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Event: Queens of the Stone Age Chat Guest: Nick and Josh from Queens of the Stone Age Date: Aug. 16, 2000 Time: 4:00pm PT Artist_Direct: Welcome everyone! The Queens of the Stone Age are holding court, or something like that, here in the hallowed halls of the Ozzfest. They've got more than a few tales to tell, so let's get started. Get your questions in now! more. NickOliveri: Hi everyone. I'm happy to be here. Sternchen: When did you all first decide you wanted to be in a band? NickOliveri: We actually started, me and Josh, in 1987, with a band that turned into Kyuss. We did that for awhile. Pretty much, when I was very, very young, like 7 or 8, I always wanted to play music. Filosofem: Of the last ten or so years, which artist would you say has influenced our youth the most, Please name both one for positive and one whose music has a negative influence thanks! NickOliveri: WOW! To be honest, I never really thought about it, so it's a hard question to answer. I don't really know how to answer that. twinkle: What did you like best about performing at OzzFest? NickOliveri: It's fun to watch Pantera and Ozzy. That's what kinda keeps us going. We play at 1:30 in the afternoon so sometimes it's a little tough to get up after playing a night time gig. It's kinda tough to get up and rock after you are opening your eyes. Probably watching Pantera and Ozzy is the highlight for me. Symmy: Ok guys, I wanna know. What do your parents think of the band. Have they been supportive? What about the language? NickOliveri: Yeah, my mom is a big fan of the band and always supported all the other bands I played in, Kyuss, Dwarves. Always pretty supportive. I mean, what are they going to do? I'm a grown man and they can either like it or hate it. But she digs it. Abbafan: What do you think of bands that are more rap than metal like P.O.D., Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and Methods of Mayhem? NickOliveri: It's not my cup of tea. I've met some of the bands and they are all really really nice guys so I don't have anything bad to say about them. It's not my first choice of, you know, music to put on my player. EZGuest113: Do you guys plan to tour again any time shortly after Ozzfest? NickOliveri: Yeah, we are home for about a week and we go into the studio, record a couple "B" sides, and then we go back out on the road. Shania: Hail!! I also wanted to know if you ever thought metal would climb back up into mainstream like it's been steadily doing now for the last few years, and how long do you see it lasting this time? NickOliveri: I don't know. You know, it comes and goes a lot. We're just playing rock n roll. There's a few really good metal bands that are playing, but we just consider ourselves straight old rock 'n roll. bloomers: What's the craziest thing a fan has done to get your attention? sorry I'm so unoriginal...LOL NickOliveri: Sometimes I see some freaky kids like clean their ears right into the PA speakers. With no plugs--like right in the speaker. Our sound man tends to mix very loud so I don't know how they do it but it always grabs my attention. flipalot: Who is your all-time favorite band to jam with? NickOliveri: I really really like 13th Floor Elevators--Rocky Ericksen. I really really dig that stuff. And I like to listen to Bjork, GG Allen. I like that stuff as well. Johnny Cash--I love. There's a lot of different things I listen to and to jam out too. I love Ween. Hollister: What is the most unusual thing that has ever occurred at one of your concerts? NickOliveri: I guess what you would think is unusual is usual to me so I don't really know what unusual would be to whoever is asking the question. People do pretty normal things at our shows as far as I am concerned. kheyala1: Who has been the one person that has most influenced your music? NickOliveri: I'd probably have to say Rocky Ericksen again. He probably influenced me the most. foreverforu: As a musician I'm blown away by how tight you guys play, is it from constant jammin', or do you work on getting parts really tight? NickOliveri: It's from playing with each other for a long time. I've played with Josh since we were kids. It's just comfortable, so maybe some of it comes from that. We try to hire members to play with us that are good. We try to be tight. We practice when we are off. We stay on tour, so I think it just has to do with playing every day. MelindaB: Hey guys. First of all, you rule!! Second, what do you feel about this whole mp3 thing? Do you feel that mp3 technology has helped you or worked against you? NickOliveri: First question--thank you! Second question--the mp3 thing, I don't support it but I don't have a computer so I don't know too much about it. I know people are downloading it for free. I think when people trade music