Latest news with #AliveintheCatacombs
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How an ancient place of death made Josh Homme feel alive
Josh Homme sips a Modelo the other night as he sits amid the vibey greenery behind Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax Avenue. Inside the movie theater, a small crowd including several of Homme's friends and family members is watching 'Alive in the Catacombs,' a black-and-white short film that documents an acoustic gig Homme's rock band, Queens of the Stone Age, played last July in the Paris Catacombs, where the remains of an estimated 6 million people are stored beneath the streets of the French capital. Back here on the patio, the 52-year-old singer and guitarist is musing about how audiences are likely to react. 'I'm so proud of the film because it's either 'I hate it' or 'Holy s—, that was intense,'' he says. 'It's nothing in between.' Advertisement The inspiration for 'Alive in the Catacombs,' which comes accompanied by a behind-the-scenes documentary (and a five-song EP due Friday), stretches back two decades to a trip to Paris when a long line stymied Homme's attempt to visit the historical site. Yet he sees a certain poetry in the fact that the show — with radically stripped-down renditions of tunes like 'Villains of Circumstance' and 'Suture Up Your Future' — came together only as he found himself in a health crisis that forced Queens to postpone the remaining dates of its 2024 tour. With Homme having recovered from cancer, the band will return to the road this week for its first shows in nearly a year. How arduous was it to convince the Parisian officials to let you shoot in the catacombs? It was a f— nightmare. There's a national attitude that's pervasive in France where you ask a question and the first reaction is, 'Ask him over there.' The runaround, as we would call it. We received the runaround for many years. Are you attracted to spooky spots in general? I love when music is scary. I recall hearing the Doors as a young boy and being like, 'Whoa.' And they're so consistently terrifying — I've always been obsessed with that. My vision of Queens, when it's perfect, is: There's a hill with the sun behind it, and this crippled army of minstrels comes over the horizon. The townspeople go, 'S—, grab the kids.' When we sound like that, we're at our best. What's a place in L.A. that might be comparable to the catacombs? There are some Steinbeck-y hobo hotels. And in the right light the Hollywood Forever cemetery has a certain ominous beauty. But that feels too simple. I grew up working on a tree farm, and there's something about the uniformity of a tree farm that I find terrifying. Further out, the oil fields of Kern County are like dinosaur relics — scabs on the surface of the earth. Advertisement Seems reasonable to ask why someone in such perilous physical shape would want to spend time in a place defined by death. Having worked on this for the better part of 20 years, the chances that when it finally occurs, I would be dealing with the very issue that is why it exists — I mean, the chances are almost zero. That plays into my romantic side, and I don't see the value in running hypotheticals about why it's happening. I'd rather hold it close and say, 'I'm supposed to be here,' accept that and feel empowered by it. There were a lot of people who love me that were saying I shouldn't do this. And I respect that. But it does ignore the point — like, how many signs do you need? I saw the behind-the-scenes film — I watched it once, and I can never watch it again. I see how medicated I was. I know that vulnerable is the way to go, but I don't do a lot of sorting through things in hindsight — it makes me uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable with the documentary. Why put it out? Because that's what this is. I was uncomfortable in the catacombs too. Read more: A timeline of Sly Stone's career in 10 essential songs Advertisement You don't play guitar in the movie. Did it feel natural for you to sing without holding one? It didn't in earlier years, but now it's as natural as anything else. I'm sort of slowly falling out of love with the guitar. I'll just use any instrument. I don't play them all well, but it doesn't really matter — it's whatever will get the idea across. Who were some of your models for the kind of singing you're doing? I've always loved [Jim] Morrison and his poetry. Sometimes the music isn't great in the Doors, but it's all in support of someone that I do believe is a true poet. The words are the strongest part of that band. Your crooning made me want to hear you do an album of standards. I was talking about this with my old man today. He's like, 'You're not gonna retire,' and I was like, 'Oh, yes, I am — I'm going to Melvyn's in Palm Springs to be like [sings], 'Fly me to the moon…'' You grew up in Palm Desert. This might be an underappreciated aspect of your lineage. KDES 104.7, baby. The DJ would be like, 'Are you by the pool? Well, you should be.' Very Robert Evans. Advertisement Are there Queens songs you knew wouldn't work in the catacombs? We didn't think of it that way. The people in there, they didn't choose to be there, so what would they want to hear? I chose things about family, acceptance, the difficulties in life and the way you feel the moment they're revealed — and the way you feel the moment they're over. My first thought was: How do I emotionally get on my knees and do the very best I can to present something that these people have been longing for? It felt very religious. Do you believe in God? I believe in God, but God is everything I can't understand. Do you think there's an afterlife? I believe there's a return to something. Is it like, 'Oh my God, Rodney Dangerfield!'