Kings for A Lifetime Faitch No More

Rip It Up, Issue 242, 1 October 1997, Page 16

Kings for A Lifetime Faitch No More

overriding the annual rumours trumpeting their demise, a Few months ago faith no more delivered the awesome, IF somewhat optimistically titled, eLbum of rhe Year. in mld-october, the san Fran quintet arrive In New Zealand For the Fourth time In their 15 year history, to once again prove then're not dead.

The last time we heard from America’s most dysfunctional band was back in 1995, when they played in Wellington and Auckland on a world tour in support of their shockingly underrated sixth album, King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime. As always, as a unit they seemed perilously close to collapse, and not long after they left these shores, the inevitable rumours floated back that Faith No More had indeed, split up. Individually, members of the band added fuel to the fire by pursuing personal projects throughout 1996; singer Mike Patton worked on his second solo album and toured with Mr Bungle; keyboard player Roddy Bottum recorded and toured with his other band, Imperial Teen; and drummer Mike Bordin spent six months on the road with Ozzy Osbourne (and later, the reformed Black Sabbath). Speculation regarding the status of Faith No More has been rife, on and off, since the release of their most commercially successful album, The Real Thing, in 1989. In response, Faith No More have never climbed to the top of a mountain to deny the band haven’t split — every couple of years they simply unveil a powerhouse rock record, that reveals a cohesive band . enjoying musical growth, and displaying a.. sceptical sense of humour. It’s easier to ignore the rumours, says Bordin, and the situation leading up to the release of Album Of The Year proved no different. “This time, we spent a lot of time writing the record rather than having to talk about ourselves and defend anything that is, to . me, all hot air anyway. It would have been very uncomfortable for us to have make a royal proclamation and say, ’no, Faith No More’s not broken up.”' That said, Bordin admits the repetitive nature of the gossip that dogs Faith No More confuses him. Just like every other internationally successful rock band, he explains, following a world tour spent in each other’s pockets, Faith No More need respite from their fractious personalities. “If you live in a submarine with four other guys that you’ve known for 15 years, you’ve had every mood and emotion with them. So, what are you gonna do when you get apart? You’re going to want to go and try to have a life. When you’re on tour and :

it’s taking up all your time, when you go home, you do anything else because you can. We need that time personally as well as creatively, and sometimes it just takes a lot of time to relax and recharge and regroup. ; • Faith No More have a chequered history of internal relations. Not satisfied with the customary verbal arguments and fist fights, their dramas went beyond the norm. Guitarist Jim Martin, who left the group in 1994, was known to have drawn a gun on occasion, and Patton secured a reputation ■ for public defecation to express his displeasure with band affairs. Nowadays, the dynamic has changed within Faith No More. After 15 years, the squabbling has ceased and the band are learning to maintain a working relationship, says Bordin. “All the crap goes back to the days of Jim, and people butting heads on a regular basis, which maybe makes for entertaining press, but for a guy like me that doesn’t live that way, it makes it a real drag to tell you the truth. The change in behaviour has been a long time coming and it feels good, I’m grateful for it. Ironically, says Bordin, in 1997, the new, improved Faith No More are a better band than ever; “There’s no doubt about that, everything is going real well. It’s a pretty solid time — which is real weird because we’ve been together a long time — but it’s a confident time for us.” While Faith No More are currently striking a positive pose, in recent years, on a commercial level they have not been a band on the ascent. In 1992, Angel Dust alienated fans who were expecting a repeat

of The Real Thing's listener-friendly pop/metal, and two years on, King For A Day, the band’s first album following the departure of Martin, bombed in the USA, and was only marginally more successful in Europe. Bordin says the band’s record label, “pretended the album didn’t exist”, and in addition, the experimental nature of King For A Day confused even the most dedicated FNM fans. As a result, significant record sales eluded the band. “We never got over the hump, and that hump is basically a single that gets played on the radio and makes the album a hit record. It’s that simple to get a hit record, ' but for us the single just didn’t happen.” , 1 ’. Determined to make a more “cohesive" album on their next outing, and with their outside pursuits on hold, Faith No More reconvened in San Francisco in early 97 to record Album Of The Year', Patton travelled from his home in Italy, and bassist Billy Gould returned from Russia. By this time, touring guitarist Dean Menta had stepped aside, to be replaced by Jon Hudson, an old friend of Gould’s. Recruited to produce the album was Roli Mosimann, most recognised for his long term involvement with Swiss band, the Young Gods. Bordin explains. “We thought it would be interesting to work with somebody that had a lot of experience with heavy music but also had a good grasp of technology. Roli was very. well rounded and absolutely the right man for the job, we couldn’t have made this record without him.” On Album Of The Year, Faith No More revisit the brutal guitar sounds and heavy rhythms of The Real Thing/Angel Dust era, but the computer technology introduced by

Mosimann, adds an aggressive sonic sophistication, that gives them a brand new signature sound. It’s that progression that ensures Bordin stays interested in Faith No More. “If you make the same record every time then you’re really shutting something down. Growth is the most important thing, and hopefully you can measure that over time. If you don’t have that, for us anyway, that would be completely dishonest. “With this band, when you hear our record you get a little surprised, but it’s still a good surprise. I would hope that people would give us the respect of listening for themselves, and I really think that’s when you get the connection with people who give a damn. That’s important, because you’re speaking from the heart and you’re speaking to other people’s hearts, and there’s nothing in music that comes close, that’s the ultimate.” As Faith No More’s Album Of The Year Tour winds its way down under, worldwide sales of their latest album haven’t broken any records, and initial demand for concert tickets in NZ has been slow. Unfazed, Bordin accepts Faith No More aren’t challenging for the mantle of Biggest Rock Band in the World, but reiterates neither would they want to be. “We are only in the business of doing what we can do, and what we can do is write the best records that we can, and perform them up to our standard live, night after night. We’ve never been particularly good at self promotion, what we try to do is make the music good, we’ve always figured that would be enough.

JOHN RUSSELL