrote the book on FNM, literally! The first book written about Faith No More The Real Story is a wonderful collection of interviews that tells the official story of their career up until 1993. The book is written with great passion and ‘author’s interludes’ give the reader a true idea of just how deeply he penetrated their world. The second book released on the subject of FNM by Greg Prato is equally informative, but it is still built on the interviews Steffan held with the band over ten years. Indeed without Steffan’s enthusiastic and creative style of writing FNM may never have reached the audience they did, particularly in the UK. Mr Chirazi began his career as a music journalist at the age of 15 and his first interview was with Lemmy ! He has interviewed pretty much everyone in the rock world including: Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Megadeth, Black Sabbath, Pantera. The list is of course endless. He became a creative consultant for Motorhead and editor of the Metallica fan club magazine So What! . Also there are his published books, one of note being Too Much Horror Business a catalogue and appraisal of Kirk Hammett 's horror memorabilia. He is an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspur football club, loves his dog and cat and is a person of impeccable taste, if he recommends a movie or album……you take heed. It is therefore with great pleasure that I give you the….. Steffan Chirazi Interview Who was the first rock star you interviewed and how'd it go? It was Lemmy and it was in 1982, I was a school kid actually. I'd sort of been involved with starting my school magazine which was four pieces of paper stapled together done off the office photocopier. I contacted Motorhead's management to see if they would possibly let me do an interview, which was absurd because at the time they were one of the biggest bands in Britain if not Europe. They didn't only put the message through to the band but Lemmy was like 'yeah absolutely come down' and he was wonderful. He greeted me at the door with a pint of vodka and orange, sat me down at the front of the control desk, showed me where the volume button was and said listen to the mixes of the album. It kind of blew my doors away to be honest I think I was there for about another two hours, it was unimaginable really. I remember sprinting home and forcing my parents to listen to the entire interview I was so excited. I learnt then what it is to be a good parent because if someone did that to me now I'd be in pain! If anything it was such a positive experience that it set me thinking this is really possible, I might just try to make a living out of this. You attended your first FNM show in 1986 with the late Cliff Burton. What was it about them that excited you so much? Well I'd seen Cliff in the offices in London and I said 'I've gotta get out of here, England is gonna grind me down'. I moved to the Bay Area and Cliff said 'Here's my number I'll try an introduce you to some friends of mine'. True to form Cliff did exactly that, several times we'd hang out in the city and the first person he introduced me to was Jim Martin, Cliff had said 'You really got to see his band I think you will like them'. I think what I liked about them when I first saw them, and it's a distant memory so I'm dragging on instincts here...the thing that really hit me the most was they were so utterly unique compared to anything that I had heard, and I was a big Killing Joke fan. I grew up listening to Ian Dury and The Specials so I had a fairly wide musical palette, it wasn't total metal tunnel vision at that time. But FNM were unlike anything I'd heard and visually they were pretty arresting, they looked on the verge of chaos at all times which was very appealing. You know suddenly there are these haunting keyboards in and amidst all this chaos, I can't really describe it, it was like wow, this is really magnetic. I looked at cliff and said you're not wrong. Jim and Cliff go way back. Oh yeah and Mike Bordin as well. What's interesting is the three of them never used to fully connect even though they were all hanging out with each other. You know the history and I think it's something more for Jim to address but yes it was long, it was illustrious. Sometimes when I think about it Cliff introduced me to these guys and then he went off on tour, it's quite strange. The funny thing is I may have missed FNM for a couple of years if Cliff hadn't brought me to that show. I also went to another show at The Sound Of Music, which was right the heart of a really shitty neighbourhood in San Francisco and that show was even more insane, I mean it was like a scene from a Hieronymous Bosch painting! People were stumbling around out of their minds, Chuck Mosley was lying flat on his back refusing to sing 'War Pigs'. There were people throwing up in the corner I remember it being really mental! From what I understand the crowd weren't convinced with Chuck's replacement at Mike Patton's first show in 1988. Can you remember much about the night? I don't, I really don't. I do remember quite arrogantly and quite rudely passing some comment to Mike [Patton] along the lines of 'These are my friends, don't fuck them over'. And actually when I look back it is incredibly rude, what proprietary did I have to say anything like that? But I think I felt very protective of them because I had seen how hard they were working and I' had seen Chuck, possibly through no fault of his own, refuse to sing and nearly blow a showcase for them. So I think had arrogantly assumed that I was gonna fly the flag for this band, my friends. It became like a tribal thing. Anyway Mike must looked at me and thought what cunt! He never said it but I wouldn't have blamed him. Sorry Mike if I said that, he probably won't remember but I do . But no I don't remember any animosity at all, it might be an inner fan thing, if there was maybe I wasn't paying any attention to it. In 1989 FNM and Metallica were on the same bill for the first time. In your reports you mentioned how the crowd didn't really care for FNM. Were FNM playing the wrong shows? Was it a bad match? No not at all. If I can drag you back first of all, I think one tour were skipping over that was really important in this band's career is the tour with the Chili Peppers when Chuck was still in the band. I thought that was the making of them, solidifying their legend to a degree. It's worth having this on record. There's not