>> JAVEN: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
BAND KORN. THAT STARTS IN BAKERSFIELD? OR NO? >> BRIAN: NO. WE ALL GREW UP TOGETHER IN
BAKERSFIELD, BUT THE BAND STARTED IN HUNTINGTON BEACH,
CALIFORNIA. I MET THE BASS PLAYER IN JUNIOR
HIGH, SEVENTH GRADE. HE WAS INTO DURAN DURAN. I WAS INTO IRON MAIDEN AND OZZY. I TOLD HIM YOU NEED TO GET INTO
METAL, BRO. >> JAVEN: (LAUGHING). >> BRIAN: IT WORKED. THE GUITAR PLAYER MONKEY, IN
NINTH GRADE I MET THE SINGER. FOURTH GRADE ACTUALLY. SO, YEAH. BUT WE ENDED UP WHEN WE GRADUATE
FROM HIGH SCHOOL, YOU ARE IN THE ARM PIT OF CALIFORNIA,
BAKERSFIELD, RIGHT? >> JAVEN: I DIDN'T SAY IT. >> BRIAN: YOU GOT TO GET OUT OF
THERE. WE ALL COME TO L.A., AND THROUGH
OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES WE ENDED UP FORMING KORN AROUND '93. >> JAVEN: WHO COMES UP WITH THE
GENRE OF HEAVY METAL? WHY HEAVY METAL AND NOT POP ROCK
OR R&B OR SOMETHING ELSE? >> BRIAN: WE WERE ALL DRAWN TO
IT GROWING UP. ALL OF US JUST HAD THAT IN
COMMON. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT --
I JUST LOVED THE SOUND. I LOVE THE VOCALS. I LOVE THE GUITAR. SO DID THE GUYS TOO. SO WE JUST GRAVITATED TOWARDS
EACH OTHER. >> JAVEN: WAS IT BIG THEN? YOU ARE TALKING EARLY '90s? AROUND WHAT TIME? >> BRIAN: WHEN I GOT INTO IT, IT
WAS EARLY '80s, TO THE EARLY '90s, THAT DECADE THERE. >> JAVEN: WAS HEAVY METAL COMING
INTO ITS OWN AT THAT TIME? WAS IT A BIG GENRE? >> BRIAN: BLACK SABBATH GOT IT
GOING IN THE '70s. AND OZZY WENT SOLO. THAT WAS HUGE FOR ME BECAUSE I
WAS A HUGE OZZY FAN. THE BLIZZARD OF OZZ,
DIARY OF A MAD MAN. AND OTHER BANDS STARTED COMING
OUT. LIKE IRON MAIDEN. ALL THESE BANDS WERE REALLY BIG
BACK THEN. IT HAD A GOOD FOLLOWING. >> JAVEN: YOU WERE THINKING WHAT
AT THE TIME? THIS IS GREAT MUSIC THAT I LOVE? WE'RE GONNA PLAY IT AND JUST
HAVE FUN? OR ARE YOU THINKING WE ARE GOING
TO BE BIG. WE'RE GONNA TO SELL A LOT OF
ALBUMS? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? >> BRIAN: I'M THINKING, THIS IS
WHAT I WANT TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE AND I'VE GOT TO GET
IN THERE SOMEHOW. THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING. BECAUSE I HAD NO OTHER PLAN. >> JAVEN: NO OTHER PLAN. ARE YOU THINKING YOU'RE GOING TO
BE RICH DOING THIS? OR ARE YOU THINKING I'M GOING TO
HAVE FUN DOING IT? >> BRIAN: I'M THE GUY LIKE, LOOK
IF I CAN MAKE A LIVING, I DON'T NEED TO BE RICH. I JUST WANT TO DO MUSIC. NOT BEING TOO GREEDY,
OR WHATEVER. >> JAVEN: WHEN DO YOU START
WRITING? OR DO YOU WRITE? >> BRIAN: I START WRITING SONGS
AROUND 12 YEARS OLD, 13 YEARS OLD. I'M WRITING LITTLE CHEESY SONGS. "DON'T YOU KNOW" WAS ONE. IT WAS JUST LIKE THIS, KIND OF
LIKE NOT GLAM METAL BUT LIKE THAT. KIND OF MELODIC. THE LYRICS WERE TOTALLY CHEESY. >> JAVEN: DO YOU REMEMBER THE
