Josh Homme on Lynyrd Skynyrd: "they're a covers band"

Josh Homme recently discussed his views on bands continuing their careers in the face of life-changing loss, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, who have no original surviving members left, following the death of the last remaining co-founder, Gary Rossington, back in March.

The Queens Of The Stone Age frontman described the classic rockers as a "covers band", but acknowledged that, despite of their entirely new line-up, fans are still interested in hearing their songs.

The topic arose while in conversation with Visions, when Homme was asked how his band would tackle losing an integral member, in the light of the news that the Foo Fighters would be replacing the late Taylor Hawkins with Josh Freese.

“I think the Queens are positioned to resist things that happen to them and incorporate the experiences they have into their own art. It’s the nature of the Queens to always change. Accepting change is part of our DNA" he explains (via Alternative Nation).

"In the case of the Foo Fighters, I think they just have to keep going – to honor Taylor because there’s no way they can love him more than they do. When a person’s journey on this planet comes to an end, I believe that all who remain behind have an obligation to move on."

Offering another point of view, he adds: "On the other hand, I ask myself: What should one think of a band like Lynyrd Skynyrd that is still on the road today, even though none of the original line-up is left? Ultimately, the answer to this question lies in people’s tastes.

"Even though Lynyrd Skynyrd are a cover band today, people still want to hear these songs – and what should I have against that? Also, I’m so busy figuring out what I like that I rarely have time to think about what I don’t like.”

QOTSA are set to release the new album In Times New Roman, on June 16. Listen to their first single, Emotion Sickness, below.

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Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.