a lot of information about that tour. Well I'll tell a few things, number one I think that is the genesis, of the very lazy and somewhat irresponsible tag of funk metal or whatever. People tried to throw FNM in as a funk metal band for five minutes which is absurd really. I think it's because they must've looked to the Chili peppers. You know these guys got a big rider truck, they basically cornered off some of this van and they lived in the back travelling around the country taking it in turns to drive. You've got some very different characters in that assembly. A wonderful air of youth, different personalities, and poverty they were pretty poor hacking it out and it was really the making of them. I think they really understood a lot more about who they were and what they needed to function. At that point the friction was either ignored or entertained and that was an important factor. So when you came to the Metallica tour, no I don't think it was the wrong tour at all as once again if anything it hardened their resolve to be who they are. They are an interesting bunch, when you tell them 'no' to something they just say 'fuck you' and do it even more, that's how I remembered their nature. So they really took the challenge on. I think at that point as well Metallica fans were in the background, so it wasn't like they had 20 million people following them. FNM would've known what they were getting into and I think it really helped actually because even if a hundred people a night went away from those shows liking the band you've got a lot of people who are gonna pay attention to their record. One of greatest FNM reports you wrote was from Rock in Rio in 1991. You, Bill Gould and Patton watched as Roddy Bottum tried to connect with Prince. Do you remember this particular adventure? I do! It was really a pleasure and privilege to be there with them at that time. I think they were appreciative of the coverage I was giving them and happy to show it, of course it didn't hurt that we got on. We got into the van first of all outside the hotel and it was absolute chaos, people were jumping all over the van and rocking it. I remember people mobbing the van and shaking it. So Mike [Patton] and Billy in particular started shouting and rocking the van from the inside, I don't know if it was a nervous reaction or they were having fun but that kinda set us up for a really weird situation. So we went to this club and he [Prince] was sitting in the corner with two really big body guards, proportionally speaking it was quite amusing to look at that for a start because Prince is not a man of immense physical stature. Yeah, it wasn't disrespectful but there was this air of mischief, it was like being in middle school in England. I remember they were trying to figure out what drink he would like, none them involved alcohol but there was whipped cream involved with a cherry on top. It was all for fun. Bear in mind they all respected Prince's music and you've got remember that Rock In Rio was a ridiculous celebrity do. So Roddy went up and Prince didn't get up, he looked up and kinda nodded very sombrely and proffered his hand forward like he was a prince, sorry for the irony there, offering it to be kissed or held in a royal fashion. There was no long dialogue and everyone scurried back to our side of the room. He was very pleasant but there was no arm around the shoulder 'how are you my old mucker', I don't think you get that from Prince. That was a great trip that was an exciting time. The press seemed to have a field day with the festival. Oh yeah it was madness, it was the height of excess. I personally had a very interesting time. I was there working for Kerrang! primarily and had to review Guns N' Roses. So I was standing on the side of the stage and I heard a rumour that Rob Halford wasn't going to be able to ride his Harley onstage, that GNR had said this couldn't happen, it'd come from Axl. Bare in mind at this point to speak to GNR you had to go through a few PRs and sign a contract saying that they had full rights over your interview, that was a big fuck off and nobody I knew worth their salt would do that. Therefore rather than watch the GNR gig I got so hot under the collar that I said to my colleague and good friend [photographer Mark Leiloha, 'Hey I'm not reviewing them, they are restricting Judas Priest, they can fuck off.' I thought I'd go back to my hotel and review it from the television, and Mark would take a picture of the television screen and we would tell people why we decided to do it this way. Why because they'd fucked Judas Priest over or so I'd heard. About three weeks later I get a call, 'Is this Steffan? It's Axl'. To which I immediately said 'Fuck off Lars' because I thought Lars Ulrich was calling winding me up. So then he calls me back, 'This is Axl and I wanna tell you a few things!' For twenty minutes he was going on about what an arsehole I am and 'How dare I ?', 'This is outrageous, I would never do that.' He then says to me, 'Why didn't you just ask me? I would've told you there and then it was a bunch of bullshit.' I said, 'Do you know how hard it is to talk to you?' And I explained to him about the contracts, how no one was getting close to him, how their whole camp was separated from everyone and just how utterly in a bubble he was. He completely chilled out after that, he really calmed down and actually apologised saying he had no idea. We spent another half an hour talking and I think he might've been a bit unaware. Apparently he had not in any way said that Judas Priest couldn't do any of that stuff and Rob Halford did ride his bike that night. In 1992 on the ill fated Guns N' Roses tour there were rumours about Axl making demands of FNM, and of course Patton taking a dump in his coffee cup or orange juice carton! I find that very hard to believe, presumably the legend would be he shat into the coffee so Axl would drink the mythical turd, am I right? Yeah I guess so, there were many tales. I think that's absolutely ludicrous. I'd like people to consider what wonderful aim you must have to have a shit in a coffee mug! [laughs..] Unless the insinuation is that Mike shat in his own hand and then put it in the cup? I never really paid much attention to what Mike was supposed to be doing or not doing, I think he might have pissed in his shoe at one point. Of course Kerrang! was the first to report on Jim's departure from FNM. Being so close to Jim was it difficult