GODSMACK Drummer Is Happy To Be Making A Living Playing Music

Alan Sculley of The Edmonton Journal recently conducted an interview with GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On playing arenas:

"My favourite venues to play as a drummer are the smaller venues because I can actually feel the crowd's energy more. I can see people's faces and watch people sing along with the lyrics. That's what I get off on. But he (frontman Sully Erna) likes the big places, the big arenas and stuff. So same thing with the show. I have a different kind of mindset. The band has so many killer songs, I think. I don't want to use the show as a crutch, put it that way."

On how much success is enough:

"He [Sully] has his aspirations set so high that I think if we come out and sell a million records, he wishes it sold five million."

"Of course I would love to be in the biggest band in the world and all that jazz. But I think we need to be glad where we're at, try and just put on the killer shows and get back in the studio and make another record.

"If we keep making records and keep doing it, and if it's in the cards for us to have that breakout record, then it will happen. But if not, we're living the good life. I mean, we're living our dreams. I play drums for a living, for God's sake."

"I was in a punk rock band called AMEN for 4 1/2 years and made absolutely no money, had no radio songs. When I had my first daughter, I was looking at wow, I'm making $17,000 a year here basically and I have a baby. I can't do this anymore. Yeah, I enrolled in community college in Santa Barbara, Calif., and two weeks later Sully called and bam, I was like all right, maybe it is in the cards here. But I'm extra grateful maybe because of that."