No place to hide: Ray Luzier finally recognized as Korn’s drummer

August 19, 2010

I have some news—good or bad, depending on how you look at it—for longtime fans of Korn anxiously waiting for the band’s original lineup to reunite. Brian “Head” Welch, who left the band to pursue Christianity and now has a solo career, remains a possibility to return one day, as the band has had ongoing communications with the estranged guitarist. But drummer David Silveria, for all intents and purposes, seems to have been permanently replaced. After Silveria’s departure in 2006, Korn hired many touring drummers, including Joey Jordison of Slipknot, but Ray Luzier (Army of Anyone, David Lee Roth) eventually auditioned and has unofficially held the job since late 2007. It’s taken roughly three years for the band to recognize Luzier as a full-time member, but on their new album, Korn III: Remember Who You Are, it’s finally happened. No more playing behind curtains or being left out of photo shoots and press. No place to hide—Luzier is now an official member of the band.

Luzier isn’t some new face on the scene. Hw is the epitome of a seasoned rock veteran, having played with Richard Patrick and the DeLeo brothers in Army of Anyone, David Lee Roth (1997-2005) and even C.C. Deville, seeing firsthand the nuances of the rock business, and plenty of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Man, the stories this guy must have to tell.

Summer 2010 saw Korn headlining the third installment of the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival with Ray pounding out the band’s infectious rhythms night in and night out right in the middle of the band’s elaborate oil rig stage setup. Hours before the band’s bring-down-the-house performance at the venue formerly known as Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Va., Luzier talked with Jeff and Greg Maki of Live-Metal.net about the new album, the personalities in the band and being the new guy in Korn.

Jeff Maki: Obvious first question: How is the Mayhem tour going?

Ray Luzier: It’s going good. Yesterday was the seventh sold-out show. Played my hometown of Pittsburgh . That was awesome. It’s going great ‘cause kid are coming out. A lot of tours got canceled—there’s country tours, there’s pop tours. The seats sold out like that, 20,000, man. It’s really cool. There’s a lot of great bands on the bill. You see every single band’s T-shirt out there, which is cool. Of course, there’s more Korn shirts—no, I’m kidding. But it’s awesome because our record just came out, so it’s cool supporting that in front of such a large audience. We’re playing a couple songs off of that.

Jeff: Korn has a loose, quote-en-quote, kind of sloppier rhythm sound. How did you adapt to this sound with your technique, coming into the band?

It takes a lot. You don’t just join a band like Korn. I’ve made a lot of my living playing sessions and doing movie soundtracks and teaching in a music school. So I’ve done it all and everything in between. I’m still a fan of music, so I know what it’s like when you see your favorite band and a member switches. You’re like, “I don’t want to see that dude. I want to see the original guys.” So I get it. This is my third world tour with them and first full studio record. The first time, I’d go to meet-and-greets in ’08, in the Czech Republic, and they’d be like, “Who the hell are you?” I’m like, “I’m the new bongo player.” I’ve been a fan of them for a while. I play by the heart. I’m a passionate kind of player. I don’t really care that I know or have knowledge of music and I can write and read. That doesn’t really matter. I was self-taught on a big farm in Pittsburgh. That’s all I did, was play to stacks of records. No one said this is what you do, this is how you play. I started playing with my own technique, and then going to the music school in L.A. was kind of an excuse to go there and network, to meet other people, to make a living playing music. If I would’ve stayed Pittsburgh, I probably would just be doing cover bands on the weekends, which isn’t bad. Some people like that, but I knew I wanted to do nothing but play music the rest of my life, so I knew I had to get in. But Korn’s definitely its own. They’ve changed the style. Everyone says, “Where do you put it? Is it nu-metal? Is it heavy metal?” Korn is their style, to me. No one really sounds like them. People try. You know what I’m saying, there’s a lot of cookie-cutter bands. “This band’s huge. Let’s sign everyone that sounds like them.”

	Jonathan Davis

Jeff: There were so many that came out after Korn that tried to cop the sound.

Yeah. And there’s a lot of metal bands out there, they’re so pissed off. It’s like, “No, you’re not. Shut up. You’re not pissed. You’re just doing it because”—you know what I’m saying. Korn, I can honestly say, there’s no faking anything. You can’t fake this band. Everybody in this band is pouring their hearts out. There’s no like, “We’re pissed, too! Check us out!” No one sounds like Jonathan Davis. Fieldy hits one note, Munky hits one note—it’s them. I don’t know if that answered your question. [laughter] I’ll just keep going, dude. Just tell me to shut up.

