Interview Randy Blythe & Mark Morton Lamb of God

Lineup: Chris Adler - (Drums) Willie Adler - (Guitar) Randy Blythe - (Vocal) Mark Morton - (Guitar) John Campbell - (Bass)

Clash of the Metal Titans Tour 2007 Killswitch Engage Lamb of God DevilDriver Soilwork Congress Theatre 12/05/07 Interviewer: Erika Kristen Watt Photos: Karma E. Omowale

"What have I achieved besides making music that I like, that’s an achievement in...itself."

Lamb of God is back on the road again and this time amongst family on the Clash of the Metal Titans 2007 tour with brethren Killswitch Engage, DevilDriver and newer to their tight fold Soilwork, blessing the masses with their colossal stage presence. This go round Randy Blythe sits down with FourteenG in this laid back interview as he shares some of his favorite subjects: politics, the band's latest album Sacrament and France's phenoms, Gojira, including an interesting sidebar on the fate of would-be local stalkers. Read on...

Erika: Thank you very much for touching base with us. It’s been about four years since we spoke with you in particular.

Randy: Quite a while ago.

Erika: Yes, but the other guys were just as kind to us. They were gracious. So, you’re towards the end point of the US tour. Has this tour been everything you hoped it would be and more?

Randy: This specific tour? Yeah, it’s really good. We’re out with good friends. I really didn’t know Soilwork before we started this tour and we’ve gotten to know them pretty well, pretty fast. It’s a good time; it’s a real good vibe. We’ve toured with Killswitch and Devildriver a million times so. It’s a bunch of dudes going around giving each other a bunch of shit I guess. 

Erika: Was there ever a doubt in your mind that you would have made it to this level in your careers (i.e. platinum DVD release later)?

Randy: Not so much that there wasn’t a doubt we just never thought it would happen period.

Erika: How so?

Randy: ‘Cause we just started to play music just for fun. It just kind of…happened! [Laughter]

Erika: Well it didn’t just happen, there was a lot of work involved.

Randy: Sure but I don’t think, when I joined the band, when he [pointing at guitarist Mark Morton] started the band I don’t think he thought we would be cruising’ around in tour buses, playing Ozzfest touring in Japan and all that shit. It really wasn’t an option in our minds. We just wanted to play some heavy metal.   

Erika: Could you tell us about what went into deciding on re-issuing Sacrament with a media active “Garage Band” added feature?

Randy: I don’t think its “Garage Band” specific but there’s a few different programs you can remix songs. I don’t really know. I hate the studio so I’ll never ever touch the thing!

Erika: Never ever?! That’s a long time…

Randy: No! So, I guess they took all the basic tracks and isolated them so you get an extra CD with the reissue that has the data disc I guess. Put there and do all sorts of wacky things. Re-record do whatever you want. You could sound like Alvin and The Chipmunks, put the helium effect on ya know. Should be fun. I guess for those people who are savvy enough to do that.   

Erika: Because you are a music aficionado in your own right, do you ever have the need to create music just to put your own spin on how you may feel a song should be played?  If so, what song would you like to rework by which artist?

Randy: Ummm, there’s been some songs I would love to cover but I would never really want to redo an album I really loved because I have too much respect for the original artist. I always wanted to do a cover of Cro-mags’ Malfunction. That’s one of my favorite songs. And then a Bad Brains cover would be fun. I Against I would be really fun.

Erika: What did you think about their new one? [Referring to Bad Brains’ Build A Nation Randy sighs, smiles as he stares at the ceiling] Dare I ask?!

Randy: The music is good but I mean HR [singer] is certainly a unique character. I don’t exactly know what he was trying to bring to the table with this record. It’s all kind of dub vocals, it’s just spaced out stuff. A lot of delay n’ stuff. I don’t know man…[Laughter] I hate to talk about the guy in anything other than a positive light. I’m not super fond of that record!

Erika: Okay, we’ll move on! [Sidebar: conversation diverted from a comment made earlier of Gojira, where Randy is cited as being a fan] How do you feel when a lot of these new school metal acts come to you guys and tell you that your contribution to metal has changed their view on how they create music?

