Life Is Peachy review. Ah. A slavering, gibbering, jabbering, snarling Tasmanian Devil has just ripped forth from the speakers like it's just tried to eat a wasp's nest whole. That'll be Jonathan Davis, then, venting his considerable spleen on "Twist", the ferocious 48-second track that opens "Life is Peachy", Korn's second album. Once heard, there is no mistaking that voice. It's filled with rage and hatred and bile, yet also with so much of the frailty and doubt that lurks in us all. Davis means it in a way that makes Henry Rollins look like little more than a poor actor. In many ways, it's the bare emotion in Davis' voice that makes the band; he comes out from behind the sofa of the psyche and parades around in front of his personal demons like he's offering the fuckers outside. After all, the first single from this rather inappropriately-titled album is called "No Place To Hide". It's kind of natural, therefore, that on first listen "Life is Peachy" doesn't have the same impact as the first time you heard their eponymous debut. That's not to say that this isn't an awesome record. Far from it. It's just that once you've been dragged through the emotional thorn bush that was "Korn", you're going to put your defences up so you don't get torn up second time round. With "Life is Peachy", Korn have provided another ingeniously twisted, absolutely classic album. From the demented opening track right through to the bloody finale of "Kill You" - a track that sees Davis wishing someone more ill than you'd think possible - there is not a single duff second. Hell, there are even a couple of lighter moments, with a bagpipe version of War's brilliant "Low Rider" and an ode to Korn's favourite brand of clothing in the shape of "adidas" - "All Day I Dream About Sex". The music stabs very much into the same dark vein as it did on the first album, laden with the jabbing, crunching guitars of J Munky Shaffer and Brian, Fieldy's growling bass, and the occasional swipe at that weird funky vibe they manage to pull off every so often. But at the same time, they manage to steer off in more unpredictable directions than a compass in a magnet factory. Picking up a favourite track is virtually impossible, partly because the tracks entwine like fingers around your throat, but also because the intensity is so unrelenting, you lose your way occasionally. That said, the bit that goes "Get the fuck out of my face!" must rank near the top. "Life is Peachy" is another tough ride through hell on the Korn rollercoaster. It's also another record your collection can't live without. Sometimes life is, indeed, peachy. What's Jonathan's relationship with Marilyn Manson? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jon laughs and tells me a story. “I was round Manson’s house one night and there was this chick. We tied her down and she was begging us to hurt her, to put cigarettes out on her and shove ice cubes up her and stuff. We were recording the whole thing. We were like, giving her full force punches in the face and she was begging us for more and screaming at the same time - we beat the fuck out of her. We recorded the whole thing and Mr Manson used it as the first track to his “Smells like Children” CD. But before it was released it was banned and removed, but I have a copy of it in the tour bus. What's the story behind Daddy? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Davis said he took some imaginative license with "Daddy" but he doesn't consider the song fictitious. He said he was molested as a boy, but by somebody outside his family. "That was my vent. I'd never gotten it out." he said of the studio performance, which proved to be the last of the handful of times that Davis ever sang the song. "Daddy" ends with the singer collapsed in a paroxysm of sobbing while the tape rolls. Given the subject matter, Davis says, he had a "hellifying" time explaining "Daddy" to his family after Korn's album came out. "I had a long talk with my dad about it. Good things came of it. Now we're best of friends." (Excerpt from the Los Angeles Times) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Davis is an intense vocalist. At the end of "Korn" he’s heard sobbing on "Daddy", which was a totally impromptu action. The song is a about incest, which is not a part of Davis’ history. He’s vowed never to do the song live, because he wouldn’t want to fake the emotion that went into the recording. (Excerpt from the San Jose Mercury) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lyrically, the most disturbing song is "Daddy" a track that begins: 'Mother please forgive me/I just had to get out all my pain and suffering/Now that I am done, remember I will always love you/I'm your son,' and ends with what appears to be a recording of Jonathan's father raging at his Mom about what's wrong with his car. It doesn't make for pleasant listening, but obviously means a lot to John, as when questioned about it he replies: "I don't want to talk about that, I don't like that song." (Excerpt from Metal Hammer) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Jonathan] has delved into the horror and anguish of child abuse. He nods, and smiles for a moment before he responds to that question about pushing buttons that could give offense. "Somebody had to have the balls to do it." (Excerpt from the Los Angeles Times)
