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Paramore's 'Last Word': Watch The Entire Interview Now!
Posted on 2011-01-08 03:00:20
Artist/band(s): Paramore [FB]

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655535/paramores-last-word-watch-entire-interview-now.jhtml

In an exclusive interview with MTV News, Paramore discuss their future after the departure of two members.By James Montgomery

Paramore's Taylor York, Hayley Williams and Jeremy DavisPhoto: MTV News

FRANKLIN, Tennessee — On December 30, MTV News traveled to Paramore's hometown of Franklin, Tennessee, to conduct the band's first — and only — interview about the departure of founding members Josh and Zac Farro.

It was a far-reaching, in-depth chat, covering topics like faith, friendship and the very future of the band itself. The discussion was frank, open and even a little eye opening, and no topic — including frontwoman Hayley Williams' relationship with Josh Farro andthe status of Paramore's deal with Atlantic Records — was offlimits. And as proof of that, we're presenting the entire interview to you now, complete with a full transcript. Take a seat, because it's a doozy.

MTV: Well guys, thank you, obviously, for inviting us in today.This is a tremendous opportunity I think and a really cool thing todo, so I wanted to talk first of all ... I found out about this on Tuesday, and the message I got from the label, from the management was: "We want to do this before the end of the year." I think I can assume why, but I'd like to hear you guys sort of articulate: Why was it important for you to address this issue before the end of 2010?

Hayley Williams: There's been a lot of things said online,especially in the past week, and it sucks ... it sucks to read it, and it also sucks to know that responding isn't really going to help, online, because things travel so terribly on the Internet. So we really wanted the opportunity to show our fans that we're OK, you know? The three of us are still here, we're not going anywhere. A lot of kids are still asking if the band is breaking up, and that just goes to show how broken the communication online can be when rumors start traveling. So this is our way of showing that there's a future and we're stoked for it.

MTV: Have you ever tried to be sarcastic in an e-mail and they're like, "Why are you yelling at me?"

Williams: Yeah! It never works!

MTV: I guess before we talk about the respective statements Iwanted to [address] the timeline. ... The timeline of this is a little odd. I completely missed this first fake blog post thing. From what I understand, you guys had nothing to do with this fake blog post. Thistook you completely by surprise.

Williams: We, I mean, I haven't even read the whole fake blogpost. I saw bits of it.

Jeremy Davis: Me neither. I looked for it too. People werelike, "What are you talking about?" I didn't even get to read the whole thing. I never could find the rest of it.

Williams: It was really weird timing though. When I got ane-mail about it, I was like, "What is happening?" You know? ... The fansthat are really close to us thought, at least, thought they noticedthings for a while now, and so with all the speculation, I guess wehad to expect that someone would do something like that eventually,but the timing was weird, and that's why we wanted to clear stuff up.

MTV: So the issue of the two respective statements: Yours was posted first, then Josh was sort of upset by that. So did [the Farros]come to you and say, "We're going to announce this at so and so date?"How did you guys sort of go first?

Williams: With the statement?

MTV: Yeah. Because of the blog post, it sort of came out?

Davis: That was the problem, because then everyone onlinestarts wanting to know immediately, and you know how fast thingsspread online. An hour online is like three days. And it flies all over the world. And it was important to us to clear things up with people ... you can't have a fake statement going around. I mean, obviously it does, and people are going to believe whatever they believe, but we wanted to post something that showed the fans "Hello" and clear it up and something before Christmastime, too. It's all really strange timing.

Taylor York: And that was the thing ... Josh and Zac told us acouple months ago, so we communicated that we really wanted them towrite something to the fans themselves. And that's the thing is the[fake] blog really threw things off, because people started talking,and so they totally had the chance, but we just needed to clear thingsup before things got out of hand. So that's kind of how that wholemess started: It wasn't anyone trying to beat anyone.

MTV: So you were sort of waiting for them?

Williams: Yes. Originally, we wanted them to make thestatement, and we gave them a chance, and then everything happenedonline. It was terrible timing, especially being around Christmas. Youdon't want to be like, "Merry Christmas, the band is over!" It suckedfor us to watch out fans freak out online, especially the ones thatare on our website, because those are the ones that are so ... everysingle day posting stuff and contributing, and that's not a way youwant to pay back your fans, especially around Christmastime.