to do your job impartially? Yes it was very hard indeed, it was difficult on several levels. Firstly there's the impartiality I had to achieve. Secondly there was the real fact that at that time I did think there were two sides to the coin. And thirdly I am one of those people who believes that you have to take charge of the fifty percent that you are in control of. It is very important to be one hundred percent at peace with whatever conclusion you personally arrive at with regards to your feelings on a matter. I wasn't in that band, I don't know what their dynamics were. I do know it was quite strained. I know that Jim had gone through some personal matters with the loss of his father. But it was four people versus one person. I do remember clearly saying to Jim that the rights and wrongs may not matter here it's about what you all want long term. It was very very hard, I love Jim dearly he's like a brother, and I know that's thrown around like confetti but I really do. Billy and I were really close as well, he is tremendous company and a really great guy. I tried really hard for many years to walk the line there, and I think I did OK. I think it's possible to remain friends with two sets of people who themselves have a difference with each other. What I will say is creatively it broke my heart as a fan of theirs because I think the way they worked together was brilliant. And at the end of the day nobody can really deny Jim's personality was a vital part of what the band did at that phase of their career. I'll tell you this which is really interesting, I think they all used to get pissed off with me for continually pushing in interviews the element of friction. Friction makes the art, which could be a fortune cookie phrase, 'You can't have art without friction' a cheap throwaway line. I genuinely believed it in their case but their feeling was 'Fuck you! You don't have to live it!' Is it true Jim was best man at your wedding? Well I didn't have a best man per-say, Jim was our officiate he was the man who married us. One of the great memories of that day was that we had sent him the vows we were to exchange and he'd printed them out on fax paper which didn't cut off. It was a windy beach we got married on and this thing is fluttering in the wind like a massive scroll. It was brilliant he couldn't have planned it any better [laughs]. You know this is Jim he was very surgical, he got it perfect with the minimum of fuss. I look back at their parting, it's old history now but I'd be lying if I didn't say I always found it great shame, which is no secret. I just wish they'd found a way to make it work. I thought 'King For A day' was a really good record, I thought they came back and did really well and was extremely happy for them. Kerrang! was the first publication to print an in depth article when FNM split in 1998, and it was quite correctly your words. This must have been tough to write about after following their career since the beginning. Well I'm trying to remember why they actually broke up. I think they just fell out of love with it. I don't remember the article but I would speculate that the conclusions I would have drawn are they probably became churned around by the sheer level of media attention, expectancy to be a certain way, inner friction. I think all of that must have really taken it's toll rather too heavily on them. 'The Real Story' was a draft that was published by mistake. How did your vision differ to the final printed book? [Laughs] Correct! Well there wouldn't have been three chapter 60's, and there wouldn't have been about forty eight typos so let's just start right there. When I saw the book I actually shed a tear not because I was happy, I was like 'Oh fuck! They printed the wrong file.' I think the book itself looked like large magazine and I really wanted it to be a book. I know people ask about it being reissued but I don't know who owns the copyright to it, although I am trying to find that out. If it was ever to be reissued I would absolutely want somebody else to take over adding on the years after the book ended. It would only be fair to have someone who has followed them with perhaps as much fervour and enthusiasm as I did at that time to do an addition to it. I'm a big believer that if you wanna write really good books on bands that have been around for several decades you need multiple collaborators to make them worth their while. I don't think one person can ever write a really interesting book, if you wanna mix it up you gotta have a couple of different views. I would love to try and get it out again. Two years ago you wrote about how Cliff Burton changed your life in So What! Magazine. Why did you decide after 27 years to open up about this? I'd almost been embarrassed to talk about it because everybody had a Cliff story and I didn't want to look like I was jumping on a band wagon. It was really insecurity to be honest. [pause] I didn't really know how to talk about it, and I began to question was it really that significant in my life or am I just making it up to myself. But it was extremely significant. I finally came to peace with it and thought why shouldn't I say something. A couple of the Metallica fans were saying 'you really ought to write something about Cliff'. I talked about it with James [Hetfield] and he was into it, Dan from the Met Club had said we really need to do this, we need to do an issue on Cliff and it was the right time. It was really uncomfortable for a lot of us to talk about for various reasons. As a close friend of Lemmy you had the honour of speaking at his funeral. It seems that music is no longer creating rock n roll icons of the same caliber as Lemmy. How will it survive? Great question. I think it comes down to a few very important things. Number one I think creative people need to be honest with themselves and do what they are doing for the love of it. Whether that means your playing to twenty people in Worksop or whether your playing to a hundred thousand people at Wembley. I also think that you have to have some personal integrity and by that I mean you need to be a decent person, you need to love who you are and what you fucking stand for. You look at Lemmy for example one of things that I hope came across in all of the eulogies that were offered are that this is a man who had impeccable manners. I don't want to sound like an old man but it's true, how can you respect your audience if you don't have good