10 Times Musicians Outclassed Interviewers
When a rock star goes up against an interviewer, the confrontation always makes for unforgettable video. In these instances, however, each rock star either takes the high road against their interviewer or verbally outmatches them.
Never underestimate Marilyn Manson. Countless interviewers have made that exact mistake over the years, assuming a thoughtful mind didn’t reside behind Manson’s makeup. In a classic interview with Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News host grilled Manson about profanity in his lyrics, to which Manson responded, “When you’re making something aggressive and you need to get a point across, if you’re angry, sometimes profanity is necessary. It’s better to use a curse word than to hurt somebody.”
In the early 1990s, alt rock and grunge was heard as “noise” by less excitable music fans. During an interview in the Netherlands, a journalist continued to ask Chris Cornell why Soundgarden made such loud and aggressive music. Instead of losing his cool, Cornell played with the interviewer, giving viewers a hilarious pause by countering, “It’s constantly loud,” with “I know, can you believe it?”
Words aren’t always necessary to outmatch and interviewer. For any journalist, having Gaahl drink wine at you, instead of with you, is often the kiss of death. After Gaahl suggested one journalist wasn’t asking the right sort of questions, the interviewer responded with, “Guide me.” Gaahl obviously hated this response, sitting quietly for an extremely long period of time before staring at the man with a terrifying gaze and sipping a glass of red.
Check out these 10 Times Musicians Outclassed Interviewers in the Loud List above.
The 66 Best Metal Albums of the Decade: 2010 - 2019