When Korn’s self-titled debut was released in 1994, it took a lot of people by surprise. The band essentially laid the blueprint for nu-metal with the album, which was equal parts hip-hop, funk, metal and goth. The band recently opened up to Rolling Stone about the recording of the album. The entire band, including former drummer David Silveria and the album’s producer Ross Robinson, took part in the history, and while it should come as no surprise that drugs and alcohol might have been involved in the raw and jarring album, the band pretty much confirms it. That scat singing-like stuff Davis does? All meth, Brian “Head” Welch and Davis say:
Head: We tricked Ross into taking us on a drug run, and then we ended up tracking the vocals for “Ball Tongue” high on drugs. When Ross found out, that he drove us on a drug run without knowing it, he got pretty upset with us.
Davis:Went to my dealer and got a big ol’ fat rock of meth, chopped that shit up and I did vocals. “Ball Tongue” was about our close friend and kind of manager, from Huntington. That was his nickname because when he was tweaking, he’d just sort of seize up and his tongue was like a ball. All that crazy, scatting shit, that was all from me probably being up too long.
Head says he was trying to take it easy, but wasn’t particularly able to:
I was trying not to [do meth]. When I was 10, 12 years old, I didn’t think about doing drugs while doing my record – I thought about doing a record, you know? So I was trying not to ruin my experience. But I was addicted, so it was off and on.
There you have it. Davis says he kicked speed on the band’s first tour in an RV. The band told us in an interview that they would be performing their debut album in its entirety. When they do, it will be the first time they’ve played “Daddy” since the one time they played it in New York in 1995. The whole article is a good read, especially if you’ve got a soft spot for the band.