LYRICS? >> BRIAN: YEAH. (LAUGHTER)
>> JAVEN: FOR THE FIRST TIME-- >> BRIAN: YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE
ME PLAY THEM. >> JAVEN: OF COURSE. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON
NATIONAL TV, THE LYRICS TO BRIAN "HEAD" WELCH'S FIRST SONG. GO. >> BRIAN: I'M NOT SINGING IT BUT
IT WAS: DON'T YOU KNOW. DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH
I WANT YOU. DO YOU WANT ME, BABY? NOT KNOWING IS DRIVING ME CRAZY. (LAUGHTER)
[APPLAUSE] >> JAVEN: DEEP, VERY DEEP. >> JAVEN: RIGHT. EXACTLY. IF I'M HEARING YOU CORRECTLY
WHEN YOU DEAL WITH AN ADDICTIVE DRUG, MAYBE MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT
THINKING, THIS IS A NECESSARILY BAD THING. THIS IS SOMETHING I CAN CONTROL. THAT'S THE ILLUSION. >> BRIAN: THAT'S THE ILLUSION. THAT WAS US ANYWAY. WE DID NOT WANT TO GO DESTROY
OUR LIVES. WE JUST WANTED TO HAVE A LITTLE
FUN. SO, BUT YEAR AFTER YEAR IT WOULD
PROGRESSIVELY GET WORSE. >> JAVEN: IT'S A SLOW
PROGRESSION. IT'S NOT SOMETHING WHERE PEOPLE
THINK SOMEBODY IS JUST OVERNIGHT AN ADDICT. IT IS SOMETHING--
>> BRIAN: YEAH. >> JAVEN: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN
YOU ARE-- WHEN WOULD YOU SAY IT WAS OUT OF CONTROL? OR DID YOU EVEN KNOW? >> BRIAN: IT WAS LIKE, IT WAS
OUT OF CONTROL FROM THE BEGINNING, BUT WE WOULD STEP
BACK. WE WOULD GO, OKAY, TO SHOW
MYSELF AND US WE'RE NOT ADDICTS, WE WON'T
DO IT FOR A FEW MONTHS, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK AND
DO IT. IT STARTED GETTING OUT OF
CONTROL PROBABLY AROUND-- I REMEMBER 2001 I WAS GETTING
SCARED. MY WIFE ENDED UP LEAVING ME. SHE WAS HOOKED ON METH. WE WERE USING, ME AND HER, WE
HAD THE BABY AND WE WANTED TO BE GOOD PARENTS, BUT WE WOULD USE
ONCE IN A WHILE. WHEN I LEFT FOR TOUR ONE DAY I
NOTICED ABOUT A MONTH INTO THE TOUR THAT SHE HAD WENT INTO
EVERY DAY ADDICTION HABIT. SO SHE LEFT ME AND OUR CHILD. AND SHE DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE
HER BABY. SHE DID NOT WANT TO, BUT SHE WAS
AFRAID OF MY BIG, ALL THE LAWYERS I HAD AND EVERYTHING AND
SHE WAS LIKE, I'M NEVER GOING TO WIN SO WHY EVEN TRY. SHE LOVED HER KID AND LOVES HER
DAUGHTER VERY MUCH TO THIS DAY. SO WHEN I GOT FULL CUSTODY OF MY
DAUGHTER, I GOT CLEAN. THEN 9/11 HAPPENED. I GOT STRESSED OUT AND STARTED
DRINKING AGAIN. THEN BY THAT TIME, I MOVED BACK
TO BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, THE ARM PIT. BUT, BY THIS TIME IT WAS
BOOMING. IT WAS MORE LIKE MODERN
EVERYTHING. I LIKE BAKERSFIELD NOW. I MOVED BACK THERE. I RAN INTO SOMEONE THAT WAS A
FRIEND THAT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. HE HAD ALL KINDS OF EMPLOYEES. HE JUST SO HAPPENED TO DIBBLE
DABBLE IN METH SOMETIMES BECAUSE HIS EMPLOYEES WOULD DO IT. HE WAS LIKE RUNNING THE
