Chris Jericho Interview: Fozzy, “Judas”, WWE & Rock Stardom

Is it the same kind of theatricality?

“Sure it is. It’s theatricality and it’s connecting. That’s what we do with Fozzy. All that stuff matters and it’s one of the reasons why our show is one of the most entertaining you can see. I like picking out the person that looks most disinterested in the audience and doing everything I can to get them involved in the show. When you can do that, you’ve got something special, especially at a show where it’s not our show, so you’re playing to a lot of people that may not know Fozzy. But at the end I want them to leave going, ‘Fozzy really surprised me!’”

Does wrestling ever get in the way of Fozzy?

“No. If there was a Fozzy tour, I wouldn’t be wrestling. The priority right now is the band. That’s why the New Japan [Pro Wrestling] thing is so perfect: because there’s not that much time involved and Fozzy’s been fairly busy, but the times that we weren’t were basically when I was in Japan.”

Fozzy obviously owes itself to a lot of classic rock, like Journey, AC/DC and Metallica. But are there any modern bands really appealing to you right now?

“I love Avenged Sevenfold. They’re one of my favourite bands. Greta van Fleet is an excellent band. I like Light the Torch. I like my friends’ bands. Stone Sour. But my favourite band of the last ten years is probably Avenged Sevenfold.”

It sounds like you’re really into the more melodic stuff.

“Very much so. I also love power metal. Helloween is one of my favourite bands. There are so many rip-offs of Helloween. And Avenged even has a little bit of power metal in there.”

Are there any extreme bands you’re into? Like death metal or anything like that?

“No, I like singing. I’m not a fan of barking vocals. I respect it, but it’s just not for me.”