MTV: You guys said in your statement that their decision toleave didn't really shock you. So I'm interested ... when did you starthaving conversations with [the Farros] when they said they wanted toleave?

Williams: We didn't really have any conversations about itbefore they told us, "We've decided this." At least, I didn't havethat conversation with them. I was not shocked that they wanted toleave, but kind of was surprised at how they were telling us, more orless. The way it was so far in advance to when they would actually bedone. We've noticed they weren't happy, and that sucks. It sucks to bein a family or in a marriage where you see someone that's eitherhurting or just not having fun ... I don't know, it sucked. I shouldn'tsay we weren't shocked, because it's always going to be a shock, it'salways gonna suck, but I guess we felt it coming for a long time.

MTV: Having seen you guys for a couple of years and watchinghow you react, both on-camera and off, it's very easy to look at everyinterview we've done with the five of you guys ... the way they sort ofwere in interviews, Josh in particular. So, like you said before, Ithink people can sort of notice things that maybe weren't there andwas there ... I'm just kind of curious, when you said this didn't reallysurprise you, that you felt it coming, was there a moment where theysaid, "This is it?" ... Was it when Brand New Eyes came out? Oneof the tours for it?

Davis: It wasn't very long ago. It's not like we've knownforever. I mean, it was literally a couple of months before it allhappened. It was all still new to us as well. But, we could tell. ...The thing is, even in posts and stuff, kids talk about them not beinghappy, and it shows. ... When you're not happy, it shows. And it wasjust really good for us to finally, that's why that blog post reallyhit us hard, because we were going through all this, and we wanted toget it out to our fans, and our fans had found all that, and everyonestarted freaking out about it. So we had known for a couple months,but just didn't know when to post it, and then that blog ended upscrewing it all up. So it makes everything really difficult.

MTV: I know the schematics are a pain to go through again, butyou said [for] a couple of months, you knew they were going to leave.Was it difficult then to carry on and sort of pretend — redcarpets — that everything was cool?

York: Absolutely. We always talk about how our band is like amarriage, and it's really hard to move forward as a group when thereare people that aren't into it. They're not excited, they don't wantto be there. So to know it to that level that they didn't want to bethere was really tough. And knowing what was happening, and even ininterviews being positive when maybe we didn't feel positive, it wasreally hard. I think, in a way, it was kind of special because we knewwhen our last show was, and we were able to prepare, and I think thatwas cool. It was cool for us to know, but it was very difficult.

MTV: Last night I watched a lot of that footage from the showin Orlando, my hometown, but it didn't look like it was a dire thing.Everyone seemed, onstage at least, to be having a good time.

Davis: That was the goal, really. To make sure everyone had ablast, and remembered, even if they weren't happy at the time, we allenjoy and love playing together and all that stuff, and we wanted tomake a celebration out of our last performance.

Williams: And that's another reason we didn't announce itsooner: We didn't want fans to feel like they were coming to afuneral. Like, "Well, this is their last show, so I'm gonna go andmourn for an hour and a half." That wouldn't be fun for anybody, andit wouldn't be fun for us. I think the way we did it was the right wayfor us, with our fans and the relationship we have with them. We put alot on the line, and we tell our fans pretty much everything, but thiswas something that, it was like, we wanted to wait until the end ofthe year and we're done because we want to enjoy every second that wecan.

MTV: What happened after the show?

Williams: It was really anti-climactic, honestly. I think Iexpected it to either end in tears or be a big celebration kind ofparty thing. And it was neither of those. It was just, you know, youwalk offstage, I went and warmed down, the guys went and put theirstuff away, and that was it. We went back to the hotel and got readyto come home.

MTV: And I know that in their statement, they sort of left itnebulous, [and now] Zac sort of has this new project. Did they saywhat they were going to do next? Did they want to keep doing music,just different music?

Williams: No.

Davis: They pretty much said their heart wasn't in it anymore,and you know what? Good for them. I would rather them go and be wherethey're supposed to be, where they can be happy all the time. I thinkthat's what I would want anyone to do. But as much time as we spent,how much good things we've had together and worked together andeverything, it's been good. I'd rather see them be happy somewhere,you know?

MTV: Taking all that and segueing into their statement, I'massuming this caught you by surprise, and probably was sort ofhurtful. Where did you first read about it, hear about it? What wasyour initial reaction?