manners. You gotta have some respect for what you do, for your fans, for your life. If you have that you have strength of character, add that to not giving a fuck if you make money but just getting your creativity out and I think you are two thirds of the way to it. You have to be single minded in your vision, that I think will leave us with a good chance. There's a guy in the States who's in a band called Spirit In The Room, Dennis Sanders, and he's the closest I've seen to a potential iconic rock star for real. But I don't know if he's ever gonna get a break, he's the real deal and I hope that someone takes a chance. I think it's very hard these days because A+R people used to take a chance on personalities and strength of character but now people want a safe bet. I'll tell you this, and it's probably gonna raise your eyebrow, one of the best shows I've actually seen in the last few years was Katy Perry. She's phenomenal. She's in it for real, it's OK if she's pop. I think there's a lot of middling metal bands that disturb me more because they don't stand for anything. They are just regurgitating a lot of tired riffs, that to me is worse than anything. Metallica's headlining spot at Glastonbury last year caused some controversy. However their performance silenced the doubters. How was it to see them overcome the odds and perform arguably the most iconic music festival spot there is? It was really exciting. One of the greatest things about Metallica is that when you put their backs against the wall and tell them they can't do something, they almost develop this gang mentality like a bunch of savage kids. They are like 'Fuck you, were gonna show you!' and they are never better than when they are doing that. This is a prime example, everything was stacked against them but I knew they would treat like a massive challenge and they would surprise people. I think people completely missed the point with them playing Glastonbury - I thought it was perfect. It was very entertaining and isn't that what Glastonbury is about? Diversity? I thought the Julian Temple video whilst extravagant was brilliant.....Good for them, fuck everyone [laughs]. You love movies and always have trustworthy recommendations. You also helped Kirk Hammett write his book 'Too Much Horror Business'. That must have been fun writing about films rather than music. A great amount of credit for that book must also go to the designer Mark Abramson who worked tirelessly with Kirk to find an aesthetic that worked. It was great, I love horror and Kirk is a full on horror nerd what could go wrong! How did feel when FNM announced their reunion? I was happy. I felt it was very important for them to work together in the studio again and establish another chapter. There name has been touted so many times, and quite rightly so, as an influence and as a band they deserve to see some of that recognition. By the same token I do think that it's not overcooking the egg to say that probably their most seminal and venerated work was with Jim. So there is always gonna be a part of me that wishes Jim could have been part of it. And I want to make it clear that's nothing on anyone it's just a personal thing because I'd love to hear it. Did you enjoy 'Sol Invictus'? Yeah, I think it's a solid album. I would like to end this article with a personal thank you to Steffan for taking the time to chat to me. He has always been a hero of mine and if I couldn’t grow up to be a rock star like Mike Patton I always wanted to write about them, like Steffan Chirazi -------- Jim.

Faith No More 's inspiring fourth album Angel Dust is often considered by fans as their greatest. Mick Hutson The album benefitted Mike Patton 's song-writing, who also showed development and maturity in vocal styles and lyric writing. The band's sound hugely progressed from previous album The Real Thing , they flirted with more genres than before and explored more extreme dynamics. Roddy Bottum 's palate of keyboard sounds grew as did his use of samples. The chemistry with producer Matt Wallace was undeniable, however the alienation of guitarist Jim Martin was also strikingly apparent. As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, in 2012 members of our team hosted a question and answer session with bassist Bill Gould which was published on a now defunct website. Whilst digging around in our archive we found the article and have reinstated it here. Bill's answers are fascinating and reveal much that was unknown of the making of this astounding record. Hey Guys, I just wanted to say, all excellent questions here. And also, it's a great feeling to know that we made something 20 years ago that is still alive and inspiring people...as a musician, this is the best outcome you can hope for, so THANK YOU!!! Bill Gould Angel Dust Q&A Revisited What's the story behind smaller and smaller? You guys never played this one live, what's the reason for this? Well, to US (meaning the guys in the band), FNM is like two different bands; one exists to write and record music, the other is a live band that tries to make a 70-90 min set as powerful as possible. For some reason or another, we tend to gravitate towards what is called "mid-tempo" in our writing...in other words, songs that are not fast, but not exactly ballads either. This is all great to listen to, but when it comes to playing live, too many mid-tempo songs make the set really boring, for us, and for the crowd. Believe, when it happens, it sucks!! Our worst nightmare is being in the middle of a set and losing momentum...at that point it becomes hard work and little fun. "Smaller and Smaller" while pretty grandiose in concept, always felt too long and too...plodding...to even consider doing live. And truth be told, we were never quite as attached to that one as some of the others... Bill, going into writing and recording Angel Dust what were the bands musical influences (both separately and collectively) as well as the bands overall mindset while working together. Also, was there ever any bands you guys exposed each other to while being a band that might not have happened if you guys never crossed paths? This is a good question. At the time we wrote Angel Dust, hair metal bands were still the kings...but I could definitely not call them inspiration by any means...and what we were listening (collectively) to at the time, I almost can't remember. I know that there was rarely a time when all 5 of us liked the same thing at the