Hi guys. Head, Ray and Munky from Korn here.

Our album The Paradigm Shift came out this past Tuesday. We're ready to answer your questions.

we tweeted before: https://twitter.com/Korn/status/388341706661175296

Thanks everybody that participated and sorry if we didn't get to your questions we have a gig tonight we got to get ready for. So thank you very much.

Comments: 773 • Responses: 32  • Date: 

dculls149 karma

My boyfriend doesn't have a reddit account, but I had to do this for him! He's your biggest fan.

Ever since I've been dating him, he'll put on Korn and tell me what an inspiration you guys are to him musically and that you guys are what caused him to start his band.! He's also said that Jonathan is his biggest inspiration vocally and lyrically when he's writing his own material.

Can you guys say hi to him, and give some words of encouragement in regards to making/writing music? He's honestly one of the most talented guys I've ever come across and I know this would make his entire life!

He's going to your concert tonight in LA, if you yelled out "Alex, Korn says be nice to your girlfriend" tonight at your show, I'm pretty sure he'd shit his pants and cry at the same time. Which would make my entire life!

EDIT: I guess they didn't say anything tonight :-( but I guess JD had pneumonia really bad and had to use an oxygen tank in between songs...So I'll forgive them! I'm sure he loved the show without the shout out! And them responding here probably made him smile too. Shitting pants is a funny response he'll appreciate.

WeareKorn173 karma

Perfect. Shittin pants.

Maryjane42069135 karma

As a huge Pink Floyd fan, I just want to say you guys did a spot on cover of Another Brick in The Wall.

WeareKorn99 karma

Thank you.

jiodjflak93 karma

Hey guys, just a couple of questions.

  1. Question for both Head and Fieldy. Now that you're both Christians, is there any songs that you guys refuse to play because of the content(take Right Now or A.D.I.D.A.S as examples)?

  2. You guys are said to have been one of the bands that invented the Nu-Metal genre. How do you feel about that, since Nu-Metal seems to be reviled pretty widely amongst the metal community?

  3. Another one for Head. Any possibility of a Korn member appearing on a future Love and Death record?

By the way, loving the Paradigm shift. Easily the best Korn album in years.

WeareKorn80 karma

1) Head here; the songs that I wouldn't want to play, Korn hasn't played them in years. So there's no issues.

2) Munky here: I feel like we came up with something new that go labeled, and people have had time to appreciate it. And now that it's coming back, I think that we're getting the recognition that we deserve.

3) Head: That would be rad, yea!

Ray sez Thank you!

WeareKorn45 karma

Munky says they could not have done it without me.

misscarman68 karma

I saw in an interview last week where Munky said that he would like Eminem to collaborate with KoRn. Are there any further plans to make this happen? Any other dream collaborations?

P.S. I love y'all to death :)

WeareKorn75 karma

this is Munky, hopefully we can pursue that. I'd love to work with Eminem. But as of right now there are no plans to collaborate with anybody.

EEBrony57 karma

Munky: what was your favorite album to record after Head left? Head: was it weird coming back to a new drummer? Ray: did you ever think you'd be with a band as big as KoRn?

WeareKorn53 karma

I guess it has been the Remember who you are Album because we wrote as a band in a small room and we recorded with Robinson (Munky).

Um... no the whole thing was kind of weird and cool at the same time. Just because I've been gone so long but I knew Ray was really good so I was excited to play with him. But coming back to all of them was different. -Head

Ray sez: NO. It's one of those things, I played with so many different bands and it feels good to save so many people's lives with music, it's amazing to be a part of that legacy, it goes beyond just the size of bands I have played in in the past, it's a whole nother level of everything.

johnmenchaca54 karma

This one's for Munky. How did you respond emotionally to the return of Brian "Head" Welch? Was it like having a brother back in the band? And how has it affected song writing between the two of you?

WeareKorn62 karma

It feels like old times again. Like a lot more fun to write songs and less pressure on songwriting .

ordinaryhumanbeing51 karma

[deleted]

WeareKorn72 karma

This is Head, it was not embarrassing, it was the most intense, one of the most intense moments of my life. So we thought it was like fake at first, and then when we realized it was real, it was crazy intense. Everyone was like quiet for a couple of hours afterwards. Because something really deep happened in someone's soul right in front of us.

