Back in 2003, Deftones singer Chino Moreno took flak for interview remarks on why he wasn’t into touring with Metallica. The legendary metal band put together a bill that also featured Limp Bizkit and Linkin’ Park in addition to the Deftones, but Moreno wanted his band to distance themselves from the nu-metal label.
In a new interview with Stereogum, Moreno explained why he felt the way he did.
“That sucked,” Moreno said of the backlash to his interview. “I remember when it came out, they used a picture where I’m like making a snarling face. And in that interview, I remember I was mad at that because I really didn’t want to do that tour.”
“It wasn’t because of Metallica,” the Deftones singer continued. “I love Metallica, but at the time, it was Limp Bizkit, and it was also Linkin Park — who I don’t despise either. But it was definitely that time where we were still trying to keep all that long distance. And it was basically Metallica with every nu-metal band at the time. So I didn’t want to do that tour, and I was the only one in the band that was against doing that tour.”
“But it was one of those hard decisions that I just didn’t want to do,” he continued. “I know it probably wasn’t the best thing for us as a band at that time where you’re playing in a stadium where there’s 70,000 people and it’s empty, pretty much. … You’re so disconnected from people.”
“It’s a great opportunity, and I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I didn’t want to do it. So when I was asked about it, I just gave my opinion that I just wasn’t really into it. And it came off where I was just being a dick.”
“A big problem for me was opening for them — two bands that wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for me,” Moreno said of Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park in his original interview.
He continued at the time: “Metallica have a vast catalog, but live? Motherf*ckers just stand there and play.”
“It’s words on paper, that’s all it is,” Metallica’s James Hetfield said to MTV.com in response to Moreno’s remarks. “You don’t know where that came from or how out of context it was. It’s stupid stuff. I think you don’t take something like that personally. When someone talks smack like that, maybe it’s insecurity or maybe something else is going on. And then you get on the stage and you play and it’s kinda like forgotten about.”
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