So while they were here I had the chance ask them some of the questions posted on hot’s Facebook page and Twitter! Placing them in an intimate candle-lit setting, the boys shared their deepest thoughts about marrying a Malaysian girl, how they would romance their Valentine, their darkest ‘Nightmares’ and much more. |
It was a low-key backstage, dressing-room interview with Chino Moreno (Lead Vocalist) and Frank Delgado (Samples/Keys) of the Deftones; but no less enthusiastic on our part. This was hot’s Valentine’s Day date, it can’t possibly get better than this. We plopped down unto the vertically-challenged couches in the middle of the room full of crew members scurrying in and out, attempting to make sure all’s well for the show that was to happen later that evening. The American alternative metal band from Sacramento are sort of legendary (in their own right); having been around since 1988. We salute them for staying this long in a very fickle-minded entertainment industry and proving that they have a boundary-crossing appeal. They have, after all, sold over three million tickets and four million albums to date. The band, consisting of Chino Moreno, Abe Cunningham (drums), Stephen Carpenter (strings), Chi Cheng (bass), have six studio albums; two of which are certified Platinum. Their current album Diamond Eyes, which was released in May of 2010, was named the iTunes Rock Album of the Year. Now, let’s meet the people behind the music… How do you feel being here in Malaysia? Just coming to this part of Asia is incredible, we always talked about coming and we finally made it. We’re so surprised that we have so many fans here and we’re enjoying every minute of it. What would you be doing if you we’re not playing for us on Valentine’s Day? Chino: If I was at home, I’d probably be asleep right now because it’s the middle of the night. But when I woke up, I’d probably spend the day with my family and my dog. Then eat a nice dinner. Frank: Family day [smiles and nods]. How do you prep for the show, with so much screaming? Does it ever get sore? Sometimes, but luckily not recently. I’ve been pretty OK. I should warm up, maybe more. I usually have a glass of wine, scream a little bit and then go out there. I’ve gotten used to it over the years. Luckily, hopefully, cross my fingers...it’s been ok. What do you do for fun while you’re on tour? Chino: Everybody does different things. Some of us play golf, some of us work out. Frank: It’s good to see the city when you have the time. Find some good food, check out the night life. It all varies, depending on where. Chino: A good beer. Let’s talk music...what was the inspiration behindDiamond Eyes? A lot of things... we usually take life in general as an inspiration: friendships, our love for music, nothing in particular really. There are a lot of moods/modes that we go through in everyday life and we put those into our artistic endeavours. Tell us about your vids ‘Sex tapes’, ‘Rocket Skates’ and ‘You’ve Seen the Butcher’... They are all done by different directors. The idea usually comes from the director but we came up with the concept for ‘You’ve Seen the Butcher’. It was really simple, we wanted to make a performance video but not the typical type, so we decided to get a bunch of girls, dress them [sort of] scantily and pour blood on everybody. It was one of the “funnest” video we’ve made. So, What’s ‘You’ve Seen The Butcher’ really about? None of our songs are really particularly about anything other than conveying a mood or a feeling. The visuals reflect the seductiveness of the song itself and the aggression of it. Our music has a fine balance of aggression and sensuality. Those two are quite separate on the emotional scale but we seem to make them work. What other bands would you like to collaborate with? On the top of my head, I’d like to tour with System of the Down. That would be a fun tour as I’ve never played with them before. I think that’d be a good tour. We’re fans of music, we like all kinds of stuff. It could be anything, PJ Harvey... [we interjected with-- Justin Bieber?] Yeah, Justin Bieber! What’s the truth behind the formation of this band? The story is not that crazy. We were kids that grew up in the same neighbourhood...we skateboarded and hung out together. Stephen’s house was a communal place where everyone kind of went and hung out. There was a bunch of equipment and we would try to learn how to play. That was pretty much it. What is the relationship between the members? Do you get into fights? Yeah, sometimes. Not violent fights or anything like that. We get in little tiffs, nothing that crazy. Do you pull pranks on each other? Not so much pranks. We talk a lot of junk [laughs]; we make fun of each other a lot, which is good. What is the best show you’ve ever played? It’s a hard question because we’ve played a lot of great shows. One of the most memorable ones was Rock in Rio in 2000 (a long time ago). It’s probably the biggest show we’ve played too-over 200 thousand people. We flew in on a helicopter, over the crowd. It was pretty awesome. Chino, you’re of Chinese and Spanish descent. Do you have Chinese influences or speak any Chinese? Not at all. The Chinese in my family is very small. My grandfather is half Chinese, he didn’t speak Chinese either. His father did. But he died when I was a little baby, so I did not get to hang out with him too much to be influenced by him. What is the biggest risk you have taken in your life, since one song from your album is ‘Risk’... Chino: The word Risk actually comes from the board game. We used to play that game a lot, a lot, when we were writing the last record. That song is actually an ode to Chi. He probably loved that game more than all of us. He was so into it; that was where the name came from. I think we take risks everyday in our lives...travelling and doing other things. Anything can happen, anytime. Frank: The Diamond Eyes record on a whole was a risk or a chance we took on ourselves, after the accident. We had no clue what to do or how to approach it so we kind of went with our gut. Chino: We went into writing a whole new record after working for a year on another record, not really having the money to do it or anything,[find a new member]. We had to take a chance. We thought positive and made it work. What is your biggest achievement? The longevity of our band. The fact that in 1988 we were little kids, making music... What gives you the edge over the other bands, in terms of staying power? I don’t really know. All I can say is that we’re not like a group that was put together for any other reason than the fact that we enjoy each other’s company. Aside from music, we’re actually friends making music together. There are lots of other bands that don’t really hang out. We have camaraderie. So, that helps. Arcade Fire won a Grammy for album of the year. What do you guys think of them? Chino: Never heard of ‘em. Frank: [Shakes head] Do you think that Justin Bieber was robbed from winning New Artists of the Year? Chino: I wouldn’t say he was robbed. The people that he was up against were probably talented too. But he is a talented kid and has plenty of time to win plenty of things. He’ll be fine. Enlighten us about your very different, image-heavy lyrics and the writing process... Chino: I don’t go in there with a game plan of how to be different. A lot of times, I’m more interested in writing the melody and rhythm and after I get comfortable with that, I start putting words to that. I write it all down, kind of not thinking about it. Then I look back at it and it makes sense to me. A lot of it is imagery. I don’t tell too many stories. I’m not into politics; I don’t have anything to say about how people should think. I don’t think of myself as a lyricist; I write the lyrics but I am not a guy that sits around writing poetry and then say, ‘I want to write a song about this or that’. It just sort of happens. I’m lucky that it works. What are you up to next? After we leave here, we will tour some more. Tour The States and then maybe take some time off and start writing music. *Interview by Felicia Chin
For the Deftones show pics and vids at KL LIVE, click here: http://bit.ly/g27114 | |