BUSINESS. HE THOUGHT HE HAD IT UNDER
CONTROL TOO. I'LL JUST DO IT ONCE IN A WHILE. SO I GOT SOME. I FOUND OUT ONE OF HIS
EMPLOYEE'S NUMBER. I GOT HIS CELL NUMBER AND I HAD
A CONNECT. THEN I HAD A KORN TOUR. IT WAS WITH LINCOLN PARK. IT WAS A FULL SUMMER TOUR
LINCOLN PARK, SNOOP DOGG, KORN, AND SOME OTHER BANDS. AND I GOT SO SCARED BECAUSE I
WENT ON MY FIRST WEEK LONG OR TWO WEEK LONG BINGE OF CRYSTAL
METH AT WORK. I SLEPT BUT I KEPT USING EVERY
DAY. SO I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO STOP
AND I WAS SO SCARED. I WAS LIKE, MAN, I'M GOING TO
HAVE TO -- WHEN YOU STOP METH, IF YOU DO IT FOR A LONG TIME,
YOU HAVE TO CRASH FOR ABOUT A WEEK OR TWO. YOU JUST SLEEP AND EAT SUGAR AND
GO BACK TO SLEEP. SO, I WAS LIKE, I DON'T HAVE
TIME TO DO THAT. I BOUGHT LIKE A COUPLE OF EIGHT
BALLS OF METH AND TOOK THEM ON THE TOUR ALL SUMMER. THAT WAS THE WORST. AT SOME POINT, BRIAN, IN THE
MIDST ALL THIS CRAZY WHAT SOME PEOPLE WOULD CALL A SUCCESSFUL
LIFE, SOMEBODY INTRODUCES YOU TO THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST. SOMEBODY INTRODUCES YOU TO THE
BIBLE. YOU DIDN'T GROW UP IN IT, RIGHT? >> BRIAN: NO. >> JAVEN: AT WHAT AGE, GIVE US
THAT EXPERIENCE. HOW DID YOU HAVE THAT ENCOUNTER? >> BRIAN: WELL, I WAS A TYPE OF
GUY THAT WOULD FLIP THROUGH THE CHANNELS AND BE LIKE, LAND ON
TBN OR A CHRISTIAN CHANNEL AND BE LIKE, PFFT, WHO KNOWS WHAT I
SAID BACK THEN. BUT JUST MOCKED IT OR WHATEVER. AND THEN, FAST FORWARD YEARS AND
YEARS LATER, I GOT TO THIS POINT WHERE I WAS ON THAT TWO-YEAR
BINGE, RIGHT? AND I WANTED TO GET CLEAN. I TALKED TO A COUPLE OF
OUTPATIENT REHAB PLACES, ONE IN BAKERSFIELD AND ONE HOLLYWOOD. THEY BOTH TOLD ME WE DON'T HAVE
AS MUCH SUCCESS WITH METH ADDICTS AS WE DO WITH OTHER DRUG
ADDICTS. I'M GOING, WOW! SO WHAT ARE YOU TELLING ME? WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME? THEY'RE LIKE, WE CAN TRY. WE JUST HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH
YOU. YOU CAN DO IT. IF YOU SET--
I WAS NOT GIVEN, LIKE, A LOT OF HOPE. SO I WAS JUST THINKING, I GOT
TO-- BY THAT TIME I DID NOT WANT TO
EXIST ANYMORE. I'M A SHELL WALKING AROUND WITH
NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE INSIDE. I GOT ALL KINDS OF MONEY IN THE
BANK, BUT I DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP WHEN I GO TO SLEEP. I WISHED I COULD STAY ASLEEP. THE ONLY THING THAT MADE ME WANT
TO BREATHE AND LIVE WAS MY DAUGHTER. I'M THINKING, I JUST NEED TO GET
OFF THE DRUGS AND BE THE BEST PERSON I CAN BE FOR HER. BUT THEN I WOULD HAVE THE
THOUGHTS WHEN I GET BACK ON THE DRUGS OR DO ANOTHER LINE AND
THAT WOULD WEAR OFF AND I WOULD THINK, MAN, SHE'S BETTER OFF
WITHOUT ME AND I WOULD START GOING THROUGH THE SUICIDAL
THOUGHTS AND EVERYTHING. SO, IT WAS A TUG OF WAR. BUT, I TOLD YOU THAT I WAS A
