decide to include the more mellow
stuff?
Richard: Because I like that stuff, it
is who I am. There are twelve
songs; do you want every one of
them to be the same? I find that
bands find their niche and they stick
to it. Then you end up at 60 years
old wearing the little School Boy
Outfit jumping around and the singer grabs his balls for every song.
You have to open your mind and
explore what’s out there. I love AC/
DC but I am not wearing purple
pants. This is why we change shit
up and do mellow stuff, because we
are artists. ‘It’s My Time’ is probably one of the most beautiful songs I
have ever recorded, it was just me
and my piano, I love that song.
Metal Exiles: Lyrically, this is a
dark record, even ‘Surprise’. For
the title track, ‘The Sun Comes Out
Tonight’, what was it like mentally
reliving the drug days for the motivation?
Richard: It was great because those
were amazing times. You just have
to channel the energy and relive it.
I have to accept the fact that I have
done some crazy things but at least
I am still here to talk about it.
else’s point of view?
Richard: I really hate someone
right now; in fact, I am pissed off at
a bunch of people. I do not want to
spoil the surprise as to who it is but
people can come up with their own
names. It’s like ‘Hey Man Nice Shot’;
Metal Exiles: Would you ever go it was always up for interpretation
back and do drugs again or are but I wrote it about a guy that held a
you done with that?
press conference and killed himself.
Richard: I think I would just kill
myself if I did that.
Metal Exiles: A Lot of this album
has the feel of the early Filter maMetal Exiles: You survived doing terial. Do you at times feel the
the stuff but you have artists that way you did when you were first
die left and right.
starting your band?
Richard: Well, I stopped doing Richard: We created a whole type
drugs 11 years ago.
of sound and when you sound like
yourself and you are writing all new
Metal Exiles: I thought the origi- verses and lyrics, that’s a good
nal idea behind ‘Surprise’ was thing. We went for that, let’s write
someone rescuing you from your our type of music and stick by our
addictions. How does it feel to guns. That’s the Filter sound and
have people take your material we actually sat around and wonmany ways?
dered what it was about ‘Hey Man
Richard: I want people to take their Nice Shot’ that was so amazing. You
own interpretations.
have these dark verses, you have
these vocals that bring you in and
Metal Exiles: It was nice explode in the chorus and these
that you wrote that to mesmerizing guitar riffs. We paid
your wife.
homage to that and wrote someRichard: I want to talk thing completely different of that
about what is in my life model of the Filter sound. When the
and it is pretty universal, third single, ‘Self Inflicted’, comes
everyone goes through it. out, that will really make people say
I have seen my kid 16 that Filter is staying true to who
days in the last sixth they are. Having said that, there are
months, it is horrible be- songs like ‘Surprise’ and ‘It’s My
ing on the road. You have Time’ that you get to discover when
to do what you have to you buy the whole record. With ‘Self
do and I am out here pay- Inflicted’ I wanted to talk about the
ing the bills. She is by school shootings and how these assherself, almost being a holes show up and say “You made
single mom with two me do it society, I am going to kill all
kids is tough.
of these kids because of you”. It’s
like trying to say that its society’s
Metal Exiles: One of the fault that they kill like they do when
other songs on the al- it’s just the person.
bum that stands out is
Jeffrey Easton
‘We Hate It’. Do you ever have the feelings expressed in that song or
is that from someone