Lone kernel
Korn leader Jonathan Davis strips it down for fans
By Chris Jay 12/06/2007
It is hard to believe the impact Korn has had on the music world. When the Bakersfield group emerged in the mid-’90s, they looked and sounded completely foreign from every other band in the metal genre, but in seemingly no time they were one of the biggest and most influential artists going. In their career, they have pioneered a whole new sound with nu-metal (a classification they shy away from); started the Family Values Tour which has been instrumental in breaking several bands; sold millions upon millions of records worldwide; won two Grammy Awards; practically rescued Adidas from bankruptcy due to their unique clothing choice; and last — and certainly least —discovered and promoted Limp Bizkit (hard to forgive them for that one). Frontman Jonathan Davis is now an iconic figure in the music world and for the first time is embarking on a solo acoustic tour, which Korn’s loyal followers have been demanding for years. As he explains to the Reporter, “I couldn’t be any happier right now.”
VCR: Korn’s MTV unplugged performance surprised a lot of people in how well your material translated to an acoustic setting. Were you surprised at all?
JD: We didn’t realize how well it worked ourselves until we started working on the songs. The melodies were always clear to me because I wrote them, but it’s usually over so much distortion. When we broke it down it really turned into something that was completely different.
A solo acoustic tour for you is obviously a pretty big departure from your usual gig. How did the idea come about?
Well, it’s nothing like the unplugged show. The idea came about because Korn never got to go out and get a chance to perform the Queen of the Damned songs [a film Davis scored]. There’re only six or seven songs on that and I couldn’t quite do a whole show with it, so I added some Korn B-sides, rarities, things we don’t really play live. The show is still heavy, still banging. There is a backing band.
How have the audience reactions been?
Amazing. Really killer.
Are the shows comprised of primarily a lot of Korn fans or are you seeing some new people who may feel a little more comfortable not at a metal show?
It’s the Korn fans. I see some moms bringing their kids but that’s because a lot of our audience have families now. It’s the hardcores though.
Are you enjoying performing in that setting? For years you’ve been one of the premier frontmen in metal, do you think it takes away from your rather extreme image at all to just sit down and strum an acoustic?
It’s a different feeling, but it’s one I like. I’m having so much fun, seeing the looks on people’s faces. I mean, sometimes they just won’t stop screaming. It’s crazy. People are singing back word for word almost drowning the band out, but that’s the whole point of it: people coming and having a good time. It’s a good thing for me and the audience.
Having been an extremely successful artist on a major label, what do you think of the bleak status of the current industry?
Well, there’re all kinds of changes going on. It definitely isn’t the industry it used to be.
Do you miss it? Obviously it was really good to you.
Yeah. I kinda do miss it. The record business is going down but music’s never been more popular. With the Internet and all the piracy that’s going down, it just really, really sucks for the artist.
If a band came out now like Korn — from a small town, playing and looking as different as you did — don’t you think it would nearly impossible for them to have the success you have had without the promotions and finances of a major label?
I think it’d be hard. At the time we came out we looked weird and no one liked us, but it got bigger and bigger by word of mouth on our live show and record. The label definitely helped in tour support, which enabled us to stay on the road and make new fans with the live show. In this day and age, though, it’s definitely more difficult, and there’s not nearly as much money, but there are new ways of promotion that exist now, and I still think if you really want to make it happen, you can make it happen.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT