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DEZ FAFARA On His Upcoming Autobiography: 'I Had Tears' In My Eyes 'At Least Two Or Three Times' While Reading It
May 12, 2023COAL CHAMBER and DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara spoke to "The Mistress Carrie Podcast" about his upcoming autobiography. The first volume of "Loco: Chaos, Calamity, And Coal Chamber" will arrive in September via Rare Bird Books, with the second volume to follow at a later date.
"That's a hell of a read," Dez said. "It's a two-book deal. So [the first part covers] my youth through COAL CHAMBER. And then the next one is the DEVILDRIVER years, which are insane stories.
"Because I am so private and I really haven't talked a lot about this, I think people are gonna get a huge glimpse of where I come from as a person," he continued. "I left home at an early age. I slept under bridges. I stole food. I went to jail. I can't believe where I'm at right now. I'm in a 5,000-square-foot house overlooking a golf course with kids that are raised and classic cars in the driveway. It's crazy."
Dez added: "I got to tell some real crazy stories. I've had some — I don't wanna say 'sad', but I've had some sad shit happen in my life… I've had a lot of suicides in my family; I've had a lot of stuff… But it was so cathartic. The first day that I actually got all the drafts back to me, and I said, 'Okay, this is eight chapters. I'm gonna need, like, three hours, whatever, to read.' And I sat down and I read it — it was my own story and I had tears [in my eyes] at least two or three times. And [my wife] is, like, 'You okay?' And I said, 'Yeah. Not only do I think I wouldn't be thinking of telling anybody this shit, but reading where I come from… It's, like, how the hell am I here?' And she's, like, 'Honey, your fucking tenacity. You're a fucking ball breaker. Are you kiddin me? You're a ball breaker. You bounce back. You're one of the most insanely driven people I know.'"
In a separate interview with Revolver, Dez was asked how nostalgic or reflective of a person he was prior to taking on this autobiography project. He said: "Not one bit. There's that old saying: If you don't know your past, you don't know your future. Fucking wrong! The minute you start looking back, it's almost impossible to start to move forward. I took no time to look back until [my wife] Anahstasia got me a two-book deal: The first one is my life when I was young through COAL CHAMBER, and the next one is the DEVILDRIVER years. It was an incredible process to speak to a co-writer [author Joel McIver], extremely reflective. A couple times, I had tears in my eyes. That doesn't come easy for me. I also got pissed about a few things. There'll be some insane revelations within that book that obviously I'm not going to give up to you right now… But people are going to get an honest, open look at who Bradley James Fafara is. I think they deserve that."
Official "Loco: Chaos, Calamity, And Coal Chamber" description: "The California-born and raised everyman is now the singer and leader of the band DEVILDRIVER, artist manager, multiple brand owner, and motivational guru. In the period of time covered in 'Loco', though, Dez was just Bradley Fafara, a Hollywood club kid who escaped a lifetime wasted (in both senses) on the beach to become one of the 1990s most vivid rock stars.
"With his band COAL CHAMBER, Dez pioneered a whole new sound and visual, touring the world, battling innumerable obstacles and ultimately breaking free to go solo with DEVILDRIVER, the focus of Volume Two of Fafara's two-book autobiography plan. Titled after COAL CHAMBER's 1997 hit, 'Loco' describes the arc of a man who was ripped off, let down, and beaten up, but who never quit — and who ultimately achieved his own form of redemption. It includes more than 50 black-and-white and full-color images."
"Loco: Chaos, Calamity, And Coal Chamber" was written with Joel McIver, the bestselling author of "Justice for All: The Truth About Metallica", which has been translated into nine languages, and several other books. He has written for Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, and he is the occasional guest on BBC. Classic Rock magazine has called him "by some distance Britain's most prolific hard rock/metal author." He wrote the official biography of the world's biggest death metal band CANNIBAL CORPSE, and co-wrote MEGADETH's bio from former bass player David Ellefson.
DEVILDRIVER has just released its tenth full-length album, "Dealing With Demons Vol. II".
COAL CHAMBER will support MUDVAYNE on "The Psychotherapy Sessions" tour this summer. Produced by Live Nation, the 26-city trek kicks off on July 20 in West Palm Beach at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, making stops across the U.S. in Syracuse, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and more before wrapping up in Englewood, Colorado at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre on August 26.
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