Williams: I think I heard it from — I don't know who Iheard [from] ... probably one of these guys. I don't know if I got aphone call or an e-mail, but I woke up to it, basically, and thatsucked, and I was not happy. I mean, yeah, it hurts, because what wewere told was that they weren't happy, they didn't want to do this,and you can't be mad at someone for not feeling something. And if theydon't want to be in the band, then that's a simple answer. But thenwhen it really became about all these other things that I was verysurprised and kind of felt led on almost. We've been doing this forsix, seven years now. I don't think any of this has been in vain, forany of us. We've loved every second that we've spent onstage, all themeet and greets, the things we've gotten to do with our fans; that'sthe stuff we've built, we've worked really hard for, and I don't thinkanyone should discredit it.

MTV: Taylor, how did you take it because you've known [theFarros] for a long time. Just judging on dynamics, you were sort ofthe link between you two and them. So how did you take it?

York: It was a drag. I mean, like I said earlier, we wereexpecting a statement from them, so once we released our statement, we all knew they would probably release something. So I think we were all kind of bracing ourselves. Breakups are hard, and there's a lot offeelings, so we kind of, I think in a way we expected there to besomething weird, and, yeah, it was really hard to read, justbecause it seemed like a lot of the stuff was pretty irrelevant towhat happened. I think that was the weird thing, 'cause it just didn't seem really necessary. But, we're working through it, and it is what it is, and you can't really let it get to you, because, I don't know, it's life.

Davis: It was pretty confusing because the way it was expressed to us from them was they weren't happy and they wanted to move on and do something else. And there was this peace between us. And then reading [their statement] was totally something different. And, like Hayley said, ... it was hard reading it, because the whole time, I wasthinking about all our fans we worked so hard for, and all the confusion and that stuff. And it's all a bunch of silliness. And, you know what? If they don't want to be here and do the band stuff, then good luck with whatever they want to do, but they decided to leave and they weren't happy so I can't really say anything other than that.

MTV: Those are very diplomatic responses. I'm assuming, had we caught you on the day when this first happened, it might have beendifferent.

Williams: Well yeah, I don't really know what you're talkingabout [laughing]. I don't get angry. Yeah, of course you feelevery single type of emotion possible when something like that happenswith someone that either was or is very close to you, you just feeleverything all at once. I've never felt so just. ... I couldn't even figure out how I felt. But after realizing, like Taylor said, that it just was kind of going to happen this way, you've just got to know that what's important is the three of us are still here, and that we want to do this, and that's the positive part about this.

MTV: Obviously, part of the reason we're here is to talk aboutwhat's next, but I would be remiss if we don't go through thisstatement, and again, if there's things you don't want to talk about ...

Williams: It's fine.

MTV: We printed out copies and underlined several things. Thestrangest part of this thing is that they signed off by saying, "Theintention of this statement is not to belittle or disgrace the band. We are still hoping to work out a friendly way to leave our part ofParamore and the band, including Hayley." ... All it does is belittle the band. Secondly, have they met up with you? Have you spoken to them since the statement?

Williams: No, we haven't talked. I don't even know what wouldbe said, you know? I think I'm trying so hard to focus on the future,and they kind of opted out of that, so I'm happy here. I don't know ifthere's anything to be said.

MTV: Fair enough. So we'll just go through these [points].First and foremost is [to Hayley], you're the one that sort ofbears the brunt of it.

Williams: I know.

MTV: [But] there are parts where each of you [are mentioned].First of all, can you talk about when this band first started, and just talk about your parents and managers, and [their claim] this was a solo band. How much of that [is true]? Because over the years people have said that Hayley is the only person in the band signed to Atlantic. Is that true?

Williams: Yeah, well, when I was 14, I was offered a contract,but my heart wasn't to be a solo artist, my heart was to be in a band.Since I can remember, being a kid, I've always just wanted to be in aband. I didn't even want to be the singer, I wanted to be the drummerso I could be behind everything, you know? And that's what I foughtfor, and that's what we've made it, and that's why it seemed so irrelevant that everything was being pointed out and stated. We'vealways been honest about it. I've talked on LiveJournal to fans aboutthe history of Paramore, the story of our band, tried to make it amore personal thing, where it's not just hearsay and all this stuffthat fans have to thumb through online. We've been honest about it,and we are a band, and, to me, it doesn't matter if there's a name ona contract. I hate business; it's the last thing I ever want totalk about. So when that was brought up in the blog, I just felt like,man, fans shouldn't care or need to hear about this stuff, because allthat does is get in the way of music.