Randy: It’s flattering ya know. I don’t know if we changed anything for Gojira ‘cause you know they’re from out of space anyway already. It’s flattering. Everyone has influences. They would be dishonest if they said they don’t. We just try not to wear them on our sleeves too blatantly I don’t suppose. It’s certainly flattering that we could further music in some way. Even just a little bit.

Erika: Dare I ask you of your political stance currently?

Randy: Yes you may! [Laughter] whether or not I have an answer for you… you can go there.

Erika: How does The Nation’s political climate alter your lyrical content for the next release?

Randy: Well, Mark and I write the lyrics. We have written two fairly politicized records. Palaces and Ashes. We wanted to step away from that and write more personal stuff, which we did for Sacrament. I got some writing going on right now of a political nature. The climate is depressing to me. I won’t say I won’t write any political lyrics but we’ll see how the year progresses and what happens with our beloved leader. And who’s to be installed as the next figurehead. A lot of Bush bashing and so forth but really, blaming him for all the problems of the country is like blaming the little bulldog in front of a Mack truck for an auto accident. He’s really not the power; he’s the figurehead. It’s the people who put him in.    

Erika: What would you like to achieve on the next album that you did not achieve on Sacrament?

Randy: Um, that’s a really good question. I really don’t know exactly if I had any set goals that I didn’t mention on this record. I would like to say that for me, on the next record, I’d just like to take my voice and open it’s range a little bit more. ‘Cause that’s what I’ve sort of done on each record. I learn a little bit more and a little bit more and a little bit more. Some people don’t like it. They just want you, screaming!

Erika: How difficult is that? Fan criticism seems harder than self-criticism?

Randy: I really don’t care. We make music for five dudes and we’re fairly self-critical. So if it passes our muster then we’re happy with it. Hopefully other people will like it, if not tough shit, ya know? Yeah so with the next record I want to expand my range.

Erika: Like how?

Randy: With different pitches. Like we were touring with Gojira and like Joe [Duplantier, singer/bass] besides having an amazing band behind him, he’s got a really unique voice I think at times. The way he pitches things… and like he use to come out and play Redneck with us and stuff. And he was imitating me but doing it his way. So now when I sing Redneck I’m imitating him imitating me! [Laughter] It’s kind of neat changing the pitch. So that’s what I really want to do is expand my pitch.    

Erika: Free advertisement, are there any musicians and/or recording industry folks out there that you would like to work with on your future release?

Randy: I’d love to do any sort of project with Iggy Pop. Nick Cave or Johnny Rotten. I’m living a pipe dream but…

Erika: You never know…

Randy: Maybe Gojira, since they put out my favorite record of 2006 From Mars To Sirius. It was incredible! They’re an incredible band. I won’t mind doing some stuff with some New Orleans people like Eye Hate God. I like that kind of sludgy stuff.

Erika: Snapshot in time, what have you achieved as individual musicians to date? And how have you evolved as a person because of your successes and failures?

Randy: What have I achieved besides making music that I like, that’s an achievement in and in of itself. I’ve had a few kids give me letters or tell me I was really having a hard time with their life but there’s no reason to count me out. So, that to me is a big achievement cause that music did that for me when I was younger. It still does today. That to me is a good thing. But as far as what I’ve learned from my successes and failures, I would say, not much! [Laughter] I don’t know man. I’ve learned to look at the world, well I kind of already had that attitude anyway but I’ve really been able to experience the world with an open attitude because we’ve traveled around it. We get to see other cultures and stuff, ya know.  

Erika: A metal service announcement to the metal community, what’s the best thing one could do before casting their votes next November?

Randy: I would say, pay attention beyond a surface level of America bullshit where a candidates’ interests lay. Specifically, physically. Where is the money gonna come from where is it going to go. What are their vested interests? Cause I don’t think The Administration right now has the common man’s interest at all. I don’t think they’re very interested in advancing just normal people and I don’t think they have much of a humanitarian concern what so ever. It’s all big business. Practically, that’s all politicians! [Laughter]

Erika: Have you had any heated conversations with your father? I know you said the last time you guys have butt heads on a couple of different issues. 

