Chi Cheng Interviewed
Metal head musings
Deftones on the Governator, Madonna and ‘ghettolicious’ Grammys
By Ari Bendersky (metromix)
With a slew of mediocre nu-metal bands popping up, stalwart metal mongers
Deftones have managed to stay on top of the heap artistically, if not commercially.
Currently on tour supporting the band’s new self-titled album, bassist Chi Cheng spouts
about the Governator, Madonna and ghettolicious seats.
M: You’re from Sacramento. How do you feel about Arnold moving into your neighborhood?
CHI: He’s a bit of an alpha male for me. He’s kind of a pumped-up, mildly more intelligent
version of Ted Nugent, and I’m kind of scared of him. He’s a little too “I’ll drive my
Hummer into your living room and hunt deer with a crossbow” kind of guy.
M:You guys posted a bunch of bootlegs on your Web site and your record label, Maverick,
made you pull them. Did you get a personal lashing from Madonna, head of Maverick Records?
CHI: ShE sure didn’t, but if she wants to, she can. We tend to do things for our fans that
aren’t necessarily the most industry-friendly thing to do. [Record execs] have their jobs
and we have ours. Music is our job. We put [the bootlegs] up, they weren’t happy. We took them down.
M:How was winning a Grammy for Best Metal Performance?
CHI: They put us in these super ghettolicious seats that weren’t on the floor. They told us the
ceremony was running late and if they called our name we’d need to get up there as soon as
possible. We thought we weren’t going to win because everyone who was winning was on the floor.
Then, when they called our name, we had to jump this railing like ‘hood rats.
www.deftonesworld.com
