You don't have to read too closely between the lines to know that Josh Homme was a big party animal. For god's sake, one of Queens of the Stone Age's most iconic songs is "Feel Good Hit of the Summer," which just lists off a bunch of drugs in rapid succession, including "c-c-c-c-c-co-caaaaaine."
However, that part of Homme's life is behind him now. In an intimate new sit-down interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, the Queens of the Stone Age mastermind revealed that he's no longer dabbling in drugs like he once did, and is instead following the leadership of his personal rockstar mentor Iggy Pop, who went from notorious substance abuser to (mostly) sober gentleman.
"For me it's also about you don't want to be the old druggie at a party," Homme said. "That's weird. This isn't the sixties ... I think it's the natural baton pass of the next phase of my life. Just in that notion of I want to live, I don't really smoke ciggies anymore either.
"It's I think because I've done that enough, I've taken enough drugs to kill a small boy, and I think that was my inner child, actually. But I think it's fine. It's fine for me to try other things for a while now too since I did those. I've got that covered. And I still have a glass of wine.
"I think Iggy has always been my inspiration. And Iggy will have a few glasses of wine ... and talking to Iggy about how he went from a junkie that was a pariah where people would say, 'You can do whatever you want, but just don't bring Iggy over here,' to someone that really is such a celebrated, venerated monument that he is."
Watch the full interview below via YouTube.
In Times New Roman… is due out June 16th via Matador. You can order Revolver's new Queens of the Stone Age cover issue and limited-edition colored vinyl at our shop.
