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All Access Exclusive - 10 Questions with Chris Jericho of Fozzy
March 22, 2022
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. “I Still Burn” is the story of the dreams, the passion and the fire that lies within all of us to be the absolute best we can be...and to do WHATEVER it takes to achieve the goals that make our dreams come true! The sacrifices, the losses, and the triumphs that we have all experienced make up the lyrical DNA of this song. “I Still Burn” is Fozzy's mission statement, our life's work.
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Fozzy from Left to Right: Billey Grey – Guitar, Grant Brooks – Drums, Rich Ward, Chris Jericho – Vocals, and PJ Farley - Bass
1. Where does this interview find you and band right now?
I am in Tampa and we are preparing for a video shoot next week, followed by rehearsals and then the start of the 2022 “Save The World” Tour March 31.
2. Let’s start at the beginning. Give us the scoop on when, where and how the band formed?
We formed in 1999 for a couple of shows and after a record company bidding war we signed in 2000. We signed a joint deal with Jonny Zazula at Megaforce Records and Michael Alago at Palm Pictures and have been going strong ever since.
3. What bands or artists have inspired you and you’d list as major influences from the start and even up until today?
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Ozzy, Helloween, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, AC/DC, Journey and Kool and the Gang!
4. Now let’s talk about the new single “I Still Burn” that has just been released. What’s the inspiration for this song?
“I Still Burn” is the story of the dreams, the passion and the fire that lies within all of us to be the absolute best we can be...and to do WHATEVER it takes to achieve the goals that make our dreams come true! The sacrifices, the losses, and the triumphs that we have all experienced make up the lyrical DNA of this song. “I Still Burn” is Fozzy's mission statement, our life's work.
5. You also have a new album “Boombox” coming on May 6th. What can you tell us about this upcoming release?
“Judas…both the album & the song…was a HUGE breakthrough for FOZZY. It took us to the next level and positioned us as legit players at rock radio and as a live draw. As a result, we knew that we had to make the album of a lifetime as a follow up….”BOOMBOX” is that album!! You’ve already heard the top ten singles “Nowhere To Run” and “Sane”- two kick ass, hooky songs that set the tone for this record. But it’s, “I Still Burn”, “Army Of One” and “Relax”, that in my opinion are going to take this album and this band even further up the rock n roll ladder!! I firmly believe this is the third best album of our entire career!! (I always wanted to hear a band say that!) So crank the volume and hold the BOOMBOX up to your ear holes!! It’s gonna be a wild ride….”
6. Congrats on 5 consecutive Top 20 Active Rock singles since 2017. I also understand that your single “Judas” was certified Gold by the RIAA. How does that success at Rock Radio feel?
Being awarded a GOLD record has been a dream of mine ever since I started listening to The Beatles at nine years old and saw a picture of them getting an award for ‘Beatles VI’. Then as I grew older and heard Ozzy talk about his “gold discs” and seeing the walls of Rudolf Schenker’s house plastered with framed Scorpions awards, I set my goals on someday getting one of my own. And for “Judas” to have sold 500,000 units in this day and age, completely blows my mind as a fan and a musician, and also makes me realize how far Fozzy has come and how far we are going to go!!
7. Speaking of radio, what’s your take on Rock Radio and do you have any choice Radio moments you can share with us?
I never realized how important rock radio was until we started getting played on rock radio and now that we have had 5 consecutive top 20 singles, the growth, perception and success of the band has increased 10-fold. There is nothing like hearing your song on the radio, on TV or in sports stadiums worldwide and with Judas, Painless , Sane, etc., we now have that.
8. In 2020, when the world shut down, you were the vocalist of 3 different charting bands (FOZZY, Kuarantine and The Wheelblocks). How did you pull that off?
We had released “Nowhere To Run” in order to start promoting “Boombox,” which we had planned to release in 2020. The song hit #10 in the charts in January of 2020 and when the world shut down a few weeks later we decided to put a hold on the record. In the meantime, even though no one could tour, a lot of my musician friends wanted to stay creative so I formed Kuarantine an 80’s Kiss cover band, with one group of guys and we released “NO NO NO” from 1987’s “Crazy Nights” to rock radio. Shockingly the song made it to #25 and then I formed the Wheel Blocks with another group of musicians, and we released a cover of Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” that charted even higher at #20. To my pleasant surprise I ended up with 3 top 25 songs with three different bands in one year!
9. Fozzy is kicking off the “Save The World” Spring 2022 Tour on March 31st. What bands are joining you and how many cities will you be rocking?
We are joined by GFM, KrashKarma and The Nocturnal Affair. We will be hitting 30 cities coast to coast from March 31 – May 16.
10. Finally, after it was postponed this past year due to Covid-19, “Chris Jericho’s Rock N’ Wrestling Rager At Sea - Four Leaf Clover”, has just been announced. What’s the scoop on this latest Rock and Wrestling event?
The Four Leaf Clover is sailing out of Miami to Great Stirrup Cay on February 2, 2023 and it’s one of my favorite weeks every year. I select all the talent, from the bands and the wrestlers to the comedians and the ghost hunters. I make sure there is something for everyone on the Jericho Cruise and the overwhelming feedback we receive every year is that it is the vacation of a lifetime.
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