FUNCTIONING DRUG ADDICT. I HAD THESE PARTNERS THAT WERE
DOING REAL ESTATE DEALS. THEY WERE BUYING LAND AND
DEVELOPING. AND I BECAME A PARTNER WITH
THEM. AND MONEY WAS MY THING. I NEVER LIKED TO SPEND IT. I LIKED TO MAKE IT GROW. THAT WAS MY THING BEFORE. SO THESE GUYS WERE GROWING THEIR
MONEY. SO I BLENDED WITH THEM. SO, I WAS ATTRACTED TO THEM AND
THEIR BUSINESS THROUGH THAT. AND THEY ACTUALLY WERE
CHRISTIANS. GOD WAS USING MY MONEY IDOL, IF
YOU WILL. >> JAVEN: PULLING YOU IN. >> BRIAN: YEAH. I DID A BUSINESS DEAL WITH THEM. WE BOUGHT SOME LAND. YOU COULD TELL, MAN, I WAS ON
METH. ANYBODY COULD TELL SOMETHING WAS
A LITTLE OFF. YOU KNOW? SO, THEY ENDED UP TALKING TO ME. THEY INVITED ME TO GO TO CHURCH
ONE DAY. I'M LIKE, I USED TO MOCK IT WHEN
I WAS GROWING UP. BUT I DID ASK CHRIST IN MY HEART
WHEN I WAS 12 THROUGH SOME NEIGHBORS. SO I HELD ON TO THAT. WHEN THEY ASKED ME TO COME TO
CHURCH I'M LIKE, (SIGHS,) I THOUGHT OF NED FLANDERS FROM THE
SIMPSONS. [LAUGHTER]
IT'S LIKE, OKAY, THEY'RE NOT LIKE I AM. THEY'RE NOT THE SAME TYPE OF
PERSON I AM BUT THEY ARE PROBABLY SOBER. IF I GO THERE IT WILL BE A
COMMUNITY OF SOBER PEOPLE. I THOUGHT CHRISTIANS DIDN'T
PARTY. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. I GET THERE AND I HEAR ABOUT
THIS JESUS CHRIST WHO IS REAL. THE SON OF GOD WHO IS HERE AND
DIED ON THE CROSS AND RAISED FROM THE DEAD AND CAME AND WOULD
COME TO LIVE INSIDE OF ME. [APPLAUSE]
SO, BUT I'M HAVING A HARD TIME WRAPPING MY HEAD AROUND IT. SO THIS GUY CAME AND WALKED ON
THE EARTH IN A ROBE AND DID MIRACLES AND DIED ON A CROSS AND
THEN RAISED BACK TO LIFE AND NOW HE WILL COME AND LIVE INSIDE OF
ME. I WAS LIKE, HOW DOES THAT
HAPPEN? BUT, YOU COULD FEEL THE PRESENCE
AND EVERYTHING AT THE CHURCH THAT THEY TOOK ME TO. I'M LIKE, MAN, THESE PEOPLE ARE
EITHER CRAZY OR THEY HAVE THE MEANING OF LIFE. I WAS THINKING BACK WHEN I ASKED
CHRIST INTO MY HEART. MAYBE THAT IS WHERE MY JOURNEY
WENT THE WRONG WAY. MAYBE THAT'S WHY. SURE I GOT MONEY AND SUCCESS AND
FAME AND EVERYTHING, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM. MAYBE THAT'S WHERE I WENT
OFF-TRACK. SO I WAS JUST LIKE, I RAISED MY
HAND AND I WENT HOME AND I STARTED PRAYING TO GOD LIKE I
HAD BEEN A CHRISTIAN FOR TWENTY YEARS. I WAS DESPERATE. [APPLAUSE]
>> JAVEN: THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. [APPLAUSE]
AND YOU HAVE THIS REENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD, IS IT A GRADUAL
TURN AROUND OR IS IT AN OVERNIGHT TURN AROUND
AS FAR AS YOUR ADDICTION AND LIFESTYLE AT THAT POINT? >> BRIAN: IT WAS PRETTY
OVERNIGHT WHEN I THINK ABOUT, IT WAS A COUPLE WEEKS, THREE WEEKS
OR SOMETHING. MAN, THE PASTOR WAS SO COOL
THERE. HE JUST TALKED ABOUT-- HE WAS IN
