Page 29 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 111

BV111 pg 26-29 Skillet Interview.qxp_BV111 pg 29 14/12/2024 23:47 Page 4

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won’t speak for here, but, in America, we already hey, I am, I’m from America, I’ve never been show. You’ve got to pay the bills. I had forgotten
had the highest rates of teen suicide in our na- there before, so didn’t know what it would be about some of it! We originally started it as a
tion’s history before the pandemic and they sky- like, and now I know!” John laughs. 25th anniversary book in 2020, and it took a re-
rocketed during the pandemic. Alcoholism went ally long time to write and to finish, so it’s not a
up, depression went up, the amount of kids that t’s been almost 30 years since John 25th anniversary. In fact, it comes out now, so
were on medication went up; all of it is such a Iformed Skillet. It’s inspiring that the band it’ll be our 29th!”
recipe for loneliness and it’s just a culture of is still exploring new territories and gaining new John tells us that he started writing the book
death that is just so not good. And yes, learning fans along the way. Despite their incredible ca- two years ago. He goes on to share one of the
all of your information from AI-generated things reer, John says they have never quite managed stories from the early days. “We didn’t have any
and this, that and the other - that’s not real. I to be a mainstay artist on the rock radio playlists. money to pay people to drive the bus, and so ,I
mean, even if there’s a lot of truth being gener- “Even when we had songs that were a hit at was like, ‘We’ve gotta just hire somebody that
ated, somebody has to feed it into the machine, rock radio, we have always been looked at as we know and teach them to drive the bus.’ So,
so you are just getting someone’s version of outsiders a little bit, for various reasons. I don’t you’re hiring people that are completely unqual-
truth, in my uneducated opinion. It’s better to mean that we’ve necessarily been treated badly; ified and do not know what they are doing. We
have lots of friends and real relationships where we've certainly been treated badly by some peo- were going to an airport and basically, short ver-
you understand that humans are really compli- ple, but…I think that we never quite crossed that sion, we ran the bus into an overpass that was
cated. You may see something differently than I threshold when it’s like, ‘OK, Skillet’s a mainstay too short for the bus. And just, I mean, destroyed
do, and another person may see it even differ- here’. That would be really cool. You know, I the front of the bus. I was sitting there and you
ently than both of us do, but we can all come to- would like that; to feel like an insider would be heard ‘Boom! Boom!’ There was this huge crack
gether and we kind of learn how to co-exist, nice. But I doubt that would happen and if it and, all of a sudden, the air conditioner unit on
even though we see the world in the top fell to the ground. I looked up
different ways. I think, because of and you could see the sky, and it
that, you learn to have empathy “We were at Chicago O’Hare, which is, was raining,” he laughs at the mem-
and true tolerance towards one like, the biggest airport in America, ory, even though he admits it was
another, because you go, ‘OK. terrifying at the time. “It was raining
This is someone I love, we’re with the back of the bus on fire, and the right into the bus. Then, the back of
good friends; I’m really surprised front of the bus crunched and stuck into the bus caught on fire. We were at
you see it that way, but I know an overpass. And I was thinking these Chicago O’Hare, which is, like, the
you’re a kind person, you’re a biggest airport in America, with the
good person. I know you love things, saying, ‘How in the world did we back of the bus on fire, and the front
people, so I am not just going to do this?” - John Cooper, Skillet of the bus crunched and stuck into
discard you and write you off as an overpass. And I was thinking
some sort of hater or something, these things, saying, ‘How in the
just because you didn’t give the world did we do this?’ I had to learn
same response as the AI machine.’” doesn’t, that’s fine. I’m having the time of my life to drive the bus in the middle of the night be-
John admits that it’s very frightening to him. either way.” cause our driver left, and I was like, ‘I guess I’ve
“The more I keep reading about it, the more I go, A lot of young people today discover new just gotta drive a bus now.’ I had two little kids in
‘Oh my gosh, James Cameron was correct, Ter- music via streaming sites such as Spotify and the back, I was scared to death because I didn’t
minator is real, you know, Skynet has become sites such as YouTube rather than from what know how to do it. I thought, ‘I’m gonna hurt my
self-aware. It’s true, they’re going to take us they hear being played on the radio. own kids.’ It was horrible. But it was just what
over,’ laughs John. “Arnold Schwarzenegger is “They do, they do,” agrees John. “And, I you had to do to make the business work. So
going to come back, for sure! Anyway, that’s kind think, the fact that we are still creating a lot of yeah, there’s a lot of things like that in the book
of a joke, but not really,” he chuckles. young fans who are just hearing the band be- that are kind of…Now, they’re funny, they
cause they were listening to Three Days Grace weren’t funny then, man!” Thankfully, John con-
n a world that constantly tries to divide us, on Spotify and this band Skillet came up, that is firms that no one got hurt in the accident!