Greg Maki: What has it been like for you, coming in as a new guy—

Jeff: Like you said, it was strange for all the fans. What could you tell older fans of Korn—

Well, yeah. The five core, original members are why they had that success. They appealed to the masses. It’s not just like, “I kind of like that Korn band.” There’s people with all five of the original signatures on their arm and Jonathan’s face on their back. I get it. It’s a big deal. But times do change. People don’t really understand that, as a diehard fan. I’m a huge Alice in Chains fan. To see a new singer in Alice in Chains is like, “Who’s that dude?! You better be good, pal!” I get it. But you know what? Times change, and people evolve. The reason I’m here is the original drummer stopped playing drums altogether, which is really crazy. But they’ve had tons of fill-ins, from Terry Bozzio to Mike Bordin from Faith (No More) to Joey from Slipknot. They got me because they wanted some energy and some fire in the band, and it’s kind of cool to watch what it evolved into, especially with Korn III, the new record.

We went back to the roots and got Ross Robinson, the guy that did the first two records. There was two-inch tape, there was no click tracks, there was no Pro Tools. If I was lucky, I got a second take, sometimes a third. I’m kind of a perfectionist in the studio because that thing will outlive us all. When we’re all dead and gone, that CD lives on. I was always like, “Man, I’ve got to do better.” I’m my worst critic. I’m the hardest on myself you’ll ever meet. Ross was like, “That’s too clean-sounding. This doesn’t bend enough.” And all our hearts are beating at different tempos, and to be honest, I’m kind of bummed at some of the new records coming out. You can make anyone a perfect-sounding singer or throw ‘em into a machine and pitch-correct. So to me, getting four guys in a really small room and just hashing it out, recording it fresh, whatever comes out, is pretty cool. I wanted to kill our producer in the first two weeks. I really did. But now, I listen to the final product and I’m quite proud of what it became.

Jeff: You talked about going back to the roots, and of course, the band has said this album is a real draw back to the roots. To put this in kind of a dumb way, how was it going back to someone else’s roots? Since, obviously, you’re the new guy in the band.

That’s the thing a lot of people are misinterpreting. We’re not trying to sound like the first two records. Just the way they recorded, the way the five guys from Bakersfield started. Korn owns a very prestigious studio in Hollywood and the drum room’s a gymnasium. It’s a paradise for any drummer. I did some of Jonathan’s solo record there. We did the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. That was my first recording with Korn ever, and if you listen to that tune, the room speaks for itself.

Ross is like, “You guys are too comfortable. We’re going back to the garage.” No air conditioning. I would leave there sweating, bleeding. It was emotional. It was crazy. But I can relate because I’ve been in so many bands. The first official tour I did was Jake E. Lee, the Ozzy Osbourne guitar player. He did all the Bark at the Moon, The Ultimate Sin. That was the roots, too. I haven’t been fortunate enough to be in a successful band and stay in it. To stay together 17 years, everyone knows the longevity of bands these days. You get that one hit and you fall off the planet and no one ever hears about you. I’m quite proud to be a part of something that’s their ninth studio record and 17 years, and all these fans. No one’s more diehard than Korn fans. We were in South Africa to Dubai to Russia , and they cry. “Jonathan, you saved my life.” It’s heavy. It’s not like, “Oh, I kind of dig that Korn band.” You’re either a lifer or you don’t like it.

Greg: Are you starting to see the second generation of Korn fans?

Yeah. There was a kid yesterday from Pittsburgh , my hometown. He was 15, and it was his first real concert. Korn III was one of the first records he bought. I was like, “What? You’re 15 and you never really bought another record?” He didn’t know “Blind.” It was awesome. One of their biggest songs. It’s kind of cool to see that, all different generations. But I get the whole fact that everyone’s like, “Man, you’re getting pressured.” I’m not getting pressured. Three years of doing this gig now and—That Journey singer, that poor little Filipino guy, he kicks ass. But there’s people in the audience booing him. It’s like, come on, man. Steve doesn’t want to tour anymore. Give him a break. But I get it. There’s just some fans, they’re diehard the original drummer. And that’s cool. I just hope you give it a chance, at least give the new record a chance.

Jeff: Have you guys ever discussed situations of reuniting with old members? Let’s say, one day David did want to come back, or Head.

