Faith No More frontman Mike Patton describes singers as “fucking idiots”

Faith No More frontman Mike Patton has hit out at the ego of singers, describing most of them as “fucking idiots”.

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In a career-spanning interview with Bandcamp, Patton discussed projects from across his career, including Faith No More, Mr. Bungle and more, and the way he fits into each band as a vocalist.

“I still see it as, ‘I am here to help,’” he said of his process. “I am a component. I think that’s important, but let’s be honest: Singers are fucking idiots. They think they own the fucking show, but they don’t, okay?

“That’s one thing I’ve learned over the years: All you’ve gotta do is sit back and be a part of the fucking band.”

Discussing his role in hardcore band Dead Cross, Patton added: “I’m not pushing ideas on them, because guess what? They’ve got great ideas, and I don’t want to fuck it up.”

Earlier this summer, Patton opened up about his mental health struggles following the band’s axed tour dates. Last year, the singer announced that all Faith No More and Mr. Bungle shows had been cancelled, citing mental health reasons.

“I have issues that were exacerbated by the pandemic that are challenging me right now. I don’t feel I can give what I should at this point and I am not going to give anything less than 100 percent. I am sorry to our fans and hope to make it up to you soon,” he said at the time.

“It’s still going on but it’s better,” he told Rolling Stone in a new interview, speaking at length about the issues for the first time. “It’s easy to blame it on the pandemic. But I’ll be honest, man: At the beginning of the pandemic, I was like, ‘This is fucking great. I can stay home and record.’ I’ve got a home studio. So I was like, ‘Yeah, what’s the big deal?’ And then something clicked, and I became completely isolated and almost antisocial [and] afraid of people.”

Patton is planning to tour with Mr. Bungle in South America in December for the first time since the shows were cancelled in 2021.