Another great Faith No More feature on NPR. Mike Patton was in good form in this excellent NPR interview published today.
Some choice cuts:
“It makes sense, and in some ways we’re all kind of getting it right. We’re trying to right some wrongs, if you can say that. Meaning the way s***’s recorded, the way it’s presented, and basically just us taking control of our name, of our music, and everything that that contained.”
“I write stuff all the time. All the time. I don’t know where it’s gonna go, or where it’s gonna end up. I think you kinda figure that out afterwards. That’s one thing I’ve learned after doing this for thirty years: Keep writing, keep doing it, but the process is the most important thing. Where it ends up or how you end up arranging it where it ends up where it ends up is just an afterthought.”
“They’re just words. If they’re political, if they’re antisocial or god knows what — if they were, then that’s not my problem. I just write them, and it’s up to the world to decide what they are. That’s my position.”
I see 60 as officially old if I had to put a number to it. But I think that also depends on how well you take care of yourself. Performing is physically demanding and touring especially grueling, so he might feel older for that reason. Anyway, Patton just gives the best interviews when asked good questions. So candid. I also think the fact that he stood in for his friends gig is far more interesting than the typical artist talk of what album inspired them to pursue singing. Definitely the highlight of this interview for me.
Nice interview by MP here… he continues to insist at 47 he is an old man. Just absurd. I guess at 77 he will be ancient, comatose, or senile.
I remember his first demo with Bungle, Bowel of Chiley. It’s funny, because at a Bungle show I asked him if he had singing lessons since then and he said, “Uh, well, I was 15 when I made that.” Lol. I think he always knew he was a singer, even when he was just a kid with awkward vocals, like every 15 year old going through changes.
It is weird to age and see all the changes of life. Part of me hates getting older, but another part of me sees that this life is a journey with peaks we never could have foreseen if you can just hold on long enough.