MTV: And it's interesting to bring up the point, 'cause there'sobviously money, but when we were here a year ago, you [toTaylor] were talking about buying a house or something and youwere 19 years old, so technically everyone is doing OK in this setup.But the question is: If we were to somehow to go to the Atlanticoffices, pull out the contract, whose name is on the contract?

Williams: You would see my name. And the reason that it's likethat is because I was offered one. But it just sucks so bad that fanswould have to focus on that, even for a second. Because this has neverbeen about me. I've hated anybody or anything that has evermade this about me. That's why I've worn shirts that say "Paramore isa band," time and time again; that's why we've written the songs wehave; that's why you see the name "Paramore" on our album covers.

York: That's why the three of us are here talking to you.

Davis: And even if you go to the label, you'd technically haveto pull out that [contract] to see [Hayley's name on it], becauseotherwise, it's Paramore stuff all over the walls, with all of us onit. And that's how it's been this entire time: We've all been fightingfor the same thing. And with the fans, all the same way, so it's sillyto think that.

MTV: There's a paragraph here that talks about going to L.A.for a showcase and basically your manager was like, "Be in the lobbyat this time!" and then you guys didn't show up.

Williams: I didn't hear this part. Huh? Wait. What would happen?

MTV: [Reading from the Farros' statement] "We traveled to L.A. a few weeks ago for a showcase and it was a nightmare.Hayley's manager would tell the band to be in the lobby of the hotelat a certain time but he and Hayley wouldn't show for hours. We foundout that they had been meeting with record label executives all morning without us, which was totally weird because this wasn't simply a solo artist, but a band. The band was in the dark the whole time."

Williams: Oh my. OK, so first of all, that wasn't my manager.

Davis: And even if it was in the beginning, but we've beentouring for, how long now?

Williams: But that's the part of the story that could be soeasily be misconstrued, because, as I said, I was offered a contract,and my whole mission as a 14-year-old person who was being courted by these people was to turn them away from me and let them see what we were doing as a band. There's been a lot of people who have tried touse us — in the beginning — for their own good, and we'vebeen lucky enough to get out of that each and every time and make itonce again about us so I didn't even know that part was in there, andI think that's so irrelevant, because I barely even remember that.

Davis: And, by the way, Hayley being two hours late is usuallyaround correct anyway.

MTV: Every time we would talk while you were writing thisrecord, time and time again you would say, "Josh wrote this amazingguitar part, and I wrote these lyrics," so it wasn't just you like, "Idid this!"

Williams: I couldn't do that with a straight face. I can't.First of all, I can't take myself seriously at all, in the least. Butyeah, it's just embarrassing when people brag about themselves. Idefinitely can't be that kind of person. I don't know, I just can't.

MTV: The second part [of the statement] is the idea of signingto the label, and these various machinations of "You're signed toAtlantic, but you're Fueled by Ramen." A lot of these things have beencovered in the past. We wrote articles three years ago about 360deals, stuff like that. But it all sort of culminates in this statement. "In reality, something that started off as natural, somehow morphed into a manufactured product of a major label, riding the coattails of Hayley's dreams." So how does it feel? Honestly, this is a band that is on Atlantic records, so it is a major-label rock band. About this record, we wrote that it was the best major-label rock record of 2009. So what is your reaction to this thing, "it is a manufactured product of a major label"?

Williams: Well, I don't get how it could've started natural ifwe were ... if it was all about me anyway, it wouldn't have startednatural if it was all about me anyway. ... But we're not a manufactured band. We've dealt with that rumor for a long time, and that's because of the rumors of FBR and Atlantic's relationship. We've always talked about that, and I think it was a few months ago, right after the Honda Civic Tour, that I addressed this exact topic on our LiveJournal, saying, "When we started, I again fought that this would be a band thing, and I fought for something that we could really work hard and start from the ground." That's the kind of music that I love, and that's the kind of music we've all shared interest in since day one, and we wanted to be that kind of band. We wanted to be those kind of people that work for whatever they're going to get. We didn't know it would turn into this. Thank God it did, because we got to experience so many cool things, but we got very lucky that Fueled By Ramen and Atlantic were already working with other bands together, before we ever signed. So, our first record was not on Atlantic, it was on Fueled by Ramen, and then when we started to pick up interest, Atlantic began once again to be interested in us.

