Page 28 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 111

BV111 pg 26-29 Skillet Interview.qxp_BV111 pg 28 13/12/2024 23:51 Page 3

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of people involved. Eventually we’re going to is a really good thing, right? Because slavery is human trafficking, sex trafficking. Does it matter
record it and hire a producer. The producer a really evil enterprise. So, those things are re- if you believe in the Christian God? Or Allah? Or
hears it and he goes, ‘Man, I don’t know if I really ally good. To me, it’s protecting those bottom line no god at all? I think these religious leaders
like this part.’ It might be that one part that the things. So, just to put some meat on the skele- should be coming together to say, ‘What can we
other guy wrote, and then I go, ‘I don’t really like ton, because that can sound really abstract for do to end this?’ If there is something for the
it either!’ I show the producer my original version some people, I’m a big believer, as we talked greater good that we can strive for, you want to
and he’s like, ‘Oh crap, that’s so much better.’ last time, in freedom of speech. To me that’s come together and be like, ‘Hey, let’s not be
Then the label says, ‘Well, where’s the part we good. We don’t have to agree; I don’t care if you petty about things that we don’t need to be petty
liked in the song?’ So it will take you about two hate my god or my religion; you can say that. I about.’ Things like liberty, liberty for all.”
years to make the record!” welcome it! Tweet it to me!” John says, with a
When it came to writing the songs for ‘Rev- smile. “I protect your right to do that, that’s fine ith the members of Skillet - John,
olution’ (Skillet’s twelfth album), it was a much with me. You’re not calling for violence, you’re WKorey Cooper (keyboards/guitar), Jen
more streamlined affair. The first song that came saying your opinion and I’ve got my big boy Ledger (drums) and Seth Morrison (lead guitar)
to life was the third track on the album. pants on, I can take it! I want to protect that. I - being of Christian faith, a reference to the Bible
“I had an idea for a song which was called think talking to people, loving people, having verse of 1 Corinthians 13:13 can be found on
‘All That Matters’, I had the hook…” John begins faith in others, even if you go, ‘Hey, at the end the ‘Revolution’ album cover. Which is: ‘These
to sing: “‘My faith, my family, my freedom, that’s of the day, we may totally disagree on this but three things remain: faith, hope and love. But the
what’s backin’ me’. That’s all I had and I didn’t let’s just be honest about it…’ Freedom of greatest of these is love.’
want to mess it up. I called my buddy Brian [pro- speech is so absolutely wonderful. That opens John explains that part of that is alluding to
ducer Brian Howes]. He produced our ‘Co- up a very long, political philosophical conversa- the culture of reaction and the piling on of anger
matose’ record and ‘Unleashed’. I called my tion; but those things, to me, are good. I don’t and hate without understanding someone’s
buddy Brian and said, ‘Hey, I’m point of view. “I am a very
writing this song; it’s up your alley, opinionated person, so I
this is what you write really well’. don’t mind opinionated peo-
He wrote with Hinder, Daughtry ple,” John states. “That
and all that. I sent it to him and he might also be generational. I
goes, ‘Oh I love it. Let’s write it to- think my generation was a
gether.’ So, we’re writing together little bit more fine to dis-
on the phone, we’re just sending agree, argue, maybe even
stuff back and then I go, ‘I think yell at each other a little bit,
you should just produce it.’ He’s but not take it in such a per-
like, ‘OK, I’ll produce it.’ And so we sonal way where we are not
just did it! That was literally 13 friends anymore. Maybe so-
months ago. We wrote the entire cial media has changed that
record; recorded the entire record a little bit; there is a lot of
and released it in 12 months, as benefit from acting really
opposed to two to two and a half angry, like, it’s me against
years!” you. There is a benefit on
social media because, then,
evolution’ is based the algorithms start to cham-
‘Raround being able to pion your post. If it’s react-
stand up for what we believe in, ing, they want to champion
while respecting other people’s be- it, because they want people
liefs and opinions at the same spending time on it, so it ac-
time. In a time where polarisation tually pays to hate. It’s a re-
is globally prevalent, John says a ally horrible way to live. It’s
revolution of love, understanding a way to destroy a culture.”
and tolerance is needed. While on the subject of
The song ‘All That Matters’ in- social media, the song ‘Rev-
cludes the lyrics, ‘When darkness olution’ includes the lyrics,
divides us, I believe that love can ‘Lost the future generations,
conquer all.’ We discuss with John face-to-face can’t communi-
whether we could achieve the cate, and we can’t tell the
common good and learn to be able truth from faking.’
to live in a society where we can Artificial Intelligence is
flourish together, despite our differ- rapidly evolving. Algorithms
ences. - powered by AI - already
“I’m a very big proponent of shape public opinion and
Western civilisation. I think its have an influence on cul-
foundations are really good,” John tural and political trends. Are
tells us. “I realise that some people we at a point where we
might not agree with that and it's would rather trust AI-gener-
naive to think that all humans on planet Earth want somebody telling me that I can’t worship ated responses over having a genuine discus-
are going to find a way for everybody to just be my god. I don’t want that, it’s not right and I’m sion with our fellow humans? “Yes! It’s pretty
like, ‘Hey, we can get there as long as we just not going to tell you that you have to worship my frightening, actually,” John answers. “I mean, I’m
do a, b and c,’” he notes. “You have to have god. It’s the same thing, you know what I mean? not very knowledgeable about AI, I’m really not,
some sort of commonality, a code if you will, that So, I think that John Locke [British philosopher] so I wouldn’t speak about it on any level of
we all agree to agree on; but there are some was right about that, and I’m always thankful for weight. I would say it is scary. It is very, very
things out of bounds that we are just not willing John Locke. All these great ideas we got from frightening. What I was getting at in that song is
to deal with. The Western civilisation was built the UK!” John laughs. the fact that young people are being raised on
on a lot of ideas that were really good, a lot of Looking past some of the differences to find their phones, and that was also accelerated be-
enlightenment ideas. I think America borrowed the commonalities that we can agree on, is the cause of the pandemic, being locked in the
English common law, which was absolutely bril- only way to stop things falling apart and help house. Now, all of your relationships are either
liant as far as I’m concerned. To me, it’s a little solve bigger issues going on in the world. We not real - like meaning you are watching some-
bit like protecting these ideas, protecting individ- talk to John about the influence religious leaders one else’s social media, experiencing their life
ual liberties; which, of course, we are still always have on shaping individual and collective moral- on social media; or else, you are talking to real
finding ways to expand what that means. In ity. We ask whether he agrees that the leaders people via FaceTime or something; but you’re
America, we had chattel slavery, for instance, so should be more active in jointly promoting peace not in the same room with people. It’s made the
we’re expanding those individual liberties to in- and security. John ponders, before answering, nature of relationships totally evolve. In America,
clude people they didn’t used to include, which “America is having some really big issues with I don’t know what it is like here in the UK, so I
SKILLET