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ALTHOUGH the band specializes in a ferocious
mix of grunge, funk, and heavy metal, beneath Korn's crash-and-burn
musical aesthetic lie qualities of empathy and catharsis that have
made the group a favorite among headbangers with brains. Often
addressing unsavory topics like rape and child molestation, Korn
frontman Jonathan Davis draws heavily on his own adolescent
experiences to sustain an anger and vitriol that reeks with
authenticity. Fundamental to the group's musical maelstrom is its
powerhouse guitar duo — James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian
"Head" Welch — who wield instruments modified to
accommodate seven (instead of the usual six) strings. With two
platinum albums to its credit (judging by the press so far, Korn's
third release will enjoy even greater sales), the future portends well
for the L.A.-based group's chances of sustaining a long and successful
career.
All five members of Korn grew up in the agricultural town of
Bakersfield, Calif., located approximately 100 miles north of L.A. The
band's drummer (who goes by the Biblical singular moniker David) and
bassist Reggie Arvizu (better known as "Fieldy") began
jamming together in their mid-teens, with guitarist James "Munky"
Shaffer joining in not long afterwards. After recruiting a temporary
singer, the band christened itself LAPD and recorded one album before
disbanding. The breakup was short-lived, however, as within months the
members regrouped (sans the singer) as Creep, adding guitarist Brian
"Head" Welch to flesh out their sound.
By this time, Creep was living in L.A., but during a 1993 return
trip to Bakersfield, Welch and Shaffer wandered into a bar where local
band Sex Art was performing. The two guitarists didn't think much of
Sex Art, but they were impressed enough with lead singer Jonathan
Davis to phone him a week later and ask him to join Creep. Enticed by
the prospect of moving to L.A., the new recruit accepted, and he
immediately set upon giving the group (which changed its name to Korn)
a new direction, as he himself explained to Kerrang! magazine
in 1996: "[The band] had a happier groove before I joined. I
brought out the darker elements in them."
On the surface, Davis would seem an unlikely candidate to front one
of America's orneriest bands. The son of a music store owner, Davis
was a gawky misfit in high school who wore makeup, listened
incessantly to Duran Duran, and learned to play the bagpipes (an
ability he would later put to use in Korn). As evidenced by songs such
as "Clown" and "Faget," Davis was often tormented
by fellow students who regarded him as "different." His
difficulties as an unpopular youth was a subject he would draw upon
heavily when composing lyrics for Korn.
Also affecting Davis profoundly (and providing additional fodder
for his burgeoning creative sensibilities) was his stint as a
part-time autopsy assistant for the Kern County Coroner's office.
Beginning in his senior year in high school, and continuing until he
joined Korn at age 22, Davis bore firsthand witness to the gruesome
results of murders, suicides, and (most often) car accidents. To this
day, he fears riding in automobiles, and he rarely drives. Though
Davis initially recoiled at the notion of applying a scalpel to
corpses, he later characterized the work as "a rush," and
told the Los Angeles Times that "there's some kind of
power involved when you're cutting up a human body."
With Davis aboard, Korn hired a manager and began honing its sound.
Eventually, the band recorded a demo tape, which it shopped to several
record companies. Offers came from Atlantic and RCA, but executives at
the tiny Immortal label (a division of Epic) won the band over with
their enthusiasm. With a small advance, Korn set about recording a
full-length album at Indigo Ranch Studios, an all-analog facility
located in a picturesque setting in Malibu Hills. The finished CD —
titled simply Korn — was released in October of 1994.
Though its sales at first were only moderate, Korn's debut album
steadily gained momentum, fueled both by the quintet's relentless
touring (which included stints with Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, and
Marilyn Manson), and by MTV's regular airing of the video
"Blind." By the end of 1995, the album had sold some 300,000
copies, and to date, sales have exceeded more than one million. Making
this period even more joyous for Davis was the birth of his son (Nathan)
in October of 1995.
In July 1996, Korn made cyberspace history by becoming the first
band to conduct an interactive radio broadcast on the Internet.
Designed to promote its forthcoming second album, Life Is Peachy,
the event featured the band performing several new songs, and allowed
fans to phone in questions via an 800 number. Released later that
summer, Life Is Peachy found the group further sharpening its
fire-and-brimstone musical approach, while Davis dove deeper into the
psychological tribulations of his youth. As with its first album, Korn
toured relentlessly in support of the album, eventually gaining a slot
on the 1997 Lollapalooza tour. But after completing less than half its
scheduled dates, Shaffer took ill with a case of viral meningitis, and
the group was forced to cancel its remaining appearances.
Though the band members couldn't foresee it at the time, more than
a year would pass before Korn would take the stage again. A scheduled
UK Ozzfest appearance in the summer of 1998 was scuttled by the
impending birth of Welch's first child, and following that
cancellation, the band opted to postpone all shows until its third
album was released. While recording songs for the new record, Korn
made headlines when it rallied behind a high school student in
Michigan who was suspended for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the
Korn logo. (Although the shirt bore no obscenities, the school's
principal justified the action by deeming Korn's music indecent and
vulgar.) The band also raised eyebrows when it inked a six-figure deal
with shoemaker Puma, whose financial enticement prompted
Korn to sever its longstanding loyalty to Adidas.
The
group's third album, Follow the Leader, was released Aug. 18 to
largely favorable reviews. Later in the year, Korn is set to launch
its "Family Values" tour, the lineup of which includes
kindred spirits Limp Bizkit, Germany's Rammstein, and Orgy. (Orgy,
incidentally, is the first signee to Korn's Elementree Records, a
label the band created recently in affiliation with Reprise.)