same time. I went through some strange period where I was listening non-stop to an old SF pop radio station called Magic 61, that played stuff like The Mills Brothers, Gogie Grant, Tony Bennet..."Midnight Cowboy" was a byproduct of this, as was the later covered "Greenfields" and "Spanish Eyes". Between ourselves, yes, I think we were always turning each other on to stuff. We still do. And this definitely had an effect on the music. Looking back at the studio sessions do you find it easier to create your music now with today's technology compared to back then or do you prefer some of the older equipment and technologies is there any equipment now that you wish you had back then? Another very good question. I've always tried to embrace technology, and have been working with computers to make music since the Real Thing era, but there is still nothing as powerful or satisfying (or frustrating) to me as coming up with a good song or part the old Did you have some full video concerts of this era (1992) and would you consent to release a dvd or share on the net? that'd be great !There was never a whole concert of that era released on video or on TV. That's a good idea, as some of the best shows we ever did were around that period. I have to say, our attitude towards shows back then was very intense and chaotic, it would be great to see some of those. What if any outtakes or unused tracks exist from the AD sessions? Any chance of them turning up on a special edition of AD someday? I don't think there are any, because if there were, then then record company would have definitely released them by now... Are you surprised that the album has had such an impact over the years after a few of the early reviews were disparaging of the product? It is now agreed by most fan of music to be one of the greatest albums of all time, did you have any idea whilst recording that the album would become (please pardon the pun) so EPIC? We had no idea what it would become....we just decided that no matter what, we would try to follow our instincts as much as possible, and do what feels right, with the hope that it would make a connection somewhere. In the beginning, it felt like the gamble didn't work. but now that it is 20 years later, it's extremely validating to feel like, in the end, we did make the connection and that our original instincts were correct. Have the songs evolved over the years? Have they developed different meanings to you, through playing them live, hindsight and experiences you've had since the release of Angel Dust? Do they feel different now, to play and listen to, then they did back when they were first written? If yes, could you give an example? All the songs evolve, fall in and out of favour with us, but for the most part, now that we've had a chance to really get to know them, I think we play most of them better. None of us really listen to the old recordings much, but when we do, they tend to feel a bit primitive. Case in point: I think we play "Small Victory" much better now than we did then. It just feels more solid. How was the creative process of AD? How did you reach such a variety of sounds? It was easy to agree your musical ideas with other members' ideas? The creative process was totally creative, and in that sense also, very difficult. Ideas were coming from all over the place, and yet, it was very hard to get all 5 people in sync with anything. It did happen, but it took work. Really, I think we spent about 3 or 4 months writing the album and another 2 recording. By the end, everyone was pretty exhausted. Whilst touring 'the real thing' did you guys know the next album was going to be completely different? (style and genre wise) was it a tough or easy decision to change? I can only speak for myself, but I knew that AD was going to be totally different. We had spent something like 16 months touring TRT and we were well fed up with those songs. Something had to happen to bring that spark back, and that could only happen by changing course and forging ahead into new territory. For me it was a very easy decision...our creative survival depended on it. But it was still a challenge. What songs did you play guitar on? I've read that Jim Martin wasn't around for some of the recording. Did you use his rig or something different? How many rhythm tracks did you record on a song? I did play some guitar on that record, but not as much as what is generally believed. Jim wasn't around much for rehearsal, but was around for the recording, and played the lion's share of the parts. I was more involved in the writing and arrangement side of things. How much freedom did the members of the band have while writing/recording the album? Were you left to take it as far as you wanted, or was there someone (band member or record label) trying to reign it in? If so, any compromises that you regret? First, to get this out of the way, there were compromises made on AD...by definition, and working in a democratic environment with 5 headstrong people, there has to be. Not everyone liked everything we were doing...it's safe to say that Jim was not too happy with a lot of it. But the record label thing, that came later. I think it's safe to say that we were able to make that record with no creative pressure whatsoever, other than the pressure we put on ourselves. On a serious note, what's the most random thought you've had playing the extended version of Caffeine? There have been many. Too many!!!! I've spaced out a few times and come back, only to find that my fingers were playing the whole time...strange feeling..! Thank god FNM songs are rhythm based, and I'm a bass player!! Any chance of any of your albums (including AD) being remastered and re-released as special edition albums? I've heard talk about it, but nothing definite. I know that Slash/WB has the rights to do whatever they want with that material, so it's possible. Hi Bill. Maybe stupid question but who choose pic for cover- white bird? Roddy had the idea of a white swan to go with the title, but we had a hard time finding something. At the end, a mutual friend knew a photographer and we went over to look at his stuff...and the bird was right there. We knew then and there that was the cover. Seagull Song (or whatever it's called) might not be perfect, but you have released far inferior out-takes (instrumental jam from Who Cares A Lot?, Hippie Jam, etc.) What is the stigma about letting folks hear this jam? Ha....we really don't like this one (!!!). We don't always agree on much but we do seem to agree on this...in our minds, it was a noble attempt but didn't really work. During the touring for TRT and then with AD you were able to travel to many countries and areas that normal blue collar folks like me will never see... Did you experience any "Kultur" shock and if so, how do you think it effected your songwriting? It made a massive impact on me and totally affected the songwriting...not to mention our outlook on life in general. Keep in mind, we hit some places at some critical periods of time...we toured almost a month in Brazil at a time when not many international bands made it down there...same with Chile....and then of course, we played at The Loft in Berlin the night the wall fell...we played Estonia very early on, and Poland and Czech Rep, too...I would say that the culture shock and experiences from this tour had a larger impact than anything else in my life. Hey Bill, To me Angel Dust has some dark lyrics combined with heavy music yet always maintains a feel good mood throughout, Did you intend for this direction in your music or did it come naturally at the time you were recording and how were things in your life effecting your creativity? Well, you know , we are a strange bunch...in some ways, very dark and cynical people, and in others, very bright, positive and enthusiastic. I think this vibe is part of our aesthetic, because it partially reflects who we are as people. Over the years this album has become a classic and well respected. At the time of it's release it was not as well received as it is today. What sort of reaction from fans and critics do you remember it getting back in 1992? Was it frustrating or disappointing or the band? Well, it's pretty safe to say that our US label Warners (not Slash, who licensed the record to WB) didn't get it, and not much of the US press did either. Internally, we were having some strain, and the 5 month GnR tour we did didn't make things much better, but we had a lot of fire then too and played some killer shows. I felt a bit like an outlaw, we were actively pushing buttons, and not all of it was positive but as people and artists, looking back, it was a necessary stage in the process. The album seems like it could flow well with the songs played in any order. Was there a lot of discussion about where the tracks should be on the album? There was definitely a lot of discussion (an arguing) on song order, but I can't remember who won and who lost! Angel Dust is a record full of layers, samples and the changes are all very radical, sometimes sounding like 2 or more songs altogether in 1. Very different from that initial pot-punk "tradition" of exploring all the possibilities of 1 theme, let's say like, "Why Do You Bother".What I want to know is, how much of that musical concept in A.D. came up in pre-production, was it a conscious decision or something that came up while recording it? Thanks a Lot. I would say probably 80% of the material on AD came up in pre-production, with the rest happening in the studio.... The Videos for "Midlife Crisis" and "A Small Victory" seem to have both have high concepts and big budgets while the video for "Everything's Ruined" does not. Why was it that the video for "Everything's Ruined" (arguably the best song on the album) was so goofy and easy to produce? The easy answer is, Warner's spent the video budget on "Small V" and "Midlife" so that when it came time to "Everything's Ruined" there's wasn't much left (!!). It was our idea to take this further and make a video as cheap as humanly possible, in one of those video booths like they had at county fairs, where you sing and dance in front of a blue screen. We didn't quite get to do that, but we got it as close as possible.

The Big Sick and Ugly interview revisited. Mark Leialoha In 2012 I had just begun my journey working in music journalism and sharing my love and knowledge of Faith No More for various online publications. It wasn't long before I had made firm friends with legendary rock writer and the original champion of FNM Steffan Chirazi . Steffan had bonded with Jim Martin during the 90s and they became the closest of friends, Jim even officiated at Steffan's wedding! I approached Steffan for an interview with the Big Sick and Ugly guitarist, and to my utter astonishment I received confirmation from Jim himself! Jim hadn't spoken about FNM since 1997 so it was a great scoop for the website, but more so for myself I got to converse with one of my childhood heroes. As we chatted the obvious direction seemed to be a fan question and answer session and the we opened up questioning to hardcore fans of the band. There was no holding back and people dug straight into the nitty gritty asking about Angel Dust and Jim's sacking by fax from FNM. Jim answered with passion but also a little venom and it was here I realised that we had opened a can of worms best left sealed. For fans it made great reading but for the band members it was a punch in the face, which we had not intended. Due to the nature of Jim's answers we gave a preview to members of FNM, who were understandably a little upset and disputed some of Jim's recollections, however we were graciously advised us to publish Jim's replies. The interview is no longer available on the Internet, however I recently came across it in my inbox and decided that it shouldn't remain hidden, neither should Bill Gould 's comments to the claims made by Jim. Below is that interview in full followed by Bill's response. I might add that despite the fall out, Jim Martin remains a hero of mine. The first four FNM albums were blessed with his guitar work and wouldn't be the same without him. His contribution to the early FNM sound, although crafted around bass, drums and keys, was essential. Jim Martin Q&A 2012. What do you consider the highlight of your career? Performing with Bo Diddly, Klaus Mein, Metallica, Gary Rossington, Pepper Keenan, Sean Kinney, Jerry Cantrell ,John Popper, Jason Newstead, singing Misfits songs with Metallica live during our tour with them and GNR. You are an influence to many younger guitarists today, but who were your biggest influences and what do you remember about how those people helped to craft your sound and play style? My influences to a greater extent were Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and David Gilmore. Mostly Page. His method of using a pick and his fingers at the same time and his way of