Sitting by the beach on a crisp but sunny November day with Shannon Leto, drummer and Matt Wachter, bassist, for 30 Seconds to Mars, on the afternoon of their Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom gig. What more could I ask for? Read on to learn about the art of 30 Seconds to Mars and have some laughs with the friendly and playful duo. Don’t forget to also check out the review of the show and photos.

Carina: Our magazine is called defy unlearn because we strive to defy labels and want people to “unlearn” what they have been taught. What does “defy unlearn” mean to you?

Matt: I think it kind of goes along with the lines of what you said. It could even be translated to a college education; that the best students are the ones who-

He gets interrupted by a female bus driver yelling to one of the kids who just got off the bus and ran in front of it and crossed the street without looking.

Bus driver: Don’t you ever run in front of my bus again!

Shannon: Yeah!

Matt: You could get hurt.

Shannon (to the kid): Hey, does she always yell at you?

Kid: Yeah!

Laughter.

Matt: You’re a trouble maker! I’ve got my eye on you.

Shannon: Ahhh defy unlearn (gesturing to the boy)…

Matt: Defy unlearn, yes… Especially in today’s day and age when there is so much information to take in, I think it’s inevitable to take what you want and leave the rest. Even with a college education and the Internet, there is so much information to take in. I think one of my teachers said it to me best: “Forget everything you’ve ever learned here”. At first I didn’t understand that. What does that mean, “forget everything I learned?” Then what did I take away from this experience? Then a few years down the road it made sense to me, take it and adapt it to your own personal experiences. Now the defy part, that kind of goes without saying, there are so many forms of that, there’s anarchy, there’s passive aggressive resistance (laughing), there’s many forms of that. I think we all definitely have some form of defiance in us, always fighting against something, always defying something.

Shannon: If something is force fed to you, like “here you have to do that”…and I’m an artist, I’m going to defy against that, most definitely because of an artist’s freedom of speech to me…to us, it means a lot.

Matt: No one wants to be forced fed.

Shannon: Right, but a lot of people are, this days and age, in the music world especially and they are accepting of it, but in our world, in 30 Seconds to Mars, we want to do our own thing and we want the freedom to do that and that’s what I have to say.

Carina: When doing interviews is there a question you hate being asked?

Shannon: That one.

Carina: Are you serious?

Matt: Yeah.

Laughter.

Carina: How about a question you wish someone would ask you? Something you want to talk about, but don’t get asked.

Shannon: That one.

Laughter.

Shannon: As long as it’s about the music.

Matt: Exactly.

Carina: Having said that, what kind of role did music play in your life when you were growing up?

Matt: For me, music was an escape from the mundane existence that every kid goes through, going to school, going to work, I’d go home, put my headphones on, put a record on and it would take me to a different place, out of myself, somewhere else, listening to people who I felt I connected with, people that knew what I was going through, word for word and put it in a song.

Shannon: I agree with Matt, definitely escape and exploration to another way of thinking, through music, not just the lyrics, but through the sounds, the melodies and the notes, without a doubt I agree with Matt.

Matt: It’s amazing, I can still listen to a song today and it will take me right back to when I was 13 years old. I’ll put on Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” and I feel insecure and I don’t want to go to school. (laughing)

Carina: What kind of music are you listening to now, which bands?

Shannon: We listen to everything, different types, anything from the Used to….What’s another one?

Matt: Louder milk.

Shannon: We like listening to new bands…

Matt: Maiden

Shannon: Yeah, we’ll pop in Iron Maiden, Metallica…

Matt: Brian Eno

Shannon: Also a lot U2.

Carina: Old U2?

Shannon: Yeah

Carina: Which of your songs would you like to see a cover version of and who would you like to see do it?

Shannon: hmm, let the person who wants to do it pick that, I wouldn’t know.
Matt: Yeah…
Carina: OK, cool. Have you started working on your next album? I read something that mentioned when you guys are practicing that you have started messing around and doing some stuff. Can you tell us anything about it?

Matt: Yeah, when we do sound check, we bounce around a lot of ideas, some of it materializes into something that we can call a song, but right now our focus is on this tour and this record, but there is some stuff in the works right now.

Carina: What about some songs that didn’t make it on this album?

Shannon: They’ll be used in other areas.

Carina: Can you tell me one thing that makes a really good audience?

Matt: Audience participation, there’s nothing better than seeing a crowd singing along. Last night we played a show and the crowd knew almost every single word to every single song, it was the best feeling. Just to watch them get so involved and they’re so energetic, that we feed off them, I really do.

Shannon: And when girls pull up their shirts.

Matt: Yeah.

Laughter.

Carina: Do they really do that?

Matt: No.

More laughter.

Shannon: Well, it does happen.

Carina: I saw a lot of that at the Korn show I photographed, underage boobs too.

Shannon: You weren’t one of them, were you?

Carina: umm, no. OK, so you’ve played outdoor festivals, actually, the first time I saw you was in Nashville-

Matt: River Stages! That was the last show from the Puddle of Mudd tour.

Carina: Yes! I was so excited because all I had were MP3’s of you guys and I got my first sampler from you after your set. Anyhow, you’ve played outdoor festivals, huge areas and intimate clubs…and I’ve had the chance to hear some acoustic stuff as well. What are some pluses and minuses of each?

Shannon: There are great things about doing both big and small venues. With big venues, you get to experience your music with a lot of other people, show your music to people in a wider range, whereas in a smaller venue, it’s much more intimate, people are closer to you, so they’re both great.

