Is the world ready for an Alice In Chains-meets-Faith No More collaboration? Quite possibly not, but AIC guitarist Jerry Cantrell is more than keen to get together with FNM/Mr. Bungle frontman Mike Patton to see what might result from their meeting of minds.
Interviewed by radio presenter-turned-podcast host Matt Stocks on his popular, long-running Life In The Stocks podcast, Cantrell hails Patton as a “sick” vocalist, and expresses admiration for the singer’s restless creativity.
Asked by Stocks if he and Patton have ever jammed, Cantrell replies, “I never have, but I would love to” revealing that he went to see Patton fronting Mr. Bungle when the band played in Los Angeles in February 2020, their first gig in 20 years,
“Patton is sick,” says Cantrell, admiringly. “I love how versatile he is, the energy that he is, and he’s got so many different voices; I don’t think he’s ever satisfied, and that’s why he keeps swimming so fast. It’s amazing to see all the notes and the different art that he puts out.”
“I also took a little bit of a lesson out of his book by going it alone and making indie records,” Cantrell adds. “[Former Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist and Cantrell collaborator] Greg Puciato is good mates with Patton as well, and he’s had experience doing independent records and running everything out of a little mom-and-pop store instead of a major record label structure. So that’s another really interesting feature about this record [Brighten]: it’s my first completely independent record. And I definitely took some notes and guidance from Greg, and Mike Patton through Greg in that department."
For more from Cantrell, discussing the rise and fall of Seattle grunge, his cameos in The Cable Guy and Jerry Maguire, playing with Duff McKagan, his relationship with AIC frontman William DuVall and insights into his three solo albums, Boggy Depot, Degradation Trip, and the recently-released Brighten, listen to his full Life In The Stocks interview below.