It's always stressful when we play in Los Angeles because there are so many friends and family who want to attend, it causes stress for the band members (Munky)

Ray sez: last year at the Palladium. It was like days out there. Same thing, LA show, stressed out, nothing going right.

Head here: LOL I don't remember.

starthirteen51 karma

On the show Gilmore Girls, Richard Gilmore's mother talks about renting out one of her houses to you guys. Did they approach you beforehand to ask if they could use your name, or did they just do it?

WeareKorn52 karma

I don't remember them asking. That's the first I've heard of it (Munky)

TheKidsCallMeHoJu49 karma

You had Aaron Paul in your video for Thoughtless...are any of you guys Breaking Bad fans?

WeareKorn61 karma

Yes. (Munky) I love that show. It's scary how much I can relate to that show.

Ray just started watching it but I love that show.

pizwasser26 karma

and would you like to work with him again?

WeareKorn64 karma

Yes but he's too big time now.

lifeispeachi27 karma

Do you have any memorable fans or experiences with fans? (P.S. you guys fucking rule, and welcome back Head!)

WeareKorn51 karma

Thank you. Gina who comes to the shows in Pennsylvania, she is my favorite. She is a die-hard fan and she has this really cool personality. She has a really great gift for making dolls and makes unusual gifts and brings them to the show. (this is Head)

Ray sez: My favorite would be Susan in Germany because she had one of the most beautiful tattoos of JOnathan, and she just takes two weeks off of work to come to 9, 10 shows in a row. Die hard.

Munky: There's this guy named Brandon. I met him like 8 years ago and he was the first person that me and Brian met that he had our faces tattooed on his back.

breakfastonamirror24 karma

Holy shit. Where do I even begin?

First of all, thank you for your music. I have been a fan for over a decade and I fucking love you guys. Your music has helped me through some very difficult times, and it is also the reason I met my best friend 12 years ago- we had the same picture of Jonathan Davis ripped out of a magazine and taped to our school binders. Korn has been and always will be one of my all time favorite bands. There hasn't been a band since that gets to me the way y'all do, so thank you.

My question: how was it working with Matt and Trey on South Park? I just recently watched the Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost adventure episode. Love it.

Keep being awesome and making music. I appreciate and love everything y'all do.

Edited: Damnit realized that Jonathan isn't here so I removed my questions for him!

WeareKorn38 karma

Munky here: first of all thank you for caring about this band so much. secondly it was so much fun working with Matt and Trey on that episode. We still quote that almost every day. Because they gave us so many cool funny lines and we still walk around saying those quotes even today.

kimmikazee23 karma

Have you ever screamed yourself hoarse during singing at a concert or in a studio?

WeareKorn33 karma

Oh yeah big time. I lost my voice for like two months one time screaming. (Munky)

Were you screaming for music Munky or were you drunk? -Head

I was on a drunk binge...(Munky)

I do screams in Korn and other bands too and have really messed my voice up too probably over ten times. -Head

operation_hennessey21 karma

Do each of you have a favourite track on the new album The Paradigm Shift?

WeareKorn27 karma

Yes...

Ray sez: I like em all but I especially like Victimized and What we do. Those are my two favorites right now.

Munky: My favorite is Victimized

Head: Well it used to be Love and Meth but now it's What we do . It changes every few weeks, our favorite song.

Munkadunk66718 karma

MUNKY & HEAD -

You were an absolute inspiration to me growing up. Been playing guitar for 12 years because of your music. I love you both, and I love Korn!

No question, just love.

WeareKorn24 karma

We love you too. -Munky and Head

SO MUCH

38B0DE17 karma

So glad Head is back.. <3

The new album is fucking brilliant... just.. keep... making... music. I need more of this stuff.

First of all I wanted to just say that having you play in my obscure Eastern European home town was the most exhilarating, unbelievable, and unapologetically non-exaggerating most exciting music experience of my life. Listening to KoЯn in Burgas, Bulgaria was a huge part of growing up and I never even for a second thought you guys would play on the very beach where the few of us KoЯn kids there threw our KoЯn themed parties. I feel very lucky. My body was under so much emotion people thought I took drugs. It is truly indescribable. Thank you.

