Metal Hammer had the pleasure of talking to Machine Head frontman, Robb Flynn and discussed the departure of guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain. During the chat, Flynn talked about making the breakup public because he couldn’t hide it from the fans.
“The world got to watch me get divorced on the world wide web. That’s the price of living your life in public. Sure, you get to share your travels around the world and all the high points, but you also get to share all the bad points, too. I didn’t want to pretend it wasn’t happening and then, at the end of the tour, announce that they were leaving.
“We’ve had a painfully honest relationship with our fans and that’s been an amazing thing. It’s really created an incredible bond. We’ve gone on this journey together and there’s no way I could look myself in the eye and pretend that this didn’t happen for six weeks, just to protect the fanbase. So we dealt with it and put it out there.”
Flynn then continued to compare Machine Head to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Metallica in a longevity sense.
“The Beatles lasted 10 years! Led Zeppelin? 10 years! From [1983’s] ‘Kill ‘Em All’ to [1991’s] the ‘Black Album’ was fucking eight years. We lasted twice that! Phil was in the band for 16 years, Dave was in the band for 23? Dude, that’s fucking magic right there. Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy the fucking moment. Enjoy the ride. Now? It’s a new chapter.”
When asked about whether or not the band would come to an end, Flynn replied that he was “unqualified to do anything else”
“Look, I’m 51 years old and I’ve been doing this since I was 17. I’m pathetically unqualified to do anything else. This is it for me. I write songs. I write Machine Head songs. This is what I do. I’m damn fucking good at it and I’m going to keep doing it.
“I would’ve hoped that we could’ve worked it out with Phil and Dave, but yeah, I’m gonna keep on writing songs for Machine Head, because that’s what I’ve got to do.”
Flynn also talked about bassist Jared MacEachern and how the two have clicked. He also shared how MacEachern almost left on his first day.
“Totally, for sure. I think he even did leave on the first day! [Laughs] He was, like, ‘I’ve really got to think about it…’ So I wasn’t sure if he was sticking around, but he called me the next morning and said, ‘You know what dude? I’m gonna stay. It’s awesome being here, I love it, I’ve wanted to make music my whole life. I want to make music with you and keep going!’
“I was like, ‘Alright, kickass!’ He stuck around and that was a great thing. He’s an awesome fucking dude. He’s a beast on stage. Our voices sound incredible together. It’s great having him around.”
You can check out the full interview here. Catch Machine Head this winter as they embark on their North American tour.
