Chris Jericho - Fozzy (11/11/2013)
Chris Jericho has spent the last two decades working relentlessly the world over to unequivocally establish himself as one of the most revered and decorated professional wrestlers in the industry’s history.
Outside of the ring, it’s no surprise that the self-proclaimed “Ayatollah of Rock-and-Rolla” has so seamlessly translated his ambition and energy from the wrasslin’ ring in to fronting increasingly popular heavy metal outfit Fozzy. On the cusp of returning to Australia this December in support of hilariously foul-mouthed rockers Steel Panther, Jericho took time out to chat to The 59th Sound about all manner of business in his pop-culturally affluent world.
“We had a great time this year in Australia on the Soundwave tour, and kind of blew the doors open for Australia to be great territory for Fozzy. We’ve been there a couple times before, but I think with Soundwave we really established what kind of a fan base we have down there. I mean, we were playing to thousands of people every day really early on (in the line up), where as the bands that went right on after us were playing to dozens! It was really a pleasant surprise, and I totally didn’t expect it. Just to see that many people come to see us so early on in the day was a real eye-opener. Australia is great, and we have a really great fan base there, so we wanted to do another tour there as soon as we could. (Soundwave head honcho) AJ Maddah called and asked us to do the Steel Panther tour, and we thought it was a great way to end off our Sin And Bones tour cycle by coming back to Australia for the second time in the same year, playing all the same places we played at Soundwave. Hammering it home and getting a chance to see our old friends, and make some new ones!”
The Sin and Bones tour to which the effortlessly talkative rock star refers began over fourteen months ago in August 2012, and initially coincided with the release of Fozzy’s identically-titled fifth studio album. Although already well established in the music business, it’s evident the band has subsequently gained unprecedented exposure and popularity in 2013. Their touring schedule since Sin And Bones’ release appears gruelling and envious in equal measure, having played non-stop global dates with some of the biggest names in metal (Anthrax, Metallica, Saxon, A perfect Circle, Slayer, Bring Me The Horizon, et al).
Jericho, now on an indefinite hiatus from World Wrestling Entertainment since last August to concentrate fully on his band, compares the relentless life on the road with a band to that of a professional wrestling superstar.
“When you go to Australia it’s very similar. You don’t really travel in a bus because Australia’s so big. So it’s all planes, and hotels are all taken care of. It’s a lot the same as when you’re on tour with the WWE there, but in the states the band all gets on a bus, and we all tour together; driving together everywhere, travelling together everywhere, sleeping on the bus, that sort of thing. With the WWE, at least when I’m there, I travel everywhere by myself; rent a hotel, rent a car, it’s really more independent, and a lot more responsibility! With the band you just go to the bus, wake up when you’re at the town, then someone tells you what to do, where to go, what time your interviews are at, what time the show’s at, when you’re eating, when the VIPs are, at that sort of thing. In the WWE you got to take care of yourself a lot more, there’s definitely pros and cons to both, but down under it’s pretty similar.”
There’s no denying that the vast majority of modern professional wrestlers present themselves as walking Adonis’. It’s a demanding feat that requires unforgiving hours in gyms the world over for any dedicated superstar, and a quick scroll through Chris Jericho’s promotional photos throughout his career proves he has never been an exception. When queried about a recent Instagram post in which he showcases noticeable weight loss, Y2J (it’s a wrestling moniker, Google it) freely elaborates on how he stays in shape these days while touring with Fozzy.
“I lost a lot of weight in a good way! Our shows are very aerobic, so whether playing thirty, forty, or ninety minutes, it’s a non-stop work out. When the tour’s over I always wind up much more ripped and shredded than I was before. I reckon I probably sweat two-to-three times more at a Fozzy show than I ever did in a wrestling match because wrestling is a lot of ebb and flow. You start and stop, then it’s through in twenty minutes, but with Fozzy it’s all the way through. That in itself keeps me in shape. I don’t ever really lift weights any more anyway, it’s all usually yoga and really watching my diet. It’s a lot easier to work out when you don’t have to worry about finding a gym in all these different towns that you go to, whether it’s Fozzy or WWE. I’m in much better shape now than I was ten years ago going to the gym every day. It’s a hundred times harder to do a yoga work out than it is to lift a hundred pounds twelve times over three sets.”
