What about you personally, you have had the Grammy nod, the multi-platinum success, headlining arenas; are there any other goals that you have your sights set on?
This record cycle, we want to do a headlining arena tour throughout America and hopefully, worldwide. That’s something we have yet to do. We have headlined arenas, but we have never done a full, proper headlining American arena tour. That is the goal for us, and hopefully, October/November that’s what we are going to be doing.
You are very candid about being clean and sober. It must be especially hard for you on the road, how do you maintain?
It’s a fucking rocky road man. I am, like, titled fucking Captain Relapse, but for me, it’s just a better way of living. I just feel so much more connected to my band, and the music, and the crowd and myself. You know when I look in the mirror and I got a clear head and a clear conscious, I can really offer something to the people around me instead of being just a fucking wasted numbskull.
It’s definitely hard, because on the road is where it really goes down—hookers and blow—dude, it’s everywhere. For me, I am just trying to live a positive lifestyle right now, and that’s a tough motherfucker, because life is a bitch sometimes and you want to numb yourself. Then when you’re numb, it’s a fucking crazy cycle, that’s why I am trying to keep it together right now.
You did some hosting for MTV. What was that like for you?
I had a blast doing that, I hosted this show called Scars for MTV. Twenty episodes and they played the shit out of that show, but I am done with that and I am really focused on the band. I had a good time doing it, and I am not saying I won’t ever do that again, but I am focused on rock and roll. That’s what it’s all about for me right now.
What do you feel is the biggest misconception about Papa Roach?
The only misconception I think would be that Papa Roach is a nu metal band, because we came in 2000, and we had nu metal hits, but since then, we have just evolved into a really kick ass rock band. We’ve started to be recognized as that, which is rad instead of being lumped in with a certain genre, scene or era. We are starting to reach a point where people are going, ‘Alright, Papa Roach is going to be around for a while, this band is real.’
That’s definitely been a goal for us to get that respect in the industry and the rock community. We definitely have our own sound. When you go on the Internet and you’re searching for music and you hear a Papa Roach song, you know it’s us. We definitely have our own identity, and that’s the beauty of it. We have gotten through all this clutter of music and people know who we are. That’s what we have been working for all these years.
Metamorphosis hits stores March 24. Catch Papa Roach at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, on March 17. For more info, visit paparoach.com.
