Godsmack Offer Thoughts on Bigfoot and Aliens in Video Interview

At a Mayhem Tour stop over the summer, Metal Hammer caught up with Sully Erna and Shannon Larkin of Godsmack for some candid talk that spanned the gamut from aliens to angels to the importance of crowd interaction.

The interview started out with a bang. When asked if they believed in angels, Bigfoot or aliens, Larkin was quick to recount his U.F.O. experience as a child. He retold the story, “I saw a U.F.O. when I was a kid. We were sneaking out late at night and we swore we saw this conglomeration with way too many lights that shot off into the sky.” Oh how it’s affected who he is today Larkin simply said, “It’s opened my mind to aliens and Bigfoot – thinking it could be real.”

Erna was up next and seemed to agree with Larkin, saying, “I do believe I’m intrigued by aliens and all that stuff; it's one of my fascinations." On aliens, he said, “I can’t imagine that we’re the only speck in this universe and we don’t even know how many universes there are with life form on it. It’s a little ignorant to think we’re the only life form in existence.”

Then things got a little deeper when Erna talked about his belief in angels, “As far as angels, of course I believe in angels. I’ve had relatives that have passed away.” He admitted, “I’ve had way too many times when I should have been dead easily and got out of some slick situations, it’s just too many times for it to be a coincidence, left situations without even a scratch on me. I have my own reasons for believing that there are angels that watch over us and protect us.” As far as Bigfoot – the verdict is still out for Sully!

When it came to their live show, both agreed that crowd interaction is a must. Sully reminisced about a concert he went to growing up, “I remember being that kid, going to an Aerosmith show and catching Tyler’s eye for a second, that feeling of empowerment like he acknowledged you for a moment.”

The interview ended with one thought provoking question, “Why is heavy metal a bad term?” Sully opened up about the genre and how the "labels" have impacted his band. “It’s not bad, but this is what I’ve experienced over the years. Within hard rock or metal in general, there’s this competitive attitude that goes along with it that kind of annoys me because to me, music should not be competitive.” He wasn’t done there though. He went on to say, “It’s a universal language, we all connect to in our own way. What really annoys me the most is that everyone is trying to win over the world. Shut the f--k up, just go out there and have fun with your fans, we’ll go out there and have fun with our fans, it’s suppose to be our universal language for everyone."

Well said Sully! Watch the full interview below, including exotic lizards and an acoustic ode to Megadeth.