Lou Koller: I've torn an Achilles tendon. People were jumping all around, and I guess I just moved the wrong way, and there was a lot of pressure on it. It felt like I got shot in the back of the leg, and there wasn't a person behind me. I didn't know what happened. I continued the tour for another week, limping around. When I got home the doctor said if I had showed him after it first happened, he would have put me in bed for six weeks.
The Wall Of Death has become a staple at metal and hardcore shows, but is it true Sick Of It All were the originators?
It's true. It was late 1996 or early 1997 and we were doing festivals. We were trying to come up with something for people to get excited to do. I came up with the idea of splitting the crowd in half. I called it the Braveheart, after the movie. That was my reference to people who didn't know hardcore. We started doing it at festivals, and of course you're being watched by a lot of other bands. The next thing you know Papa Roach is doing it, Sepultura is doing it. I got an email from a friend of mine who works clubs, and he just had a band Twizted come through, and one of the opening rap acts was doing it. They called it the Braveheart, and gave the exact speech I give before it starts. It's come a long way. Everybody is doing it, but some bands are cool. Pennywise and Lamb Of God give props to us and say we invented it.
You talked earlier about how you get angry at how messed up the world is. What would you do if you were the President?
That's a hard one. I live in Jersey, and the governor just asked all the teachers to take a pay freeze. I want all the Senators and Congressmen to take a pay freeze before the teachers and police and firemen. Let the government take a pay freeze first.
Has being able to travel the world given you a different perspective on the world's problems?
Yes, it gives you a good perspective. I've seen countries where they have socialist programs, and it works great. I've seen friends of mine who live in amazing apartments and pay $300 a month, because it's a socialist thing and you have to have a certain number of government supplied apartments. But for all the criticisms of America, their governments aren't perfect, either.
