HOPPING MAD
Mike Patton sounds disarmingly chipper. “Heeeellloooooo!” he drawls in his distinctive baritone, before introducing himself and warmly enquiring about what sort of a day we’ve been having. It’s not what we were expecting from a man who has something of a reputation as a difficult interviewee. We thought we were getting metal’s most notorious subversive, but instead we spend almost an hour in the company of a charming, warm, chortling gentleman.
But maybe we should have expected to be surprised by Mike Patton. After all, he’s spent his 35-year career doing the opposite of what fans expect, or even want in many cases, with gleeful regularity. Evidence that he still delights in making unusual and. A demo that most people have never even heard or knew existed. As if that wasn’t bizarre enough, they’ve added thrash metal royalty to their ranks, in the shape of former Slayer sticksman Dave Lombardo and Anthrax riff lord Scott Ian. Who saw that coming?
