SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green spoke to The Metal Mixtape about the importance of making his health a priority while spending so much time on the road with his band. “I think it’s hand in hand, man,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I’ve noticed so many artists, as far as older artists that I admire, taking care of themselves, and it really was an inspiration to me. I mean, even artists who are in completely [different] genres of music, like Sting or Lionel Richie or Sammy Hagar, they all look fantastic for their age, and they’re still playing music and still able to do their thing. And I always idolized that. I never thought it was cool that people were dying young who were musicians… I always thought this was not cool at all — to go out on stage and be completely messed up.”
He continued: “I thought it was sad and tragic seeing Amy Winehouse come out, knowing her potential, and then doing these horrible shows and having her career end [so suddenly]. It was barely starting. It’s very sad. And I just never liked, as a fan, to go to a show and see bands wasted while they’re performing or not being able to do their job or just look beaten down. It’s just, like, ‘Wow.’ It takes a lot away from the artist. So I felt that, for the longevity and to really be serious and professional about what you do is to really put aside the drugs and the lifestyle that people think that rock and rollers have or the preconceptions that people have about that and go with something that makes me feel good. I love to do music, and I love to feel healthy doing it.”
Cleveland native Green went from fronting hardcore band OUTFACE in Ohio to relocating to New York and then living in São Paulo, Brazil for nearly two decades.
Green moved to Los Angeles in 2018, telling Brazil’s Kazagastão: “It’s kind of a shock, because so much has happened within the U.S. It’s been changing radically. I mean, 20 years ago, I would never think about living in L.A., but the city, I believe, has gotten better. It’s moving in a very positive direction. There’s a lot of creative people that are living there, so it’s a place that’s really great to come into and adapt to a different life or a different mood.”
Last year, SEPULTURA launched “SepulQuarta”, a weekly event where the band gave insight into its colorful history, took part in question-and-answer sessions with fans and performed music while in quarantine. Some of the musical collaborations, including those with members of MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, TRIVIUM and SACRED REICH, will be released as a full-length album, also titled “SepulQuarta”, on August 13.
