Papa Roach have been a band for more than 25 years, with many of your peers disappearing in the interim. How early on did you realise you wanted to future-proof your career by not focusing on one thing?
“From the beginning. Even in our small town, Vacaville, there were no other bands who sounded like us or were doing what we did. We were buddies with all the emo and punk bands that were around us, but we were different. We had a dream, like they did, but we didn’t want to be one thing. We wanted to take flavours from everywhere and keep mixing them up. Infest showed those different sides to us.”
You’ve been sober for seven years now. To what do you attribute your strength of will?
“The struggle with alcohol has been in my family for generations, continually destroying lives and relationships. I remember my mum telling me when I was a kid that I had to be careful, as alcoholism runs deep in both sides of the family. I should have heeded the warnings, but when you’re young and restless you don’t give a fuck, so I went for it. And lo and behold, it started damaging relationships, and my health and drive. I tried for a long time to put the bottle down. I got kicked out of the house and it looked like my wife and I were going to split up. There came a point when I realised enough was enough, and now I haven’t picked up the bottle in seven years. It’s dramatically affected my life in so many positive ways, giving me the opportunity to be a good husband and father, as well as a kickass frontman. I watch all the fucking VH1 documentaries about musicians dying, and having friends die from this shit, I’m lucky that I got out alive. I can’t say I’ve been perfect – I’ve slipped up and smoked weed a few times, but haven’t had any alcohol, cocaine, pills or anything else.”
Did you ever fear that the need to stay sober might mean you had to stop touring?
“I think that’s why I kept falling off the wagon. Before we put out Getting Away With Murder [2004], that was the first time I tried to put the bottle down. But on the road, I was apart from my sober friends and I’d be on the bus with everyone drinking. So I’d end up in the back lounge, secretly chugging vodka. That was tough for years. Now I’ve been relieved of the obsession – I look back like, ‘That’s a young man’s game.’ Plus, I want to stay pretty!”
There are other elements of darkness though. We’ve lost a lot of musicians in recent times, including The Prodigy’s Keith Flint who was a huge influence of yours. How has his loss affected you?
“It’s made me want to keep facing those demons, no matter what. I don’t know what [Keith] was facing, but I do know that when you’re experiencing a personal struggle, a mental health or a spiritual struggle, going through that shit alone makes it even more difficult. You think about someone like Robin Williams, whose life was spent bringing hilarity to so many people, but behind the scenes he had this heavy struggle that people didn’t know about. Then something terrible happens, as it did with Keith, and it seems so sudden to people.”
What part does the life of a musician and the business side of it play in these struggles?
“Musicians make many sacrifices. When I first started touring, I was having the time of my life, but I didn’t have children. Now going on tour and leaving family behind is a struggle. We often have to stand alone in our heads, which can get pretty gnarly. Plus, people in the industry have always used artists, and used our lack of music business knowledge to take advantage of us. When you grow up you get a little smarter, and you realise how much that’s happened to you.”
How much has your faith played in getting you through the more difficult periods in your life?
“It’s been key for me. I follow a man named Jesus and I think he’s awesome. Unfortunately there are a lot of terrible fucking Christians out there, but when living in a relationship with my higher power, I feel like I’m clicked in to the ultimate power in the fucking universe. Don’t get it twisted, I’ve certainly had my struggles and failures in my spiritual life, but my walk with God has been one that’s evolved over the years.”
What would you tell your kids if any of them wanted to follow Dad into the business?
“I’ve thought about this a lot over the years, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem. My eldest son really loves music, but it’s clear it’s not going to be his path. He wants to be a sports rehab therapist. That’s fucking awesome.”