 Conducted in Orlando, FL on April 27, 2004 at 101.1 WJRR’s “Earthday Birthady 11”.
Raven: “Desensitized” sounds a little more aggressive than the last album. Was there anything in particular behind that or did it just turn out that way?
Jason “Gong” Jones: Well, some songs are more aggressive and some songs are lighter. We just wanted to make something a little more diverse. I love it when you get a hold of a record and it takes you on a little journey and shit, not just, “bam bam bam bam bam” or any of that bullshit.
Raven: Did you have anything to do with the writing on this album?
Jones: I wrote all the vocal parts – all the lyrics. About 99%, anyway.
Raven: How did you get in contact with Drowning Pool and what made you decide to pursue the opportunity?
Jones: Actually, I was in a band with Sonny Mayo from Snot and Amen, and when he left to tour with hed (P.E.) he told the guys about me and I sent them a CD. And here I am now.
Raven: I want to know, what does the nickname “Gong” stand for? Is there a story behind that?
Jones: My old bass player is Chino from the Deftones’ brother and I stayed with their family for a while. And they’re all named something “Chang”. I was their “brother on their mother’s side”, Gong Chang, because they had to open a line of credit at the liquor store. That way I could go in there and sign off on the booze for them. [Laughs] And it just kinda stuck.
Raven: But this is not your first time touring, though. You’ve been on the road before...?
Jones: Not—I’ve done like week tours, from Texas to California and back.
Raven: So how has it been touring so far with Drowning Pool?
Jones: Man, all those guys are fuckin’ assholes! [Laughs] Hah, it’s been a great fucking time. Been like touring with my brothers. You know, we’re just having a good time, drinkin’ a little booze, getting a little crazy.
Raven: Meeting lots of people?
Jones: Meeting lots of cool people. Seeing a lot of beautiful women.
Raven: You used to do tattoos, right?
Jones: Right. Did it for about 8 years, but not anymore.
| | "When I do my lyrics, I do like stream of consciousness where I just open my mouth and get it out there, and figure out what it means later." |
Raven: How do the tour experiences from this band differ from before?
Jones: It’s a lot harder on the LA scene, you know? You’re playing there and nobody knows your shit. But out here, they know all the stuff off the old record, some of the new stuff. It’s a lot easier.
Raven: Well I’ve definitely noticed that you’re bringing a new style. I definitely hear a difference between the two.
Jones: We set out to make it heavier. The recording of the instruments – they sound more raw. We purposefully wanted it like that. I talked about it with the guys and we wanted to come out strong.
Raven: Now, after Earthday Birthday and the current run, what other tour plans do you guys have and what other places are you going to?
Jones: We’ll be on tour probably for the next year and a half. We’ll go to Europe, then we go to Canada, then we go back to Europe, then we come back here. But, yeah, we’ll be touring as long as we’re living.
Raven: So you definitely think it fits you better being in this band?
Jones: Like a glove. It’s not suckin’ for me, I can tell you that. [Laughs]
Raven: I seem to see in some of your lyrics that there’s almost a spiritual feel. What is the story behind some of the lyrics and stories of those songs?
Jones: When I do my lyrics, I do like stream of consciousness where I just open my mouth and get it out there, and figure out what it means later. And we’ve been doing that for a while. It’s very anti-organized religion, it’s basically against everything. It kinda twists toward the end, and you can figure it out then. And we’re smarter than the average bear. Study that shit.
Raven: Yeah, I do like the album. Definitely. And I think that’s all that I have. Thank you.
Jones: Cool. I had fun.
--Raven
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