squeezing the humanity out of a guitar. It's funny how influences work. My influences were influenced by old blues men. Those legendary blues men were influenced by their tribal ancestors. The tribal ancestors are the link back to the beginning; they are the keepers of the essence. Through my influences I am connected to the roots of time and the music that elevates the primordial spirit of mankind. We do not truly compose anything genuinely new, the listeners and the presentation are what is new, and it is the perspective that varies. The ability of expression and improvisation, the stuff of creation that fascinates all life. It was great seeing you play again during the Metallica event...also some very great words spoken about Cliff....it was great to see ya! Weird question. What was the deal with you being the only clothed FNM member in the infamous "FNM underwear poster"? Did you just think the photo idea was dumb, or did you think it'd be better/funnier with one dude dressed to the nines in jeans, leather vest, etc. while everyone else was near naked . I remember it was one of the first big photo shoots for us set up by London Records. Ross Halfin, 'Famous Rock Photographer', was pretty aggressive, barking orders and abusing band members, particularly Puffy. He ordered everyone to strip down. I said 'forget it' (I thought it was dumb). The other guys did, he snapped the picture and at that moment, I understood why he was famous… I'm a crazy obsessed fan and have listened to just about all the bootlegs and read all the interviews...Despite "not being into" the music on Angel Dust (so it is written in places), you played flawlessly all of 92-93 and I even caught you banging your head enthusiastically during the Phoenix Festival. Also, while others were bad-mouthing you, you always played it off with a joke and came off as the bigger person (you were hilarious in the Maida Vale interviews!) ...something doesn't add up. Were you really that unhappy? If so, how do you keep such a cool head and stay so professional? Thank you for the great compliment. My publicized 'not being into' Angel Dust was all about the way the whole process went down. There was a lot of weird pressure to follow up The Real Thing, and as a consequence, the album AD was more contrived musically than I thought was necessary. I wanted more of the record to happen in the studio and Bill wanted every last tack nailed down before we went in. I wanted to spend time with it, management and the record company wanted to rush it out the door. There were a bunch of journalists in the studio. We were paying for a bunch of sampling that we could have created. Matt Wallace was calling me on the phone complaining about Mike Patton's performance. Management and record company were calling me complaining about Mike Patton's performance and desire for outside projects. The record company president came in the studio and said: 'I hope nobody bought houses.' All the air got sucked out of the room. That was one of those great moments when reality slaps you in the face. Some of my associates (had) bought houses. The pressure was on, and everyone wanted to be in the studio with me while I recorded, endlessly tinkering and fucking with me and fucking with Matt, and Matt is a really fucking wound up guy already. Prior to AD, I would work alone with Matt and his assistant engineer period. I had to kick everyone out and even though it was not a new concept it really pissed everyone off. Live performances were always very strong. From my perspective, we came across a lot heavier than the records. Over time, the chord progressions and the arrangements would morph in subtle ways that would make the set heavier than the studio version. As far as the bullshit in the press, yeah, there was a lot of negativity, and I tried to avoid being part of it to the point of refusing interviews. Of course I was unhappy; individuals were making decisions which would prove to be damaging to FNM. However, despite these distractions, real people paid to see a show and we were able to deliver thanks to the support of a great crew and a great sound man, Greg Bess, who was used to working with the heavy bands. I actually really enjoyed those shows. If you could collaborate for a single cover song with any musician, dead or alive, who would that be and what would the song be? I sure miss Cliff. Cliff Burton. We could do any song and twist it up horribly. I think if there were an opportunity to collaborate, we would write something new. Put Dave (Donato - Agents of Misfortune) in there on the drum kit and create something Cliff's mother would call 'Fucked Up Weirdos.' I'll get this one out...what is your relationship like now with the members of Faith No More? To be honest, that is an emotional subject. There has been much negative rhetoric in the press, and it was my choice to either play their game, fight with them and let the press spin it, or leave them to play with themselves and allow you to make a decision based on the work I left behind. In an effort to avoid the negativity, I chose the latter. However, there are some points that I would like to address. I read a couple of interviews Matt Wallace did, and his simplified explanations can lead one to believe that I hate homosexuals, I did not contribute to Angel Dust, and I did not play guitar on the record. Ouch. Something else is a little more accurate. The guitar parts are mine; that's me playing guitar on all the tracks. I contributed much to the songwriting and arrangements. Bill added some fluff to 'Midlife Crisis' and 'Midnite Cowboy' and wrote everything for his song 'Small Victory', Mike wrote everything for 'Malpractice', I wrote everything and created the samples for 'Jizzlobber' ; Bill contributed the keyboard outro. Mike wrote all of the lyrics for the album except Roddy wrote lyrics for 'Be Aggressive'. Matt's commentary about Roddy seemed a little weird; we (band members) all knew Roddy was gay long before he 'came out' and it was not an issue for anyone. Matt also forgot to mention that he and I spent a lot of time together on the production of TRT and AD improving the recording method and sonic profile in the studio. I insisted on the co-producer credit for FNM on those 2 records because of that work. Notice The Real Thing and Angel Dust are the only two FNM records co-produced by Matt Wallace and Faith No More. I saw something in Wiki where someone pulled a comment out of an old bucket: Jim