Kornography

Jonathan "HIV" Davis-Vocals
James "Munky" Shaffer-Guitars
Reginald "Fieldy Snuts" Arvizu-Bass
Brian "Head" Welch-Guitars, Vocals
David Silveria-Drums

Korn was formed in 1993 with the combination of two bands:

Sexart and LAPD. Sexart was the band that Jonathan
Davis had led during his years as an assistant coroner
in the Kern County (California) Coroners Department
(also moonlighting as an undertaker at a nearby
funeral home), having recently earned a degree at San
Francisco's School of Mortuary Science. Jonathan was
only in Sexart for about four months and did only one
song with the lead singer which is on a Bakersfield
compilation. LAPD was the band which included
James "Munky" Shaffer (guitar),David Silveria (drums),
Reginald "Fieldy Snuts" Arvizu (bass, later) and on
tour only (not on the album) Brian "Head" Welch
(guitar). LAPD was apparently bigger then Sexart and
is not impossible to find, like Sexart is. Munky
said: "Me, Fieldy, and David recorded it when we were
about 18 or 19. You might even hear some Korn parts.
That's when I played rippin' solos."

The bands first crossed paths when Munky and Brian
were in Bakersfield one night, and they went to this
bar where Sexart happened to be playing. According to
Munky: "We were getting ready to leave, and just as
we're walking out the door... Jon was the singer in
that band, and we heard him sing and me and Brian both
turned to each other and our jaws just... (drops jaw)
oh my God. And so we turned around and went back in
and watched the whole set." Later they asked him to
join the band. Initially Jonathan didn't want to do
it, but a psychic had told him that he would be stupid
if he didn't do it, so he went and tried out. The
rest, as they say, is history...
When Brian was asked about their experience with
Megadeth, he responded: "Mustane was a dick. They were
always blaming us for shit. We weren't allowed to
carry beer around stage because he was a recovering
alcoholic. So we filled water bottles with it and
taped around them so you couldn't see what was in
them. Once he came on our tour bus, after he fell off
the wagon, piss drunk, and said: 'You know what you
need to do to get big?... (at this point we were
dodging his swaying finger that was pointed at us)...
only tour with big bands.'"

"We were supposed to be touring (on the Monster
Magnet and Grotus tour) with the Deftones and Sugar
Ray, but it got fucked up... Sugar Ray is in Europe or
some shit and the Deftones are with Anthrax. Chino
(lead singer of the Deftones) is God. Marilyn Manson
was supposed to be on tour with us with Ozzy but they
didn't want to open for a band that opened for them."
He then told us he particularly doesn't enjoy touring
with Monster Magnet, because their performance is
so "old rock". "We're touring with Ozzy, but we don't
like playing big places. It's so impersonal. We
like to be close to the people. It's a better
performance, although I keep getting hit in the head
by my mic when people fall on stage." (Jon also said
he loves it when people come on stage) When asked
about the Deftones, Korn says, "Deftones are like our
brother band. When we were in California, they were
from the North, we from the South, we used to switch
up and down the coast and when we play together we
usually do a song together."
The origin of Korn's name, as told by Jonathan: "We
were trying to think of a name and this... "Korn"
popped in my head, and I'm like 'What
about "Korn"?' ... and we're all like, 'Fuck yeah!'"
David has said that: "To me it kind of means that it
doesn't matter what your band's called. Name or not,
the music makes a name, you know... 'cos "Korn",
that's a dumb name, but once a band gets established,
then it makes a name cool."

It is rumored to come from a party that Jonathan was
at where he overheard two homosexuals talking about
felching each other (eating each others asses). One
had diarrhea and shat on the others face and when he
opened his mouth a corn kernel was on his tongue. From
then on, whenever he said corn to anyone, they would
get close to puking. Hence the altered Korn (the way a
child would spell it). It was also rumored to come
from Kiddy pORN.

David said that the baby inside the album behind
where the CD goes (and on the cover of the Blind
promo) is the Charmin' baby. They put a wig on it and
fucked with its eye. On the cover of the album, the
man in the shadow is holding something. When Jonathan
was asked what it was, he said, "I'd like to leave it
up to your imagination, but I like to say it's a horseshoe."

Jonathan Davis

His nickname is HIV, as a sort of agreement with the "faget" term
he was dubbed in high school. He does not, in fact, have AIDS or
the HIV virus. Jonathan was expecting (astrologically) a baby girl,
but at delivery Jonathan was only slightly surprised to see, as he
put it, "pink balls," and he had come away from the girls name
Salaam Dementia and named him Nathan Housemen Davis
(Housemen being Jonathan's middle name, as well). He and his
son live in Huntington Beach California, in what he calls a relatively
gay community, "where instead of people acting cool and carrying
guns, they come up to you and say hi." Jonathan was born
January 18th, 1971. His ex-girlfriend is a very attractive woman,
but is perceived as seeing herself as gods gift to the world. He did
the album in his fathers studio as he says, under his breath, "as a
sort of revenge."