Randy: [Smiles] No, not really.

Erika: So, have you gone green? What’s your take on it?

Randy: Going green, I mean that’s a sort of nebulas term. Ya know? Sometimes I go green after drinking too much. [Laughter] I mean I’ve always kind of naturally gone green because I was never really able to afford a car before. When I’m at home, my wife is very conscientious she and I are about recycling. I don’t liter. I ride a moped [Laughter] most of the time. Instead of a car, I have a car but I just get around in my supped-up moped that goes 50mph, it’s retarded. It’s kind of dangerous. I hate to put a term on it. I think you should just respect the planet. I think that’s going to be beyond some sort of terrorist attack or something like that or a big war. It’s going to be the crisis that’s going to fuck people up is when the fossil fuel is going to run out. We’re using it at an alarming rate. And when they do go… think about what would happen if you lived in L.A. and all of a sudden there’s no more gasoline. Shit would go crazy. People would loose their fucking minds.

Erika: So, 50 words or less, the climate of hard rock/heavy metal and it’s sub-genres in today’s music industry. GO!

Randy: It’s kind of raining! It’s over saturated. We got 100% precipitation going on right now. It’s too many fuckin’ bands. I mean there’s a lot of good band. The kids are getting really good really fast. Computers enable you to do all sorts of wacky things that you weren’t able to do when you were back in the day doing reel to reel. So it’s good but it’s over saturated.

Erika: What do we need to do as a consumer, what do we need to do to rectify the situation?

Randy: As a consumer man, that’s something we all ponder I think. Records sales are down. All the file sharing and so worth. I don’t think it’s the demon that some people make it but I don’t think it’s the greatest thing in the world that people make it out to be. I don’t think it’s the responsibility of the consumer to figure out what’s wrong with the industry and correct it. I think it’s the responsibility of the industry because it’s the industry that’s got itself in trouble in the first fucking place. From being fat and lazy, there’s so many people with all these mergers over the past few years and mad heads are getting chopped. I mean, a lot of ‘em probably didn’t do anything anyway. Just walked around and ‘Hi I’m so n so from Atlantic. Nice to see ya!’ ya know? I know they try and clog up our guest lists. [Laughter] It’s like what the fuck do you do besides drink up bands’ beers and go to shows and hob-knob and exchange business cards ya know? It’s the industry responsibility to try and figure it out. It a bitch, man. Computers are taking control.

Erika: Do you have a take on it Mark?

Mark: Ya mean its probably a weird way of looking at it because in one sense we’re submersed in it because of how much time we spend in this world, I really don’t enjoy heavy metal as a musician.

Erika: Were you always like this? I know you all have pretty eclectic tastes.  

Mark: Well, certainly coming up, learning how to play guitar and playing in bands I was into old Bay Area Trash, I always follow the music. But everything kind of sounds the same. Practically, in the past five years. [Randy agrees] I mean they change tags for it so often, for whatever genre is popular. I was thinking about this yesterday. There was a minute when it was called Extreme Metal. Do you remember that?

Erika: MTV capitalized on it.

Mark: But it didn’t last very long. And then there was the whole new wave of American heavy metal. And then metal-core. And we were a band before any of those terms. I think in some magazine we were labeled grind-core. I didn’t even know what that was. I’m from James City County, Virginia; we didn’t have “grind-core”! [Laughter]

Erika: Sorry, it didn’t reach there!

Mark: No, it didn’t reach there.  So, as Randy said, it’s flooded. It’s over loaded. There’s just so many bands. It all kind of sounds alike. But my saying probably doesn’t hold a lot of weight because I don’t spend a lot of time listening to metal. That’s like somebody’s grandpa saying ‘All that rap music sounds the same!’ Well, no it doesn’t! It doesn’t all sound the same because there’s good, there’s bad, there’s all different styles. So maybe if you don’t spend a lot of time listening to it maybe it does all sound the same.          

Erika: Yeah but you’re in it! You’re in the thick of it. So you would hear the differences.