Carina: You have very devoted fans and have had a huge following well before your first CD came out. What’s the coolest thing a fan has ever done that impressed you? If there is one you can think of that is.

Matt: I wouldn’t say it’s any one thing.

Shannon: Right, but you know what’s really cool? When they start following you from place to place, the dedication… and when they start making shirts…

Matt: Yeah, it’s very motivating.

Shannon:hats…

Matt:scarves…

Shannon: ties…It’s just awesome. Thirty Seconds to Mars, like we’ve said before, is a huge art project, people get to express themselves in many ways and that’s what we’ve always wanted and that’s what we did growing up. It’s great that people are latching on to that and doing it for themselves.

Matt: So they feel they’re part of it which is something I know I always wanted as a kid; I wanted to feel that I was part of it, part of the band, and I think that’s what we’re offering and people are responding to it. It’s a great feeling that kids are so proactive, exciting and involved.

Carina: You guys seem to be a big supporter of people making their own interpretations of your music. Have there been any interpretations of your music that fans have been able to share with you that really impressed you or touched you in some way?

Shannon: Wow, there have been so many, that I don’t know which one I would choose. They all mean something different.

Matt: It’s always nice when you hear someone talk about how a certain song got them through a tough time in their life and when you hear something like that, there is a connection because we were all their before, we were going through a rough time in our lives and one record or a couple of records got us through it.

Shannon: And on the other side of that, is a celebration, like after graduation, they are all playing our music, jumping around and having fun.

Carina: OK, well I’ve read and seen interviews with you, the last one being on MTV2 when you hosted and the VJ said “30 Seconds FROM mars”…
Laughter.

Matt: And we totally called her on that.

Carina: Yeah, well you guys have a great sense of humor and so I want to ask you some silly and funny questions.

Matt: Sure!

Shannon: Go for it!

Carina: OK, if Ben & Jerry made an ice cream in your honor and allowed you to create and name it, what would it be called and what would be in it?

Shannon: hmmm, Matt what would it be?

Laughter.

Matt: I could think of totally a generic one, but I don’t want to be so obvious about it, like with Mars bars..ah, it’s too boring.

Shannon: I can think of a sexual one.

Matt: I can think on many different levels…what about wheat grass?

Shannon: We can call it scrumdillyuptious…try writing that.

Laughter.

Carina: Well tell me what’s in it.

Shannon: It’s a secret recipe.

Carina: Awww. C’mon, tell us…are you going to put nuts in it or-
Shannon: ohhh she said nuts!

Laughter.

Carina: No, no, I meant…

Shannon: right, right…

Carina: Hey gimmie a break, English isn’t my first language.

Matt: It’s not? What is it then?

Carina: Italian and French.

Shannon: ohhh trilingual…

Carina: Speaking of foreign languages, your fans and specifically, echelon members want to know, when are you going to tour Europe?

Shannon: We’re going in the New Year.

Carina: Really? I will be there in April. Will you be there then?

Matt: Hmmm, January, February, March, April…yeah I think so, sounds about right.

Carina: Awesome! They will love to hear that! So, what’s the last book you read ?

Matt: There’s a book I’m reading now about the scandal and what’s going on with the Catholic Church in Boston and I just finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Shannon: Last book I read is Steven King’s “Everything’s Eventual: 14 Dark Tales.

Matt: And the bible.

Shannon: Yup, just finished the bible, it took me about an hour.

Laughter.

Carina: OK, can you explain it to me then?

Shannon: Hah! Ummmm no. Absolutely not.

Laughter.

Matt: Didn’t understand a word.

Shannon: No.

Carina: Lastly, boxers or briefs?

Matt: Freeball!

Shannon: Neither…freeballin’!

More laughter.

Carina: OK, on to tour questions, think back to the beginning of the Sevendust tour, or a previous one if it’s easier, and tell me about a comedic moment.

Shannon: Well, I was playing drums, now this was on the first tour, and I get real excited when I play and sometimes I lose myself and I don’t really know where I am. It’s like when you’re driving and you get to your point of destination but you don’t know how you got there. Anyhow, I was playing and stood up and then I went to sit down but I fell off the chair and landed on the floor looking at my drum tech and we laughed our asses off but no one else really saw.

Matt: I have a tendency to fall on stage a lot.

Carina: Yeah, I remember you did in Connecticut on the Incubus tour.

Laughter.

Matt: Heh, yeah, I remember… Actually, I got some x-rays back, but I’m ok. It’s just fluid in my elbow, it’s not broken.

Carina: Thank goodness! …How about a moment of perfection or beauty?

Matt: I get passing moments of that, like when we’re on stage and something connects and you can’t describe it but you can feel it, especially when it’s with each other, that’s beauty to me.

Carina: How about a moment of ugliness?

Matt: Me, when I wake up in the morning.

Shannon: I got one, him when he wakes up in the morning.

Laughter.

Carina: How about a cliché?

Shannon: Well I was walking on a tour bus once but I’m not going to say which one, and I saw a groupie going down on a guy.

Matt: The rock star cliché, sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Carina: What about a moment of gratitude?

Matt: Every night there’s a moment of gratitude, I know it sounds like a cliché in itself, but there’s immense gratitude to all those people, whether it’s 50 or 5000 people, our audience and fans.

Carina: Any final words?

Shannon: We love you all! And we’ll be coming to France in Spring 2003!
Matt: Merci Beaucoup!

Laughter.

Carina: De rien.

Shannon: Gracias seniorita

Matt: Arrigato

Shannon: Ciao bella

Carina: Grazie, ciao!

Interview by: Carina
carina@defyunlearn.com