Part 1: Gettin' Funky with Munky
Munky: Je to tricko Pharcyde? Ja milujem tu skupinu.
IGN For Men: Je. Mam ho na sebu, pretoze som dufal,ze to to rozosmeje, nakolko ti Tre pomahal s rapovym pozadim na "Cameltosis" este na Follow The Leader.
Munky: Je to dobry kamos a cool chlapik.
IGN For Men: Kto je tvoj oblubeny superhrdina a super "zapornak"?
Munky: Hmmm, moj najoblubenejsi superhrdina je pravdepodobne Hulk.
IGN For Men: Preco prave on?
Munky: Because he can transform himself from like a normal dude into like this...I don't know. All of them [superheroes] did that really. I don't know just his strength. I think I tried to be him one year for Christmas. Wait, not Christmas, I mean Halloween [laughs long and loud]. Yeah, I showed up at Christmas as the Incredible Hulk! [laughs again]. I just liked how his teeth turned like yellow and his eyes were red and his hair was green...
IGN For Men:...And those purple pants, too.
Munky: Yep. I don't know, I think the Incredible Hulk was cool. And someone would piss him off and he'd go, you know what I mean? That's what I liked about it is that he'd get pissed off and just destroy people.
IGN For Men: Back around the time of Life is Peachy, y'all were rockin' the Adidas. Hell, you even had a track called "A.D.I.D.A.S." on that same album. Now you all rock Pumas. What's up with that?
Munky: Yeah, it was a childhood thing, you know? Jonathon was bringin' back...well we had worn Adidas and we just loved the shoes for so long. But then Puma offered us a commercial and free gear and we were like 'Wow! We'll take it.' Actually at the time everyone was starting to wear Adidas. It was 'Adidas Rock,' you know what I mean? Look in every magazine two years ago and every band would be wearing all this Adidas stuff. And we were like 'Man...' We started to get tired of it. And then Puma made us and offer. And Puma was also another...it was Puma and Adidas back in the late '70s and those were the two companies. But anyway, we just kind of got sick of everyone wearin' all the stuff that we were wearin' and so we were like 'Puma gave us a great deal, let's take the offer.' So we changed [our shoes]. And it wasn't something that Adidas could match, so...
IGN For Men: What would you say is your kindred spirit animal? You know the animal you feel you most identify with.
Munky: [laughs] I want to say a puppy. [laughs].
IGN For Men: Why is that?
Munky: [laughs] I don't know.
IGN For Men: Are you like a loveable guy?
Munky: Totally. People love me.
IGN For Men: So, given your nickname you'd be like a Munky puppy.
Munky: Well, you know what? When we were 18-19 and we all moved from Bakersfield and lived in Burbank. There was about seven of us in a two-bedroom apartment. And you know, we all used to walk around in our boxers, half naked. And it was just like Fieldy was the one who started callin' me that [Munky]. I'd walk through the kitchen, you know I'd be barefoot and he'd point down 'Look at the monkey feet, look at the monkey feet!' And then time went by, 'Monkey feet!' and then it shortened up 'Munky! Munky! Munky! Munky!' And then it just stuck.
IGN For Men: A lot has been written over the years about how you guys reinvented the sound of metal for the GenX crowd. Yet when I listen to your records I hear a gritty, garage funk band buried at the core of all the heaviness...
Munky: Well that's because, I mean when me and Fieldy and David first started playing together we were 17-years old, 18. No, I guess me and Fieldy were 18 and David was like 16. And that's...the first Faith No More record because everyone in Bakersfield...
IGN For Men: The one without Mike Patton and the original version of "We Care A Lot," right?
Munky: The one without Mike Patton, right, the one with Chuck Mosley. Because that had like crazy basslines following the drums, 'doon-doon-doon-koosh-dooga-dooga-doon-kerr-dung-dung.' And the bass and the drums followed each other. And the guitar would do a melody over the top., you know what I mean? And we were just like 'That is the baddest!' And that's basically what we based our sound on. Because we were so influenced by it. And all the other bands in Bakersfield [at the time] were doing this Glam thing. Me, Reggie, and David were on this other trip where people were just like 'What!?' 'What are you doing!?' 'What is that!?' They didn't understand it and it was misunderstood and then a few people started to catch on, but then we had moved away to Burbank by then.