JEANS AND A REGULAR SHIRT. HE DIDN'T LOOK LIKE HOLIER THAN
THOU. HE SAID, LOOK, MAN, IF YOU'RE ON
DRUGS, IF YOU'RE MESSED UP OR IF YOU HAVE A BAD MARRIAGE OR
YOU'RE ALCOHOLIC, COME TO CHURCH WHILE YOU'RE MESSED UP. BRING ALL YOUR GARBAGE HERE AND
GOD WILL COME IN AND CLEAN YOU OUT. SO IT WAS LIKE NONJUDGMENTAL. AND SO I KEPT GOING. I KEPT GOING. I WAS HIGH ON METH GOING TO
CHURCH. I WOULD TELL GOD. YOU KNOW I WANT TO GET OFF THIS
STUFF. MY DAUGHTER DESERVES A BETTER
FATHER. I WANT TO BE WHAT SHE DESERVES. THE GUY WHO WAS THE PREACHER. HE WAS A NORMAL GUY. HE WAS LIKE, MAN, BRING YOUR
MESS HERE. AND IT'S OKAY THAT YOU'RE A
MESS IN THIS PLACE. IN MY CHURCH IT'S OKAY THAT YOU
ARE A MESS. WE'RE NEVER GOING TO GIVE UP ON
YOU. GOD WILL NEVER GIVE UP. YOU CAN'T, LIKE, GIVE SOMEONE
THE BEHAVIORAL STEPS TO BE LIKE CHRIST LIKE. HE HAS TO HAVE TIME TO POUR HIS
SPIRIT IN AND DO A SUPERNATURAL WORK INSIDE OF HIM. THAT TAKES TIME. YOU GOT TO BE PATIENT. I'M TALKING TO MYSELF, TOO. BECAUSE IT'S A WORK THAT GOD
WANTS TO DO. IT'S NOT FAST FOOD. IT TAKES A MINUTE. >> JAVEN: BE PATIENT WITH THE
PROCESS. THE CHURCH IS ALL ABOUT A
PROCESS. I THINK THE WORLD THAT JUDGES US
SOMETIMES NEEDS TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT. THEY JUDGE US HARD. BUT THE CHURCH ITSELF HAS TO BE
CAREFUL NOT TO JUDGE THE WORLD AND THOSE THAT ARE COMING IN. WHAT I HEAR TODAY MORE THAN
ANYTHING WITH YOUR MESSAGE AND THE MESSAGE OF "LOUD KRAZY
LOVE," IS THAT WITH GOD IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PROCESS AND THE
PATIENCE OF THAT PROCESS AND IT BRINGS ABOUT THE PROMISE. >> BRIAN: I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF
NOT MAKING IT US AND THEM. THE WORLD, THAT'S THEM. IT IS, LIKE, WE'RE ALL BROKEN
HUMANS. THE ONLY THING IS IS THAT US
THAT ARE BELIEVING IN CHRIST AND HE'S INSIDE OF US AND WE'RE
LETTING HIM GET OUR JUNK OUT AND SOMETIMES YOU SEE THAT MESS OUT
THERE. BUT, I JUST I THINK EVERYBODY IS
THE SAME, WE'RE ALL BROKEN. >> JAVEN: DID YOU THINK YOU WERE
GOING TO MAKE IT? >> BRIAN: JUST THROUGH THE
ADDICTION AND EVERYTHING? I DIDN'T THINK I WAS GOING TO
MAKE IT OUT. IF I DID THINK I WAS GOING TO
MAKE IT OUT OF THE ADDICTION, I THOUGHT I COULD CARRY THE
DEPRESSION THE REST OF MY LIFE AND I WOULD HAVE TO BARE KNUCKLE
IT. AND CHRIST HAS TAKEN AWAY MY
DEPRESSION. HE HAS GIVEN ME-- I'M A NEW
CREATION. A BRAND-NEW CREATION. CAN I SAY ONE THING? [APPLAUSE]
I AM A NEW CREATION AND HE'S TAKEN THAT AND HE'S GIVEN ME SO
MUCH HOPE. BUT I WILL BE HONEST, I DO TAKE
NONNARCOTIC MILD DEPRESSION MEDICATION. I GOT OFF IT FOR AWHILE AND I
NEEDED TO GET BACK ON IT. THERE IS NO SHAME IN THAT
EITHER. WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU. [APPLAUSE]
>> JAVEN: FOR THE DEPRESSION. >> BRIAN: FOR MILD DEPRESSION. NOT A LOT.
