Chad Kroeger Is Playboy’s April Interview

Nickelback’s Redneck Frontman Opens up about Renegotiating with His Record Label, Serving Time, and Leading Rock’s Most Popular (and Hated) Band.

“Labels can’t be 50-50 partners with band after band and have them fail, fail, fail, right? So when they get a band that sells records the way we do, they have to cover the losses of all the rest. That’s why a contract is so skewed in the label’s favor. Live Nation just offered us a deal to play 100 shows. You can’t even imagine the money. It’s in the neighborhood of the deal they did with Madonna [reportedly $120 million]. It’s retarded,” rants Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger in Playboy’s April Interview (issue on newsstands and at www.playboydigital.com Friday, March 7). “We’re going into a renegotiation with our record label. My leverage is not to record.”

In addition to discussing his record label frustrations, the normally press shy Kroeger sat down with Playboy Contributing Editor Rob Tannenbaum to chat about his criminal record, partying like a rock star, and why he still thinks it is fun to be bad. Tannenbaum left the conversation with a newfound respect for the controversial rocker. “A few days after our interview I got a beautiful bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the mail, along with a note: ‘Thanks for the great interview. Best, Chad.’ At various times he referred to himself as a redneck, a badass and an idiot. But he’s also a gentleman.” Following are selected quotes from Kroeger’s interview:

On if a bad review has ever made him lose sleep:

“Probably. But if I had lost sleep, do you think I would tell a music critic? I’ve been bummed out for a day, sure. Like, Wow, this person is taking my band more seriously than I am. If my music is fucking up your life, change the station, dude. At the end of the day, I’m just some guy who sings in a rock-and-roll band. I’m not Hitler.”

On music critics:

“If we ever get a positive review in Rolling Stone, that album is in trouble, because those people cannot predict what a large-selling album is. They bashed the f*ck out of Led Zeppelin years ago, and now they call it one of the greatest rock bands of all time. That just makes them look like hypocrites. Who’s the most famous music critic who ever lived? They’ve never made a statue of a critic.”

On wanting to please other people:

“That could be the Canadian in me. My persona onstage, that Chad is a different guy. I become the fun guy, the party guy. I want to whip everybody into a frenzy and scream and blow things up. It’s like I have my own game show and everyone gets to be a contestant. I’m there as an entertainer. Some bands get up with no lights and no production, and they say, ‘It’s all about the songs.’ Hey, if it’s all about the songs, I can listen to the f*cking CD at home. I’m here to see you live. Perform, monkey! [laughs]”

On the stupidest thing he ever did for a case of beer:

“I put my own d*ck in my mouth. I was 14 and much more flexible at the time. It was soft and required a lot of pulling. I really wanted that case of beer.”

On thinking it is fun to be bad:

“I don’t know how many times I got kicked out of school. I just thought it was fun to be bad. To a certain degree I still think it’s fun to be bad. You should just never do anything that’s going to hurt someone else.”

On enjoying to fight:

“I still like a little bit of violence. I like wrestling with my friends. I like getting smacked in the face now and again. It lets you know you’re still alive.”

On his mortality:

“I will die on my 40th birthday. I dreamed it: I’ll be onstage and have a heart attack. The crowd will think it’s part of the show, and that will be the end. It’s probably why I live every day like I’m dying. There you go. It’s been foretold. I will be dead on my 40th birthday.”

On putting his band before everything:

“Look, my band was everything even when it was nothing. And I will never put another human being in front of my band. Ever. Do you have any idea how hard it is to tell a woman you love that if it ever came down to her or the band, she’d be packing her suitcase? I mean, you never want to explain it quite like that.”

On why he is a “walking penis”:

“You know anything about zodiac signs? I’m a Scorpio. A Scorpio is pretty much a walking penis. Getting that under control is difficult. Also, I was born in 1974, the year of the tiger, which means I’m a shrewd businessman and I pretty much want to take over the world. I’m a walking penis that wants to take over the world. So you can imagine. ”

On having “Middle-America” tastes (TV, cars, beer, movies, books) even thought he is Canadian:

“You could probably scratch books off that list. [laughs] I like car chases, explosions, big boobs—the same things Middle America likes. If I like something, all the red states are probably going to like it too. ”

On his musical taste:

“Everyone gets compared to someone else at the start. People said we were Creed’s little brother. I’ve never been a Creed fan, so I considered that comparison a little insulting, to be honest… The most uncharacteristic music I listen to is probably Abba. The songs are unbelievably catchy.”

On the best thing he ever stole:

“Someone’s virginity, I’m sure. [laughs] One of the best things I stole I didn’t get charged for, so I don’t want to bring it up. I stole a small truck, and I was facing jail time. My lawyer pleaded it down to joyriding.”

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Aner wrote: Nickelback rocks! I love it that Chad doesn’t take himself or life for that matter so seriously. It is serious but not so serious you can’t enjoy yourself. NICKELBACK is my obsession!

  2. Ryan wrote: Chad Kroeger is always so funny, and humble. He has the some of the most interesting interviews I’ve read. The guy also rights great music. Let’s all just hope he doesn’t die on his 40th birthday. What a shame it would be.

  3. RM wrote: Nickeback is so bad. I hate them so much that I wanted to see why everybody was bashing this loser’s interview. He sucked dick? Wow. What a tool.

  4. melissa wrote: cool interview, i have to say the ”putting his own dick in his mouth”thing kinda shocked me but hey we all done stupid sh*t before right. it dont matter what he put in his mouth i still love this man, he is awesome!!!!!!!