? That's not what I believe. But the energy that keeps you and I alive, it can't simply disappear. You must just go home to the big ball somewhere. Last time you and I spoke, you told me you you'd learned to pursue your art with less of the reckless abandon of your youth. I wondered how that figured into your decision to call off shows last year after Paris. By the time we walked down the steps into the catacombs, we all knew in the band that it was over. The morning we were supposed to play Venice [a few days before the Paris gig], I just couldn't take it anymore, so I was like, 'Take me to the hospital.' But I realized there was nothing that could happen for me there. I said, 'Bathroom?' and I had them pull the car up and we left. Advertisement Does that seem irresponsible in retrospect? No, because they didn't know what was going on and they didn't have the ability to know. I was like, 'I made a mistake — I should have just kept going.' We went to the next show in Milan because Paris was so close. You work on something for all these years, and now you can almost see it. You're gonna turn around because it's hard? You can't go two more hours? My old man says, 'Quitting on yourself is hardest the first time, and it's easy every time after that.' Whoa. Is that wrong? That's the guy that brought me up, and he's proud to be here tonight. So did I make a mistake or not? I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd walked away. You've been reluctant to get too specific about your illness. It doesn't matter. Who cares? It was hard and it was dangerous. Big f— deal. Queens is about to get back onstage. We're gonna finish what we started. I thought I was gonna be out of commission for 18 months or two years — that's what I was told. Advertisement How'd you take that? I wasn't looking for high-fives. But it ended up being seven months. I've changed so many things, and I feel so good. Are you writing songs? Lots. The great part about these physically or mentally dangerous situations is that now I feel super-alive and ready to go. I spent a lot of months bedridden, and now that I'm not, I'm very much like a rodeo bull. Not the rider — the bull. When you open that gate, I will destroy. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How an ancient place of death made Josh Homme feel alive
Josh Homme sips a Modelo the other night as he sits amid the vibey greenery behind Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax Avenue. Inside the movie theater, a small crowd including several of Homme's friends and family members is watching 'Alive in the Catacombs,' a black-and-white short film that documents an acoustic gig Homme's rock band, Queens of the Stone Age, played last July in the Paris Catacombs, where the remains of an estimated 6 million people are stored beneath the streets of the French capital. Back here on the patio, the 52-year-old singer and guitarist is musing about how audiences are likely to react. 'I'm so proud of the film because it's either 'I hate it' or 'Holy s—, that was intense,'' he says. 'It's nothing in between.' The inspiration for 'Alive in the Catacombs,' which comes accompanied by a behind-the-scenes documentary (and a five-song EP due Friday), stretches back two decades to a trip to Paris when a long line stymied Homme's attempt to visit the historical site. Yet he sees a certain poetry in the fact that the show — with radically stripped-down renditions of tunes like 'Villains of Circumstance' and 'Suture Up Your Future' — came together only as he found himself in a health crisis that forced Queens to postpone the remaining dates of its 2024 tour. With Homme having recovered from cancer, the band will return to the road this week for its first shows in nearly a year. How arduous was it to convince the Parisian officials to let you shoot in the catacombs?It was a f— nightmare. There's a national attitude that's pervasive in France where you ask a question and the first reaction is, 'Ask him over there.' The runaround, as we would call it. We received the runaround for many years. Are you attracted to spooky spots in general?I love when music is scary. I recall hearing the Doors as a young boy and being like, 'Whoa.' And they're so consistently terrifying — I've always been obsessed with that. My vision of Queens, when it's perfect, is: There's a hill with the sun behind it, and this crippled army of minstrels comes over the horizon. The townspeople go, 'S—, grab the kids.' When we sound like that, we're at our best. What's a place in L.A. that might be comparable to the catacombs?There are some Steinbeck-y hobo hotels. And in the right light the Hollywood Forever cemetery has a certain ominous beauty. But that feels too simple. I grew up working on a tree farm, and there's something about the uniformity of a tree farm that I find terrifying. Further out, the oil fields of Kern County are like dinosaur relics — scabs on the surface of the earth. Seems reasonable to ask why someone in such perilous physical shape would want to spend time in a place defined by worked on this for the better part of 20 years, the chances that when it finally occurs, I would be dealing with the very issue that is why it exists — I mean, the chances are almost zero. That plays into my romantic side, and I don't see the value in running hypotheticals about why it's happening. I'd rather hold it close and say, 'I'm supposed to be here,' accept that and feel empowered by it. There were a lot of people who love me that were saying I shouldn't do this. And I respect that. But it does ignore the point — like, how many signs do you need? I saw the behind-the-scenes film —I watched it once, and I can never watch it again. I see how medicated I was. I know that vulnerable is the way to go, but I don't do a lot of sorting through things in hindsight — it makes me uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable with the documentary. Why put it out?Because that's what this is. I was uncomfortable in the catacombs too. You don't play guitar in the movie. Did