Why Jon Theodore left The Mars Volta
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2014
- Cedric Talks on
/ let-there-be-talk-ep36... with Dean Delray
about meeting him, the experience with him and the end result. and also cedric talks stories about at the drive-in 
Развлечения
Amazing to hear Cedric say this after all these years. Jon was such a key ingredient to the band.
theodore was the band
@@GamerPlaying Don't tell Omar that lol.
@@GamerPlaying that's a bit far IMO
Alex Hennigh 😂
Those few properly amazing albums were a culmination of many parts, Jon being one of them.
thank god Cedric came to this. realisation. I have so much more respect for the guy after hearing this.
hes a real one
its a one sided story too. but i always was under the impression the he left because of their drug use
At least Cedric finally admitted it. Theodore was the driving force that made the band rock so hard. I remember hating seeing the message they put on the album which gave all the credit to Cedric and Omar for the music. Egos destroyed the band.
yup, pridgen was cool, but his drumming is a bit wild on TBiG
It was, but, that's because that's exactly what Omar wanted, at least according to what I've read. His playing is a bit more laid back on Octahedron though, which shows a little versatility.
They gave credit to Cedric and Omar for the music because they wrote the music. It's the same thing with NIN.
@@jmarsvolta The way they did it was a bit over the top and egotistical, though. "The partnership of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala is the Mars Volta", or something along those lines. Then they pretty much treated everyone else like sidemen, and all the focus had to be on them and only them. Jon and Ikey in particular brought a ton of talent to the band, and the fact that they were treated like they were unimportant compared to Cedric and Omar is down right disrespectful. Those two really let their egos get in the way of a truly great band, it's sad.
@@scottudell7202 It's no different than solo artists. Beck is Beck. He's the boss and his band members know that.
Cedric seems so humble and awesome in this.
+Ace Dyer he's gotta be human sometime ;)
He got married and had kids.
Jon Theodore and Juan Alderete was the best rythm section ever since John Bonham and John Paul Jones from Zeppelin. The groove and energy blew me away. The chemistry between them was perfect. TMV was never the same when he left. I’d love to hear Jon Theodore play the songs from the later albums😎
Always adored Jon. The chorus on Eriatarka, Tetragrammaton throughout, the outro on Vismund Cygnus...so many incredible moments. His ability to technically tear it apart and completely mirror the rest of the band is unbelievable.
Chorus of Eriatarka is one of the most crazy things I heard in drumming. That song is a flawless drumming performance.
@@BTBAM819 That song is something else.
@@BTBAM819 this is a year old comment. Just read it and felt I had to comment on it.
I got chills reading it because it reminded me of how perfect that song really is. There are so many amazing songs the mars volta created but that may be my very very favorite. Probably bc I have a personal experience listening to it that's very dear to me, on top of it being a masterpiece of a song.
Cheers from the future.
@@robosing225 1 year later and it still blows me away. I remember 5 years ago a preceptor at high school recommended me this drummer, and told me to listen to Frances, but I went ahead straight to De-Loused. Best choice ever
@@BTBAM819 100% best way to be introduced to such an iconic band. Hell yes dude.
I remember being introduced to them by a friend. Let me borrow the cd so I could make a copy, but we ended up driving with his sister, who decided to play the cd in a suburban, ALL the way up.
One of the best ways I was introduced to that band along with Eriatarka.
Never the same after Theodore left the band, but great to hear the musicians themselves recognise that. I saw the Mars Volta four times with Theodore and once with Pridgen - no comparison. Jon Theodore is a once-in-a-generation drummer.
Really cool to hear someone in this position just clean up his own side of the street without slinging mud. Kudos to ya.
Kudos to Cedric for owning it. Takes some maturity to express that sort of honesty. The band fell largely off my radar after Jon was out. I agree that was a critical blow to the group.
Oh man this is such a closure for me after all those years. When I first heard of it years back I was like - YOU DID WHAT? you kicked out the DRUMMER? like are u fucking out of your mind? And not a single album since Amputechture ever clicked with me, and I think that is because of absence of Jon.
It's good to hear now from Cedric that it was their worst decision. Gotta listen to Frances now
took the words right outta my mouth!
1000% agree with you, the feel of TMV was completely lost after he left.
I love Octahedron tho but that's just me.
Bedlam is amazing, though exhausting. Noctourniquet is a masterpiece. Just because they’re different doesnt mean they arent great.
Never heard the ones after Amputechture, i was getting a little bored already with some songs in it.