for free it's cool. We let people at our show bootleg and record us. When someone is making money off of trading music, then there is something definitely wrong. nannyfine: Who would you like to go on tour with? NickOliveri: I wouldn't mind going back out with Ween. We toured with them last year. Kyuss toured with Ween. It's kind of an ongoing thing we've been doing--touring with each other when each band has a new record out. We happen to have one out too so maybe, Australia or something, we will tour together again. guest Conners: Do you feel that it's a good thing that women are starting to rock as hard as the boys. I've met a lot of chicks who play and they always mention you as an influence. What ya think...bitchfest 20001??? NickOliveri: I dig it, ya know. I like all different kinds of music. Girls rock hard too, ya know. There's no doubt about that. I don't know too many of them that say that they are inspired but what we do but yeah, that's cool. Definitely! agentZZZ: For bands today that are trying to make it, what advice would you give them? NickOliveri: Just keep at it. I've been playing for a long time and we are still at it. We're still trying ourselves. Malcomby: First of all you guys ROCK! You are the inspiration behind my band. What do you guys do with your spare time on the tour if you have any? NickOliveri: We try to go on the Ozzfest shows. We go on pretty early so we have to try to make our own fun whether it is barbecue or whatever because we have a long day after we play. There's about 10 hours left after the show. Whether it's watch movies, listen to music, party, you know. Whatever the mood is for the day. We do the same when we do our own shows. Summer_Lynn: What are your favorite movies to watch on the road? NickOliveri: Like The Shining, The Jerk, South Park. Stuff like that EZGuest852: When you aren't on the road, how much time do you spend together, or do you just go your separate ways for awhile? NickOliveri: We go our separate ways. Sometimes it's only for a couple days so every day that you are home, you kinda want to be with yourself. alesha: What's the most difficult song for you to play, and why? NickOliveri: None of them, really. We play pretty simplistically, really. The stuff that we play, ya know, we try to not get too off...rock n roll is supposed to be fun. Unless it becomes tough and then it's not fun anymore. Rashanda114: Who is your biggest inspiration in your career other than other artists? Did you have a "mentor" when you were 1st starting out? NickOliveri: Well, not really. It was always kind of geared towards music and other musicians. kheyala1: Are there ever nights you don't feel like performing? What do you do then? NickOliveri: Sometimes, you know, you wish you had a day off but a lot of times when you do, you find yourself bored out of your mind. So it's always best just to stay busy and to play. The reason why we tour is to come out and play, not to take days off or anything. foreverforu: Were any of your family members in the entertainment industry?? NickOliveri: No. nannyfine: A question for you. How did you know music would be your career choice? NickOliveri: I just felt it at a very young age--that that was what I wanted to do and to try to do. I know I'm not happy doing anything else because I have tried other things. You just feel it. Summer_Lynn: Do you have an official website? Can we find all your info on there? NickOliveri: Yeah. It's at www.qotsa.com I don't know how up and running it is, but me and Josh have tried to get enough information there to get it started. But check it out. There should be enough info on there for now and we will try to keep it updated with new info all the time, but sometimes we don't have time to do that. amphibian-guest: Who would you like to work with for your next album? NickOliveri: We are going to do our next record. Me and Josh are going to produce it and we are going to play a lot of the instruments on it, rather than have guests like the new record that is out. flipalot: How do you prepare yourself mentally before going on stage? NickOliveri: Put on Slayer, Rain and Blood. ambere77-guest: What is your driving force to be continually different from other artists? NickOliveri: Well, we just had to make music that we would want to hear, that isn't out. That nobody else is doing. So we had to make it ourselves. Allisha-guest: How long have you been in the music business? NickOliveri: For 10 years. Allisha-guest: How did you come up with the name "Queens of the Stone Age"? NickOliveri: When we were making a record in 1992, under the band Kyuss, our producer Chris Goss, he would joke and say "You guys are like the Queens of the Stone Age." The band was originally called Gamma Ray, but we got threatened with a lawsuit because someone else had it. So we were Queens of the Stone