Page 33 - Issue12
P. 33
have giant dragons coming down from the ceiling, and pyro
going off--we are the show, and that is taken directly as an
homage to Van Halen at their peak. I think it’s something
not a lot of bands appreciate - you are putting on a show, you
are a larger-than-life rock and roll performer and people
paid money to come see you, and that’s the way it should be.
When you are at home, or working out or in the car, are there
any bands you listen to that might surprise your fans at all?
I think a lot of people were surprised when we did the Abba
cover, which for us was very natural because we love 70’s
music and we love dance music and we love funk music and
that sort of stuff. I think one of the reasons our records are
so diverse and are a little bit different from the norm are
because it’s not just all metal, metal, metal for us. I think
that Rich Ward is probably the biggest yacht rock fan on the
planet: Doobie Brothers, Kool and the Gang, Little River
Band, he loves all that shit. And I think that kinda shines
through, you feel a real melodic sense to our music, a real
pocket groove in our music that you don’t normally find,
and that stems from his influences.
You’ve wrestled in totally different-sized companies at
different points in their journey, say a smaller show like an
ECW show and the smaller location vs. the huge stages all
over the world for both wrestling and Fozzy. What are the key
differences from your perspective?
It makes you laugh when someone says—“You’re playing this
small club with Fozzy—how is that considering that you’re in
WWE and you do these big arenas?” I mean, they’re not all
big arena shows even in the WWE. Last week we played a
community center in Canton, OH with the WWE. Sometimes
you go in an arena and there will be 1,000 people in a 10,000
seat arena. There’s always big shows and small shows in every
type of entertainment genre that you have. To me, every
show is the same, 10 or 10,000; whether it’s rock and roll or it’s
wrestling, whether it’s Wrestlemania or a shitty little club in
Janesville or Canton, OH, you put on the best show that you
can because people are paying to see it. You don’t punish the
people who came to a show because the crowd is small. How
One of the things I really appreciate about Fozzy is that you egotistical would that be: “Aw, it’s a shitty crowd so I’m going
guys bring straight-ahead, fun, hard rock metal right in your to do a short set or a short match and not do anything.” That’s
face let’s do it and have fun! What kind of bands influenced bullshit, that’s not how you build a fan base, and that’s not the
you and inspired you to go that way? reputation I built for myself no matter what I do; I give my all
When we play, we want to be Van Halen in 1979. That’s no matter what the circumstances may be, and hey sometimes
our mission. You see those shows where EVERYBODY it’s not easy when you’re playing in front of 50 people or if
was having a great time onstage. There wasn’t any type of your playing in front of 1,000 in a 10,000 seat arena, but it
real stage props, just lights, PA’s and a great rock and roll happens though. So what do you do? Do you curl up and die
band having a blast. That’s what we strive for. We want and complain and whine about it, or go up there and fucking
to be Van Halen in 1981, 1982—when they were at their rock? That’s the way you do it, that’s the way you build a fan
peak, everybody was just going nuts and having a great base and that’s the way you keep your reputation up as a great
time watching them. That’s probably the biggest influence live performer under any circumstance.
I can tell you as far as a band. I think because we are the
show when we play—we don’t have stage props, we don’t
photos by patrick Desmond - rOtr 2014
going off--we are the show, and that is taken directly as an
homage to Van Halen at their peak. I think it’s something
not a lot of bands appreciate - you are putting on a show, you
are a larger-than-life rock and roll performer and people
paid money to come see you, and that’s the way it should be.
When you are at home, or working out or in the car, are there
any bands you listen to that might surprise your fans at all?
I think a lot of people were surprised when we did the Abba
cover, which for us was very natural because we love 70’s
music and we love dance music and we love funk music and
that sort of stuff. I think one of the reasons our records are
so diverse and are a little bit different from the norm are
because it’s not just all metal, metal, metal for us. I think
that Rich Ward is probably the biggest yacht rock fan on the
planet: Doobie Brothers, Kool and the Gang, Little River
Band, he loves all that shit. And I think that kinda shines
through, you feel a real melodic sense to our music, a real
pocket groove in our music that you don’t normally find,
and that stems from his influences.
You’ve wrestled in totally different-sized companies at
different points in their journey, say a smaller show like an
ECW show and the smaller location vs. the huge stages all
over the world for both wrestling and Fozzy. What are the key
differences from your perspective?
It makes you laugh when someone says—“You’re playing this
small club with Fozzy—how is that considering that you’re in
WWE and you do these big arenas?” I mean, they’re not all
big arena shows even in the WWE. Last week we played a
community center in Canton, OH with the WWE. Sometimes
you go in an arena and there will be 1,000 people in a 10,000
seat arena. There’s always big shows and small shows in every
type of entertainment genre that you have. To me, every
show is the same, 10 or 10,000; whether it’s rock and roll or it’s
wrestling, whether it’s Wrestlemania or a shitty little club in
Janesville or Canton, OH, you put on the best show that you
can because people are paying to see it. You don’t punish the
people who came to a show because the crowd is small. How
One of the things I really appreciate about Fozzy is that you egotistical would that be: “Aw, it’s a shitty crowd so I’m going
guys bring straight-ahead, fun, hard rock metal right in your to do a short set or a short match and not do anything.” That’s
face let’s do it and have fun! What kind of bands influenced bullshit, that’s not how you build a fan base, and that’s not the
you and inspired you to go that way? reputation I built for myself no matter what I do; I give my all
When we play, we want to be Van Halen in 1979. That’s no matter what the circumstances may be, and hey sometimes
our mission. You see those shows where EVERYBODY it’s not easy when you’re playing in front of 50 people or if
was having a great time onstage. There wasn’t any type of your playing in front of 1,000 in a 10,000 seat arena, but it
real stage props, just lights, PA’s and a great rock and roll happens though. So what do you do? Do you curl up and die
band having a blast. That’s what we strive for. We want and complain and whine about it, or go up there and fucking
to be Van Halen in 1981, 1982—when they were at their rock? That’s the way you do it, that’s the way you build a fan
peak, everybody was just going nuts and having a great base and that’s the way you keep your reputation up as a great
time watching them. That’s probably the biggest influence live performer under any circumstance.
I can tell you as far as a band. I think because we are the
show when we play—we don’t have stage props, we don’t
photos by patrick Desmond - rOtr 2014