MTV: And there are mentions of dating and ...

Williams: [laughing] What? I never dated anyone!

MTV: Did you not read this statement? The interesting part was when we first started to meet you and interview you was when Brand New Eyes was being made, and the thing you said time and time again was, "This is the record that sort of saved the band, to the brink and back, we really fought each other to make this record." And the [Farros'] statement is basically, "Hayley claimed that this reunited us as a band and made us grow closer when in reality, we were all growing further apart." So there are obviously two different viewpoints.

Davis: If he can speak for the half of us, that's not really fair either.

York: I think, in all fairness, I think we, at the time, we alldid believe that's what it was, absolutely. We had the best time of our band's career when we were making that record, and thingschange. I think we all believed that, and we were wrong. And that's just how life is: We made a statement that we believed in, and it didn't turn out the way we thought it would.

MTV: We've said several times that Brand New Eyes is a great record. At the time, the record was about addressing "nameless naysayers and faceless detractors," "the people at large." Going back and listening to it [now], there are an alarming number of songs that can specifically be interpreted as being about Josh Farro. "Careful," "Ignorance," "Playing God," maybe "Misguided Ghosts." Were you essentially then writing about this conflict that he talked about in his statement? Were you writing songs about the conflict between you two?

Williams: I would say that a large majority of those songs,yes, have to do with the relationship that we had, and then we had tomend. And it was really hard, because we were all friends, and thengoing through a breakup, and going through any kind of tension as aband, really affected all the lyrics, even if they weren't about justJosh and I or just me and Taylor. Everything we were going through hadan overall effect on the tone of what I was saying, but there are alot of specifics that I pulled from my experience with just feelinglike my face was underneath a boot all the time. I think that thepoint of the album was never to point out those things, but hopefullyto encourage people that feel that way. Because I felt so alone inthat fight that I would never want, especially another young woman, tofeel that way, because I know there are a lot of girls I've talked to,fans, go through the same thing in relationships and families, and itjust sucks to feel kind of victimized in a way that you don't want tofeel petty, so every level of it really sucks.

MTV: It only adds a new level to the record. There's a lot ofthings in here. They mention in their statement that there's a lyricin "Careful": "The truth never set me free so I did it myself," whichthey sort of see as you [denouncing] a Bible scripture. Can you talkabout that lyric in particular, because it's gotten a lot ofattention?

York: Well, I'll talk about that. When Hayley first came to uswith those lyrics, we had a massive talk about it, because they voicedtheir concern. And the first thing Hayley said was, "Well, I get that,but honestly my intention is for it to say, 'Your truth really set mefree.' I just didn't change it, but that's what I really mean." Shewasn't saying "truth" as in what we believe in: She was saying "truth"as in what other people want you to believe, what they see as truth.It was never about what they are saying it's about. It's about otherpeople forcing their beliefs on you, and if you don't meet theirrequirements, then you're doing a bad job. So, that was reallymisconstrued.

MTV: But there are other mentions here. There's, in"Ignorance," "It's not a war. No, it's not a Rapture." A biblicalreference, "Playing God," a lot of that in there. Did you guys have adisagreement in faith? 'Cause they mentioned faith — God a lot— with their reasoning to [leave the band]. Was that part ofyour disagreement, issues of faith? Because they also mentioned thatyou two in particular [to Williams and Davis] started makingchoices that they disagree with.

Davis: All right!

Williams: Right on! [laughs] I was surprised, honestly.I mean, yeah, we've had discussions about it, and it's not like Inever knew that they thought I believed something different. But I wassurprised by the extent of it, because I so clearly believe in thesame thing as I have since — oh, I don't know — since Imade the decision to believe what I believe in. And the difference is,in what I'm learning, I think it's a great thing about faith is thateach person is who they are and you can't change that no matter whatyou try to do. You are who you are, and faith can be yours, you know?I'm not saying that it adapts so you make your own rules the wholetime, but I believe in what I believe in so strongly, but it might notlook like what someone else believes in. Just because I'm a Christiandoesn't mean that I have to pray at the same time as someone elseevery day.

MTV: You live with your faith, and your faith lives within you.It's this thing where it's malleable and such, but were therearguments about faith?

Williams: I don't really remember.

