Parkway Drive’s Winston McCall: Getting My Skull Drilled ‘Wasn’t That Bad’
'Off the Record' is a video series where we ask artists questions about anything with one exception: No questions about music. This is your chance to peer behind the music and into the daily lives these artists lead outside of their profession. Topics range from good eats (last meals, ice cream) to mischief (dumbest thing done in the name of fun, getting sent to the principal's office) to getting real (biggest fear, worst injury). Watch the full episode above.
Parkway Drive's Winston McCall is this week's Off the Record guest and we've got to be honest — this one grossed us out. It wasn't the talk of last meals, villains and heroes nor Sesame Street characters — that was fun — it's getting the gory details on how to repair what's known as "surfer's ear," which the singer was afflicted with. No need to worry, though, he's fine now thanks to have his skull drilled.
Describing this phenomenon that's commonly found in longtime surfers, McCall explained, "Basically, there's so much water going in your ear over the years, your skull starts growing bones to close the ear canal off and the inside of your ear canal gets smaller and smaller and smaller. It got to the point where I couldn't even hear and I did an entire tour with hearing in only one of my ears."
Ah, the human body in action. What a marvel. Fortunately, modern technology has an answer for evolution in motion — drills.
"So when I came off tour the operation is they slice the back of your ear open, fold that down and then they literally drill your skull with a dentist's drill and grind the bones out of your ear and sew your ear back on," recalled McCall.
That sounds pretty traumatic, but the frontman was mostly unfazed by it all. "It wasn't that bad," he admitted, "but I can say that someone has literally put a drill in my skull"
There's a bunch of less gross but still interesting things to uncover about the singer. Watch the full episode at the top of the page and find out.
Follow Parkway Drive on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The band also has a documentary — Viva the Underdogs — set for release on March 27. Get more info and watch the trailer here.
See Parkway Drive in the 20 Best Metal Albums of 2010