How did you get started in the business?
I got into wrestling when I was eight watching it with my grandma, and I went to wrestling school when I was nineteen in
Canada... and that’s where I started. I’ve been playing in bands since I was twelve years old ... and I haven’t
stopped ever since, I’ve always been in a band at some point in my life.
Why did you stop wrestling?
I just had a lot of things that I wanted to work on and a lot of goals that I wanted to accomplish - I’ve kind of
done everything that I wanted to do in wrestling so there were things that I wanted to concentrate on. So I wanted to work
on those things for a while. And that’s what I’ve been doing.
Do you watch wrestling still?
I watch it once in a while. I follow it on the internet - just keep an eye on it. I don’t really miss it or have
any intention of going back at this point - because every time one project ends for me another one opens up.
Who’s your favorite opponent in wrestling?
Um... Chris Benoit probably. Or The Rock... those are my two favorites.
Do you have a favorite match?
It’s hard to say. Maybe Wrestlemania 19 against Shawn Michaels.
You’re also acting and singing - which do you prefer?
They’re both a lot of fun, I think singing is a natural extension of wrestling because there’s a live crowd
and you get the gratification of the live audience. Where as acting you have to wait and see it. I did a play this summer
in Toronto, which was a lot of fun - it was like wrestling as well because it’s based on a live reaction and live audience
... and you get only one chance ... you’re live without a net. They’re both a lot of fun - I’ve spent a
lot of time on both of them and paying off on the same level.
Any new acting roles coming up?
I have three different projects that I’m working on. I’m writing a script, and I just finished writing a book
- that should be coming out next fall. And I have a radio show, I have a couple roles that should be filming in March or April
of next year.
Did ‘Android Apocalypse’ air on SciFi yet?
Yes, that aired in June. Yep, it was an Oscar award winning movie for sure. (Laughs) No, it was great... a lot of fun.
I was in the movie the very beginning, but I had the pivotal role. It was actually really cool - it was cool seeing it on
screen and seeing it in post-production after being there and working on it for the week I was there. It was great.
On Imdb.com it said you were inducted in the Canadian Hall Of Fame in 1997....
Really? I never knew that.
(Laughs) That’s what it said...
Oh, wow. In 1997? Must have been a thin roster that year for induction. (Laughs) Considering I really didn’t hit
my claim to fame until three years later.
Now, the same site also said that you fly to Mexico on your birthday then to Japan on your
birthday so you can have two birthdays in one day... is that true?
Yeah, that actually did happen. I don’t do it every year. (Laughs) Yes, every year I do that... I have that much
money to spend... (laughs) No, what happened was; I was in Japan and when you go to Japan you arrive before you get there
and when you come back..... wait, let me think for a second. When you arrive it’s a day earlier - and when you come
back it’s..... I was in Japan and flew back to Mexico and when I got there I landed before I actually arrived so it
was still November 9th. So my birthday was technically forty-eight hours. Just one time.
Tell me about your radio show on XM Radio.
The show is called The Rock Of Jericho on XM 41 The Boneyard. I’m going on my third year now. The cool thing about
satellite radio is that you can play whatever you want with no restrictions. It’s not like normal rock radio where you
have a play list and you have to stick to it - I have the freedom to basically play whatever I want, which is great. The first
year was one hour, they moved it to two hours. I play heavy rock from the 70's to present day. It’s a lot of fun, I
enjoy it and have a good mind set of what my fans like to hear.
What are some of your favorite songs to play?
Just whatever man... it’s all metal stuff... whether it be Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, or Led Zeppelin... sometimes
I play earlier stuff like The Beatles to show where heavy metal came from.
Tell me how Fozzy started.
Like I said, I’ve been playing in bands since I was a kid. I met up with Rich, the guitar player, six years ago and
we just started playing some of our favorite cover songs - then we realized that we had something really special so we started
writing our own original tracks and have done three records now, our last record did really well in Europe. We toured England
five times, we did Ireland, Scotland, Whales, Australia, Germany... and did good in all those places. So for whatever reasons
the English fans just dug our stuff.
Did people take you seriously when you started out?
I wouldn’t say that, because we really didn’t take ourselves seriously because we did a lot of covers and were
almost doing a Blues Brothers type thing where we were playing alter-egos. We did a documentary for TV, and our first record
was all based on that concept. Then when we were done we wondered if we should stop playing or be an original band. And that’s
where we are at right now.
What makes you go out and buy a CD, and how are you incorporating that into your music?
I’ll buy the CD’s by bands that I know obviously that are my old favorites. Then I just keep my ear to the
ground to see what’s popular - because metal is kind of making a come back. It doesn’t have to always be metal,
I like stuff like White Stripes - I really did My Chemical Romance, we played with them in England. If I hear good vibes about
something - or if I like the look of a band... I’ve always been that way, if I like their album cover or title or even
name of the band... there’s a lot of different factors.
I heard you had a good amount of people help you on the last CD, who helped out?
We had some guests... Zakk Wylde played a solo for us, Marty Friedman, Bone Crusher who just did the last VH1 Celebrity
Fit Club... which was cool. And Mark Tremonti from Alter Bridge played a solo on it. It was a great, just a bunch of guys
who were fans of our band... and we’re friends with. Mark Tremonti was recording downstairs from us doing the Alter
Bridge record, we’ve been friends for a bit and wanted to play something... and Zakk and I go way back. Marty Friedman
lives in Japan - I emailed him the track and he did the solo and emailed it to us... I’ve never met him, but he did
a great job as well. Just a bunch of friends hanging out and playing on each others records.
Who would you like to get in the future?
"All That Remains" is our first all original record so it was a transition record, it was good for us to have special guests
on there. There are a lot of guys I could get, I just don’t know if I need to now. We have our lineup solidified - if
it’s right then I’ll think about it... if it’s not then we might not even need it.
I also hear you are a Christian...
Yes, absolutely. It’s the reason I was able to make it as far as I did. I’ve been a Christian ever since I
was thirteen or fourteen. So I’ve always followed whatever God wanted me to do and really worry about anything... whatever
happens happens. And that’s what is supposed to happen - you can’t change it... if you can’t beat them join
them.
Is it true that you wear lifts in your shoes to make you look taller?
No, I never did. I don’t even know why they say that. I don’t even know why they’d even put that. Even
if I did... who cares? No I didn’t, you can pretty much tell by watching WWE, I was always shorter than everybody else.
But I was so much better looking. (Laughs)