  1. What do you guys think about the last few Deftones albums? Are there any plans for collaboration with them? That would be really epic.

  2. KoЯn Kovers - is this happening, ever?

  3. What do you think about metal nowadays? Things have changed a lot in terms of how people "consume" music, sales have also changed. Where do you think the genre is going to go from this point?

  4. Why don't you make "The Encounter" kind of a tradition? You're traveling the world touring, one way or another, you could just prep random places like fields, beaches, caves, streets, etc. around the globe... play songs and make them into a DVD.

WeareKorn25 karma

1) Hopefully we'll do a tour but we love the last couple of records. They have been some of my favorites. We all agree. Ray agrees.

2) Eventually (when there is time). But what we're doing now, we just have so much original material to get out before we get to that. (Munky)

3) Ray here: music is taking weird turns but at the end of the day there's a lot of cookie cutter bands out there that copy their favorite bands. What I think about Korn is that we are not afraid to be anything but who we are. We are our own entity, and that's why I love being in a band like this. There are bands that are more electronic, there are certain bands that stick with what they always do like ACDC and Metallica, they are not going anywhere and the fans love it.

4) Munky: that's a great idea to play in front of some historical monuments and landmarks. The only thing that keeps us from doing that is we try to play in front of as many fans as possible because that is what is important to us. But I'd like to do something like that now that Brian is back in the band. Play in front of the Pyramids of Giza or something cool.

GoatboyBill16 karma

Hello, guys! Finally you're doing this AMA. First of all I wanted to say that I love you, guys! My few questions:

  • Untitled and The Path of Totality are the 2 albums which differ your original sound the most (at least IMO), while making them which one of these 2 was more fun to make and which one of them do you personally like more?

  • Is there a chance to bring David back in the band, or do you even want him back?

  • And when will you finally come to Latvia w/o some of you guys missing ? :)

Thank you very much in advance!

WeareKorn20 karma

I think for me (this is Munky) I had more fun making Untitled because I got to work with Atticus Ross. But I like The Path of Totality because it's so weird and different from anything we've done.

We love Ray.-Head and Munky

We are probably going to do a tour at some point next year not sure if it will include that country/city (Munky)

FallingAwayFromMe14 karma

Hey Jon, you ready to rock? Head/Ray/Munky, you ready to rock?

On a serious note, I just want to thank you guys for doing what you do and all the shit you've done and had to put up with to make KoRn happen. Your work has made such an influence on me and is a massive part of my life. \m/

When will you guys come to the UK again? and why don't you play A.D.I.D.A.S anymore?

WeareKorn19 karma

Hahhaaha (Munky)

THANK YOU. Yes we will come to the UK, probably in2014. Ray doesn't know that song bassline.

WeareKorn36 karma

Head forgot his part in A.D.I.D.A.S.

Schnapplegangers14 karma

Care to tell us any crazy Follow the Leader stories? After all, with that ridiculous beer budget you guys had I bet there's some awesome ones.

WeareKorn25 karma

Head: Yea we spent like $19,000 on alcohol for that record. Was it that much Munk?

I think it was over $20,000 (Munky)

So we were losers. And all of our friends in Hollywood and Orange County would come and drink all the alcohol and get wasted while we recorded our album. -Head

watchWEatherCHANGE14 karma

First off, let me say Im a huge fan, I love you guys! Thank you for putting out so many records that have helped me through some pretty dark times and thank you for doing this AMA. My question for you all is, how as growing older inspired you guys in your writing of new material?

WeareKorn13 karma

Growing older (this is Head) we went through a lot of emotional things in life, so that has expanded the soul to feel the music more. Because like to me a lot of pain produces things. So going through life you go through a lot of good and bad times and that just expands the ability to feel the music here.

WeareKorn9 karma

Yeah I think life experiences helps provide the material and also just you know over the years you become better songwriters with experience in the studio (Munky).

Ray sez: Definitely experience has a lot to do with it. The more time in the water you spend the more you have, just, and our families influence us in more positive ways these days. So the more you do anything, you are bound to get better at it.

