He produces the Arctic Monkeys, tours with Iggy Pop, composes for Lady Gaga and has something of a John Wayne of rock music: Josh Homme, a tree of a guy with a penchant for hard sounds, concentrated idealism and wild experimentation. Attributes that also characterize the new album of his Queens Of The Stone Age. "Villains" sounds very different than its predecessors. Besides, it was created so secretly that even in the internet age nobody noticed it, not even its record company. According to Homme, a proven tactic: "That's how you avoid external pressure," grins the Californian-born. "One gives oneself the chance to miss it and records the albums for oneself. Which makes sense because you can't force anyone to like her. My primary concern is that they please me. Then it's called: I hate her, that's okay. They're not for everyone."
Note: Josh Homme is about music that is polarized and not a mass product, even if it reaches high chart positions. The 44-year-old doesn't want to make it easy for anyone, places art above commerce and prefers to create moments of surprise. This is also part of his concept: "I remember that our debut received very positive reviews. Only when it came to the sequel 'Rated R', I would never have thought of copying the first album. But there were people who said: You've changed a lot. And I thought, "Did you seriously think I was gonna do the same thing again? Why should I? To be part of a scene? I don't want to join a club whose members all sound the same, but my music should be the soundtrack to my life. She really needs to come over."