The following are highlights from a recent interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Adam “Edge” Copeland from the “Journey Of A Frontman” music website:
On a backstage story about music he chose for part of his WWE Hall Of Fame induction: “Yeah, it was. It was the one request I had. When I found out I was going in, they said, “Do you want anything?” And I said, “Use Walk for the induction. That would be pretty amazing.” The night before I found out I had to retire, I was listening to that song on the way home and I really paid attention to the lyrics for whatever reason. I knew something was different. I wasn’t feeling great, physically. Those lyrics really, really meant something to me in the aspect of what I was going through at that point. Starting a new part of your life and walking around into the next one. Everybody agreed and they were like, “Yeah! Of course you can use it!” It doesn’t really get any better than that. I got my favorite band, using a song that truly does mean something to me. And I get to go into the Hall Of Fame. So it was very cool and one of those things that the first time that I heard Nevermind, coming back from the Bramalea City Center, I bought it on cassette. And you hear those drums for the first time and then years later, that drummer is letting you use his music for your Hall Of Fame induction. Pretty surreal.”
On replacing his WWE theme music: “Replacing Never Gonna Stop wasn’t my choice. The copyright ran out on Never Gonna Stop. And the way that started is, I tore my labrum in my shoulder, but I didn’t get surgery, so I ended up having a month off. So I threw a shot in the dark. I always hated that You Think You Know Me music because it never fit me and what I actually listen to. I had actually said that I wanted to use this Black Label Society song and they were like, “Okay, well here’s our version of it.” And it just sounded like a bad ripoff with this cheesy voice. The guys that did Big Show’s music and they did this version of Black Label and it was just not good. It just sounded like a bad ripoff. Rob Zombie, he had a new album coming out, “Can we get this?” A shot in the dark. Next week, they brought me a copy of the CD, The Sinister Urge, and I was just like, “Oh, really? Holy shit!” I didn’t think that was gonna happen. So I had four tracks and they said the album hasn’t been released, so you can’t let anybody hear this. And I said, “Okay. Never Gonna Stop.” I come back from an injury, that makes sense. So I used it, really, really liked it. And then when I came back from the neck injury, they were like, “Okay, well we can’t use it.” And also if you watch DVDs, it’s never on the DVDs. So they piped in my original music.”
“When I was out with my neck injury, I met Mark Tremonti. I met him at a Metallica show, actually. And I went back to his place after and he played me what would end up being the first Alter Bridge album. I heard Metalingus and I was like, “Dude, can I use that when I come back?” And he said, “Yeah! Of course!” So that ended up being the genesis of it and when I heard it, it was actually Mark singing. It hadn’t been Myles yet. So it was in its infancy, but I had heard that song. I was like, “Okay, that’s gonna be what I come to the ring to.” And that’s how that all started.”
On his favorite live band performances on WWE programming: “The first one I really remember was Motley Crue. I show up at work one day and I was like, “Oh! Wow, that’s Motley Crue up there! What is going on?” So that was kind of cool because there’s nobody in the arena and you sit there and listen to them soundcheck. So I remember sitting there and I went, “Man! That’s Tommy Lee killin those drums up there! This is amazing!” And you get your own little private show. When Ozzy played Smackdown. It’s Ozzy! And Zakk’s up there ripping away. It was Baltimore and Zakk had this prototype, 1 of 1 half SG, half Randy Rhoads flying V Gibson with Zakk’s bullseye design, and it was just a ridiculous guitar. So I’m just sitting there and he goes “Wanna play this fuckin thing!” I didn’t, not in front of him! But I got a picture with it. Dropped that phone in a toilet though and that picture is gone. Just fun experiences like that, having pictures of Ozzy choking you and stuff. It’s ridiculous, you never know what’s gonna happen. You get a private show with Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue.”
On bonding with Chris Jericho through the years over their musical tastes: “There’s always certain guys that you just end up bonding with. Chris and I always knew that we had similar taste in music. Like I said, we’d hit concerts together. We have similar tastes in that it’s not just metal, we love The Beatles, a very open musical pallets. We can sit there and talk music for hours. We’ll talk about music and hockey more than we ever did about wrestling. We’re roughly around the same age, grew up in the same era of music. Iron Maiden. Kiss Army and all that. And then with the emergence of thrash metal and The Big Four and that whole scene. So, also, heavily influenced by Queen and the Stones and Beatles. We were kind of two of a few guys that had kind of the same musical taste. But I think he’s the closest of anyone else in that industry to what my musical tastes are.”
On musical guest hosts of WWE RAW a few years back: “Zombie was apart of it one night, that was fun. We really got to catch up again. And it was in Philly, so during the day, Chris, Rob, and I just sat there and talked about music in the arena. It’s tough because with that, you realize that it’s theatrical and it’s fun and don’t take it too seriously. And I don’t know necessarily if some people would get that. A guy like Rob gets that. Alice Cooper would probably get that. Alice Cooper would have been cool, that would have been pretty fun.”
You can check out the complete interview online at JourneyOfAFrontman.com.
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