Jon Davis

Another of the gods i worship - Jon Davis. He means so much to me becasue his music has pulled me through the hardest times ever. He belongs to one of the greatest bands onteh earth and is truly a wonderful musician.

Jonathan grew up in Bakersfield, California. A suburb of California, which is located 120 miles from Los Angeles. "There isn't much to do in Bakersfield apart from do drugs, fuck and have a kid." States Jonathan. When Jonathan attended Highland High School he was alienated from his peers because of his artistic leanings. Due to this, Jonathan had the words "HIV" tattooed on his upper-right arm. Basically it's a "Fuck you to everybody" who called him a fagot. He also sports two more tattoos, the Korn logo, which is located on Jonathan's lower torso (lower back). And a tattoo of a Crazed Bishop, which Jonathan describes as "Showing how crazy and fucked up religion is."

At the age of sixteen Jonathan became a coroners assistant for the Coroners Department in Kern County. Jonathan then went on to graduate from the San Francisco School of Mortuary Science. Jonathan was also a manager of a Pizza Hut restaurant. "That was fun! I got everybody high on speed. I was rockin', cos I was a manager," says Jonathan. "The worst fucking job I ever did was as a janitor at a county building, in the cafeteria. That was horrible. I had to mop all the fucking floors, clean all the grease outta shit and wash dishes. I hated it."

It was during a local club show in Bakersfield that James and Brian, spotted Jonathan singing for Sex Art. They approached Jonathan to ask him to join the band. "I didn't want to do it, I went to a psychic, she told me I was stupid if I didn't do it." Jonathan admits.

On October 18, 1995, Renee gave birth to Nathan Houseman Davis. He had been expecting a baby girl. "My astrologer told me it was going to be a girl. My little girl has been coming to me in my dreams, and it's breaking my fucking heart."

In November of 1998, Jonathan married his long-time girlfriend, Renee. "Man! I gave her a wedding she will never forget," he enthuses. "I was fully in all armor and wearing a Kings Crown; she's a fairy. There were all kinds of little fairies and sprites jumping in the trees and shit, it was crazy," he describes.

You tell your loving boyfriend that the only guy you'd cheat on him with is Jon. (your boyfriend might be obsessed with Jon if he says he understands)

You can't leave your room without saying goodbye to each Jon pic on your wall and tell them you'll be back soon so they don't get "lonely."

One of your friends tells you that you have a substitute teacher named Mr. Davis and you throw a fit and start asking absurd questions. (i.e. Does he have black hair? Is his first name Jon?)

Now that the world at large has been forced to acknowledge the power and strength of the brothers Korn, it's ironic that they hit the road under the moniker "Rock is Dead."

The tour is a realization of the promise of what could have been after Rob Zombie bowed out of 98's Family Values trek with Korn, fellow brittle hip-hop rockers Limp Bizkit, goth/metal switch hitters Orgy, and the man who coined the term "Fuck the Police!", Ice Cube.

The co-heading bill was opened by Korn proteges Videodrone, who've just spit out an album, that while very individual, will appeal to Korn fans.

Recently Jonathan Davis spoke with Circus Magazine from his management's office on a rare semi-day off where he openly and frankly discussed subjects such as the tour, Korn's accountability for the social welfare of their fans, and his modus operandi as a father.

A conversation with Davis shifts gears with the speed and frequency of an Indie racecare driver. Moments of sick humor, reflection, and prediction all come into the picture over the course of an hour. The most stirring of which came into play when the curtain unfolded on the topic of Korn versus an establishment bent on slandering and twisting their stance.

Circus Magazine: You've been blasted by certain assholes for corrupting children. How does that make you feel as a performer and as a parent?

Jonathan Davis: It's not hard to let it piss you off, no matter how hard you try not to let it. We do have a large following of kids; most of our following is kids. These people don't have a clue what's really going on.

It's a lot easier for them to blame someone like us for their problems than it is for them to look at themselves. With my son, I let him do his thing. I don't try to control him.