Mark: Yeah.

Randy: Yeah but we hide! [Laughter]

Mark: You would think. But I still like the music that I like to hear. That’s what we always did. So in a sense, I think for me, you know it’s different for everybody. Chris, like listens to nothing but metal [Randy grunts] and that’s where he gets his inspiration from. I’ve spent almost no time listening to metal, so that when I do go and sit down to write something I’m not affected by whatever’s being bought on to MTV. I didn’t really answer your question. [Laughs]

Erika: But you did.

Mark: But I guess the answer is I really don’t know the state of heavy metal. Although there seem to be a shit tone of bands and I’m not paying attention to any of them. I rather listen to the Blues; it’s sounds like the music that I’m being exposed to 200-250 days of the year.

Erika: Right, I understand. So, with the next question…

Mark: But that doesn’t mean, let me clarify to say [Laughter] it doesn’t mean I think metal sucks or that it’s lame or anything like that, it’s not. It’s just because I’m so consistently inundated with it. I still love music more than anything in the world. So, I have to find other music to listen to for the journey.      

Erika: Understandable, understandable. So where do you think you fit in metal history and how are you personally going to secure Lamb of God’s legacy for generations to come?

Randy: I‘d like to think, me, I obviously fit in as the most dashing, handsome, debonair front man in the history of heavy metal and I will personal secure that legacy with a cheap Kmart kryptonite knock-off bicycle lock. [Laughter] That’s how I’ll do it.

Mark: Oh gosh, I don’t think we need that stuff. We’re still just five idiots from Richmond. Okay, maybe not idiots but five drunks who got together to play riffs. We’re just lucky we got good at it. We were at the right place at the right time. We made a lot of right decisions. But what our legacy will be, wow, it’s hard to put it in perspective because when I think of bands like Megadeth, Testament, Anthrax, to me they are big icons of metal. Do I see ourselves as that? No! How could I, cause I’m here. [Denotes, low] I knew Randy when he was a bum. [Laughter, Randy spits out his food] but these kids who are lined up down the block, they think he’s this huge rock star. And I guess maybe they’re right in their eyes.

Randy: [Eyes rolling in the back of his head] Yeah, right!

Mark: But to me, no. [Chuckles] I mean, I met Chris and John Campbell when we were all 17 yrs old.

Randy: They’re just dudes!  [Laughs] We’re …just…dudes!! It’s funny you bring that up man cause I just tell the kids, ‘We’re just dudes.’ Their like, [look of worship in his eyes] ‘Nooo!’ [Laughter] That’s really hard man.

Mark: It’s hard to get that kind of respect. I suppose, that at this point, if I looked at it uncritically the band has done a whole lot. We’ve done some good things, in the sense that there will always be people who believe in the music and that the music will never go away. They’ll reference it and go back and listen to it and get turned onto it maybe. That’s amazing! It’s sort of immortality in a way. That’s an honor to be apart of something like that. I don’t know. I don’t want to even think about that. I just wanna write riffs and play shows. If I’m lucky enough to live to be 60 or 70 and look back and say what kind of staying power we sustained. What kind of impact it had and at least it’s not going to go away, as long as people can get a hold of it and reference it and that’s cool.

Erika: Any special messages for your fans?

Randy: [Evil laugh] I got something special for you! [Hysterical laughter] Tell ‘em to leave us alone for the entire next year and we’ll be back in 2009 with some new shit for you.

Mark: And to the kid who showed up on my front door, next time I’m gonna sick my dog on you! [Laughter]

Randy: And don’t come to my house cause my wife will shoot you. No, really she will.

Thanks to Randy and the rest of the "dudes" for being so damn cool and hooking this interview up! 

Related Links of Interest

Ø    Photos / Review from Sacrament Tour 2007

 Ø   Interview with John Campbell & Mark Morton

Ø      Photos / Review from Unholy Alliance Tour

Ø      Photos / Review from SOTU 2005 

Ø   Archived Interview with Randy Blythe

Ø      Photos / Review from their co-headlining tour with Fear Factory