Interview: The Deftones Talk to The 13th Floor

With their 9th studio album, Ohms, released today, The Deftones are back with a vengeance.

The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda spoke to keyboard/synth/turntablist Frank Delgado about the new record and how they work together 30-odd years into their career.

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Or, read a a transcription of the interview here:

M: I see you have your old producer back with you, Terry Date, when did he enter the fray?

F: For this record?

M: Yeah.

F: When we were talking about who we wanted to produce our records, he’s always been there on that list. I think with this one it was just so natural. We liked the comfortability of Terry, not having to re-learn or learn someone new, the way they work or etcetera, it felt like you would get immediately down to what we all do best. I mean, he’s made some of the best sounding records honestly and that’s always a part of it too you know. I tell the story like Terry was one of the first ones to push us to work beyond him. He was telling us by the time we were doing White Pony I think he was already telling us we need to test our work with other people and that;s how you grow. He was right you know? So it’s good to be full circle though you know?

We really enjoy each other’s company still and and we like jamming and we like talking shit and we like having fun.

M: Yeah, and I think you’re kind of in a unique position within the band to have some perspective because you joined ten years into the group and so you can kind of look back and then look forward. Things have changed obviously since you’ve joined, so how do you feel? How has the band changed for you and your experience with it?

F: We’ve grown exponentially as musicians, as men, as friends, as a band. This is all a learning process and I think it’s gotten easier to be in it but at the same time the shift is hard, it’s not always easy working with five different people, five different mindsets and it’s hard to get everyone on time at the right time. So you just learn how to balance that stuff. But I think we’re smarter and we’re more efficient with our time and a whole bunch of different things you know what I mean? I think what’s the most important though is we really enjoy each other’s company still and and we like jamming and we like talking shit and we like having fun so I think as long as that’s there, we’re gonna be pretty content with being around each other.

There’s a lot of yelling, there’s quite a lot of all that, but if there wasn’t, it wouldn’t be real.

M: My understanding is that there was some contention with Steph Carpenter’s attitude during the previous album that he wasn’t that thrilled about playing or something but has that all changed? Has that been worked out between the band?

F: I don’t think there’s ever a problem, I think that comes back to me when I’m saying it’s hard to get everyone on the same page at the same time you know what I mean? I think when you try and make something in a small space of time, it’s harder for everyone to be like turn on that creative button for the next three months and if you can’t do it, you kind of miss the boat in a roundabout way you know? So that’s another reason why we kind of spaced it out and allowed us to get into it and fall into place and it’s just about being creative and figuring out how it works for everyone that’s all.

M: So overall, how would you describe the sessions for this record? Was there any tension? Did you guys all sit in the same room together? Was it done kind of piecemeal? How did it work?

F: There’s always tension. We always get…there’s a lot of shit talking, there’s a lot of fun, there’s a lot of laughter. We go to the same studios we’ve been going there in L.A. and we get the small room and we face all of our instruments to each other and we just hang out and we see what happens you know what I mean? And It takes a minute of a lot of shit talking and laughter but it starts coming and as long as you don’t force it, you can enjoy the process and that’s what it was. That’s part of what being in a band is. There’s a lot of yelling, there’s quite a lot of all that, but if there wasn’t, it wouldn’t be real.

M: And what does it sound like when you guys are playing in that environment like that, facing each other? Is it massively loud?

F: (laughs) Yeah, it is. We’re all pretty much deaf. It’s really, really loud. But I mean, that’s the way we like it, that’s just the way we work and it feels better and works for us.

M: And you being the keyboard guy, I mean let’s face it, it’s a guitar band. There’s a lot of guitar so how do you find your place in these songs?

F: It’s different each time you know what I mean? It can be where I initiate an idea, the intro of a song or it can be where I don’t even add something till the vocals on a song and then I find something that works with the vocals so I’m able to kind of move around like that whereas far as the drummers gotta go first and lay the foundation, I’m able to bounce around through the process which is really cool.

There’s never been anyone telling people what to do or what they can’t do,we’ve never followed styles or trends, we’ve never tried to fit in with a certain thing, it’s just us.

Yeah, being a heavy, a predominantly heavy sounding band, there’s only so much space in the sonic spectrum, I think that’s another thing of part of being in a band this long is you kind of learn about, not just how much you can put into a song, but the space that’s there too and that allows for everyone to sit and live and just sonically you learn these things.That’s just a part of my learning process is how to fit into a song that is dissonant and heavy and there’s ways of doing it and sometimes you don’t need to put something at all you know what I mean? We’ve never told anyone not to do anything or they can’t do anything. You know when Stephen picks up another guitar with another string, it’s like, we don’t look at it as you can’t do that, it’s like we just see what we do and how we make it work and that’s for all of us.

M: That’s an interesting way to work together. I guess there has to be a certain amount of trust between all of you, otherwise you’re thinking somebody’s just off the rails or doing something for their own sake.

F: For sure, yeah. I think that’s the one thing that we’re all, we definitely trust each other’s tastes and we all know we kind of like the same things but we all appreciate and respect each other, what they do so that helps a lot. So there’s never been anyone telling people what to do or what they can’t do,we’ve never followed styles or trends, we’ve never tried to fit in with a certain thing, it’s just us. We’re trying to outdo each other I guess.

M: Let’s just touch on a couple of tracks here because something to look forward to when the record comes out. One of the ones I wanted to talk about, I think it’s pronounced Pompeji, I’m not sure. It has a kind of mellow intro to it and you’ve mentioned that that’s part of possibly what you do for the band in a recording situation so I was wondering if that was an instance where you had some input there.