Not merely content with success in wrestling and music alone, Jericho is nearly through penning his third autobiography, and recently debuted a web-based comedy series entitled “But I’m Chris Jericho!”
“I always had it in my mind to do a trilogy of books since forever, and I didn’t really know these would be it when I started writing the first one. I had so many things to write about and knew that I could just keep going. This really is the third of a trilogy, and maybe I’ll turn it to a… Quadruple-ogy? (Laughs) in a few years, but right now having three autobiographies by the time I’m 42 isn’t a bad life to have so far. This book has just as many ridiculous stories as the first two, I’m just lucky that when I was a kid I wanted to be a rock star, and I wanted to be a wrestler, and had both those things come true. As a result there’s a lot to write about, lots of experiences to document. ”
“(“But I’m Chris Jericho!”) has this mockumentary Curb Your Enthusiasm kinda vibe. It’s this idea I had back in 2005 when I left wrestling to go L.A. to train to be an actor, and just some of the experiences I went through while I was there, but in a really comedic way. It turned out really, really good, and I’m really proud of it. I think people are going to really enjoy it.”
When a particularly heated in-ring rivalry with fellow wrestling royalty Shawn Michaels is brought up in conversation, Jericho is quick to explain how easily the lines between make believe and reality are blurred in the world of professional wrestling. A matter he insists is further explored in his forthcoming book.
“Most of the time it’s just show business, but in that situation I really did punch his wife in the face. There was a miscalculation and she got nailed for real, so yeah, that was a little bit awkward. But, y’know, we were putting on a show! Just like anything in entertainment, whether in the wrestling ring or on stage with Fozzy, you want to make sure people are entertained and get their money’s worth, and make sure they come back to see you next time you’re in town. That’s really what prompted coming back to Australia with Steel Panther.”
For long time fans of Fozzy, it’s a certainly that the band are almost always working on new material. Jericho assures that the near future is no exception.
“We’re already working on the new record, it’ll be out – if everything goes to plan – in June of next year. We’ve got a lot of momentum behind us, with our foot in the door. Once you’ve got your foot in the door you wanna kick that damn thing open, and that’s kind of what our game plan is.”
Catch Fozzy’s blistering live show with Buckcherry and Steel Panther on the Spreading The Disease Tour this December.
Todd Gingell
Outside of the ring, it’s no surprise that the self-proclaimed “Ayatollah of Rock-and-Rolla” has so seamlessly translated his ambition and energy from the wrasslin’ ring in to fronting increasingly popular heavy metal outfit Fozzy. On the cusp of returning to Australia this December in support of hilariously foul-mouthed rockers Steel Panther, Jericho took time out to chat to The 59th Sound about all manner of business in his pop-culturally affluent world.
“We had a great time this year in Australia on the Soundwave tour, and kind of blew the doors open for Australia to be great territory for Fozzy. We’ve been there a couple times before, but I think with Soundwave we really established what kind of a fan base we have down there. I mean, we were playing to thousands of people every day really early on (in the line up), where as the bands that went right on after us were playing to dozens! It was really a pleasant surprise, and I totally didn’t expect it. Just to see that many people come to see us so early on in the day was a real eye-opener. Australia is great, and we have a really great fan base there, so we wanted to do another tour there as soon as we could. (Soundwave head honcho) AJ Maddah called and asked us to do the Steel Panther tour, and we thought it was a great way to end off our Sin And Bones tour cycle by coming back to Australia for the second time in the same year, playing all the same places we played at Soundwave. Hammering it home and getting a chance to see our old friends, and make some new ones!”
The Sin and Bones tour to which the effortlessly talkative rock star refers began over fourteen months ago in August 2012, and initially coincided with the release of Fozzy’s identically-titled fifth studio album. Although already well established in the music business, it’s evident the band has subsequently gained unprecedented exposure and popularity in 2013. Their touring schedule since Sin And Bones’ release appears gruelling and envious in equal measure, having played non-stop global dates with some of the biggest names in metal (Anthrax, Metallica, Saxon, A perfect Circle, Slayer, Bring Me The Horizon, et al).
Jericho, now on an indefinite hiatus from World Wrestling Entertainment since last August to concentrate fully on his band, compares the relentless life on the road with a band to that of a professional wrestling superstar.