What's Jonathan saying in Ball Tongue? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Caller "Yeah, hey, do you guys wanna reveal your little, uh, your secret words in Ball Tongue?" Jonathan "I don't say a Goddamn thing, so stop trying to figure them out." Caller "Gibberish, huh?" Jonathan "There you go." Fieldy - "Gibberish, you gotta gibber. But tell your friends he says something, make some shit up." Jonathan "And all those people on the Internet that tried to figure it out, it's not "Jerome died in the Technodrome". I don't say a damn thing, alright?" Caller Alright, man. Jonathan (Sarcastically) "I was smokin' some crack." Fieldy "He was on crack. " (From "Korn: Mangling the Web" broadcast) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The most vicious vocals, however, come in the song 'Ball Tongue' where Jonathan spits out the words like he's in Onyx. "I don't sing a goddamn word in that song. I couldn't describe what I wanted to do, so that's how it came out. It's a really heavy sound." (Excerpt from Metal Hammer) What's the significance of Jonathan's tattoos? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HIV "It's just a nickname." - Jonathan Nicknamed HIV as a sort of agreement with the "Faget" term he was dubbed in high school. He does not in fact have AIDS or the HIV virus. In fact Jonathan is in fact now the father of a baby boy, Nathan. The Crazed Bishop "The bishop is a symbol of the atrocities that religion are making. He's ripping up my skin to reveal Christ, its more of a symbol of how corrupt religion is. I don't believe in any of it because of shit like televangelism and shit. Do you really think that all that money really goes to charity?" (Excerpt from Ender Jr's Unofficial Biography) 3rd Korn cd faq's A brief disclaimer This document is an amalgamation of information I've heard and read about the new album thus far. There's no guarantee that any of this is 100 percent accurate, being as it's partly based on pre-release information, work-in-progress rumours and hearsay. In otherwords, if any of this is completely wrong, don't get too upset. What's the title of the new album? UPDATE In interviews and on KornTV Fieldy and Jonathan have repeatedly referred to the album as "Follow The Leader". From another broadcast, this is said to tie in with the theme of the artwork. This was the title originally rumoured many many months ago. What's the artwork going to be? NEW Todd McFarlane (creator of the Spawn comic) is creating the artwork for the new album. Exactly what the artwork is is still under wraps, but Jonathan has explained on KornTV that the title and the cover coincide with eachother. Initially it was rumoured that only the first editions of the album would have the McFarlane artwork; whether this is still the case is unknown. When's it going to be released? This really depends on who you ask. Here's the dates announced so far by the various parties; however these dates are more than likely to be pushed back, rather than brought forward: •Metal Edge Magazine : March 31st (!?) •Jonathan Davis : May (this was his guess back in December) •Immortal Records : May (from flyers in early '98) •Sony Europe : June •Variety Magazine : July •UPDATE Guitar World Magazine : September •UPDATE KornTV? : June 23rd (Rumour, apparently from KornTV) My personal feeling is that at this point it's going to be June or July, but with the new report in the latest Guitar World of September it's hard to tell. What tracks will be on the new album? Looking back at the progress of the "Life is Peachy" album, it's not guaranteed that these tracks will make it onto the final record; similarly these tracks may well appear on the album but under a different name. "Justin" UPDATE Named and dedicated to a 16-year old boy who's terminally ill with cancer of the colon. Through the "Make A Wish" foundation, he got his dream come true of meeting Korn. Jonathan confirmed this title in an interview in Metal Hammer magazine. "My Gift To You" UPDATE Reportedly the "Daddy" / "Kill You" style song of the album, although Jonathan has claimed there isn't a specific track on the album dealing with family demons; "I got those out," he says. As before, Jonathan confirmed this title in Metal Hammer magazine. "Neocide" UPDATE Originally entitled "Deicide", it's a sickening tale from Jonathan's coroner days of a man who raped his one-year old daughter. "All in the Family" UPDATE The track featuring Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst in a Judgement Night - style "duet" with Jonathan. As with some of the other songs, Jonathan's confirmed the title in Metal Hammer. "Earache My Eye" UPDATE A cover of the 1981 Cheech & Chong song. The band has negotiated to get Cheech Marin to handle vocal duties on the track! Untitled track #1 Jonathan: "I got one about my friends treating me different now that I'm in a rock band..." Untitled track #2 Jonathan: "And I wrote a song about 'fame,' and the way I hate it, but I need it." Who's guesting on the album? Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit) A definite; aside from Jonathan confirming it at the start of the year, the Limp Bizkit vocalist appears on the track "All In The Family". RBX Snoop Doggy Dogg's cousin is apparently on there somewhere. No word however on what capacity though. Unconfirmed. B-Real (Cypress Hill) Reported some time back, the Cypress Hill man is a reasonable bet, given Immortal Records' tight connections with the Hill's label, Buzztone. Cheech Marin (Cheech & Chong) UPDATE Cheech made an appearance as a guest on a recent episode of KornTV, where it was confirmed he'll be working on a track with the band, almost certainly the cover of "Earache My Eye". What about a supporting tour? The official supporting tour for the record will be the much-vaunted "Family Values" tour. The full line-up is still unconfirmed, but Korn, Orgy and Limp Bizkit are all definites. Originally scheduled to start in the USA for June/July '98, the current word is that the tour has been pushed back to August/September in order not to clash with the Ozz-Fest tour. Outside of this, the band are due to play a number of festival dates in Europe; the UK Ozz-Fest on June 20th, and the Roskilde Festival in Denmark shortly after. Thanks and contributions The following are those who've helped, corrected or added information from the original document - thanks! •Steve Johnson •Andrew Gil •Yara •Nougat