Age. If we were Kings of the Stone Age, we'd have to wear armor, so Queens was a little more flexible, man! JenLisaTC: How are the rest of the babies on the lemon bundt cake bus? NickOliveri: They are fine. sandratx-guest: Does politics influence music today like it did say back in the '60s? Does it influence yours? NickOliveri: No, it doesn't influence ours at all. We are not a political band. Allisha-guest: The record company that you have chosen, how are they supporting of your style of music? NickOliveri: Very. They picked us up on the vision we already had--not trying to show us the way or anything. So they have been really good about that. And we wouldn't sign anything that we couldn't keep our creative control, and do what we needed to do. halfonly-guest: What's the largest crowd you have ever played in front of, and the smallest? NickOliveri: I think 50,000 at a festival in Germany. And probably the smallest, 2 people, and they were friends of ours. That was a long time ago, of course. saturnstar-guest: If you could freeze one moment in the Band's career as the most single important one, what was it and when? NickOliveri: I guess making the new record was a nice growing process for us. We had a really good time and we worked really hard on it, and I think we all grew as individual players as well as working together. alanafan-guest: What band have you toured with that you would like to again? Any that you have not that you're dying to tour with? NickOliveri: Well, I already said the Ween thing. I'd like to tour with them again. I can't think of anyone right now. We have some solid months booked right now for tours so it's kind of hard to think about 6 or 7 months ahead who we are going to be touring with. LisaTcJen: Are you suffering from separation anxiety from Blag? Thx! NickOliveri: No. I still play with Blag, make records with them, but don't tour with the Dwarves anymore. alanticf23-guest: Do you have a favorite country to play in and why? NickOliveri: We really enjoyed playing in Germany a lot. I think we have a really really good fan base there. And a lot of legwork from Kyuss was done there so it's a good place to go. And England as well. iceage37-guest: So many genre's today...what genre do you think your band falls into? NickOliveri: Rock 'n Roll guest-emc2: How has working with Masters Of Reality's Chris Goss influenced the band? New album is diverse and great!!! NickOliveri: Yeah, Chris had a lot to do with the record, but we also knew going into making it. Me and Josh did pre-production without Chris, so we knew what we wanted to do with a lot of the stuff before we even hooked up with Chris in the studio. JenTCLisa: Have you guys done any bike races w/Godsmack yet? NickOliveri: No. sierra-guest: How long has the current line-up been together? NickOliveri: The current lineup is new for this tour. We have been together for about 36 shows. We have a new lap steel player. His name is Brendon McNickel, and he is from the Masters of Reality. And we still have Gene on drums. NickOliveri: Thanks everyone! Here comes Josh. tappedout-guest: Recently all the old '80s bands have been touring. Do you feel it's their last hurrah? Josh: You know, I don't know. Maybe it's their last "hurray". I almost went and saw Warrant at the Whiskey just to get drunk and have a good laugh, but I have a sick sense of humor. KirkG: When are you going to ride your Gravity boards? Josh: As soon as they send me one. Oh wait--I just got one! As soon as I go home! JenTcLisa: What's with all the weird tracks at the end of the CDs? Josh: Well, the final track should always push buttons. And it should say something. And sometimes that something is loud and annoying. guest-emc2: So, just what is "The Quick and the Pointless" about? Hmmmm...nasty! Josh: It's about being obsessed with young girls. Sort of like a Lolita except more foaming at the mouth, I would guess. sparky-guest: When will the media stop trying to pigeon-hole you as "stoner rock"? "John Q Listener" hears that and they are immediately bombarded with ideas about hippies and music from the sixties. Josh: I suppose never. I've tried to lend a hand in distancing us from that but it's like a friend that won't leave. But it's all music to me. jimbo-guest: How did you decide on the album cover? Josh: It's just a very powerful image and instead of letting someone else censor us, we thought we'd do it ourselves and put the censors out of work. Because it's rated R, you notice there is no sticker. jimbo-guest: What's up with the eye on the screen on stage? Josh: It's sort of like we are watching you, as well. And I think close-up images of features is always a bizarre, almost Stanley Kubrick-type strangeness. You are also being watched. mel-guests: KirkG, is he doing any bowling on? Josh: Yeah, he is. It's a shame I don't get to