Davis: Most of our record was about friendship, and I felt likethat's kind of a weird line where people ... where it can be thought ofas a faith thing. It all was a friendship thing. All of us started outreally young and started growing up, and you go through a lot ofchanges, and being on the road and away from the family and [the band]is your new family. It all gets really tough. And when anybodychanges, it's hard to really look [at it]. I'm changing, it's like,"Is that a bad thing? Is that a good thing?" That is what the record'sabout. That's how we came up with the title. You have to look at yourfriends with a brand new set of eyes.

Williams: Yeah, and the references I would say to spiritualwarfare and anything spiritual at all are probably just because it isa big part of me, so for me to talk about something metaphorically oruse an analogy, it's very easy for me to use faith 'cause, to me, it'sso applicable to almost every single thing that I go through in mylife. For me to say, "It's not a war, it's not a Rapture" is likesaying, "It's not the end of the world. It's not everyone being wipedoff the face of the earth and all these insane things happening. Thisis just life."

MTV: Right, there are no horsemen. But you mentioned growing up and changing, and it must be very difficult for you in particular to have to answer for decisions that you made when you were 13 or 14 years old. And it's the thing that has always been with this band in a way. Would you agree with that?

Williams: Yeah. I definitely wouldn't want any 14-year-old tobe held accountable at 22 years old for whatever decisions they made.But I think that, first of all, I had a great family that looked outfor me, and I think that I had a good head on my shoulders because ofthem and because of the friends that I had to help me make gooddecisions, 'cause I don't think I can see one thing that's gone wrongsince I was 14. It's been a breeze, and it's been so much fun, andyeah, there's hard times, but I think I'd be going through that if Iworked at Burger King. No matter what, if I was in college. Thedifference is people wouldn't be looking at it or care about any blogsI posted about it.

MTV: It's interesting that we are in this basement where youguys shot the "Playing God" video. At the time — you talkedabout in an interview — about [the video] closing the book onBrand New Eyes. When you made this video, had the Farros toldyou they were going to leave? And was that odd to make the video then?

Williams: It didn't feel like any other video shoot. Well, itdid and it didn't. It didn't feel any different in the sense that thefriendships that were the weakest were still the weakest. We got alongthe same way. But ... it felt way too similar to the things thatwere going on. It was definitely creepy. But I had a lot of fun on it.I definitely think that it was personal in a way that it was so easyto relate to that we just didn't feel like working at all.

MTV: About moving forward, Taylor, you in particular, we'vetalked off-camera, and you've always said, "Oh, this awards show. Idon't really do awards shows. I'm not really an awards-show type ofguy." You're kind of like an "indie" guy. You're someone who shares afaith with the Farros and also has known them for a long time, so, whydid you then decide to stick around?

York: I think, in all fairness to the Farros, they started at areally young age too, we all did, and I think there's always beentimes where all of us might have a bad day and been like, "I don'twant to be in this band." So, of course, I've had those days. Buttoday, I still love what I'm doing, and I think it was hard for mebecause, yeah, they're really dear to me, and so it was weird watchingthem go. But I still want to do this, and I couldn't let theirdecisions affect my heart and my passions. And the fact that the threeof us still want to do this and make music, who knows if the three ofus will ever get this chance again, so we're going to take advantageof it.

MTV: The tour starts shows in February. Are you going to beplaying leads now? Has this been discussed?

York: I think. Yeah, there's been a lot of talk of that, aboutlike, yeah, I'm really playing drums and guitar [laughing].Everyone's like, "You're taking Josh's spot," and, in a way, this isalso a business, and I think when any business downsizes, you don'tjust take over someone's title: Everyone's title changes to fit themold. So there are some things that I am going to have to do that Joshdid, some parts, but at the same time, I have no intentions of beingthe new Josh, taking over his parts. That's not really what I want todo. So, yeah, I'll be doing some lead stuff, but I love what I get todo, and I still intend on doing that.

MTV: Jeremy, obviously you've been with the band for a longtime. Was there any doubt ever whether you were going to continue onwith this?

Davis: No, there was no question about it. I've quit jobsbefore, and I'm like, "Hey man, I'm out. Sorry, it's not my thing,"and I'll leave, and I'll never hear from them again, because they wantto continue their job. And this has been our heart and passion, andanyone can tell that. Our fans end up crashing websites because[they're] so hardcore, and it's been every bit of our passion to havethose fans and keep those fans and work for those fans, and make 'emfeel like family anytime — whether we're getting off a plane andit's been 23 hours and no sleep, no matter what the time is —they've been our passion and our heart. So, no, it's never been closeto an option for me. It really sucks because I feel like our family onthe road, it really sucks to lose a part [of it], or feel like you'relosing a part. Like I said in the beginning, I'd rather they be happysomewhere else. That's gonna make everyone else happy. And, you know what? If they're happier somewhere else, we might be happier this way. Who knows? So we'll see. Things change, and you kinda gotta just go with it.