it feel natural for you to sing without holding one?It didn't in earlier years, but now it's as natural as anything else. I'm sort of slowly falling out of love with the guitar. I'll just use any instrument. I don't play them all well, but it doesn't really matter — it's whatever will get the idea across. Who were some of your models for the kind of singing you're doing?I've always loved [Jim] Morrison and his poetry. Sometimes the music isn't great in the Doors, but it's all in support of someone that I do believe is a true poet. The words are the strongest part of that band. Your crooning made me want to hear you do an album of standards.I was talking about this with my old man today. He's like, 'You're not gonna retire,' and I was like, 'Oh, yes, I am — I'm going to Melvyn's in Palm Springs to be like [sings], 'Fly me to the moon…'' You grew up in Palm Desert. This might be an underappreciated aspect of your 104.7, baby. The DJ would be like, 'Are you by the pool? Well, you should be.' Very Robert Evans. Are there Queens songs you knew wouldn't work in the catacombs?We didn't think of it that way. The people in there, they didn't choose to be there, so what would they want to hear? I chose things about family, acceptance, the difficulties in life and the way you feel the moment they're revealed — and the way you feel the moment they're over. My first thought was: How do I emotionally get on my knees and do the very best I can to present something that these people have been longing for? It felt very religious. Do you believe in God?I believe in God, but God is everything I can't understand. Do you think there's an afterlife?I believe there's a return to something. Is it like, 'Oh my God, Rodney Dangerfield!'? That's not what I believe. But the energy that keeps you and I alive, it can't simply disappear. You must just go home to the big ball somewhere. Last time you and I spoke, you told me you you'd learned to pursue your art with less of the reckless abandon of your youth. I wondered how that figured into your decision to call off shows last year after the time we walked down the steps into the catacombs, we all knew in the band that it was over. The morning we were supposed to play Venice [a few days before the Paris gig], I just couldn't take it anymore, so I was like, 'Take me to the hospital.' But I realized there was nothing that could happen for me there. I said, 'Bathroom?' and I had them pull the car up and we left. Does that seem irresponsible in retrospect?No, because they didn't know what was going on and they didn't have the ability to know. I was like, 'I made a mistake — I should have just kept going.' We went to the next show in Milan because Paris was so close. You work on something for all these years, and now you can almost see it. You're gonna turn around because it's hard? You can't go two more hours? My old man says, 'Quitting on yourself is hardest the first time, and it's easy every time after that.' that wrong? That's the guy that brought me up, and he's proud to be here tonight. So did I make a mistake or not? I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd walked away. You've been reluctant to get too specific about your doesn't matter. Who cares? It was hard and it was dangerous. Big f— deal. Queens is about to get back gonna finish what we started. I thought I was gonna be out of commission for 18 months or two years — that's what I was told. How'd you take that?I wasn't looking for high-fives. But it ended up being seven months. I've changed so many things, and I feel so good. Are you writing songs?Lots. The great part about these physically or mentally dangerous situations is that now I feel super-alive and ready to go. I spent a lot of months bedridden, and now that I'm not, I'm very much like a rodeo bull. Not the rider — the bull. When you open that gate, I will destroy.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Queens Of The Stone Age: Alive In The Catacombs - Audio Release Set For June 13
By popular demand, Queens of the Stone Age are releasing the audio of their spellbinding Alive in the Catacombs performance. Appropriately, the music arrives this Friday the 13th across all digital platforms via Matador Records. The band has also announced a limited vinyl edition of the AITC audio. Only 5,000 copies will be pressed of this special one-sided vinyl edition. Housed in a gatefold jacket with foil print inside and out, the AITC vinyl edition contains an exclusive 24-page booklet of behind the scenes photos taken by long-time collaborator Andreas Neumann. Each copy will be individually stamped and numbered. Pre-orders are available now at for a release date of August 22nd. The AITC film and subsequent audio release is QOTSA distilled down to their most elemental form — Joshua Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore augmented by a three-piece string section, employing chains and chopsticks as makeshift percussion instruments. Entirely unfiltered, as every song was recorded live in a complete take with no overdubs or edits. The audio was recorded by Mark Rankin, François-Xavier Delaby, Henri d'Armancourt and Alban Lejeune, and was produced by Mark Rankin. Final mixes by Mark Rankin, Joshua Homme and Michael Shuman. The tracklisting is as follows: Running Joke/Paper Machete Kalopsia Villans of Circumstance Suture Up Your Future I Never Came Queens of the Stone Age have released Alive in the Catacombs, the film, and an accompanying behind the scenes documentary, Alive in Paris and Before. Both films are available now to purchase or rent via Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs was produced by La Blogothèque and directed by Thomas Rames, and was filmed and recorded in July 2024 in Paris, France.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Queens of the Stone Age Couldn't ‘Over-Rehearse' for Paris Catacombs Concert Film: ‘You Go Down There & All the Plans Are Off'