IGN For Men: Do you ever foresee yourselves moving back to Bakersfield and opening up a club like Buck Owens?
Munky: I don't know. Maybe. When we did the Rock Is Dead Tour with Rob Zombie last year we did a brand new place they just opened there called The Centennial Garden. It's a brand new arena, their events center.
IGN For Men: So that was like a Korn homecoming, so to speak?
Munky: Yeah it was, totally. It was awesome. We were really pleased with the show. The show was good, the crowd was good. I don't know. It was kind of weird. It was toward the end of the tour, so we were a little bit fried.
IGN For Men: Is anybody in the band dyslexic? Given the spelling of Korn with a 'K' and backwards 'R'.
Munky: No, but you know what? All of us have a little touch of, I don't know, stupidity? [laughs]. We all are a little bit dyslexic, I think.
IGN For Men: Favorite late nite snack in the studio and on tour.
Munky: Oh, you want to go into the studio? Awww, in the studio, favorite late nite snack...I don't know if I have one in the studio...Buffalo Wings in the studio.
IGN For Men: With Ranch dressing?
Munky: Uh-huh. And then what was the other one?
IGN For Men: On tour.
Munky: On tour? Pizza, probably.
IGN For Men: Meat combo?
Munky: Cheese.
IGN For Men: When you're on the road do you guys stock the buses with games, you know, N64, Playstation, Dreamcast?
Munky: Not too much. Jonathon does a little bit. Basically we're big movie buffs on the road.
IGN For Men: So what are the Top 5 flicks that Korn watches on the road?
Munky: Okay, Dumb and Dumber, ummm, There's Something About Mary has been added to our collection. We like stupid movies, CB4, that's a band classic. Fear of a Black Hat. Uh, what's the other one? It's another comedy, I can't think of it right now. I always keep Blue Velvet on the bus, too. I love that movie. I love David Lynch movies.
IGN For Men: 'Heineken? Fuck that shit, Pabst Blue Ribbon!' Oh yeah, dude, I've seen that movie a half dozen times or more.
Munky: If you watch a David Lynch movie, through his movies there's just a subsonic growl that goes through the scenes and it's just amazing. It's so scary, I love it. It's almost influential.
IGN For Men: Your music fits his movies and vice-versa on a subconscious level, so to speak?
Munky: Yeah. We've been wanting him to do a music video for us, but nothing yet. He's got big movies to do, he don't need to worry about some little band's video [laughs]. Anyway, if not that, I'd just like to meet the guy.
IGN For Men: Right on.
Munky: Okay dude, thanks man. I'm gonna get in there [the studio] and start crackin'.
Part 2: Straight from the Head
IGN For Men: Tell me about that legendary Limp Bizkit story where you guys are in their town and you went to get a tattoo with Fred Durst.
Head: Yeah, we played a show and Fred...
IGN For Men: ...like came up to you after the show, right?
Head: I think [he came up to us] during [the show]. Or before, I mean. We were headlining and I think another band was performing, so we went out in the crowd, just hanging out, watching the band. And Fred, Sam the bass player, and John Otto, I believe the drummer, came up to us and were like 'Hey...' They were like fans of ours. He said that he did tattoos and I got a little drunk and decided to let him go for it.
[at this juncture Head stands up, turns his back to me and lifts his shirt to reveal a jagged, rough, black outline tattoo centered on his lower back just above his ass crack] This is the one he did that night. I haven't had it touched up, yet.
IGN For Men: What's it supposed to say, it's kind of blurry?
Head: Korn [laughs].
IGN For Men: It hasn't been touched up in what, four, five years?
Head: four, five, yeah.
IGN For Men: Yeah, I wasn't sure if that story was about you, 'cause you're the only band member who never shows any tattoos. I mean Fieldy, Munky, and Jonathan all sport some serious tats on their arms.
Head: Yeah.
IGN For Men: Is that your only tat?