MTV: You have a couple of months until the shows, so I'massuming you're going to have to start auditioning people. How do youplan on filling two positions?

Williams: We have fill-ins for the South American tour. We'regoing to have Justin York, Taylor's brother, who has filled in with usbefore and is also in Relient K, which is very exciting for him. Sohe's going to help us out on guitar, and they're gonna work out whodoes leads, not leads. And Josh Freese on the drums. No big deal atall, just one of our favorite drummers.

York: But, to clarify, this is for one tour, so ...

MTV: [laughing] Josh Freese is not joining Paramore?

York: No. We haven't even started tackling what it's going tolook like with new members. We have one more tour planned, and so wealready know how we're going to get through it, and then we'll tacklewhat's next.

MTV: How will it feel to take the stage with these "hiredguns," as they call it? A different band? Will you miss something?

Williams: I really am going to miss Zac a whole lot. Zac is oneof my favorite drummers in the world, and he has been since he was 13years old. That's really going to suck. But I don't want him to evernot be happy. And ... if he stayed, and for me to turn around and notsee him happy, that would suck worse than not seeing him at all. Ithink that will be the hardest part to get used to. I mean, yes, JoshFreese, incredible drummer. I think he's the best guy we could'vegotten to come do this tour with us, but no one will ever replace Zacin my heart. Zac is one of my favorite people. And you know what?Yeah, it will suck, but I think that now that we are so unified thatthe three of us know exactly what we're doing, we want to be here sobad, and I think that's going to feel really good, to know that we'renot dragging anyone around, we're not making anyone do anything theydon't want to do, that's going to be exciting. And I guess I don'thave any regrets about it. I just feel like, "Let's just start thisnew chapter already," because it can only be great. We're not going tolet ourselves not be great. We're gonna make it good.

MTV: On [Twitter] there's a lot about Yahtzee playing, butthere's also one tweet about a new demo that Taylor wrote? So is thisthe first demo that you have brought to these two?

York: Yeah. We're just getting started and putting out ourfeelers. This is the very beginning, and so we wanted to get itstarted, and so that's the first thing.

Williams: It's good. He's too humble to say it's good, but I'llsay it for him: It's awesome. I'm really excited. Me and Taylor havewritten together since we were kids, so I guess I still feel like akid right now. But since we were little kids and I have no doubt in mymind, he's a great writer, and I'm excited.

MTV: You did an interview saying you were gonna take some time off and work on a record. Is there any way we're going to see aParamore record [in 2011]? Do you think that's even in the realm ofpossibility?

Williams: We will definitely release songs next year. Who knowsif a full album will come out of it, but obviously we'd love that. Itwould be fun. We definitely want to put stuff out for our fans toparty with us, but who knows when that will be? Hopefully, soonerrather than later.

MTV: If you look at any [Paramore] stories [on MTVNews.com], [the comments] are two-thirds [in favor of] you guys. But there's definitely one-third who are fans of Josh, fans of Zac, and are maybe afraid that this band will be different or they've maybe just given up on the band. For the ones who are afraid of "What does this mean for the band?" "I really like the stuff that Josh wrote," what can you say to them?

York: Well, the thing is: We're going to be different. We losttwo really big parts of this band, so it's going to be different. Butwe're still Paramore. We've all written together before, so it's notlike we're losing our style. We're not going to become an R&B-soul-funk band ... We're more excited than ever, and we're not going to put out something that's not good. Next year, when we say we're taking time off, it means we're writing until we have something that's great. And we're not going to stop until it's great. So yeah, things are gonna be different. I think it's kinda cool to see. It's gonna be good. I don't think it's a negative thing. But of course, Josh and Zac were a really big part of the band, so people are going to miss them and it's natural. But, we're here now, and here we go.

MTV: [The split with the Farros] is done now, the year's over,but what did each of you guys take from this experience and how do youview Josh and Zac?