Martin said 'I don't know why It's called Angel Dust, I had nothing to do with it' While that is true, it is not complete. The idea was Roddy's, and nobody else had anything to do with it either. He came in with a basic concept of a bird front, meat locker back, and Angel Dust for the title. The question was: 'How do we get it (Roddy's idea) to the record cover?' We lost control of the sleeve art on the last 2 releases. The Real Thing and Introduce Yourself were conceived and designed by 'the record company' and we simply paid the bill. This was an opportunity of artistic expression and finally one of us had an idea everyone would go along with. I got in contact with Mark Leialoha to discuss the idea, he got Werner 'Vern' Krutein involved because Werner ran a stock agency and was able to produce the necessary photographs allowing us to realize Roddy's idea. I had the idea of the Russian army in the sleeve, inspired by The Pogues album 'Rum Sodomy and The Lash' which I was really into at the time. I rode hard on that and made sure it happened the way WE wanted it to happen. There was a lot of squealing when it came time to pay the bill, but at the end of the day, we retained control of our resources, we were able to use our people, and we maintained creative control. Jim! With your publicized dislike of the content/direction of Angel Dust - are you surprised by how, 20 years on, it is widely regarded as one of the most influential 'metal' albums of the past 30 years? As for my like or dislike of AD I touched on that a little, so please refer to question 4 above. I am happy AD is regarded in a positive way. It is an affirmation of the legacy we all worked to create. I am aware that some of the newer bands I actually like have referred to FNM as an influence. I am also aware AD was on the Kerrang! Most influential albums List of 2003. Is it an artist's affirmation? That's fine. Am I surprised? I don't think anyone can be expected to anticipate something like this. What kind of music are you listening to today? Is there anything that we might not generally expect that you like to listen to? I've been listening to Machine Head, a great metal band out of Oakland CA. I enjoy classic jazz, reminds me of weird times as a kid. I like the 'Glorious lethal euphoria' of The Mermen It's crazy hardcore psychedelic surf music and hits the mark hard. I'll listen to any improv, at least for a few minutes. Is it true that you were offered to perform at reunion tour dates - if it is true why did you decline? Fans would have been so happy to see on stage too! For some time during 2008, I had been receiving information with increasing frequency that 'we' were booking a reunion tour, festivals, Europe. I was informed that yes, the promoters were selling it as the original line up. In February 2009, Roddy called and said they were just beginning to think of putting something together, and just now feeling out everyone, and what did I think? I said yes, I was interested. I also told him I knew the tour was already booked, they were on the eve of announcing it, and it was time to sign the deals. I told him to send over the contracts so I could review them and started pressing management for details. Several days later, I was able to get management on the phone who told me they decided to use someone else…I know it's odd, no, you didn't miss anything. It happened just like that. In an effort to preclude any sloppy misinformation, I made the announcement that I would not be participating in the rumored reunion dates several days before they made their announcement. If Faith No More tours again and if they asked would you make an appearance, kind of like when Chuck did a couple of songs? Would love to watch you perform songs like Malpractice or Jizzlobber would be awesome! I know the fans want the real thing, and I was prepared to have a real dialogue about doing a run together. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. As for a random appearance, I do not feel that would do anyone justice. If you could use Bill and Ted's phone booth to go back in time to the Angel Dust era, would you do anything differently to make sure you and FNM were heading in the same direction? If so, what? Number one thing: limit journalist access and impose more control over the interviews. Almost anyone could get an interview at that time. It was a free for all, and it hurt us. Have you been jamming with anyone lately, and do you have any plans to make more music? No, I'm not working with anyone right now but I do have plans to publish more music. I released a record some time ago called 'Milk and Blood'. What do you think of the music FNM have created post you? And how do you feel when you see other guitarists belting out you licks? I remember hearing some of the music a long time ago but I didn't really study it. I remember thinking it was heavily reliant on Mike. As for other persons playing my music, I don't really believe anyone could book a show as FNM without playing my music. Being one of the best shredders of your era/generation, and having rubbed shoulders with some awesome musicians in your time, have you never considered forming your own little "supergroup" to set the music word to rights!!?? Most of my associates have families and projects taking up their time, and I'm very consumed with the things I am doing. I hope I can get to a place where I'll be able to do something pretty soon. There are no specific plans at this time. Thanks for a great compliment. So where did you get the moniker "big sick ugly" from and did you like it? It was bestowed upon me by the filthy press. I am pretty sure Geoff Barton gets the credit. Steffan 'Cheese Burger' Chirazi, 'Krusher Joule' and Neil 'Greasy Chester' Perry helped magnify and perpetuate it and it was Kerrang!, once again, who rolled that one out there. Thanks to them for some funny times. Bill Gould on Martin’s description of who contributed to which tracks on Angel Dust . No, this is not accurate. I had thought that after 20+ years we would have moved on from this, and the last thing I want to do get into a point by point debate, but for the record, I wrote guitar parts for the following songs: Caffeine Land of Sunshine A Small Victory Kindergarten Everything’s Ruined (obviously not the solos) Smaller and Smaller And I gave direction on Be Aggressive (I wrote the song not the solos). AND, some may call it fluff, but I wrote/played the ebow part in Midlife Crisis.