“When you go to Australia it’s very similar. You don’t really travel in a bus because Australia’s so big. So it’s all planes, and hotels are all taken care of. It’s a lot the same as when you’re on tour with the WWE there, but in the states the band all gets on a bus, and we all tour together; driving together everywhere, travelling together everywhere, sleeping on the bus, that sort of thing. With the WWE, at least when I’m there, I travel everywhere by myself; rent a hotel, rent a car, it’s really more independent, and a lot more responsibility! With the band you just go to the bus, wake up when you’re at the town, then someone tells you what to do, where to go, what time your interviews are at, what time the show’s at, when you’re eating, when the VIPs are, at that sort of thing. In the WWE you got to take care of yourself a lot more, there’s definitely pros and cons to both, but down under it’s pretty similar.”
There’s no denying that the vast majority of modern professional wrestlers present themselves as walking Adonis’. It’s a demanding feat that requires unforgiving hours in gyms the world over for any dedicated superstar, and a quick scroll through Chris Jericho’s promotional photos throughout his career proves he has never been an exception. When queried about a recent Instagram post in which he showcases noticeable weight loss, Y2J (it’s a wrestling moniker, Google it) freely elaborates on how he stays in shape these days while touring with Fozzy.
“I lost a lot of weight in a good way! Our shows are very aerobic, so whether playing thirty, forty, or ninety minutes, it’s a non-stop work out. When the tour’s over I always wind up much more ripped and shredded than I was before. I reckon I probably sweat two-to-three times more at a Fozzy show than I ever did in a wrestling match because wrestling is a lot of ebb and flow. You start and stop, then it’s through in twenty minutes, but with Fozzy it’s all the way through. That in itself keeps me in shape. I don’t ever really lift weights any more anyway, it’s all usually yoga and really watching my diet. It’s a lot easier to work out when you don’t have to worry about finding a gym in all these different towns that you go to, whether it’s Fozzy or WWE. I’m in much better shape now than I was ten years ago going to the gym every day. It’s a hundred times harder to do a yoga work out than it is to lift a hundred pounds twelve times over three sets.”
Not merely content with success in wrestling and music alone, Jericho is nearly through penning his third autobiography, and recently debuted a web-based comedy series entitled “But I’m Chris Jericho!”
“I always had it in my mind to do a trilogy of books since forever, and I didn’t really know these would be it when I started writing the first one. I had so many things to write about and knew that I could just keep going. This really is the third of a trilogy, and maybe I’ll turn it to a… Quadruple-ogy? (Laughs) in a few years, but right now having three autobiographies by the time I’m 42 isn’t a bad life to have so far. This book has just as many ridiculous stories as the first two, I’m just lucky that when I was a kid I wanted to be a rock star, and I wanted to be a wrestler, and had both those things come true. As a result there’s a lot to write about, lots of experiences to document. ”
“(“But I’m Chris Jericho!”) has this mockumentary Curb Your Enthusiasm kinda vibe. It’s this idea I had back in 2005 when I left wrestling to go L.A. to train to be an actor, and just some of the experiences I went through while I was there, but in a really comedic way. It turned out really, really good, and I’m really proud of it. I think people are going to really enjoy it.”
When a particularly heated in-ring rivalry with fellow wrestling royalty Shawn Michaels is brought up in conversation, Jericho is quick to explain how easily the lines between make believe and reality are blurred in the world of professional wrestling. A matter he insists is further explored in his forthcoming book.
“Most of the time it’s just show business, but in that situation I really did punch his wife in the face. There was a miscalculation and she got nailed for real, so yeah, that was a little bit awkward. But, y’know, we were putting on a show! Just like anything in entertainment, whether in the wrestling ring or on stage with Fozzy, you want to make sure people are entertained and get their money’s worth, and make sure they come back to see you next time you’re in town. That’s really what prompted coming back to Australia with Steel Panther.”
For long time fans of Fozzy, it’s a certainly that the band are almost always working on new material. Jericho assures that the near future is no exception.
“We’re already working on the new record, it’ll be out – if everything goes to plan – in June of next year. We’ve got a lot of momentum behind us, with our foot in the door. Once you’ve got your foot in the door you wanna kick that damn thing open, and that’s kind of what our game plan is.”
Catch Fozzy’s blistering live show with Buckcherry and Steel Panther on the Spreading The Disease Tour this December.
Todd Gingell