When Jonathan was asked a few questions on Marilyn Manson he
said, "He and I are like best friends. I've been to his house a
couple of times. We hit it off right away when I met him the first
time. In fact, I think we're going to do a side project. Yeah, we're
going to call ourselves 'fags' and write songs about how much we
like big dick." Well, the latest news on "Fags" doesn't seem too
promising. Jon said, "He and I are really busy and haven't had the
time to get together. Maybe after our tours are done."

He was asked about his HIV tattoo. He said, "It's just a nickname."
When asked about the crazed bishop he said, "The bishop is a
symbol of the atrocities that religion is making. He's ripping up my
skin to reveal Christ. It's more of a symbol of how corrupt religion
is. I don't believe in any of it because of shit like televangilism. Do
you really think that all that money really goes to charity?"

Jonathan is into Duran Duran, claiming them to be glam, but they
don't sell out, but on the tour bus the band is known to listen to LL
Cool J and Black Sheep. In fact, in concert, during a version of
Predictable, called 'Predick,' they do a part of a Black Sheep song
called, "You Mean I'm Not." They also do a version of Ball Tongue
with a rap in it by another rap group.

Reginald "Fieldy Snuts" Arvizu

He is known for his alcohol related antics. For instance, on a photo shoot, a bucket had to be found in case he threw up.

Q: What do you like about touring clubs?

A: The free beer.

When he was asked about his nickname, he said: "When I was
younger, I had these fucking chipmunk cheeks, right... so they
called me 'Gopher', and then it became 'Gar'. Then they started
callin' me 'Garfield' (as in the cartoon cat). Then it became
'Fieldy'." On the album, his name is Fieldy Snuts. (get it, feel deez nuts)

James Munky Shaffer

Munky started playing guitar because he cut his left index finger
off and used the instrument to rejuvenate it. When he was
younger, he had a three wheeler. One night, when he was
sneaking out to go to a party, the chain slipped off. He wanted to
quiet it, so he wouldn't get busted, and he slapped his hand down
on the chain, but it got caught between the chain and the
sprocket. When he pulled his hand up, he was missing a finger.

When he was asked about the "uniform" that he always wears on
stage, he said: "I wanted to wear something on stage that was
like... kinda trashy... dirty, you know? Because when I'm up there
I feel like... sick. Really what it is, it's like that person I don't like in
me, all the things I hate about myself, that's who I am up there."

His nickname "Munky" comes from: "My feet. I'd spread 'em out
and everyone said they look like hands, like monkey hands."

Brian "Head" Welch

Brian Welch was born in Torrance(?), California, on June 19th, 1970. Brian and Munky went to the same school where Brian showed Munky how to play a few songs. They were friends up through high school, and had a friendly sort of competition with each other. Brian would go to Munky's house and jam. If Munky would learn some new material, Brian would be like, "Damn I got to practice!" - that sort of thing. Later, Munky joined LAPD, while Brian would just sit around drinking their beer. LAPD decided that they needed a second guitar for when they toured, so Brian went on tour with them. Brian and Munky have been playing together for more than 2/3 of their lives.

Brian's wife is Rebekkah, who recently gave birth to their daughter Jennea Marie, on July 6, 1998. As a result of the birth, Korn had to drop out of the 1998 OzzFest in Europe. Brian would not travel overseas and be away from his wife at such a crucial time, and the rest of Korn were set in the fact that they would not use any replacement musicians in any situation if one of them couldn't be on hand due to an extenuating circumstance.

When asked how he got the nickname "Head", Brian said: "...Because I got a big head... Go get me any hat, and it won't fit."

David Silveria David Silveria was born in Bakersfield, California, on September 21st (year unknown). David has wanted to do this since he was seven. His drumming skills caught the ear of Mike Muir from the Suicidal Tendencies. David can be heard on the new Infectious Grooves (Mike Muir's side band) album, as well as Sepultura's release "Roots". David grew up in Bakersfield, where he learned how to play drums at the age of 9. "I think one of the reasons music became such an obsession for everyone in the band is that there just wasn't a whole lot to do where we lived."

David married Shannon Bellino in April, 1997, and tattooed her first name on his back. They have a son, David Jr., born on August 22, 1997. David supposedly has a penis fetish and usually when he signs things he makes a penis somewhere on it. Along with the aforementioned tattoo of his wife's name, David has three more tattoos: a cheshire cat, a guy sticking out his tongue that has a bolt through it, and the Korn logo. He is described as the shy member of the band.

David has recently taken up a lucrative side job as a model. He has already completed a modelling assignment for skatepunk clothing company 26 Red. He proved such a hit that 26 Red's biggest rivals, Grind, have now also contracted Silveria to do a series of ads for them.