Williams: I'm trying not to view anyone at all, except forpeople that are close to me, because if you listen to one opinionthat's out there, then you listen to all of them. I guess I'm justlearning that you can't prove to anyone who you are, you just have tobe it. You can't make someone think anything about you, because they're just going to think what they want. I guess we're just going to do it really right this time ... it's going to be fun to kind of justnot have to think about what someone's thinking about me. I know that,for me personally, I'm just gonna feel — and I don't even meanthis in a negative way to Josh and Zac — but I'm definitelystarting to feel a lot more free about myself, and I think maybethat's just me growing up. But the people I have around me, Taylor andJeremy, I feel very supported and loved as a person, and that's a rarething in this world.

Davis: What did I take from this whole thing? I don't know. Iknow that Taylor was saying that growing up we learn a lot, and Idefinitely learned that I'm gonna be the person that I'm gonna be, nomatter what anyone else thinks. I'm just really glad to see thatalmost all of our fans [stuck] with us, and they see the fact thatwe're here saying that, "Listen, we're still here for you guys," andthey're 10 times as supportive back. I'm just glad that they feel[that way], 'cause I was really worried about all our fans and stuff.We spent so much time working on growing, like being friends with themand talking with them online and making sure everything we do is forthem, even in writing records: "Let's have parts where they can singback! Interact with the crowd!" It's always been about that, and Ifeel like our fans are, since they're growing up with us, not all arethe same age, but I feel like they're learning with us. And it'sreally cool to feel that. And honestly, all their support has beengood too because we've been a group for so long, so it's a lot on ourminds as well, so it's been really good to have the support from themall. And yeah, you gotta move forward. I'm excited about it. It couldbe something great. I know that it's gonna be so nice with all of usjust being the way we are together and everything. It's just so good— very positive.

York: I think in life there are always trying experiences, andthis is one that I think has really challenged all of us to grow up alot. It's been really testing handling the situation with as muchrespect as we can, and trying to dignify people and not slanderanyone. We've grown up a lot through this, and every time you gothrough something like this, you have the option to just act out ofemotion, and do things you might regret, or you can try to do honestlythe right thing, and I think that's what we've been trying to do. Andso, I don't know, just things change and we've been doing our best todo handle it well, to finish this season well. And yeah, we'reexcited, and I think we've just learned a lot about relationships andcommunication, so we're going to do things a lot different now, andwe're all just incredibly excited for the future.

MTV: You mentioned "doing things different this time." Is thatin terms of communication? Writing? How will you do thingsdifferently? What did you mean by that?

York: Obviously we're humans, so we're not perfect ... we messup. So I think the best way to move forward is to look at yourmistakes and your victories and learn from them. Avoid things andfocus on other things. We've had problems with communication, andthat's honestly the biggest thing. Even a lot of this ... a lot ofthings have been misconstrued, things we haven't ever talked about,things we're kind of hearing for the first time or that we assumed butare actually seeing it in writing or something. But communication ishuge, and even things with songwriting and pretty much everything, Ithink we're just trying things that we've never tried, things we neverhave the freedom [to try], just things we've never talked about. Ithink that's gonna effect a lot of different areas.

MTV: Going forward, there has to be some part of you that wants to prove these people [wrong] — to prove Josh and Zac wrong, that you want to make something that is lasting and powerful, and[have] the final word on it. Is there a part of you inside that wantsto do that: to prove these people who jumped off the ship, who'vewritten the band off, wrong?

Williams: I think if there wasn't any part of us that wanted toreact, then we would be perfect, and that would suck, quite frankly.You want to react, you want to say things back, and counter everypoint that's made, but what's the point? What's the purpose of that?It's just gonna never stop. It would never end if we dealt with itthat way, and to me, that would be so unfair to our online communitywe've built and our fans have built. We're not trying to create somedrama for everyone to talk about, because that takes the focus awayfrom what it should be, which is our music and something positivewe're building and still want to build onto. I mean, yeah, I wouldlove to just throw punches and be pissed and angry and say things thatI would just regret five minutes later.

MTV: Perhaps the final word will be whatever you guys make[next]. The ultimate triumph, the ultimate vindication, is makinganother record that is killer, you know?

Williams: Well, first, making a record at all would be atriumph. I think that's a triumph any time a band gets to make anotheralbum. I was surprised we made it to three albums, and I was stoked.But yeah, it being a great record will be our way of sort of saying,"No one can take this away from us, no matter what."

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