Fozzy are out to have some fun – not just for themselves, but for anyone who is lucky to catch one of their live shows. The band are currently one third of the way through the Judas Rising Tour, which takes them across Europe, back to the US before heading down to New Zealand and Australia. With “Burn Me Out” being the 4th single to be released off their 2017 “Judas” album, the band are setting the bar high, with solid rock n roll songs & high energy live shows. The Rockpit managed to catch up with front man Chris Jericho, shortly after he and the rest of Fozzy had arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, for a chat about the tour so far, getting back to Australia and song writing amongst other things.
Sean: Hi Chris. It’s Sean from The Rockpit. How are things?
Chris: Good man, how ya doin’?
Sean: Great thank you. Thanks for taking our call, as I know you and the rest of the Fozzy guys are keeping pretty busy right now, as you’re all in the middle of the European leg of the Judas Rising Tour.
Chris: Yeah, it’s fairly full on but we’re having a great time.
Sean: I’ve got to ask – Professional Athlete, front man for Fozzy, author & writer, father, regular podcaster – how the hell to you find time to fit it all in?
Chris: Well, it’s just a matter of doing what you love to do and balancing, and by that I mean making sure you take the time to do the best that you can with every project that you take on. Don’t take on too much at the same time, and make sure what you do decide to do is all good. And you find if you do everything in the right way, then you can accomplish everything you want to do.
Sean: And with the wrestling side of your career still very alive, I suppose you still try to find time to get in the gym as well most days?
Chris: Well, to tell you the truth I’m not much of a weightlifter at this point, so it’s more cardio & diet. And when we are on tour, the Fozzy show goes on for around 90 minutes. So from note one to note done it’s a full on cardio workout. We put a lot of energy and excitement into our stage show, so there’s definitely a lot of sweat up there, but to be honest one of the reasons we’ve gotten to the level that we have is because people know that Fozzy, as a live band, put so much into each show. I actually sweat far more on stage with Fozzy, than I do in a wrestling ring that’s for sure.
Sean: So the tour is well underway, with you guys kicking off back in May this year. Zurich tonight then Italy, Spain then up to the UK for the Bloodstock Festival.
Chris: Yeah we are visiting 9 countries on this tour – we were in Germany yesterday, Czech Republic day before that, Hungary before that and Italy tomorrow so it’s pretty full on rock n roll tour. Fly by night, here we go (laughs).
Sean: Then once you’ve finished the Bloodstock Festival it’s back to the US for some more shows on the Judas Rising Tour, before finally heading down to us in November, here in Australia & New Zealand. 5 years since last here and tickets are selling out fast, so obviously the fans are very excited to see you guys back here.
Chris: Yeah we’re really excited too. Australia is one of our most favourite countries and this will be our fifth tour there. The fact that it’s almost 5 years since our last visit is almost a travesty too hard to believe, but we’re are so excited to come back – it’s going to be a great tour and also including our first time ever in New Zealand, which is exciting too. That’s one of the great things about the Judas album, it’s taking the band to a completely different level, allowing us to go back to places we haven’t been in a long time, as well as places that we’ve never been to before either. So it’s a very cool time for us right now, especially for a band that has been playing for as long as we have, we are feel we are bigger now than we ever have been and that is so gratifying to us.
Sean: Unfortunately for me, no Perth show this time round but that gives me an excuse to book a flight east to come see one of the shows.
Chris: Make sure you do, because we try to put on a great show every night. We always have such a good relationship with the Australian fans and the fact that its 5 years since the last visit means it’s 5 years far too long, so will definitely be worth it now we’ve been able to come back.
Sean: Well, all the dates and ticket info can be found on your website www.fozzyrock.com and all your social media sites too. I see you have a few dates playing with another band that have recently been touring here in Australia, in Mr Big too.
Chris: Yeah, when we have the chance for a big tour like this there’s always a bunch of festivals, some headline shows and some support gigs, it’s a kinda mix and match tour of all different types of shows. Last night we played 90 minutes, today we will be playing for 45 minutes, the next day might be an hour – that’s all part of touring in the summer.
Sean: So what can we expect to see in the Fozzy set this year? Is it a mix of everything from over the years?
Chris: Absolutely, but mainly songs from the last two releases, as these are the tracks the fans know the most. We get the best reactions from the audience with this material and it’s the stuff people seem most familiar with. We do a couple of the older songs here and there, sometimes throw them into the main show or at the VIP mini-concert before the show. But the majority of the stuff we play, by trial and error, is from Judas, Sin & Bones and Do You Wanna Start a War.
