Josh Homme – the lead singer founder of Queens of the Stone Age – treated music students at BIMM Dublin [The British and Irish Institute of Modern Music] to a Q&A they won’t forget, ahead of the band’s sell-out Dublin show at the 3Arena.
The Q&A was hosted by RTÉ 2fm’s Dan Hegarty and took place at BIMM Dublin’s Francis St building on Friday 24 November, where budding musicians and industry hopefuls enjoyed an exclusive audience with the Californian rockstar.
The QOTSA rocker – who is also known for his work with Them Crooked Vultures and the Eagles of Death Metal – spoke extensively about his illustrious career and answered questions about his perception as an artist.
“The goal has always been to agitate… I want to represent something beautifully deranged and damn near god awful,” he said. On writing, he added, “Sometimes I don’t have the words, so I just play my way out of something.”
Giving his advice on the need to experiment with emotions and viewpoints in songwriting, and not just anger, Homme said: “You can’t write from anger alone because no one would want to be around that.”
But it was his words on taking risks, with genres and subject matter that really struck a chord with the audience. “Risk nothing, get nothing,” was his advice. “If you have a great pan flute song, play that motherf****r!”
Homme – whose credits as a producer extend to Arctic Monkeys, Biffy Clyro and The Villains – also wished the students well with some encouraging words: “I hear what everyone’s doing, and I’m stoked for you, so I wish you all the best of luck and thanks for having me.”