Josh Homme, guitarist for Queens of the Stone Age, records under the name “Baby Duck” with side project Eagles of Death Metal, but Mastodon refers to him simply as “The Dude” Since his tenure with stoner-rock overlords Kyuss, Homme has been a ubiquitous force in alternative music, collaborating with everyone from PJ Harvey to Billy Gibbons. Even the Arctic Monkeys are scheduled to visit Joshua Tree for one of his infamous Desert Sessions.
With EoDM, Homme takes the backseat, adding stadium bombast on drums. The duo’s third album, Heart On, due in October, is yet another batch of brown sugar-laced mustache rock, ribbed for enhanced pleasure and led by the hyper-sexual machismo of guitarist/vocalist Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes. OTR caught up with Homme backstage last year at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. EoDM plays Stubb’s tonight with the Hives and Willowz.
Off the Record: After Nick Oliveri’s departure, you dominated Lullabies to Paralyze in a way that you hadn’t done since Queens’ self-titled debut. Was it important for you to take control of the band at that point?
Josh Homme: The best way to put it is that I wanted to take it back to the music. It was escalating into personality, and that’s not where I wanted to go with this. I miss Nick as a person, but I don’t feel like there’s a gap there musically. I think people’s perception of the impact is a little bit different than mine.
OTR: After the self-titled, which established Queens’ groove, there was R, an album that was just crazy and branched out in as many ways as possible. After re-establishing the band with Lullabies, it seems like Era Vulgaris does the same thing.
JH: We really needed Lullabies to give us a clear palette. It would have been really easy to play heavy on Lullabies, but I was feeling a bit more somber. To everyone else it was just a record, but for me it was a lot more personal and a bummer. It’s a dark record. I couldn’t understand why it didn’t take it back to music. It should have, and in a way it did, but it took a little longer than I understood. It created this opportunity for us to make this record where we really surprised ourselves. The goal has been to get to a point where we can play any style of music we feel like, as long as we deliver it the right way. I feel like we’re there. I don’t know what we’re going to do now, but I know we’re going to enjoy it. I’m not going to trip about it.
OTR: There are very distinct personalities in Queens’ music, especially in terms of the guest appearances. How do you go about making those decisions?
JH: The honest truth is that it’s a very casual thing. I want to show them an environment where it’s easy for them to let go and enjoy themselves. The hardest thing to say is I’m not into that. You need to be able to say that’s not really my thing, so that we can get to something that is and really run down that road. That takes being comfortable.
OTR: Is that something that usually originates with the Desert Sessions?
JH: No. It’s a matter of timing. Queens is always my priority and the Desert Sessions are a luxury. It asks one question: “Do you remember why you started playing?” That’s the one thing I never want to forget. That’s why I’ve done some of the things that make some people think I’m an ass-grinder. You have to do what you feel is art, and I feel like I’ve got to chase the angels.
OTR: So what’s next?
JH: I don’t know, and I’m totally stoked for it. I’m not afraid of change. It’s just a facet of life.
OTR: Does this seem like a solid lineup for Queens?
JH: I don’t see why not. We’re playing as good as we have ever. We are manhandling our music in a very feminine way. It’s very macho and feminine, and it’s all rolled up into on very tasty dish.
This article appears in September 12 • 2008.