Headbangers Ball Interview

This is a transcription of the Korn interview, from MTV Europe's Headbangers Ball, aired on Sunday, January 7th, 00:00 GMT.

It's not been transcribed verbatim, because if you'd put in all the "Errr's", "You know's" etc. the story would be incomprehensible. The interview took place on a parking lot, all three of them sitting in the grass. the wind was in the microphone, so Jonathan especially was not particularly audible.

If anybody is interested: Jonathan wore (surprise, surprise) a blue adidas training-suit with the three white stripes.

Vanessa: Welcome to the Milwaukee Metal Mania 1995. This is the first time we've visited the festival. It's been going about for around 9 years. First up we're going to meet up with one of the most happening new bands on Headbangers Ball this year -- Korn. And joining me here are Munky and Jonathan.

The band has been around for about 2 years. Can you tell us something of the history of Korn?

Munky: Me, the bass player and the drummer have been in and out different bands for about 10 years, until about two years ago we formed Korn and then Jonathan came and joined us. And we wrote a whole new amazing set of songs. They just came from our heart. They pretty much poured out - unwillingly and it's amazing how it turned out. We didn't expect anything this great. I mean we've been playing music for a long time and it's pretty incredible.

Vanessa: Would you say that Jonathan was a catalyst to get the chemistry flowing?

Munky: I'd say that he was the blessing of God! (Jonathan hugs Munky)

Vanessa: Yeah, that's nice, but Jonathan, I understand you're not actually from a rock kinda background. Is that right?

Jonathan: Like, my most favorite band in the world was Duran Duran. I totally knew that kinda retro--- (Munky sighs and Vanessa tries to hit Jonathan on the head with the microphone)---- Sorry, I love them. I liked (He names one of two bands, the end sounded like: "devo's") kinda bands.

Munky: And Missing Persons.

Jonathan: Yeah, Missing Persons and all that stuff. So when I came in this band I didn't have a clue what to do. Heard it and did what I thought was right.

Vanessa: Secretly the metal was flowing in his veins all along and he didn't know it. So we'll talk a little bit about your sound, I mean, you're from California. How much of a product are you of your environment?

Munky: Well California is a big place and there's....actually we're from the country. It's a kinda cool, inbred, screwed-up thing way of living.

Jonathan: It's cool. You come from Bakersfield, it's the home of country music, it's called Nashville-West. I did some of my tracks in Buck Owen's studio, a big country star in the States. I don't know; we got a weird upbringing. We're inbred, oakey guys... (laughs)

Vanessa: We're going into the video of Blind, the first one of the new record. I think it's a good representation of the Korn sound, because to me there's...your songs have a lot of structures, there's a lot going on in each song, right?

Munky: Yeah, right right.

Vanessa: Is that difficult when you come to play it live, you have to think about these time changes and...

Munky: No. It's.. we've been on the road for 8 months now and.... I can do the songs backwards.