Interview: King 810

By Dom Smith
By January 31, 2015 March 11th, 2015 Features, Interviews

In our latest interview, we spoke to David Gunn of King 810 about touring with Slipknot and Korn, as well as his own inspirations. 

King 810 small

S] Hey David, man! How are you – what are you up to?

D] I’m good, I’m good. In Paris today. It’s a good city to be in.

S] Your vocals are some of the most intense we’ve heard – where did you first find your voice/figure out you could sing?

D] I still don’t believe I can sing, at this point. I just make the sounds I wanna hear for the parts I think up. I found my voice after trying to use everyone else’s voice, mainly when I was a lot younger. Once mimicking everyone I admired didn’t amuse me anymore, I ended up back with my own voice and that ended up being my favorite one to use, as unusual as that may sound.

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S] Where were you and what were you experiencing, when you came up with the ideas for ‘Fat Around The Heart’?

D] “I was at home in Flint walking the streets, which is my main method for writing. I walk out the front door and walk around my neighbourhood, taking things in. Songs usually pour out when this goes right and that’s where ‘Fat Around the Heart’ came from. It’s almost a song for our group to the rest of the world, from a fearless perspective, looking out at everyone else living as a part of a very afraid society. Literally scared of their own shadows.”

S] You’ve always written stuff – stories and songs – I wanted to know what’s the most challenging thing you’ve ever written, and why?

D] “The most challenging thing I’ve had to write so far was our current record, ‘Memoirs Of A Murderer’.  It was torture.  I’ve said before that I would rather be shot again than write this record again and I still feel that way. It was just very personal. ”

S] What keeps you passionate about creating outside of music – people, movies or particular spaces in Flint?

D] “My inspiration isn’t triggered by other peoples creations like movies, books, etc, or people. Of course I’m into all those things, but inspiration comes from experiences and real life, almost as if it’s run through me as a filter and it comes out the other side in the form of writing or a song idea.”

S] Have you enjoyed visiting any particular places in the UK?

D] “Every place is enjoyable really, but I’m partial to Scotland.  I really like all of the UK though. It’s been the most welcoming place we’ve been to. We seem to be very understood there.”

S] What’s been one of the favourite memories of this tour in terms of performing?

D] “Really, I enjoy watching Korn and Slipknot every night the most. They’ve always been a couple of my favorite bands. The performing experiences themselves have really been the best though, without naming one particularly.  As I said before, we feel at home in the UK and what were doing is being embraced.  Playing for some of these crowds is overwhelming.  Last night there were over 14,000 people in Birmingham and we just stand there on the stage, four kids from Flint staring at each other like, what are we supposed to do now?!  It’s indescribable.”

S] What are your plans for the rest of this year?

D] “The next move I’m really anticipating is the Tech N9ne tour in the States. That’s gonna be a challenge, because were on an all rap bill, y’know. We fuck with what Tech does and stands for as an artist, and his work ethic is 100%.  So that’s our next play and that will take us into the summer, where we’ve just confirmed Download and some other European fests. Really though we’re focused everyday on these current shows.  We don’t focus too far ahead, we focus on the here and now, to get all these shows on this tour right and behind us. Then we head home and plan on how to go as hard as possible on the Tech N9ne tour. One thing at a time.”

S] Thanks for taking the time out for us today.

“Aye. Cheers.”

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