I swear to God that I won't be a control freak. You see, some parents that use the word "no" like it's a weapon. I won't do that. If he gets into drugs or something stupid, then I'll kick his ass, but otherwise he's got to live his life, even now.

It could be, I mean, it's definitely part of the vibe. You know kids need to have freedom. Because they are going to do whatever they want and the more you say no to something or make it look mysterious the more they are going to embrace it and want it.

See, I think people have this parenting thing backwards. If we start saying yes to things [they] won't seem so bad. Like for example, if my kid curses I don't freak out.

He hears bad words, I say bad words, it's his environment, whatever. When he gets out into the world he'll hear them. The thing is he really doesn't say them that much. He knows it's not that big of a deal.

There is no handbook on how to raise a kid. There is no right or wrong way, I don't think. But as a rule, I think people really need to loosen up. Trust me, it won't hurt.

In some ways, yeah. When you get into the Bible belt it's really bad. The mid-west is really fucked up in certain ways. When we get there kids are so uptight, but they seem to calm down a bit after a show. I think that for a little while they don't have to deal with the pressures of their upbringing. You are a product of your environment and I know how that can be. Some people in that part of the country still think it's a sin to masturbate.

Coming from the south, I can say that parents have a tendency to resent their children because they don't want them to do things they shouldn't do.

Dude, that's anywhere but I know what you're saying. Like my dad, he wanted to make it doing what I'm doing. He didn't and I did, for a while it wasn't easy for us because of that.

All of us understand our fans. We know we got really lucky, that's all. I've been there. I've had problems with my childhood that's no secret. We know what it's like to go to a show and having it mean the world to us.

It's not hard to understand where they're coming from, yet it seems that a large portion of generations past who took on Washington and screamed "down witht he establishment!" in the 60's may have a hard time dealing with Korn's to-the-gut sentiments.

Perhaps that is the natural order of things, as your parents are not supposed dig your rock and roll and it's message. Their parents had Elvis and Little Richard, they had Led Zeppelin and the Stones, and we have Korn. However, Davis seems to think it might be something else.

"I think it's because we strike a nerve. Me, in particular. I've never really felt like I fit in anywhere and (through) our songs I've said some things that hit too close to home. It's one thing when a band makes noise you don't understand, it's another thing when a band makes noise that you don't understand while exposing your bullshit in the process."

"Most of us have kids man and there's a ton of good parents out there. I'm not saying if you have a perfectly happy home, [you should] come home from school and tell Mom and Dad to go fuck themselves.

Personally, if you're in a bad situation, suffer thorugh it for a few years, get your shit together and get out when you're of age. You know, I just think that the people who try to take something down are the ones with the most to lose or hide.

We are a release, no matter what your frustrations are. [For some of our fans] it could just as easily be somebody's asshole boss or teacher."

There are a lot of benefits to being Jonathan Davis. However, since he's opened the gates to his thoughts and feelings on so many occasions, it seems that he's in something of a Catch 22.

As long as Korn is making music, it's going to be expected of him to be a certain type of singer and frontman. What if Korn made a record where Davis extolled nothing but pure joy? Granted, there's more than enough tongue-cheeck humor to be found on the grooves of their albums, but one wonders if being in that type of box sheds a dark light over the proceedings.

Explains Jonathan, "Not really, because I am who I am and I've done what I've done. None of us buy into the rock star bullshit, so it's very easy to stay focused. I know what you're getting at and it doesn't bother me really.

Our fans are our fans for the right reasons, if you know what I mean. The mainstream didn't want anything to do with us until this record. Even now, they give us the least amount of attention possible. They have to play us and write about us because it's gotten to the point of where it hurts them to ignore us.

See nobody on the inside really likes Korn. I think we'll always be on the outside and from that point we're always looking in. Plus, you gotta say that we work our asses off to give people the best of what we got. How many other bands can do that?"