Head: Yep. 'Cause we all had to get 'KORN' or else we said it was bad luck if one of us didn't get it, so I had to get it [laughs].
IGN For Men: So that's the only time you've gone under the needle.
Head: Yep. And Fred said that he'd done 100's of tattoos and stuff back then. I found out later that he'd only done four or five. But it's not bad, he did a good job.
IGN For Men: So that's the only tattoo requirement for the band, is that you have to have 'KORN' somewhere on your body.
Head: Yep. And then we made one of our managers get it too [laughs].
IGN For Men: Are you better at buying cars these days? Back in the early days of the band, as seen in your Who then Now video, you bought that lemon of a VW Bug. And I remember that Fieldy gave you endless shit about it.
Head: Yeah, that thing's dead now. Print that, 'cause a lot of people ask me about that.
IGN For Men: So that beat up red Bug in the video really was your car.
Head:Yeah, that was one of my cars. And my girlfriend was driving it and the brakes went out and it went into a brick or a cement wall and totaled it. She didn't get hurt at all, though, luckily.
IGN For Men: That was shortly after the filming of the footage on Who then Now, right?
Head: Naw, it was shortly after the filming. A couple months probably.
IGN For Men: What are you driving now? Obviously not another Bug.
Head: No, I've got a Beemer [laughs].
IGN For Men: Was that at Fieldy's urging?
Head: Naw, I just went out looking, leased it.
IGN For Men: Now I know that you prefer working in the studio to the grind and thrash of touring, so with that in mind, what's your favorite late nite snack when you're in the studio?
Head: He-he! Wiener Schnitzel!
IGN For Men: You've got to be kiddin'. What, Chili Dogs?
Head: Yep, Chili Cheese Dogs!
IGN For Men: You're a sick man..
Head: Yep. Or Del Taco, ever eat there?
IGN For Men: I don't eat meat, plus I'm from San Francisco and we don't have Del Tacos up there.
Head: No Del Tacos up there?! Weiner Schiztles, up there?
IGN For Men: Yeah, there's a couple, but they're few and far between.
Head: See what Fieldy likes to do, since he don't eat meat, but wait, chili...you can't do that with the chili 'cause there's meat in that. But Fieldy likes to take the dog out of the Chili Cheese Dog and put french fries in there, so it's like a French Fries Chili Cheese Dog Chili Fries whatever, you know, without the dog [laughs].
IGN For Men: Given that you guys are major pop culture icons, who would you say is your favorite super hero or super villain?
Head: Ahhh, Pinhead.
IGN For Men: Why?
Head: 'Cause a lot of people call me Pinhead. Our first video, "Blind," my hair was sticking straight up [in those little nubs] so a lot of people called me Pinhead back then.
IGN For Men: So it's not because you exemplify his attitude, his savoring of the flesh.
Head: Nah, nope, just his hairdo.
IGN For Men: What about the animal you feel you share the most characteristics with, you know, your kindred spirit animal?
Head: Elephant.
IGN For Men: Why is that?
Head: I've got Dumbo ears, that's all [laughs]. And Munky said Monkey, right?
IGN For Men: No, he said puppy.
Head: Really?
IGN For Men: Yeah, and he started laughing. When I asked him why he was laughing he said 'I dunno, that just came into my head!'
Head: A puppy? Okay, [elephant] plus I'm kinda big and clumsy. Like I always spill shit and elephants are like big and clumsy, right?
IGN For Men: Are you scared of mice, too?
Head: No [laughs]. I like peanuts, though.
IGN For Men: There you go! Still in the shell, like salted in the shell?
Head: Yeah
IGN For Men: What about like Planter's salted and roasted?
Head: Yeah I like those, too.
IGN For Men: Just peanuts in general, eh?
Head: Yeah [laughs] peanuts, Beernuts, I like it all!
IGN For Men: I heard that Jonathan is working on a solo project, not Videodrone, but something else entirely.
Head: He's doing music for movies. I don't know what movie. I think he just scored one.
IGN For Men: So that's something separate from Korn, something Jonathon did on his spare time.
