Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme talks about the new album "Perfecth": "I don't want to be a tough guy anymore"

A different Josh Homme, more at peace and willing to show his own vulnerabilities, is getting ready to open a new chapter in his career. The frontman of Queens of the Stone Age, 53, spoke about the personal and artistic transformation he's going through in a lengthy interview with Alex Nino Gheciu for GQ. At the center of the conversation is also the band's new album, “Perfecth“, due out soon, which is shaping up to be one of the most personal works of his career, touching on romantic relationships, change, and the ability to leave the past behind.

After beating cancer, undergoing emergency surgery and going through a difficult divorce, Homme has found a new balance, one that seems to come through in his music as well. “If you grow up in an environment where men are brutal with each other, like I did, you enter the world wearing armor, just to survive childhood and your younger years,” he says. “But I think the goal, with every record, is to take off at least one piece of that armor, until there's none left. I'm not a tough guy. That's not what I'm trying to be. I've always wanted to protect the people I love, but at 53 I don't feel the same need to present myself that way anymore.” It's a transformation that runs through “Perfecth”, whose title deliberately plays with the idea of imperfection. Among the most significant tracks is “Runaway From The Mob”, which will close the album and has a history stretching back roughly twenty-five years. The song was even recorded with Dave Grohl on drums during the sessions for “…Like Clockwork“, in 2013, but Homme was never able to finish it to his satisfaction. Originally conceived as a statement against conformism and herd mentality, it has taken on a far more intimate meaning over time: “I hadn't realized that it would eventually become a letter to my son: in case I'm no longer around, here's what you need to do.”

In the interview, Homme also looks back to his beginnings with Kyuss, a band fundamental to the development of stoner rock, whose 1994 album “Welcome to Sky Valley” recently inspired a collection by designer Stefano Gallici. “Music is like a religion. We believed in what we were doing, we felt like we were going somewhere on an emotional level,” the singer and guitarist recalls. “I don't think Kyuss ever thought we'd get anywhere in terms of popularity. People only started to know who we were once it was all already over.”
Today Homme faces the future with a different philosophy, forged through the hardships of recent years: “What I've learned from personal struggles and illness is, above all, to focus on what really matters. Do what you love for as long as you can, because sooner or later things will change.” A new awareness that promises to shape “Perfecth” as well, the next chapter in Queens of the Stone Age's discography, for which no release date has been announced yet.

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