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has some sage advice for anyone who finds themselves in a difficult situation. 'If you're going through hell,' Homme says, 'keep going.' More from Billboard Queens of the Stone Age Announce 'Alive in the Catacombs' Concert Film, Album Billboard & Global Venture Partners Launch Billboard Africa Here's What Fans Think of SiR Claiming Drake Had His 2024 Toronto Show Canceled Easy for him to say: He's one of the few lucky souls who has left the Paris Catacombs, the subject of his band's new film and the final home to more than 6 million deceased Parisians following an 18th-century effort to fix Paris' overcrowded, dilapidated cemetery system. Homme has long been fascinated by the underground burial site, visited by more than a half-million people each year, and chose the dark and foreboding underground capsule as the central motif for Queens of the Stone Age's new project Alive in the Catacombs, a concert and concept film directed by Thomas Rames and produced by La Blogothèque. 'This place is like trying to run on a sheet of ice,' Hommes explains in the accompanying documentary Alive in Paris and Before, shot by the band's longtime visual collaborator Andreas Neumann. 'You have no idea how much time has passed up there, up above, and no time has passed below. It's the same time, all the time, every time.' It's easy to get lost in the maze-like film as it wanders through the subterranean tunnels and ossuaries buried deep beneath the City of Light. The film captures Homme at a low point in 2024, having to cancel a major European leg of the band's tour due to a cancer diagnosis from which he has since recovered. Performing in the Catacombs had been a lifelong dream of Homme's, and he pushes though the pain to delivery a carefully arranged performance of music from the band's back catalog, 'stripped down bare, without taking away what made each one wonderful,' band member Dean Fertita explains in the documentary. The band recruited violinist Christelle Lassort and viola player Arabella Bozig to repurpose tracks like 'Paper Machete,' 'Kalopsia' and 'Villains of Circumstance'; while each song was performed acoustically, Homme was adamant the project not simply feel like 'Queens of the Stone Age Unplugged.' 'When you go into the Catacombs, there are 6 million people in there, and I think about, 'What would you want to hear if you were one of those people?'' Homme said Wednesday night (June 4) during a Q&A in Los Angeles following a screening of the film. 'I'd want to hear about family and acceptance and things I care about. A lot of the songs we picked are about the moment you realize there's difficulty and the moment you realize you're past it, so a lot of the songs we picked were about letting the people down there know it's all right and that we care about them.' Homme said the challenges of the performance was that unlike a traditional concert where the band plays to the audience, 'We're in the belly of this thing. The ceiling is dripping and it's an organic thing that's really dominating.' The Paris Catacombs were built during a time of great upheaval in French society, as revolution completely reshaped civic life and laid siege to the political fabric of the French monarchy. There are no coffins or headstones in the Catacombs, with the bones of the princes and kings mixed with peasants and non-nobility. The band shot the entire film in one day, Homme said, securing permission from the historical group that oversees the Paris Catacombs to shoot on a day the space was closed to the public. 'We didn't over-rehearse; we just rehearsed twice,' Homme said. 'It's not supposed to be perfect. You try to make a plan, but you go down there and all the plans are off.' Fans can preorder the film in advance on Queens of the Stone Age's website; fans who order the video before Saturday will also receive the mini-documentary film. Watch the trailer below: Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Scoop
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Queens Of The Stone Age: Alive In The Catacombs
Queens of the Stone Age have released Alive in the Catacombs and an accompanying behind the scenes documentary, Alive in Paris and Before. Both films are available now to purchase or rent via For the next 48 hours, fans who purchase Alive In the Catacombs for download or stream will also receive Alive in Paris and Before: an exclusive behind the scenes chronicle of the tumultuous days leading up to the Catacombs performance. An unflinching document of an emotionally charged period that included the agonizing decision to postpone the remaining The End is Nero tour dates due to Joshua Homme's medical emergency, Alive in Paris and Before is essential viewing that gives deeper context to the triumph that is Alive in the Catacombs. Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs is the cinematic realisation of a dream 18 years in the making, an audiovisual document of the band's long- rumored performance in the tunnels of the famed Catacombs of Paris. Filmed and recorded in July 2024, Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs captures QOTSA as you've never seen or heard them before. This utterly unique, once in a lifetime experience features a carefully selected setlist spanning the QOTSA catalog, each song chosen and epically reimagined for the Catacombs. The result is an unprecedented incarnation of QOTSA at their most intimate, yet surrounded by literally millions of human remains - 'the biggest audience we've ever played for,' says Joshua Homme. Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in Paris and Before and Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs combine to form a distinct arc: The documentary finds the band at its most vulnerable, while the performance captures one of the most triumphant moments in QOTSA's storied history.
