| May 20, 1999 - Caustic Truths Interview
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May 20, 1999
Caustic Truths interview
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by Jason Taylor |
I had the chance to sit down with Josh Homme and Nick Olivery before a spectacular show in London Ontario. Parts of this interview were also used for the Caustic Truths/QOTSA radio special available at the www.caustictruths.com page. Here’s the full version of the interview. Check out what they had to say.
Jason: Hey guys, maybe we can start off with your name and what you do in the band.
Josh Homme: I’m Josh, I am the number 7 and I play elephant keys and radio disc overdrive.
Nick Oliveri: I’m Rex, I play flute, tail, and I also play feet for a living...thanks.
Jason: I read that the name of the band originally started as a joke. What’s the story behind it? (Buzzing noises in the background)
Josh: Holding this thing and with that noise...it’s like a shaver...Bzzzzz...Uh, Chris Goss, our Kyuss producer used to jokingly call Kyuss the Queens of the Stone Age in the studio.
Nick: Now we’re jokingly calling ourselves the Queens Of The Stone Age!!!
Josh: This time it’s us saying it, it’s not going to be him! It’s gonna be us!!!
Nick: I agree!
Josh: Ya, and so it just stuck. It started to work on many levels.
Jason: What was your recording process for this album?
Josh: It only took about 18 days and we went out and recorded in Palm Springs at Chris’(Goss) Studio. We just did it very simple and straight forward and very tight sounding.
Jason: Why Joe Barressi?
Josh: ‘Cause he’s a really great engineer. He’s a very even tempered person with good ideas and we have similar taste...in wine, philosophy, women and song and woe.
Jason: What was the reason behind the Spanish liner notes on the CD?
Nick: We have a Spaniard in the band. (talking about drummer Alfredo Hernandez)
Josh: We’re very into the Spaniard in our band.
Nick: Ha, ha, haaaaaaa...
Josh: We like to go to Mexico...it’s a good thing...makes you feel like your going to die.
Jason: Have any of you been abducted by aliens? The reason I ask is because I noticed there is a small UFO on the back of the CD.
Nick: No, but we’ve been abducted by earthlings. (I’m not sure if this was a reference to the band the Earthlings? Due to Dave Catching touring with the Queens...) Ha, ha, haaaaa...and that’s why were here now.
Josh: Actually, I’m not the real Carlo VonSexron and he’s not the real Rex Everything, Were actually the abductees ourselves, we’ve replaced the real people. We don’t even look like we look.
Jason: How has the tour been going so far?
Nick: It’s going really good and we’ve been having some really good shows. A lot of people are coming out and there is an even mix of guys and girls. It’s nice to see some girls out there and we’re having a lot of fun. Kyuss was a guy band you know. It’s not that we didn’t want that, and after I left it’s not that they didn’t want that either. The music is appealing more to women now which I think is cool. Were not intentionally trying to do that but I think it’s cool that it’s happening because it’s nice to see some pretty faces and some smiles.
Josh: It’s like McDonald’s, "Food, Folks, and Fun!".
Jason: How was the border crossing form the US to Canada?
Josh: It was a piece of cake. They love us there and we have a lot of friends. Sometimes we go a day early and just stay at the border and they are like "Are you going to come across?", and we’re like "No, we’re just hanging out." And we stay there and I think it freaks them out and then they let us go quickly when we actually go into the office. Canada is good. We like playing Canada. We’re playing like 11 shows here.
Nick: (Last tour) we did Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina….we rather not mention Regina but ya, we did play there.
Jason: How was Europe?
Nick: Europe was amazing and fun.
Josh: It’s good to be the foreigner. That’s even why we like coming to Canada. We are obsessed with being foreigners. It’s fun to go there and play and hang out and see architecture and listen to people speak the different language in your face.
Jason: Lately I’ve hear your music being described in many different ways. How would you describe it?
Josh: I think you can call it whatever you want. I’m not really that into stoner rock but you can call it whatever you want. I think it’s going to expand and modify and change and have new calculations. I think because of that it doesn’t matter what you call it anymore. Just say what you want because it’s still going to be exactly the same.
Nick: ...uh...HI!...Ha, ha, haaaaaaa.... I don’t think that we are stoner rock or metal. Maybe there are hints of those things there, I don’t know. I think were just rock ‘n roll.
Jason: Were you surprised to find out that according to Rolling Stone magazine your one of the top ten metal bands?
Josh: That was cool. I think it’s cool they did that.
Nick: I never bum out when people label it what they think it is. Some people are going to get some things out of it and others will get other things out of it. We get what we get out of it.
Josh: It’s never mean spirited like "You guys are stoner rock, what do you think of that!"
Nick: "Now what are you going to do?"
Josh: "Take that bastard!"
Jason: Josh, how do you feel about having taken on the lead vocals for the band.
Josh: I haven’t. I just sang on the first record. We’ll probably each sing half or whatever songs sound good for the next record. We’ll even do a duet with Donna Summer. We’ll go in and shoot everybody. So, I feel it’s going to move around, it’s not going to be just me or him or instrumentals. We’ll just keep it moving...keep it interesting.
Nick: I think the next record we’re definitively going to share lead vocals. We’re going to do a lot of different things and add some different players for live stuff. Right now we have Dave from the "Earthlings?" playing electric piano and lap steel. We’re going to do different things live, stuff we want to do. We want to do things that are unexpected but are cool and stuff we like...
Josh: ...and hopefully you will like too. We want people to dig it.
Jason: How do you feel about the Kyuss "connection" and always being compared to your former band?
Josh: It’s natural, and that’s why we don’t bum on it.
Nick: We’re all from Kyuss!
Josh: It’s like we have one record out and what are you going to compare it to? Kyuss. I think that’s why even though it’s a heavy rock record it doesn’t sound like a Kyuss record. There’s an easy split. You can see they are different. We knew it would come up.
Jason: Would you rather not be compared to them at all and just be known as Queens of the Stone Age?
Josh: We will and we are. This will all go away. I’m not bummed about Kyuss so I don’t trip at all.
Nick: We’re definitively all proud of playing in Kyuss….at one point or another. It’s not something we’re ashamed of.
Jason: Why did you choose to put the record out on an indie label? (Man’s Ruin for the vinyl, Loosegroove for the CD and RoadRunner in Europe)
Josh: Here’s one reason. Two weeks ago 1500 people got fired at A&M, Geffen, Capitol...and they dropped about 500 bands amongst them all. That’s why. We are in control of our situation.
Jason: Are there any future Dessert Sessions in the works?
Josh: Right after this tour I’m doing five and six.
Jason: How many sessions are there going to be?
Josh: Right now there are supposed to be 12.
Jason: Do you know what happed to Slo Burn?
Josh: John (Garcia) was playing with people he realized were lame and now he’s playing with people that are good and he’s in a new band called Unida.
Nick: ...and Unida here ‘em!
Jason: Any goals for the band or yourself right now?
Josh: World peace.
Nick: I think goals for me are to keep busy, keep on tour, and keep making records. Just keep this band moving ahead and forward. It’s a cool band and I’m enjoying myself a lot.
Josh: I just want to keep making records and keep touring. There’s nothing more fun to do.
Jason: Any funny tour anecdotes?
Josh: None that we can probably share. Some of those things are better left un-said.
Jason: Any you can tell without naming manes?
Josh: Well, let’s just say "Bob"...
Nick: ...Ha, ha, haaaaaa...
Josh: We saw a midget today, that was kind of funny.
Jason: Any last words?
Nick: Relieve your soldiers of their duty!!! Ha, ha, haaaaaa...
Jason: Thanks
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