Paramore’s Hayley Williams Talks New Material; ‘Covers’ Miley Cyrus
IRVINE, California – As if the lineup for Bamboozle Left wasn’t enough to make my pop-punk-loving heart leap with joy, I actually got to interview some of my favorite bands. WE’RE TALKING TWO OF MY TOP 10 HERE, FOLKS: Paramore and MxPx. The anticipation was so intense that I barely slept the entire weekend. And when I did, I had nightmares about technology betraying me, Goldfish holocausts and underpacking for a trip around the world.
ANYWAY. On Saturday afternoon, when we walked into Paramore’s tour bus to sit down with Hayley Williams and Jeremy Davis, I was having kind of a surreal moment. I shook their hands and Hayley said, “I’ve seen you guys before! On Buzznet!” which was a cute way for her to like, break the ice — even if I didn’t believe her.
I knew this was jumping the gun just a tad, but I asked them if they’d been working on or thinking about their next album yet. Hayley alluded to the recent band drama and said that although she doesn’t think writing songs about “living in the spotlight” are relatable, “Some of the songs that the guys come up with musically, you just kinda hear that — that struggle, the passion and all of it. It’s beautiful and I love singing to it. We’ll see what comes out of it!”
Also below in this clip: Hayley’s hair color, their most awesome Warped experience, and what it feels like to get a condom stuck to your chest during a performance …
In February, Paramore canceled several European dates to go home and take a break (a few interesting rumors floated about on the Internet as a result). While taking a time-out in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee, they filmed their music video for “That’s What You Get.” Hayley called the shoot “therapeutic.”
“It’s the first time we’ve been able to do stuff with our friends,” Jeremy commented. “We were hanging out all day, and at the end of the day, we were like, ‘So, you guys wanna hang out some more, somewhere else?’ “
They also talked about their experience on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” — only their second late-night appearance so far (the first being Conan O’Brien) and meeting (Kimmel’s girlfriend and comedienne) Sarah Silverman. “Her and I, we both like Forever 21’s striped long sleeve shirts!” Hayley squealed. A bonding moment, obvi.
Hayley’s reaction was almost as animated when asked how she initially reacted to news that Paramore would be co-headlining a tour with Jimmy Eat World.
“I peed a little,” she joked.
I’m kind of obsessed with asking bands what their guilty-pleasure pop songs are – when I asked Paramore, Jeremy drawled, “I like that new Miley Cyrus song!,” referring to her recent radio hit “See You Again.”
” ‘I can’t wait to see you again,’ ” Hayley sang, complete with hand movements, “Man that song is as catchy as balls!” She paused. “You know, like balls that you catch. That kinda catchy.” She made a face. “Whatever!”
Paramore also took some time to tackle some questions from fans. Buzznet member parawhore101, who submitted a few, asked in one of them if they’d suffered any injuries yet while on tour.
“Ohhh, Jeremy has suffered! Jeremy, you talk!” yelled Hayley, which inspired a couple of gruesome tales from the bassist.
Paramore’s co-headlining tour is a huge deal for the rising band, and it’s coming at a good time, as Hayley, Jeremy and the gang are playfully dreaming big. When asked what grand requests they’d make on their tour rider should they ever reach Diva Rock Star status, Hayley said, “a smart car and a mini-Starbucks,” and Jeremy (who’d been discussing this very topic earlier, with guitarist Josh Farro) said it’d be sweet if they could get a trashy $300 car before every show. What would he do with it? Blow it up? Take it apart? Recycle it? Make a super-car? Have an old car derby at the end of the tour? So many possibilities …
Also on the subject of touring, Paramore admitted which song they don’t want to play anymore: They all cited “All We Know” (which they haven’t broken out in a couple of years), because it’s about Jeremy. But they also revealed that, perhaps someday in an acoustic set, the song could be revisited …
We took a few pictures, thanked them profusely and Hayley said, “If we don’t see you at a show soon, then I’m sure we’ll see you at Warped!”
Hell yeah.
Later that evening, I tried to get pictures of their set for you, because I was up front, but I was busy FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE. No, really.
Paramore are currently on their co-headlining tour with Jimmy Eat World and will be playing the main stage at Warped. Be there!
Paramore/Jimmy Eat World tour dates:4.16 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Mid-America Center 4.17 – Springfield, MO @ Shrine Mosque 4.18 – Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom 4.19 – Dekalb, IL @ Northern Illinois University Convocation Center 4.21 – Grand Rapids, MI @ DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center 4.22 – Dayton, OH @ Hara Arena 4.24 – Bloomsburg, PA @ Nelson Fieldhouse at Bloomsburg University 4.25 – Rochester, NY @ Gordon Field House at RIT 4.26 – Washington, DC @ Bender Arena 4.28 – Albany, NY @ Washington Avenue Armory 4.30 – Lowell, MA @ Paul E. Tsongas Arena 5.2 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort
