Recently, Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer said he thinks it’s okay if metal isn’t mainstream – that said, he cares very deeply about Korn’s legacy. In an interview with Columbia’s Radioacktiva, as transcribed by Blabbermouth, Shaffer spoke about Korn’s past and what he hopes for their future.
Per Shaffer:
“I think this band — well, I don’t think; I know this band — in the past, like early ’90s and the 2000s, we were not concerned about tomorrow so much. We were living in the moment. We were young. All we cared about was the party. ‘We don’t care about what happens tomorrow; we just care about today.’ And that was fun. But now, with us all in our early 50s — it’s hard to say [that we are that old]… it’s hard to take that in [we are in our 50s]. But we don’t feel like [we are that old] because the music keeps us so young. But at the same time, we have a lot of wisdom that we’ve collected along the way, and one of those things is we do care about how we’re remembered; we care about what our children are gonna think of us; how we act now and how that’s gonna carry on for a generation or two generations; how people remember our music; what we leave behind. All these things are just these new — it’s a new insight and it’s a new outlook for us. I guess, as seasoned songwriters, and we’re all fathers now, we wanna be remembered as a band that helped people, not a band that couldn’t help ourselves.”
That’s really touching. Korn are massive in the world of music; not only did they reshape the face of metal with their art, but they’ve only continued to grow over the years and expand their artistry.
What Shaffer is saying here is real profound; for some bands, sometimes all that exists is the moment. For Korn, they had their earlier years to party hard, but Shaffer wants to make sure the band leave behind a legacy that is remembered for bringing good into the world.
Tell us, what sort of good have Korn brought into your life? Has there been a song of theirs that helped you out? Have you ever met one of the members and had a good heart to heart with them? Let us know in the comments.
You can watch the video featuring Shaffer’s interview below:
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Words by: Michael Pementel