do more bowling these days. Bowling is the lost sport. The forgotten sport. Oompaloompamama: Why do you call yourselves Queens instead of Kings??? Josh: Kings would be too macho. The Kings of the Stone Age wear armor and have axes and wrestle. The Queens of the Stone Age hang out with the Kings of the Stone Age's girlfriends, when they wrestle. And also, it was also just a name given to us by Chris Goss. He gave us the name Queens of the Stone Age. Rock should be heavy enough for the boys and sweet enough for the girls. That way, everyone is happy and it's more of a party. Kings of the Stone Age, is too lopsided. LisaTCJen: Are Lil' Kim & Buffy still travelling with you? Josh: Who is that? Yes, they are! But we only have the top half of 'Lil Kim left. We are a hungry bunch. guest-Schu: Any plans to work with some of your biggest fans, Foo Fighters? I am also trying to turn Dave onto the Mondo Generator stuff! Josh: We are supposed to have toured with them in October. I'm not sure if it's still going to happen. We are going to play a show with them in London in about a week's time, so I'm sure something will happen. As well, we are going to record a track on the BBC with some of the Foo Fighters guys. extremeparanoya-gues: I thought the first album cover was a woman, but them I noticed the hands. What's the story?? Josh: It is a woman. I never noticed that her hands were so manly until it was brought up to me much later. We wanted to put the entire picture on the cover but since there is nudity, we were informed that it would constantly get covered. And we realized that this kind of, shall I say, tasteful crotch shot, was somewhat disturbing. So you have to use the words and images. It can't be censored, but make it ask if everyone should be. jen: Is it true Hutch's skin is really soft? Josh: It's been so long since I've really touched Hutch's skin, but I'm sure it's as soft as ever. acquittedfelon-guest: What was it like to jam out with Nick and Brant again on the new Mondo Generator? Josh: It was like old times and I've forgotten how easy it was to play with Brant and Nick. That was before Queens had started, so at that time, I hadn't played with either of them for years. guest-UncleCharlie: Do you plan any Elvis activities for tonight? Josh: These are loaded questions by people that know us too well! And of course, there are many Elvis activities planned for this evening. The King is, as you know, The King. And "Blue Hawaii" is actually on in 2 hours. jen: Is it true that you have a roommate named Zappa? And what does he look like? Josh: I'd like to say a general hello to Jen Garber in TC. I know you are out there somewhere. These questions are loaded--and he looks like a big German Shepherd. carrie-guest: If you weren't in Queens, what band would you love to be in?mondo generator Josh: Fatso Jetson, with my old friend Mario Lalli or The Well Water Conspiracy, with John McBain and Matt Cameron crazee_a-guest: There are a lot of Australians that want you guys Down Under soon. Do you have any plans to tour Aussie land? Josh: Yes. As soon as possible. In fact, I'm still in OzzFest but I wish I was in Australia now. I haven't been there since '92, I believe. societysburden-guest: What's the worst thing that has ever happened to you on stage? Josh: You know, I've had the power in the building go down. I've gotten the finger. I've gotten bloodied and I've seen Nekkid Nekkid, and I've had every guitar and stringed instrument be out of tune, and had my equipment blow up. But I think it's all part of having a volatile rock 'n roll show and sometimes things like that end up making the show better. People have passed out. People have fallen down. At this point, it seems as though there has been a little bit of everything. Sternchen: What's next for Queens after Ozzfest? Josh: We are going to do a club tour of the United States. With a band called Vast, and our friends in this band called Like Hell. Like Hell is an excellent band that should be seen. Mitzy-guest: Well, Queens of the Stone Age, our hour with you has come to an end. Any final thoughts you'd like to share with us? Josh: All I really have to say is looking for words of wisdom, when all I really want to do is play. Come early, and see Like Hell, and stay late and drink with me. Absolut Vodka. :-) Artist_Direct: That's about it for our down and dirty chat with Queens Of The Stone Age. We want to thank you for joining us and for your great questions. Don't forget to check out the Queens official site at www.qotsa.com for news on all things QOTSA. And for more chats, tour updates, exclusive backstage video at Ozzfest TV and everything else, stay plugged into www.ozzfest.com. Articles | Interview and Chat Transcripts | Picture Gallery Main | Songs and Releases | The Band | Tour History | QOTSA Online Send articles here |