Sean: A testament to the Judas album is the release of a fourth single, in the shape of “Burn Me Out’. With the song writing side of things, how hard is it to get you all together, bearing in mind you all have lives outside of Fozzy too?
Chris: We all kinda write on our own and then when we get together we exchange ideas. Most of the songs on the Judas album were written by Rich Ward (Fozzy guitarist) and Johnny Andrews, and with them both living in Atlanta they were able to get together more often. Then I would come up with some ideas of my own and throw them around and see what the other guys think. It’s quite an easy process for us all I think.
Sean: “Wordsworth Way” is a song very personal to you and you have credits on two other tracks, “Running with the Bulls” and “3 Days in Jail”. Where do your lyrical ideas come from?
Chris: Just from personal experiences really. I mean “Wordsworth Way” is about my childhood and about my mother who passed away. “Running with the Bulls” is something I wrote with Johnny Andrews, we just had some different ideas, same as “3 days in Jail”. So, the song lyrics I write are definitely for my life experiences and when writing with Johnny, he was kinda in charge. His influence and way of thinking are really what contributes to the song writing process.
Sean: The current Fozzy line-up seems to be all settled now, after some personnel changes over the last few years. How are the guys going? I’m guessing they are enjoying the tour as much as you are?
Chris: Absolutely, they are just full of energy & fun. We do rock n roll with a smile, and that’s important to us. We’ve noticed that some bands over the years have stopped having fun on stage. But for us it’s about having a good time, and we never have a problem doing that (laughs). It’s what we do and we’ve got a reputation for doing it. And that’s why people like coming to see Fozzy because they know they are going to have a good time.
Sean: Certainly, from watching some of the footage of your VIP pre-show mini-concerts, where I’ve seen a handful of fans being wheeled around the auditorium on a trolleys, while you guys are rocking it onstage, it certainly all seems like they are getting a real personal experience.
Chris: (laughs) and that’s the idea man, especially when it comes to our VIP experience. People want to have that extra special time with the band that you don’t usually get. So we make sure they get that something special, that extra bit of fun and have something they’ll always remember.
Sean: So, if I managed to hack into your iTunes account right now, what album would I find you last listened too?
Chris: I’m diggin’ a bit of Greta Van Fleet right now. They are the hot band in the States, great rock n roll band, bunch of young guys. Certainly the best new thing I’ve heard in a while.
Sean: Totally agree with you there. They have such a great sound. So, musically, where do your influences come from?
Chris: Big fan of The Beatles, The Stones, Iron Maiden, Metallica, The Police, Kiss, Helloween. These are the bands that definitely influenced me the most.
Sean: Changing the subject briefly, the podcast Talk is Jericho is just such a big hit. I’ve been listening to them and there are some amazing guests on there. How do you decide who to chat to?
Chris: Anyone that I find interesting I’ll have on my show. And I really enjoy doing them. It gives me a chance to talk to old friends, make new friends, you know. I don’t really have an agenda or list of questions. I just like to see where it goes and talk about anything I find interesting and it’s been a huge success as a result.
Sean: I listened to the Derek Smalls (Spinal Tap) one today and I have no idea how you guys kept it so straight without losing it (laughs).
Chris: Yeah, that was hilarious that one (laughs)
Sean: So can you tell me the one song you’d most like to be credited with writing, from all the songs ever written?
Chris: Yeah whichever song has made the most money (laughs). No, for me it would be an easy choice, Yesterday by The Beatles – That’s the one right there!
Sean: That’s a great song choice. Thanks for your time and on behalf of all of us at The Rockpit, I just want to wish you and the guys all the best for the rest of the tour and the new single and hope to catch up with you here for one of the shows on the Australian tour, and maybe you could be my first podcast interview (laughs).
Chris: (laughs) You never know man, you never know. Thanks a lot man, talk to you soon.
FOZZY Judas Rising Australian & NZ Tour Dates:
Wednesday 7th November AUCKLAND The Studio
Friday 9th November MELBOURNE Max Watts
Saturday 10th November SYDNEY Manning Bar
Tuesday 13th November ADELAIDE The Gov
Wednesday 14th November BRISBANE The Triffid
Tickets From: http://silverbacktouring.com.au/fozztralia
