“If that’s the epitome of success in a rock band, it just seemed unrewarding”: Why Kyuss didn’t like being compared to Metallica
Brant Bjork, stoner rock trailblazer and founder of the band Kyuss, has shared how comparisons to Metallica left him feeling “bummed out”.
Kyuss formed in California in 1987 and later broke up in 1995, though the band – whose original line up also featured vocalist John Garcia, guitarist Josh Homme (who would later form Queens Of The Stone Age), and Nick Oliveri on bass – are still considered as pioneers and icons of the stoner rock genre.
READ MORE: “I wanted something that was mine”: Why Josh Homme began downtuning his guitars in Kyuss
The band’s popularity shifted upon entering the 1990s, especially following the success of their 1992 record, Blues For The Red Sun. Kyuss eventually found themselves being compared to – and even touring with – Metallica. Though to many this may seem like a pretty nice compliment, Bjork wasn’t so sure on being dubbed as the “next” anybody.
Speaking to Metal Hammer for its end of year print issue, he recalls, “Our guy at the label would always say, ‘You guys will be the next Metallica’, and that bummed me out. I wanted to be this Kyuss! I felt like we fucking rocked and had hit the peak of our chemistry at the time, and Metallica were super-cool guys and really supportive, but seeing it all on that scale, it was just like, ‘This isn’t for me.’ If that’s the epitome of success in a rock band, it just seemed unrewarding.
“They got up and played the same things every night, said the same things… I could tell it’d become a travelling circus, a machine. I was still 20 years old, more attracted to what we were doing in terms of improvising onstage and being loose. I wanted Kyuss to go more in that direction.”
Kyuss toured with the thrash metal giants in 1993 and later released their third album, Welcome To Sky Valley. On the topic of the stint, Bjork later adds, “Supporting Metallica was fucking bananas. It was weird; by the time our management told us about the offer, I’d already decided I didn’t want to be in Kyuss anymore. I felt like I was no longer jiving with the guys and whatever we’d had that was magical, it was gone. I didn’t want to stick around to watch this really magical ship sink into the sea.”
The post “If that’s the epitome of success in a rock band, it just seemed unrewarding”: Why Kyuss didn’t like being compared to Metallica appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