I think we’ve never paid much attention to what’s happening with our contemporaries… I don’t really give a shit what’s going on out there.

F: It could’ve been, it could’ve been. Honestly, right now I don’t even know…I remember the songs by their working title, I don’t even know what song, what key… it takes me forever to finally figure that out. But yeah, I think if you’re a Deftones fan, those dynamics will always be there. The highs and lows and the loud and quiet and the anger and loud and soft, all that shit man so we just try and do it and present it in a package where it sounds like a really good mix tape or something that you want to listen to from beginning to end. I know that’s a little harder in these days and age where everything is very disposable and single orientated but we’re still trying to present a nice piece of art and a journey for you, you know what I mean? I think what we’re really hoping for is people take it like that way and digest it that way.

M: Yup. I mean, it seems to work for me. I just listen to it from beginning to end and I’m still here, I’m fine. I didn’t have the urge to listen to some single by somebody in the meantime so there you go.

F: Yep.

M: It’s interesting, a band like yourself, do you look at what’s going on around you and have to take some of that stuff into consideration how you approach your own music and your fans?

F: No. I know personally I don’t. I can kind of speak for everyone else. I don’t think so man, I think we’ve never paid much attention to what’s happening with our contemporaries. Especially I know I personally don’t listen to anything that’s out there and new, I kind of find different things that I gravitate towards that inspire me and I’ll run with that as opposed to what anyone else is doing. I don’t really give a shit what’s going on out there.

M: Another track that I was hoping, and see if you can remember it, The Spell of Mathematics.

F: I don’t know which one that is either.

M: That’s fantastic.

I think right now our biggest important thing was to just get it out there. I think for us it wouldn’t have worked to just sit on this.

F: Sorry.

M: There’s kind of a weird eerie…

F: It’s all new to me too.

M: I understand, that’s cool. There’s this kind of weird eerie choir-y type sound in the middle of it and I thought that might have something to do with you.

F: Oh, I’m sure it does.

M: I’m sure it does yeah. So when the record is out next week, what are your options? How are you guys…have you talked about what you’re gonna do, how you’re gonna promote it, how you’re gonna get together with your fans, how that all works in this environment that we’re in?

F: We’re tossing around some ideas, there’s nothing to lay down yet. I think right now our biggest important thing was to just get it out there. I think for us it wouldn’t have worked to just sit on this and then hopefully whatever’s happening in the world ends at some point and then we work, we promote and tour it. I think for us, that just wouldn’t work or feel right so I think it was best for us to put it out there and let people enjoy it. We’re working on a way for the next level of how we do this, I think everyone’s in this position now of trying to figure out what’s going on so we’re looking …..

M: It’s very strange. Oh, I know, I wanted to touch on, it’s Chino who writes the lyrics for the band but is there much discussion among the band as far as what the lyrical content is of these tunes?

F: No, not at all. The lyrics come last. It’s usually, we write almost all the music, when it’s done and then Chino (Moreno) does the vocals and I’m usually there with him while he’s doing vocals to either enhance what he’s coming to the table with or build around it but yeah he’s always leaves them last and then he gets that from the music, that generates his ideas or whatever and then that’s how we’ve always done it so it works.

All I really care about is the rest of the guys in the band, if they dig it so that’s been our barometer.

M: Makes sense to me. And are you guys particularly politically orientated? I mean, there’s a big election coming up in the States that everybody’s looking at it feels like from afar, from where I am, that everything’s changed and even the way people perceive music is different now that it was say six months ago. Do you think about that and talk about it?

F: Sure, I think so. I think when it comes to what we’re doing and what we’re putting out there, we’ve never been the band for a political statement of any sort. I can tell you straight up though, there’s a lot of differences on political…what people believe in the band so I think none of us feel that needs to come through in our art, in the music. I think that’s how it should be. I mean, this isn’t football and it’s not teams and you’re just not one side or the other you know what I mean? Politics…you could be very conservative for one thing and then liberal on a whole bunch of other things and you don’t have to paint it like it’s a fucking football team so we’ve never been that type of people to put that into our music.

M: And has that always been the way in the band? Has the band changed like that over the years?

F: It has always been like that. I think it’s not like it’s a spoken thing, it’s just never crept in to what we do.

M: Interesting. What kind of reaction do you think your fans are gonna have when they finally hear this thing?

F: I’m hoping they dig it. honestly, I know I dig it and I think we’ve done our job when we’re all smiling at each other and happy with it and all I really care about is the rest of the guys in the band, if they dig it so that’s been our barometer and it’s a little selfish in a way but it seems to work for us you know what I mean.

M; So are you guys thinking in terms of the long term and what’s gonna happen next? What are you guys gonna get up to? Or is it tough to do that when the sky is bright orange outside?

F: Yeah, exactly. I would say yes normally, we’re really good at being ahead of ourselves and being planned way ahead. It’s really hard to do that when things are getting cancelled left and right, you’re pushing things back. But like I said, I think like everyone else we’re gonna figure out a way to navigate through this. So if anything we just rely back to making music. That’s the one thing we know we’re good at. It’s weird times now.

M: Weird times indeed. Alrighty, well I know you have some serious fans down here in New Zealand so hopefully someday you’ll be able to come back down here and rock out.

F: Yeah, that would be amazing. Anytime we get to that part of the world it’s amazing how much Deftones resonate out there and we love it so we miss being out there.

M: Ok, well hopefully it’ll happen soon but thank you for taking time to talk to me and good luck with the record.

F: I appreciate it, thank you sir.

M: My pleasure, bye bye.

The Deftones new album, Ohms, is released today.