Korn's work ethic cannot be denied. Since Follow the Leader came out in the summer of `98, they've been on the road non-stop. Hell, for that matter the clock got punched weeks before the LP's street date during their promotional Korn Kampaign trek that saw them shaking hands and kissing babies at record stores all across the country.

From top to bottom, this is a band that really doesn't punch cruise control once the platinum mark has been achieved. In the late 90's Korn set the standard for what's possible. Even if it's something as simple as downloading past footage from www.korntv.com and viewing footage of them clowning around with their ever present beverage of choice, Coors Light, you get the feeling that there is light in spite of life's obstacles.

In a culture stymied by copycat acts, Korn has their own sound. Where other vocalists seemingly wallow in their own mental stew, Davis came out on top a survivor. Where many bands reject their duties to the audience that signs their royalty checks, Korn embraces it. Yeah, how many other bands do that?


	SEM'S APOCALYPTIC DWELLING \| home Jim Root \| Jon Davis \| x-files \| Elizabeth Bathory Jon Davis Bio Jon pics korn pics/logo's You may be obsessed with jon if... interview Another of the gods i worship - Jon Davis. He means so much to me becasue his music has pulled me through the hardest times ever. He belongs to one of the greatest bands onteh earth and is truly a wonderful musician. Real name : Jonathan Davis DOB : 01/18/71 Lives(d) : Bakersfield, California Jonathan grew up in Bakersfield, California. A suburb of California, which is located 120 miles from Los Angeles. "There isn't much to do in Bakersfield apart from do drugs, fuck and have a kid." States Jonathan. When Jonathan attended Highland High School he was alienated from his peers because of his artistic leanings. Due to this, Jonathan had the words "HIV" tattooed on his upper-right arm. Basically it's a "Fuck you to everybody" who called him a fagot. He also sports two more tattoos, the Korn logo, which is located on Jonathan's lower torso (lower back). And a tattoo of a Crazed Bishop, which Jonathan describes as "Showing how crazy and fucked up religion is." At the age of sixteen Jonathan became a coroners assistant for the Coroners Department in Kern County. Jonathan then went on to graduate from the San Francisco School of Mortuary Science. Jonathan was also a manager of a Pizza Hut restaurant. "That was fun! I got everybody high on speed. I was rockin', cos I was a manager," says Jonathan. "The worst fucking job I ever did was as a janitor at a county building, in the cafeteria. That was horrible. I had to mop all the fucking floors, clean all the grease outta shit and wash dishes. I hated it." Jonathan currently resides in Belmont Shores, California. "I can see Jonathan's house from my backyard," Fieldy chimes. It was during a local club show in Bakersfield that James and Brian, spotted Jonathan singing for Sex Art. They approached Jonathan to ask him to join the band. "I didn't want to do it, I went to a psychic, she told me I was stupid if I didn't do it." Jonathan admits. On October 18, 1995, Renee gave birth to Nathan Houseman Davis. He had been expecting a baby girl. "My astrologer told me it was going to be a girl. My little girl has been coming to me in my dreams, and it's breaking my fucking heart." In November of 1998, Jonathan married his long-time girlfriend, Renee. "Man! I gave her a wedding she will never forget," he enthuses. "I was fully in all armor and wearing a Kings Crown; she's a fairy. There were all kinds of little fairies and sprites jumping in the trees and shit, it was crazy," he describes. You may be obsessed with Jonathan Davis if... You dedicate an entire section of your wall to his pictures You refuse to answer to anything but "Mrs. Jonathan Davis" You plan a pilgrimage to Bakersfield, California You actually go on a pilgrimage to Bakersfield, California You have "Property of Jonathan Davis" tatooed on your arm. You have "edited" your bible to read "jonathan" in place of "God" You actually start a site dedicated to Jon, or write a you might be obsessed list January 18th is the holiest day of the year. Jon works his way into all your homework. You can sing along with Twist You join every Jon Davis fan club on the Web. You name your pets anything pertaining to Jon. You were elected "Most likely to marry Jonathan Davis" in your yearbook. You sleep with the korn doll You snuff anyone who disses jon You love jon more then your boyfriend if you cut out your boyfriend in all those couple shots and replace them with Jon. You tell your loving boyfriend that the only guy you'd cheat on him with is Jon. (your