New Interview With LAMB OF GOD Drummer Chris Adler Online
February 15, 2009, 15 years ago
LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler spoke with Cameron Edney from Australia's Inside Out Webzine recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:
Inside Out: I want to talk to you a little more about touring and life on the road. Looking back can you recall the hardest time you ever had as an opening act?
Chris Adler: I can… we were out with the new millennium tour across North America and it was us opening then THE HAUNTED, DIMMU BORGIR and then CANNIBAL CORPSE, it was a fantastic show as a metal fan I would have loved to go and see it! The guys in Cannibal Corpse are a bunch of sweet hearts, they are amazingly cool and friendly nice guys but the crew they had working for them on that tour were a bunch of douche bags and they made our lives very difficult. In fact the worst night of that tour was the last night in New York City and as we began into our last song the tour manager for Cannibal Corpse came up and began pushing our instruments off the front of the stage, and it was because during the entire tour we would not take their shit! We weren’t interested in being pushed around and being told what to do! We understood our place as a new band and we were not disrespectful… we were not allowed to eat, there was no food, and there was no room onstage for us to set up! There were a lot of obstacles and we were vocal about the fact that it would be nice if someone would take into consideration that we are here to play and that people are here to see us and that we are trying to do what those guys were doing as well, that it’s not a big dick competition, let us try. They really gave us a hard time! We really learned a lot from that and what we learned from that is important… you really do see the same people on the way up that you see on the way down, and you treat people… all bands, whether they’re before us, after us, different stage, whatever… anyone that we meet in doing this, we try to treat them the same way we would like to be treated. It’s an important lesson to rule but cruel to learn!"
Inside Out: Over the years you have shared the stage with many great artists, out on the road who has given you the best advice and what was it?
Chris Adler: Wow, I think we may be talking about the same story! That tour really taught us the importance of treating people well! We have been very fortunate that we have done tours with ANTHRAX, SLAYER, MEGADETH and now METALLICA. We’ve gone out with OZZY and BLACK SABBATH so we’re in very good company on all of these things and we’ve seen and learned the successes and failures from the best."
Inside Out: Chris I know you’re a family man… Touring the world must put a burden on family life! Do you travel with family on the road and how do you find a balance with constant touring?
Chris Adler: "Yeah it’s very difficult, we’re still sorting that out, and it’s tough! It’s not a comfortable, baby-friendly existence on the road. Before the baby, my wife would come out and see the shows, stay for a week, ride on the bus and those kinds of things, now with the baby it’s a new chapter, we still have to figure this out! I’ve seen guys do it and it’s really been my dream since I was a kid to do this! My wife is very supportive and our daughter will certainly be able to check it out sooner or later and hopefully she will appreciate it as well but for me… it’s everything I wanted to do and everything I’ve wanted to be, so I’m happy and proud of the decision although its difficult at times!"
To read the entire interview head to this location.