Head: Yeah. I don't even know if there's vocals I think it's just music going on like in a scary movie. Munky would know the movie, I don't know if you asked him.
IGN For Men: Alas, I did not.
Head: I think Jonathan just scored like the intense parts of the movie. In fact he scored this with a friend from Oingo Boingo, the bass player, and he's gonna have us come in and do some stuff. It's a side thing, but we're involved, too.
IGN For Men: How cool was it to be immortalized on South Park?
Head: That was fun, man. That was so fun. You know that we went out on Family Values for a week, right? In Chicago we did the voices for it. We had one of the creators on the phone with us and he was just going through the lines with us. It was so fun. And actually the Chicago one got ruined or something, there was some noise or something, so we had to do it again in some other town. Then when we got home after Family Values we had to go to the South Park studio and finish up and redo some over again. It was fun. And then to see it. I mean we weren't lookin' at any of the cartoons when we were doing it, he was just kind of tellin' us how to read the lines. And then when I saw it all done I was just laughin'. It was a fun thing to do, I think.
IGN For Men: So are the Korn action figures from Todd MacFarlane next on the plate?
Head: Naah. I want to go on Simpson's. That's my favorite show, I think, of all time.
IGN For Men: You'd join the short list along with Peter Frampton, Smashing Pumpkins, Aerosmith...
Head: Yeah, they gotta get us on that show. There's been all kinds of actors and musicians on there.
IGN For Men: So that's your next goal?
Head: Yeah. So print that so they can maybe call us [laughs].
IGN For Men: Where do you see Korn in the next 20 years? Do you see yourselves like the Rolling Stones, still putting out albums and touring? Or do you see yourself more like Tom Jones, relegated to the Vegas strip?
Head: [laughs very robustly]. I don't know. Hopefully still working, you know. Have some breaks in between. But I'd like to still be playing. I just don't want to be looked at like one of those old guys that...like I heard this radio show a few months back and they had all these people calling in and saying which bands should hang it up, that look too old up there [on stage] and don't need to be there anymore. But I guess the ticket sales will speak for themselves. But I don't want to be looked at like that [old and past our prime].
IGN For Men: Creamed, on-the-cob, dog or popped? How do you like your corn?
Head: [long pause] Same 'em again.
IGN For Men: Creamed, on-the-cob, dog or popped?
Head: Dog.
IGN For Men: Really? It's that whole meat thang again.
Head: [laughs] Yep. Corndogs!
IGN For Men: Most fucked-up gig ever?
Head: The one I can remember is before we got signed. It was English Acid on, is that Santa Monica Blvd., and we were playing and somebody threw some stinkbombs everywhere. And we were just rockin' out and all these people were there groovin' and we looked out and the whole crowd was walkin' out [of the club]. And we didn't smell it yet. They were just leavin' and we're like, it was like the worst nightmare, we were like 'We suck.'
IGN For Men: Was this like a gig that industry heads were at, you know A&R cats checking you out in the hopes of signing you?
Head: No, I don't think we were there yet. It was like our fourth gig ever. But it was a packed house I think. You know, it wasn't empty. But they all just walked outside while we playing.
IGN For Men: This was like, what, '93 or so?
Head: Yeah.
IGN For Men: To tie into that, what was the most fucked-up thing that's ever been hurled onstage at you?
Head: Did Munky answer that?
IGN For Men: No. He said that he likes to throw bottles at people, though.
Head: Well when [we played with] Megadeth, he had a knife thrown at him and it went right past him and stuck in his guitar cabinet.
IGN For Men: Holy Shit! Like a big knife?
Head: No, it was like a little pocketknife, but it could've down damage. He said he felt it go by 'pfheeeeeeeew' and he looked back and it was sticking in the guitar cabinet. But me, shit, so far [knocks on the wood floor] nothing. A bottle, a couple beers thrown in my face, you know.
IGN For Men: Aww, but then you're used to having beer thrown in your face aren't you?
Head: Oh yeah. I just try to [insert gratuitous slurping sounds here], try to drink it while it's in the air.
IGN For Men: Right on! Hey thanks man.
Head: No, thank you. Good questions, too [laughs].