Words: Robyn Morrison
In the next issue of HEAVY Mag, we’ve got a full interview with Josh Todd from Buckcherry. Here’s a snippet of our interview with Josh. For the full interview, check out the next issue of HEAVY Mag, which is free to download at this link on 18 February.
In our digital magazine interview, coming up on 18 February, we spoke with Josh about the upcoming Australian and New Zealand tour. During our chat, he gave us some extra insight, which you won’t read in the magazine, about the F*ck EP.
How did you decide to cover that annoyingly awesome earworm from Icona Pop?
“I love pop music and I listen to a lot of pop music,” says Josh. “I’ve got kids at home so I kept hearing that song over the radio driving my kids to school and listening to it I was like, this song kinda sounds like a punk rock song, if you’d break it down, add guitars and speed it up it could be a punk rock song, and I just loved it.
“It was short and simple as far as the lyrics. They repeat the same verses all the time and it was fun. I kept saying to Keith we have to do a take on this man, I want to adjust the lyrics and kinda mould it into what we are doing right now and then it will be fun. I would sing it to him and he said oh that’s crazy! I don’t think he really got it at first but he was willing to go down the road with me. I just think that overall it’s more interesting. If you are going to cover a song, who wants to just cover another old rock song? He thought it would be fun to do a take on this pop song and have fun with it and everybody loves it. That song goes off crazy live. I’m glad we stuck to it and got it out there because it sounds like a Buckcherry song.
Do you know if Icona Pop has heard the song and given you any feedback?
“Not heard a word from them so I don’t know, they may have been offended by it but whatever. They didn’t write the song. There were three songwriters on that song and it wasn’t Icona Pop. Most of these pop acts have songwriters that write songs for them so we had to get it cleared by those three songwriters and I don’t think they were too happy with the fact I said it was part of F*ck so it took us a long time to get them to come around.
Just reading back on your history again I was reminded there have been a few controversies surrounding you and the band. How do you deal with what’s been written about you and is there anything that you’ve read that’s been taken completely out of context?
“Of course, yeah. Most of everything is bullshit. I try to stay away from that stuff. It doesn’t serve any purpose for me so I just focus on my plan. When I’m happy with my plan and how I want to express myself and I’m being honest with my art even though it may offend some people. Even if that may offend some people, I feel that’s the artist I want to be. Those are the artists I looked up to as a kid when music was my escape, when it was talking to me. When it was that thing that got me out of all the stuff that I didn’t like in my life. I want to be that to someone else.”
Buckcherry Tour Dates
13 March 13 – Powerstation, Auckland
14 March – 170 Russell, Melbourne
15 March – Max Watts, Brisbane
18 March – Metro, Sydney
19 March – Metropolis, Perth
