of songs we’re able to play in that state of fatigue. Don’t get me wrong; we put 100%, all our energy goes into each show, and it’s very important to us. It’s like a mission. But because we’re so tired, we can’t be like, ‘Oh, let’s play that old song that we haven’t played in years.’ The way we put the songs together, and how we interpret—how we play them—that’s what makes the concert unique.” Judging by their performance in Lowell priming the audience for Slayer, or by their brutal headlining gig in Burlington, Vermont, one would never know this was a band past the edge of exhaustion. “It’s kind of strange to go on the road for so long,” Duplantier continues. “We’re hungry for new songs. I wish I could be in two places at the same time, in the studio constantly, creating stuff, because that’s what I like the most.” In the gap between the end of the Slayer tour and next year’s round of appearances, Gojira hopes to burn through some new material in the recording studio. In fact, they have begun writing already, on the tour bus, a phenomenon that Joe admits is rather new for them. “I actually hate it. I mean, I love it when
there’s an idea and it works and it sounds like there are things happening, but it’s really weird to sit in the middle of all these shoes - because everybody throws their shoes in the back lounge, and dirty socks - and a computer, and [Mario’s drum] pad…we’re not a rock band anymore, you know? It’s like being in a cage, a stinky cage with a computer. It’s not the same. I need to be in a room with my friends and jam, so I cannot wait to get to that stage.” The conditions are far from ideal, working with GarageBand software and the limited amount of technology they can haul with them on the bus. “It’s mostly riffs and ideas that we record,” he says. “We have a list of riffs, but we don’t have, really, a song. Well, we have two songs that [we think], ‘Okay, there’s a structure here and there are enough ideas to make something.’ Some of the stuff is really exciting, but the conditions are really difficult, and when the bus is driving…” Duplantier shakes his head, chuckling again. The exhaustion he spoke of earlier is still far from apparent. He appears comfortable and confident as he considers the next steps of the band.
When confronted with the fact that Gojira is fast approaching its 20th anniversary, he remains as philosophical as ever. “I don’t care,” he says, smiling. “I just try to be a better person, and my personal life is very important for me - my family - and trying to have a life that I actually enjoy. Of course [with] the band, yeah, it’s like, ‘Holy shit, it’s more than half of my life.’ My adult life is Gojira. Almost all of it. What we do, though, is we work hard making our group healthy, communicating, having good moments and being on the same page, all of us. With different personalities, sometimes it is not easy, but I feel we’re doing a pretty good job.” www.gojira-music.com
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2014 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 27