Mike Patton on his “philosophy” as a vocalist
Over the years, Mike Patton has enjoyed much success with his distinctive vocals and compositional nous, whether as the frontman of Faith No More, Fantômas, or his various other projects. Able to growl like no one else, scat at a rapid pace, sing in bizarre voices, or deliver moments of utter soulful panache, it’s apt that a man who pushed the realm of rock singing so far forward and into so many different spaces should be born in the town of Eureka, California.
Patton has always been a force like no other, treading his own path regardless of fans’ desires, music industry standards, or the zeitgeist. He’s one of the only genuinely singular artists out there, and he has even sacrificed marriage and children to commit himself to his artistic journey fully—it’s practically ascetic.
As would be expected of someone who is so far down his artistic path, with an array of disciples including Chino Moreno, Josh Homme, Slipknot, Serj Tankian and even Caroline Polachek, Patton also has a philosophy when it comes to singing and music in general. It is this that has underpinned all of his best moments, from Faith No More’s ‘Epic’ to Fantômas’s madcap reworking of ‘The Godfather’. It also drives him to keep pushing his work forward, which has led to a broader range than almost any figure of such a consequential status.
When speaking to TC-Helicon in 2013, Patton outlined his “philosophy” as a vocalist. This philosophy accounts for his dedication to using the voice as an instrument rather than being placed in the centre of the mix just because he’s the vocalist.
He said: “My philosophy as a vocalist is to blend into the band. I’m not bigger than the band, I’m not anything more, I’m just another instrument, and so I see the voice as, when you’re playing in a band, like a rock band, like normally what I play with, it has to be a part of the fabric. It’s like a big rug, and, you know, I’m just one of the weaves, that’s it.”
As this is Mike Patton, a man who is not only legendary for his immense vocal abilities but his tendency to be a touch outspoken, he also had some loaded words for frontmen who are there just to be the figurehead of the band and peacock, and not to bring anything of artistic value to the fold.
“If the singer has to be, top front, you know, panned centre, I think it’s bullshit. I think it’s bullshit. So, to me, the way that I see singing, is, you have to be very adaptable and very musical and not necessarily an instrument that needs to be front and centre. I mean, I fucking hate that shit; I am not cool with singers that are always front and centre,” Patton said.
While he conceded there is a place for such singers, somewhat contradicting himself, Patton maintained that he thinks the best recordings are when a vocalist is buried a bit in the mix and doing something different, against the grain, with regard to the other instrument. The voice is an instrument and always will be, and he just tries to do what’s appropriate for the music he’s working on. It’s a simple point, considering his work’s accomplishments and often complex nature, but it’s clearly one of substance.
