Wes Borland realised he missed being in Limp Bizkit when he realised his dream of working with Marilyn Manson.
And even though he doesn’t listen to any other act in the nu metal genre, he’s proud of what his own band have achieved.
The guitarist has left the band twice – first in 2001 then again in 2006 – but returned in 2009 after spending eight months in Manson’s band.
Borland tells Metal Insider: “When I was in high school I was a big Marilyn Manson fan. And when I was out of Bizkit I got to be the guitar player in Marilyn Manson. That was the last thing I did before I went back to Limp Bizkit.
“I went, ‘Oh – I’m standing in a yard where I thought the grass was greener, a place I thought I’d like more, and I don’t.’ That was a big realisation, to go, ‘This is what I’ve wanted to do since a handful of years after I started playing. This is the band I wanted to be like or be in.’ And it wasn’t what I thought it was, working with Manson.”
He also abandoned plans to work with Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails. “That also felt unappealing because it wasn’t mine,” he says. “All these places where it seemed intriguing – I didn’t start any of them.”
Borland refutes the suggestion that he returned to Bizkit because his other projects had failed. “I went back because it felt like I couldn’t get it out of my blood,” he says. “No matter what I did, that was me. I started that band with those guys; it just feels more natural to be there.”
He tells Stereogum: “I really like my band. Do I listen to that genre of music? No. But do I participate in my band, and do I enjoy playing with those guys? Yeah. It feels like home. It’s part of my DNA. It feels good.”
Bizkit continue work on long-awaited album Stampede Of The Disco Elephants. Borland reports: “I can’t imagine it’s going to be much longer. I know Fred Durst has been in his studio almost every day for months, just grinding away.”