boyfriend might be obsessed with Jon if he says he understands) Jon Davis pops up in every conversation you have with anyone You buy a ring from those quarter machines and swear its a gift from Jon. You can't leave your room without saying goodbye to each Jon pic on your wall and tell them you'll be back soon so they don't get "lonely." When scoping out guys, you always compare them to Jon and criticize them because they can never reach his god-like status. The mentioning of the word "Jon" in ANY convo sends butterflies to your stomach. You can recite his bio like the star spangled banner. When you are dead set on believing that "My Gift To You" is for you when he is singing it you send a letter to the crayola corporation requesting that they rename the black crayon "Jonathan" The letters J O A T H and N are fading away on your keyboard. If the only reason you plan to have a child is so that you can call it Jonathan One of your friends tells you that you have a substitute teacher named Mr. Davis and you throw a fit and start asking absurd questions. (i.e. Does he have black hair? Is his first name Jon?) You have Jonathan Davis wallpaper custom made. (yes, the wall paper you put on your walls) your favorite number is 11871. (1-18-71. Jon's birthday.) Jonathan Davis interview Jonathan Davis speaks out about parenting, parents and the never ending touring that has made Korn what it is today. Now that the world at large has been forced to acknowledge the power and strength of the brothers Korn, it's ironic that they hit the road under the moniker "Rock is Dead." The tour is a realization of the promise of what could have been after Rob Zombie bowed out of 98's Family Values trek with Korn, fellow brittle hip-hop rockers Limp Bizkit, goth/metal switch hitters Orgy, and the man who coined the term "Fuck the Police!", Ice Cube. The co-heading bill was opened by Korn proteges Videodrone, who've just spit out an album, that while very individual, will appeal to Korn fans. Recently Jonathan Davis spoke with Circus Magazine from his management's office on a rare semi-day off where he openly and frankly discussed subjects such as the tour, Korn's accountability for the social welfare of their fans, and his modus operandi as a father. A conversation with Davis shifts gears with the speed and frequency of an Indie racecare driver. Moments of sick humor, reflection, and prediction all come into the picture over the course of an hour. The most stirring of which came into play when the curtain unfolded on the topic of Korn versus an establishment bent on slandering and twisting their stance. Circus Magazine: You've been blasted by certain assholes for corrupting children. How does that make you feel as a performer and as a parent? Jonathan Davis: It's not hard to let it piss you off, no matter how hard you try not to let it. We do have a large following of kids; most of our following is kids. These people don't have a clue what's really going on. It's a lot easier for them to blame someone like us for their problems than it is for them to look at themselves. With my son, I let him do his thing. I don't try to control him. I swear to God that I won't be a control freak. You see, some parents that use the word "no" like it's a weapon. I won't do that. If he gets into drugs or something stupid, then I'll kick his ass, but otherwise he's got to live his life, even now. Is that part of your overall message? It could be, I mean, it's definitely part of the vibe. You know kids need to have freedom. Because they are going to do whatever they want and the more you say no to something or make it look mysterious the more they are going to embrace it and want it. See, I think people have this parenting thing backwards. If we start saying yes to things [they] won't seem so bad. Like for example, if my kid curses I don't freak out. He hears bad words, I say bad words, it's his environment, whatever. When he gets out into the world he'll hear them. The thing is he really doesn't say them that much. He knows it's not that big of a deal. There is no handbook on how to raise a kid. There is no right or wrong way, I don't think. But as a rule, I think people really need to loosen up. Trust me, it won't hurt. Are certain parts of the country worse than others? In some ways, yeah. When you get into the Bible belt it's really bad. The mid-west is really fucked up in certain ways. When we get there kids are so uptight, but they seem to calm down a bit after a show. I think that for a little while they don't have to deal with the pressures of their upbringing. You are a product of your environment and I know how that can be. Some people in that part of the country still think it's a