Talking to Godsmack About Selling War

Godsmack is a millionaire hard-rock band that has sold millions of records in the last eight years. Its fourth album, "IV," was released on April 25. It sold 211,000 copies in its first week in the United States to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

In May, Jay Babcock, an editor of Arthur Magazine -- an independent, in-depth arts and culture publication -- had been solicited by Godsmack's record label for press coverage. Since Godsmack took a public, pro-military stance in 2003 and is now loaning its music for use in recruitment ads, Babcock decided to ask Godsmack's frontman Sully Erna a few questions about its involvment with the military. As Babcock pressured him to discuss the band's decision, Erna hung up in the middle of the interview and refused to answer any further questions over the following days. Below is a transcript of all that Babcock was able to discuss with Godsmack on May 1 by telephone.

JB: What kind of people listen to your music, do you think?

SE: Ummm … I've seen 'em range as young as 8 and as old as 68. [chuckles]

JB: Well, you've seen a lot more of 'em than I have, and I'm trying to get an idea of what it feels like when you're out there -- to you, on the stage. Do you think there's a lot of teenagers in the audience? A lot of guys in their 20s? Chicks … Is it a dude audience?

SE: I would say, if I had to guess what our age group is, it's probably between … 18 and 40.

JB: Oh, yeah?

SE: I would have to say that's kind of where we're at, maybe more, majority would be 18 to 30? But we definitely recruited a lot of new fans off of that acoustic record.

JB: That did it, huh?

SE: And this record seems to be drawing in a different kind of audience as well. So we're just trying to continue to expand and not have a ceiling over our heads.

JB: Right. You guys are still having a good time making music after all these years?

SE: Of course. We're musicians, that's what we do. It may not always be great music, but we love making it! [laughs]

JB: Cuz music has power?

SE: Mmm, hmm. It's a universal language.

JB: So what you say with it, and what you do with it, has an effect … ?

SE: Of course.

JB: So I notice you guys have been really involved with promoting the military.

SE: Well, they actually came to us, believe it or not. Somebody in the Navy loves this band, because they used "Awake" for three years, and then they came to us and re-upped the contract for another three years for "Sick of Life." So, I don't know. They just feel like that music … [laughs] Someone in that place thinks that the music is very motivating for recruit commercials, I guess. And hey, I'm an American boy, so I'm proud of it.

JB: You're proud of recruiting your fans into the military?

SE: Well, no. [laughs, then playfully:] Don't be turning my fucking words around, you!

JB: Well, tell me what you mean. You said your music is powerful. It's got an effect, like you said, and you're letting the military use it. The military, who are they recruiting? 18- to 30-year-olds, right?

SE: I guess … I don't know what their recruit age is. I know it's at least 18.

JB: Yeah, they go down in the high schools now.

SE: Listen, here's my thing with the military. I'm not saying our government is perfect. Because I know that we make some mistakes, and we do shitty things but, but … You wouldn't have your job, and we wouldn't have our lives, if we weren't out there protecting this country so we could lead a free life. So there's kind of a ying and a yang to that. Sometimes it's not always the best choices that we make, or we stick our noses in other people's shit, but at the same time, we protect this place enough that we're able to like pursue careers and do what a lot of people in other countries aren't able to do. They're kind of picked and they're chosen to be whatever they become … I'm, I'm, I'm proud to be an American, I'll tell you that.