Queens of the Stone Age member Josh Homme recently reckoned that bands have to be willing to risk losing fans should they want to evolve. However, he also but added that true fans expect their favorite musicians to change over time.
Josh Homme comments
Widespread popularity seems to be in direct opposition to the desire to exhibit one’s artistic endeavors most acceptably in an era where marketability is the king. Well, Queens of the Stone Age have been acting in this manner. In related news, Tom DeLonge mocked Creed with Josh Homme.
Josh Homme and company have been pushing themselves to explore new sonic territory ever since “Songs of the Deaf” ignited the QOTSA fever in 2002. The adored band’s most recent release, “In Times New Roman…” from last year, is no exception. But such an approach has the inherent risk of losing fans and Homme explained during a Q&A session at this year’s Hellfest (via Ultimate Guitar):
“The least oft-done thing is for someone to make their 15th record, their best record. And it seems natural that, sometimes, you copy yourself, or you try to be safe, or you cater too much to the fans instead of [to] what’s happening in your life. But I think it would be so wonderful to be part of a group [where] the last record I make before I die would be the best one of all.”
“I think it’s difficult to do that, and I think you have to be willing to lose your fans sometimes. I always say, 15% of the people don’t hate you, you suck, you know? I think you have to get addicted to the risk of trying to sound different, but trying to sound the same. We don’t always [do] that, but I think you try to [do] that.”
Homme further suggested that true fans of any band want their idols to evolve. He added:
“I think the fans that are loyal are the ones that expect the change. I started listening to GBH, The Exploited, Subhumans, Black Flag, and the Misfits. I still love ‘Legacy of Brutality’ by the Misfits as much as I ever did. It’s so hooky and good, and I almost like it for different reasons now, because I’m older and I can hear it in a different way.”
“But I would think that someone that’s into us would expect the change to happen, just because they’ve gotten older too. I think if you just write about a snapshot in your life as it is occurring, then you should be okay. But I do expect, at some point, someone to knock on my door, and start taking all the shit off the walls and saying, ‘This is over.’ I mean, I think it’d be foolish not to think that this is a very temporary thing. And this, again, is why I like to not know what’s going to happen. And I like to risk my body. I like to risk my mind too.”
