Jonathan Davis, the 53-year-old Bakersfield, California-born frontman and lead singer of the nu metal band Korn, is known for his intense lyrics, passionate performance and general penchant for pushing the boundaries of the human voice. Screams, screeches and shouts, that’s how Davis often delivers his thoughts on the state of the world and his own mental health.
Videos by American Songwriter
But given that, some might wonder what the lead singer for the Grammy Award-winning band has to say outside of his many songs and albums. What are his thoughts on life and love, his craft and the world at large? Let’s dive in.
[RELATED: 10 of Joe Walsh’s Best Quotes]
1. “You laugh at me because I’m different, I laugh at you because you’re all the same.”
2. “Be yourself, let you come through.”
3. “It seems like a lot of music today is so churned out and simple.”
4. “I’ve been on Prozac for 12 years and I’m off it now. I know what it feels like to be excited and sad again. I haven’t felt like this in 12 years; I’m like a giddy little kid.”
5. “Real friends stab you in the front.”
6. “Some people are desperately looking for scapegoats, they just don’t want to see the truth!”
7. “It’s really cool to see glowsticks at the show, to see dance music culture infiltrating and becoming one with the metal community.”
8. “I don’t like painting flowers in my music. I like painting guts and pain.”
9. “A lot of people don’t realize that depression is an illness. I don’t wish it on anyone, but if they would know how it feels, I swear they would think twice before they just shrug it.”
10. “The music industry can make you feel like a prostitute.”
11. “It is quite annoying that we have to change the sound we invented just to avoid sounding like people who simply copy us, but… it is flattering and of course challenging.”
12. “What I absolutely can’t do is just sit around, that drives me crazy. I go nuts! I’m far too nervous, too high strung to sit around. It’s not my thing; I can’t deal with it!”
13. “If you feel inside you are a woman, be a woman—no one can take that away from you, man. No one can make that feeling go away. If that’s what you need to do to be complete, then no one has the right to tell you you can’t do that.”
14. “When you live on the road, going home is a place to escape and just be with your family to unwind.”
15. “I’m a human being and every human being has problems.”
16. “I don’t know the true meaning of happiness.”
17. “The fans have been really incredible everywhere we’ve been. You want to make sure you put on the best concert of your life to show them how appreciative you are.”
18. “We’re not trying to change the world; just music.”
19. “I think if two people love each other, they should be able to get married. That’s pretty much simple.”
20. “I don’t care what people think or say about me, I know who I am.”
Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
