Mike Patton interview to Brazilian newspaper

Mike finally gave an interview about the reunion!! I translated it for you, because I'm kind Cheesy

Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Tuesday, 13th October 2009

Segundo Caderno
Bernard Aerugo

On the 5th of November, 21h30m, at Citibank Hall, Rio de Janeiro rockers will be back together with an old love affair, which started on the 20th January 1991. Back in that time, there was a band fronted by a jumpy brat, and being pushed by two video clips of heavy rotation on a newly born MTV Brasil, which showed the crowd that they were a serious band with their mixture of rock and funk, and got a rare connection with the people who crowded Maracas stadium.

- I don't know how many times I've been to Brazil, but it was less than ten - says the brat, singer Mike Patton from Faith no More, with 41 years old today. - And that's too few.

After 11 years apart, FNM is back since February 2009, and their return to Brazil will be in November, in Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte, besides Rio.

- I'm having a lot of fun with the shows - says Patton, through the phone, from his home in San Francisco, in the USA. - But South America is the part of the tour what I was waiting for since the beginning.

- Since the first time, in Rock in Rio, I had a lot of fun in your country. And Rio is more special then everything else, of course.

After so many years apart, the band, that achieved great success all over the world in the beginning of the 1990's, did not maintain the same popularity in the following years with their CDs "King for a day, fool for a lifetime" (1995) and "Album of the year" (1997), in which they didn't balance so well their experimental side with a pop flavor, and ended up extinct - not many people still thought there would be a Faith no More reunion.

- I was certain that would never happen - admits Patton. - I don't know how many times, through the years, I said I would never be part of something like that, that it would be a step back. I always liked to give and end to things for good, in my personal life and professional, and go ahead. The idea of paying homage to our own music sounded selfish and horrible. Many times my manager came talking about an offer, and I wouldn't let him finish the sentence.

He doesn't know if the reunion never happened before only because of him.

- I would simply say "no", I didn't want to know, I had no idea if any of the others had ever said "yes".

Until one day...

- There was an offer for some shows in Europe - recalls the singer.

- I thought it was a good moment and ended up agreeing. In the first rehearsal, I was late and I didn't manage to enter the studio. I sat outside on the floor and listened to the band playing. The sound was very good, I felt I would be comfortable singing those songs again. And now we are here. We already played about 40 shows, and we are all happy.

The formation that brought FNM back is not the same from when they were at the top of their career, with successes like "Epic" and "Falling to pieces" (the two bizarre videoclips that MTV Brazil would play non-stop in 1990): the big-bearded guitarist Jim Martin, that was in the group until 1993, was not invited.

- We thought about inviting him, but we did two records without him, and that would be too many songs he would have to learn - tells Patton. - and there were also personal risks. For these reasons we have Jon Hudson, who is a good player and is great to deal with.

There are no news songs in the shows.

The show will certainly include successes like "From out of nowhere", covers like the delicious "Easy", from the Commodores, and B-sides like "Malpractice". But do not expect new songs.

- We don't have any new songs - says the singer. - The reason for this reunion is to remember our old songs, which we like so much, and try to entertain people with them. We have been lucky and there have been lots of people interested.

The tour, according to him, is more fun then hard work.

- We usually stay three weeks traveling and then go home to rest - he tells. - We are, in a way, getting to know each other again, learning how to deal with each other. Of course I have always been in touch with them, we are friends, but that sort of friend that you don't talk to every day. So far, it has been great.

He says the reunion may not last forever.

- We are not Starbuck's, that are in every corner - he jokes.

- If you want to see us, it is better go this time, because we don't know if there will be another one, certainly not in another 10 years. So far we have shows booked until February, and maybe that will be it. The curious fact is that we didn't have many offers to play in the USA.

So far, there are no plans for a new record.

- We haven't discarded that completely, but we are not thinking about composing - says the singer.

- We don't want to be like those bands that stay years apart, then return and release a horrible record.
That way, is it possible that Patton, in 2010, go back to projects like Fantômas, an experimental rock full of noise that played in Brazil in 2005 at a festival.

- It is always fun to go there, but that time it was weird - he remembers. - I remember we went to a van to go sound check and I joked with the promoter saying I wanted to go to a barbecue place. When we passed near one, I think in Barra, she told the driver to stop.

We left the van, ordered caipirinhas and had a great meal. When, hours later, I asked if we weren't too late for the sound check , she said that we weren't because the festival was running even later.

Besides playing in Fantômas, he owns a Record label, Ipecac Records, and has various other projects, like Mr. Bungle (another bizarre band, in which he sings since before FNM) and Peeping Tom.

- I'm finishing recording for a project called Mondo Cane - he says. - They are covers from classic-rock Italian tunes, a gender that I got to know when I lived in Italy.

Mike, who listens from Marcos Valle and João Gilberto to Sepultura and Ratos de Porão, intends to see some old friends in Brazil.

- I don't see João Gordo ("gordo" means "fat" in Portuguese) in many years, how is he? I heard he became some kind of star, he is on MTV, is that true? Did he operate his stomach? Then, he turned into João "Flaco" ("flaco" means "thin" in Spanish)...