With the handwritten lyrics to several Korn tracks adorning the windows of MTV's Times Square studios and a dimly lit background that depicted a rather foreboding forest, Davis — along with guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer and bassist Reginald "Fieldy Snuts" Arvizu — inspected the stage just minutes before an audience of more than 50 Korn fans was ushered in. The dreadlocked former Oingo Boingo keyboardist had collaborated previously with Korn frontman Jonathan Davis on the songs and score for the 2002 film "Queen of the Damned." For this particular performance, Korn called upon musical director Richard Gibbs to guide them through their 15-song set.
"MTV Unplugged: Korn" — which will be released on CD February 20 and air online February 10 and on TV February 17 — was the first taping of the revived program since 2005's "Alicia Keys: Unplugged" special (see "Alicia Keys Taps Mos Def, Common For 'Inspired' 'Unplugged' "), and it was the first of several others in the works. So how would tracks like "Got the Life," "Blind" and "Freak on a Leash" sound unplugged? Well, different, of course — but no less ominous, passionate or intimidating. This is a band that doesn't rock sitting down. This is a band whose members scream through entire live sets with such force that they can be heard over the 120 decibels they're known for pumping out onstage. Let's face it: Korn — who helped give birth to an entire genre of aggressive, hip-hop-imbued rock during the mid-1990s and have become renowned for delivering one of the most intense and brutal live shows around — and the word "acoustic" have never appeared in the same sentence until, well, right now.
NEW YORK — Walking away from Saturday's taping of "MTV Unplugged: Korn," one couldn't help but reflect on the fact that this band actually pulled it off. D.X.Drummer David Silviera, absent from taping, is on hiatus from band show to air in February. "Creep" may be a cover of the Radiohead alt-rock classic, but if we spend another second researching this, we're gonna hurl. The special is set to make its on-air debut February 17, with a set-list slated to include:Ġ9. Lee adds some vaguely world-musicy howls, proving once and for all that Korn may be nu-metal godfathers, but when you cut to the quick, they're just a buncha emo pussies. So what do they do? Bring along some cellists, a pianist, and some baffling guest stars, including the Cure's Robert Smith and Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee, as seen above in "Freak on a Leash." This is the quintessential drop-tune band. Korn Unplugged sees the rap-rock kingpins making a desperate bid for artistic cred by aping their heroes in Nirvana, going way the hell off the reservation into music styles better left to. Spinal Tap might be funnier, but that's just because it's longer.
It has some of the funniest musical moments since Justin Timberlake's "Dick in a Box" and the Avril Lavinge-Sum 41 tribute to Metallica. You could easily mistake it for a Mad TV sketch. The band's new MTV Unplugged is unintentionally hilarious. Even the subsequent studio albums have had their moments. Time was when Korn offered cutting-edge shit - raucous, down-tuned, grinding songs like "Blind." If properly marketed, "A.D.I.D.A.S" could have been as been as big as Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Follow the Leader, their 1998 LP, could be rap-metal's high-water mark.