DTFSandslash14 karma

Hey guys, big fan from the UK here, you guys killed it at Download Festival this year (Coming Undone and Did My Time were my personal highlights). Have you guys been working on any new covers, or are there any songs you'd really like to cover and why? Thanks, and the new album is incredible btw

WeareKorn17 karma

Thank you!

Munky here: there's songs that I always wanted to cover. One of them is Blue Oyster Cult's Godzilla because I think we can make superheavy. And the other one is Ozzy Osbourne's Diary of a Madman.

I want to do songs that you wouldn't think Korn would do. I know there's something going on and Human League. -Head

Rob_Saget13 karma

  • What was the biggest struggle in making "The Paradigm Shift"?
  • What has been your most surreal moment on stage?
  • I host a podcast that has musicians (Andrew WK, Bryan Beller, etc) come on a nerd out with us. Would you be interested in being a guest to talk audio?

Thanks for this AMA and look forward to your responses!

WeareKorn13 karma

Hardest part (this is Head) was figuring out how much electronics Jonathan Davis wanted to put in the record so that was my biggest struggle, not knowing. Because I wanted to have a heavy rock record with my boys being gone so long, and it turned out exactly how I wanted it, but that was the biggest struggle for me.

Munky here: my biggest struggle was driving.

Ray sez: I did all my drum tracks in 3 days. It was pretty intense to play all those 15 songs and get all those parts I wanted. Because everything had to be put in right.

For me it was Woodstock 1999 (Munky)

Woodstock 1999-Head

Ray sez: I would say Quilmes in Argentina, that thing was gigundo, giant eagle ramp and 85,000 people, it really sticks out in my head because it was one of my first giant gigs with Korn and the crowd was out of their minds. Fires everywhere. Pretty surreal moment.

Contact our publicist...

Slashfan12 karma

What was the most challenging song to make on the new album?

WeareKorn17 karma

I think we kind of struggled with Never Never. Not musically but just that sort of newer sound. It was so simple that we were having trouble being simple because we're always like want to put a lot of stuff in it.

pittsburgfan1711 karma

If you could summarize your careers with two songs, what would they be and why?

WeareKorn26 karma

Head I would say Blind and Freak on a Leash because Blind brought us into the "are you ready for Korn" and Freak on a Leash was blown all over the world on MTV, that was back when MTV played music so we got the most exposure from it.

Hmm..the song here to stay and I'd pick Blind as well. (Munky)

Ray sez: it would be Kidnap the Sandy Claws which was the first recording I ever did with Korn and then it would have to be Oildale because it's a fucking insane song.

operation_hennessey7 karma

are you guys dressing up for Halloween?

WeareKorn11 karma

I haven't thought about it yet-Head

I haven't either I just figured out what we are going to dress our son up as for Halloween. He's going to be a dragon (Munky)

Ray sez: I have not really thought about it yet. If I am going to dress up I do it big.

foootrest7 karma

I saw you guys back in May at Rock On The Range in Ohio and may I say that the set list was amazing. My question is with such a large pool of tunes you have to pick from, how do you guys decide what you're going to play at 1-time venues when you're not touring a new album or something?

WeareKorn8 karma

We try to play as many I guess hits as we can and still try to play songs that we enjoy and deeper album tracks. It's really hard actually. And it's a collaboration of what works and how much time we have. (Munky)

Munkadunk6676 karma

Munky, Ray, Head - Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses, or 1 horse sized duck?

WeareKorn14 karma

I don't know. (Munky)

Ray sez: that is pretty weird. I wouldn't fight any horses.

Kelwood4 karma

Hey guys, I'm a huge fan. What can I expect from The Paradigm Shift? Is there anything new that you guys experimented with? And I'm stoked for Brian. What's it like working with him again?

WeareKorn7 karma

You can expect a familiar sound like the older Korn stuff and you can expect a futuristic Korn sound all at once. It goes backwards and forwards at the same time. PICK IT UP TODAY! -Head

dngrgrlfrk4 karma

Old School Bako fan here!! Fan since LAPD days. Where does this (TPS) album rank personally for you of all the albums you have done?

WeareKorn8 karma

I have to say it's definitely one of our best albums. (Munky)