Whilst in Sheffield Chris Jericho (lead vocalist) talks to Room Thirteen.

Room Thirteen: Could you give our readers a brief explanation of how your band got together?
Chris Jericho: In 1999 I became friends with Rich Ward and found that we had similar interests in music. We started a band and at first just played songs that we grew up with. Then we got offered a record deal and formed a band and started to do original stuff.

R13: I believe you all have stage names. How did you find names that fit in with the band?
CR: When we were doing the covers we had the stage names and it worked out great for a time. As the band progressed and we started to do our own stuff we wanted to be recognised for our own work and felt it was time to be ourselves.

R13: Did you come up against much criticism because you did so many covers?
CR: Partly because of that and partly because there was a wrestler in the band. Everyone thought we wouldn’t be any good. We just tried to correct them and say it doesn’t matter if you’re a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker, it's either good music or it's bad. People started to come to the shows and then they realised that it was good music.

R13: Some people would say you were more of a comedy band who had gimmicks. Would you say that was a fair assumption?
CR: It's not fair at all. When we first started out we were playing a lot of covers but I think we were a lot more creative. However this was nearly five years ago and now we're almost an entirely different band. As we have progressed, we considered changing our name but deep down we are still Fozzy we just play a lot of our own material now.

R13: How has the reaction been to your new album especially as it's been mostly your own work?
CR: It's been nearly five months now and the reaction has been great across the board. Everyone has been pleasantly shocked and surprised. It's all been very complementary.

R13: There have been quite a few line up changes sine you first got together. Have you found that this had made it harder to function as a band?
CR: No because the band has always been a part time thing up until now. Now we seem to have the recognition that we always wanted. Now we have Sean Delson and Mike Martin, it's the line up we always wanted.
R13: Would you say your line up was solid now?
CR: At this point in time there is no reason to change anything. It’s an incredible array of musicians that are great showmen and I think you could put our band up against any band in a live situation.

R13: Would you say there were any similarities between your live shows and your wrestling?
CR: They are both very high impact forms of entertainment. They both have a lot of energy and a similar crowd reaction and atmosphere. You also try to take your crowd on a rollercoaster ride to ensure they have a good time.
R13: Any tips you want to share?
CR: Just make sure the audience have a good time and want to buy tickets for your next show. First and foremost this is all show business. You have to have a good show as well as the tunes to back it up.

R13: You will be playing Download shortly. Is this a gig you are looking forward to?
CR: Yes definitely. We have done a few festivals in Germany but this will be our first English festival.

R13: What can people expect when they see Fozzy play live?
CR: We're going to kick their ass! We have a point to prove and we are going to show them that we deserve to be on stage!

R13: And finally do you fancy a wrestle with our Room Thirteen Editor?
CR: No as he would probably kick my ass!

For more infomation on Fozzy, please see their website www.FozzyRock.com