It’s weird ‘cause my career, I got replaced by Alex Van Halen in a little band called Van Halen. Even with my eight years with David Lee Roth, I got let go, quote, four times because they were trying to write. And then the brothers would get in a fight with Dave, and they’d call me back—“We’re on tour.” Alright. And I would get severance checks in the mail, and I’m like, “Oh no, I’m fired.” He’s like, “No, you’re not fired. Eddie and Al are back into the fold.” I’m like, “Shit.” And even with Robert and Dean DeLeo—I was in a band called Army of Anyone and I’m a huge STP fan. I had the fortunate experience of filling in for (Stone Temple Pilots drummer) Eric (Kretz) on a couple shows. Even with that entity, I knew that Army of Anyone was a side project to them and STP would eventually get back together. And they did. So with this band, the only thing that I’ve got going good for me is that I heard that David sold all his drums; he doesn’t play drums anymore. That’s great for me. [laughs] But on the Head side of it, they are in communication with him. Time will tell if it’s the right time. I think it’s all timing. Right now, there’s still a lot of stuff going on with it. Ultimately, that would be awesome for me someday to have the four up there and me.

Greg: Is that why they’ve never added a permanent other guitarist?

I don’t know, man, to be honest. That chair, from Clint Lowery to Rob Patterson to Shane (Gibson) now—he’s phenomenal. They’ve had so many. That chair’s been such an iffy thing.

Jeff: Shane’s never pictured, and you were never in the press photos up until this album.

I was sworn in, yeah.

Greg: Did they do anything when you became an official member?

Yeah, they took our blood, like KISS. [laughter] No, they just didn’t want me going anywhere. They were like, “We really dig you in here. We understand that you’re used to doing like nine bands at once.” ‘Cause I am. I told you, I was the drum slut of L.A. I literally would go play on someone’s record, go teach a drum lesson and I’d go play a show at night. I was doing anything from disco wigs, playing weddings, to stadiums with Ozzy. So I did everything. They’ve never done that. Those guys, they know Korn and that’s it. There was nothing crazy. They just said, “We don’t want you going anywhere. We want to make a member and cut you in.” That’s all it took to make me OK.

Jeff: You’ve got some huge personalities in Korn—Jonathan, Fieldy and Munky. With their documented troubles and overwhelming success, what’s the current state of the relationships between everybody in the band?

It’s awesome. I don’t know if I could’ve been in this band 10 years when everyone was messed up. There was a lot of partying going on. I can honestly say I’ve gone my whole career without doing one drug, and I’m quite proud of it. I just watch what it does to other people. When C.C. DeVille got canned from Poison, I was actually the drummer, they put me on salary and I was in his side band. The debauchery and the drugs—the stuff I saw, and I saw what it did to people’s lives and careers. They’re still really good people. The chemicals, the artificial crap they put into their bodies alters their entire lifestyle, it fucks up families, it messes up everything. It’s kind of a bummer when you see it. People are like, “Come on, you did something.” I’m like, “No.” My wine, but I’ve got control over it. I don’t need to have a drug. I’m living proof that you can be successful and not have to have that crap. To answer your question, now it’s great. Jonathan puts his kids to bed on Skype, and they call their wives. It’s such a cool vibe. I hear stories about how they used to be and whoa. I don’t know if I could’ve hung.

Jeff: Speaking of personalities, do you have any great David Lee Roth stories, Van Halen stories?

[laughter] I have books up here.

Greg: When are you gonna write your book?

You know what? It’s all here, and I actually have a friend that’s a wicked fast typist. I’ll just lay on her couch and I’ll go, “Oh my god, this one time …” So it’s getting documented and probably over half is the Roth years because no one is like Dave. From a singer to just the way he lives, he’s awesome. I love him to death. He’s a bipolar maniac, but I freakin’ love him to death. I thought I knew a lot about the music business until I joined the David Lee Roth band because he just showed me, from showbiz to certain etiquettes to—It’s just amazing. You have to be a very tolerable person to put up with that.

I remember sitting at his house one day and he’s like, [miming smoking a cigarette] “Well, kid, you’re the only one left.” And I’m like, “What do you mean?” And I’ve gotta do the cigarette when I do it. He’s like, “Well, I’ve been through accountants, lawyers, guitar players, bass techs. You’re the only one left.” [laughter] It’s true ‘cause I actually hired the band and I found him the crew, so man, my mama taught me some good patience. No one fronts a band like that. He’s just that thing. I’ve been fortunate enough—I mean, come on, Jonathan Davis is the guy in rock and metal, and Dave changed a whole era through the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. And I got to be onstage with Richard Patrick and Scott Weiland, just a lot of great singers and musicians. So I can’t complain. You’ll get that book someday, though. Definitely.

But check out Korn.com. We have a lot of cool things on there and updates every day, photos. I hope everyone checks out the new record. We worked hard.