sin to masturbate. Coming from the south, I can say that parents have a tendency to resent their children because they don't want them to do things they shouldn't do. Dude, that's anywhere but I know what you're saying. Like my dad, he wanted to make it doing what I'm doing. He didn't and I did, for a while it wasn't easy for us because of that. Would you say that you really understand your audience because of your ability to relate? All of us understand our fans. We know we got really lucky, that's all. I've been there. I've had problems with my childhood that's no secret. We know what it's like to go to a show and having it mean the world to us. It's not hard to understand where they're coming from, yet it seems that a large portion of generations past who took on Washington and screamed "down witht he establishment!" in the 60's may have a hard time dealing with Korn's to-the-gut sentiments. Perhaps that is the natural order of things, as your parents are not supposed dig your rock and roll and it's message. Their parents had Elvis and Little Richard, they had Led Zeppelin and the Stones, and we have Korn. However, Davis seems to think it might be something else. "I think it's because we strike a nerve. Me, in particular. I've never really felt like I fit in anywhere and (through) our songs I've said some things that hit too close to home. It's one thing when a band makes noise you don't understand, it's another thing when a band makes noise that you don't understand while exposing your bullshit in the process." However, Jonathan is quick to point out that Korn's not anti-parents at all. "Most of us have kids man and there's a ton of good parents out there. I'm not saying if you have a perfectly happy home, [you should] come home from school and tell Mom and Dad to go fuck themselves. Personally, if you're in a bad situation, suffer thorugh it for a few years, get your shit together and get out when you're of age. You know, I just think that the people who try to take something down are the ones with the most to lose or hide. We are a release, no matter what your frustrations are. [For some of our fans] it could just as easily be somebody's asshole boss or teacher." There are a lot of benefits to being Jonathan Davis. However, since he's opened the gates to his thoughts and feelings on so many occasions, it seems that he's in something of a Catch 22. As long as Korn is making music, it's going to be expected of him to be a certain type of singer and frontman. What if Korn made a record where Davis extolled nothing but pure joy? Granted, there's more than enough tongue-cheeck humor to be found on the grooves of their albums, but one wonders if being in that type of box sheds a dark light over the proceedings. Explains Jonathan, "Not really, because I am who I am and I've done what I've done. None of us buy into the rock star bullshit, so it's very easy to stay focused. I know what you're getting at and it doesn't bother me really. Our fans are our fans for the right reasons, if you know what I mean. The mainstream didn't want anything to do with us until this record. Even now, they give us the least amount of attention possible. They have to play us and write about us because it's gotten to the point of where it hurts them to ignore us. See nobody on the inside really likes Korn. I think we'll always be on the outside and from that point we're always looking in. Plus, you gotta say that we work our asses off to give people the best of what we got. How many other bands can do that?" Korn's work ethic cannot be denied. Since Follow the Leader came out in the summer of `98, they've been on the road non-stop. Hell, for that matter the clock got punched weeks before the LP's street date during their promotional Korn Kampaign trek that saw them shaking hands and kissing babies at record stores all across the country. From top to bottom, this is a band that really doesn't punch cruise control once the platinum mark has been achieved. In the late 90's Korn set the standard for what's possible. Even if it's something as simple as downloading past footage from www.korntv.com and viewing footage of them clowning around with their ever present beverage of choice, Coors Light, you get the feeling that there is light in spite of life's obstacles. In a culture stymied by copycat acts, Korn has their own sound. Where other vocalists seemingly wallow in their own mental stew, Davis came out on top a survivor. Where many bands reject their duties to the audience that signs their royalty checks, Korn embraces it. Yeah, how many other bands do that? - Adrian Gregory Glover, Circus Magazine back to life force click here to visit elizabeth bathory back to top of page