Iwhen it comes to bringing people together, really exciting. That’s actually really helping our John says the book is inspiring and emo-
nothing unites more than the love of music. Prior career, the fact that you have all those engines tional. It includes early pictures of John, Korey
to landing in the UK to join Black Stone Cherry that suggest music. I like it as a fan; it’s pretty and their two kids, back when they were babies.
on their five-date arena tour, Skillet toured the great. I think it’s my favourite thing about how Those kids are now young adults, enjoying life
Middle East for the first time, performing shows you listen to music now. Something that I might away from the road. John says that touring with-
in Kazakhstan, Dubai, Turkey and Georgia, enjoy is being suggested and a lot of the time out them feels ‘weird’. “It feels like, we say
opening up a new territory for the band. it’s true, I’m like, ‘Oh, I do like that!’” empty nest, you know? Even though, at home,
When we hear or read news stories about John champions the fans for Skillet still our son is going to university, so he still lives with
the Middle East, it normally revolves around the being around today. “You know, we didn’t get us, so we are not actually an empty nest, but we
conflicts taking place. We ask John about his ex- radio play for the first thirteen years of our ca- spend so much time on the road it feels like, ‘Oh
perience there. “We had a fantastic time,” ex- reer,” John tells us. “Skillet was just known from my gosh, what do we do with all this time we
claims John. “A lot of them are known as Muslim the fans that just loved us; grassroots - playing have?’” John smiles. “We’ve got time to write
countries and I wondered what that would be shows, coming back again and playing more music. It is kind of strange, in a way, but it's kind
like. I’m going to sound really naive and ignorant shows. They’re the reason we are here.” of liberating, because you’re like, ‘Alright, this is
because, yeah, I’m from America. People know John recognises that the fans are such a my next chapter.’ I didn’t think Skillet would last
that I’m a person of faith, I talk about my Chris- huge part of the Skillet story. A story that has this long, but now I’ve got more time to focus on
tian faith, and so, I’m like, ‘What’s it going to be now been told in an autobiography and given it. You know, we’re making our own records now,
like?’ It was amazing! We got treated fantasti- the title ‘Kingdom Of Rock’. “We have pictures we made a record that we really loved and it
cally; everybody was very sweet, very kind,” with fans and artwork they gave us and photos feels fun again. We still have great relationships
notes John. of people with Skillet tattoos,” says John, as he with people from our old label. In fact, we hired
John’s time in each country was short, a day reveals what kind of things are included in the the artist and photographer from Atlantic to do
or two at most, but he noticed that the cultures book. It’s described as a deep dive into the jour- the artwork, you know, because they’re friends.
in these countries were more traditional. “In ney of Skillet, from inception to now, featuring I’m like, ‘Well we’ve done so many records to-
some ways, it’s, ‘Oh wow, this is actually a sim- never-before-seen photos and untold stories. gether, do you guys just wanna do it?’ So, we
pler time.’ I’m not saying it’s simpler, because it “I actually wrote it,” John tells us. “Now, I did still have great friends and good resources.”
has its own set of issues that we’re not gonna have somebody, an editor, help me. We did, I While it’s still early days for Skillet in this
get into right now, but in the way that, ‘Oh, I see don’t know how many hours of going through new independent era, it’s evident that their years
there are just some things that these cultures stories. She asked really great questions, ‘What of experience is helping them navigate a suc-
don’t have.’ They are a bit more traditional. I’m do you think about this?’ ‘Have you thought… cessful transition as they continue their R-evo-
not being critical, I’m just saying it was interest- are there any stories…’ and, as I started thinking lution!
ing. But we did not experience anything negative of them, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve forgotten Visit www.skillet.com for more info.
because of our faith or because we have girls in so much!’ Wild, wild stories that are just, they’re
the band, or anything like that. So, it was a really just crazy, you know,” John laughs. “Because, Words By Penny & Sam Gower
wonderful trip; I loved it and for anybody reading when you’re getting started, you just do what-
that thinks that I sound super-duper ignorant, ever you’ve got to do. You have to get to the next Photos By Jimmy Fontaine
SKILLET