KORN's RAY LUZIER Still Doesn't Consider Himself A Rock Star

In a recent interview with Everyone Loves Guitar, KORN drummer Ray Luzier spoke about the importance of working hard and never resting on his laurels.

"I've never been one of those guys that's, like, 'Oh, Ray made it. He's a rock star now,'" Luzier said (hear audio below). "I still don't consider myself that. I'm hard-working professional musician who happens to be getting gigs that play with big, amazing people, and I never take it for granted."

Luzier, who is known for his high-profile gigs with David Lee Roth, Jake E. Lee and ARMY OF ANYONE, and has been a member of KORN since 2007, continued: "My trip to this point, today, has been the biggest roller coaster ever. [Being] promised record deals and getting the rug pulled out from you. Having a gig, losing a gig. I never had the whole thing where I became this known musician and rode on this cloud… There's a small percentage of people out there who get to do what I do.

"I told [my wife] when we met [in 2009], over nine years ago, I got the KORN gig [for now]. They could call me today and say it's over and that's what it is. But I still live on those terms. I don't get too comfortable — you can't.

"I have friends that get in similar situations, and they start — especially when they get a taste of money that they've never had — they start buying big and they start living big," Luzier added. "But that's only the time being. You should be a little bit smarter than that. Of course you want to, especially when you've been broke all these years. I'm very cautious of that, I think because, in my 20s, I was promised things that I thought were gonna happen and they didn't, And I'm, like, 'How could you do that to someone?'

"I always tell people, if you study law and you study to be a doctor and you pay your dues and you're smart and you get great grades, sooner or later, you're probably gonna get a gig doing that, whether you move to another location or not. The music business ain't like that. You could be one of the most virtuoso, amazing, insane players, read the chart backward, it doesn't mean you're gonna get a gig… And you never stop working. You've gotta keep working toward it. You get too comfortable, that's when bad stuff starts happening. Because there's no crystal ball — that I know of."

From movie soundtracks to rock and metal albums, Luzier's playing can currently be found on over 70 recordings. As an educator, he was a Musicians Institute instructor for over 10 years and author of a well-regarded, self-titled instructional DVD.

KORN is currently working on the follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering" album for a tentative fall release. The new disc is once again being helmed by Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, MASTODON and RUSH, among others.