INTERVIEW: Chris Jericho of Fozzy

September 12, 2018

Chris Jericho of Fozzy

Musician, wrestler, podcaster, TV host, stage and screen actor, philanthropist and much more… one could fill a page with Chris Jericho’s many achievements and accomplishments.

His partnership with Stuck Mojo’s outstanding guitarist, Rich ‘The Duke’ Ward in the outfit Fozzy, has produced seven albums. Since the outfits third full length, 2005’s All That Remains, the band eschewed their early penchant for covering classic cuts by iconic rock and metal artists in favour of some seriously groove infused heavy metal, finding favour amongst radio rock fans as much as diehard heavy metal aficionado’s.

Touring Australia as a headliner in November, for the first time since 2010, Jericho brings the Fozzy experience at the height of their considerable game.

“It’s so crazy because it’s like we were laughing, “Painless”, the second single that also went top 10 and it’s done, I think, 3 and a half million (views) and we’re like, it’s a little bit disappointing. The only way you’re disappointed with three and half million views in six months is if you compare it with “Judas” which is one of those songs, I don’t know man, it’s the right song, at the right place at the right time. It’s become our “Stairway to Heaven” (Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin IV, ’71), our “You Shook Me All Night Long” (AC/DCBack in Black, ’80). Name a band that has a song that everyone knows that they equate with that band. That’s what “Judas” is for us “.

That’s Jericho’s righteous proclamation of the 21 million views the video accompanying the killer cut “Judas”, the title track to the critically acclaimed album of the same name from 2017, has accumulated on YouTube at the time of writing. Billboard and ARIA charts be damned… is there a more meaningful gauge of fan engagement than the ubiquitous visual platform in the modern era?

“We were watching the YouTube views. “Burn Me Out” just came out two days ago so we’re checking that all the time, we’ll check where “Painless” goes. Then out of nowhere we hear that f*cking “Judas” did another million on YouTube. It won’t stop. Like you said, that’s a true gauge… I don’t know why. I wish I could write a recipe for it, tell you a, b, c, and d but there is no reason for why “Judas” is so popular. It just is and that’s all that matters.”

The shows in Australia are anticipated as much by the musicians in Fozzy as they are by the bands many antipodean fans. Jericho is keen to express an eagerness to put on a killer live show.

“We never take things for granted. The fact that we’re able to come back to Australia, and (we are) going to New Zealand for the first time… we don’t go, ‘Oh geez, we’ve got go to Australia.’ It’s like, ‘Holy shit, we’re going back to Australia. We did it! Congratulations.’ That’s important, you have to feel that way and believe that because you’ll never become jaded and you’ll always be excited. That just translates to the live performances.”

The sentiment toward Australia doesn’t stop there. Acknowledging the support the band receives from fans, in a wonderful gesture, Jericho shares his opinion that we are among his and the bands preferred locations for a performance.

“Anytime somebody asks me, ‘What are your favourite countries to play in?’ I always name Australia because we always have a great time. We’ve been, I think, four times in Australia. But to not have come for five years is a crime to us because, like I said, we always have so much fun when we tour down under “.

Catch Chris Jericho in Fozzy as they tour Australia in November.

Click here for ticket information.