Isaiah Owens was a huge part of their sound as well. The first 3 albums are the best 3 albums ever.
totally true
His skills and input are really showcased on Scabdates. Love that record.
_Frances the Mute_ is one of the greatest drumming performances of all time. And greatest albums in general.
RIP
Jon Theodore changed the way I thought about music. My biggest drumming inspiration.
Then check out Gavin Harrison, for the ultimate inspiration ;)
Black day for Me when they announced Theodore was out of TMV... I was fucking pissed and really, really sad.
Just listened to De-Loused the other day and his drumming is mind-blowing.
That said, Bedlam with Thomas Pridgen is my second favorite TMV album...
I completely feel the same way. This is the history that I feel only me and my close friends care about so thanks for this, even though it was 2 years ago.
I was really hoping they'd come back with Dave Elitch when they reformed. Dave is an absolute monster.
De-Loused and Frances the Mute are my favorites, but Bedlam is probably tied for 2nd with Frances the Mute because that album is super sick.
jon theodore is easily one of the best drummers out there. he's definitely right that it was stupid to fire him...
He made QOTSA that much better..one of the most underrated drummers ever.
Unfortunately QOTSA's sound does not allow Theodore to release his 'beast' mode as TMV did. ):
@@palinoiatrax I only partially agree. Regardless though, Jon and Josh together os magical. Like clockwork is a masterpiece.
@@joeydee247 jon only played on one song on Like Clockwork and officially joined before villians came out
@@palinoiatrax hoping whenever qotsa's next album comes out that it goes harder than villains and lets jon rip
@@toastwrld1365 still, no qotsa drummer would be able to play The Evil Has Landed the way Jon does. Or play the new arrangement of Better Living Through Chemistry.
Well, being a drummer, fair play to the guy for admitting it and taking about it. Drummers are usually the last one in the band that are recognised by the rest of the band as being musicians too. Respect to the guy. Hopefully they'll jam together again some day.
impressive to hear him being so honest.
Yes, Jon's dynamic range is unparalleled. I feel lucky I got to see him with TMV a couple times.
Theodore's drumming was such an inspiration for me in my teenage years. I was shocked and heart broken when I heard the news that he wasn't in the band anymore. I was playing drums quite a bit at the time, and was obsessed with those three albums, especially Frances the Mute. I spent countless hours trying to figure out those drum parts to little avail. I knew TMV would never be the same again.
I guess rock is dead, at least for me, all I listen to is electronic producers nowadays. Phaeleh is probably my favorite producer atm, I highly recommend him. RIP TMV.
It was always Cedric, for me, that elevated The Mars Volta from a good band to a great band. Omar wrote all the songs and directed everyone yes, but Cedrics voice and vocal melodies he wrote are what really did it for me.
I agree, his voice and lyrics add a character to everything he works on that is really unique and enjoyable. enchanting even...
I too was hurt when he left TMV. Right now, with no disrespect to others, clearly the best drummers of the 2000's. Nice to hear at least At the Drive In is getting back again.
You gotta to give it to Cedric, for showing what honesty means.
been waiting for this kind of an interview for years
Juan, Jon and Ikey were AT LEAST 50% of TMV sound. And as such, deserved AT LEAST 50% of the Attention / Credit.
Damn shame
WOW. So interesting that Cedric feels the same way I do about this. Jon really was 50% of the band. When he left, I stopped following Mars Volta. Nice to hear what went on and that Cedric is remorseful.
Haha 50% of the band? Check your math
No idea who y'all are. But thank f*** y'all fired Jon. He played the best drum solo I've ever heard at a Queens of the Stone Age concert last night.
Drummers are essentially playing 5 or 6 instruments in a band hence when they leave half the sound goes with them.
dammit listening to this made me realize I did this to my own drummer.
Don't abuse your talented drummer friends people! Appreciate them and their weirdness!
+MyGameplaying Totally did the same, he wasn't that good but I pushed him too hard and ended up hurting his feelings. Later drummer I played with was so resistant to any of that, and I understand now.
Sure Umm they also could have practiced more and taken more personal responsibility but whatever lol
I didn't push my band enough
I wanted everything to be equal, I only wrote my vocals and guitar and let them write their stuff...they didn't write shit, my lead guitarist was way better than me on guitar, but didn't have any drive to finish anything, he would just piss around, then go play guitar hero.
dave ghrol said someone has to be the boss of the band, I was so worried of pushing them away/ appreciative that someone was working with me...at the end of the dyay, I was the one that ended up leaving.
Try saying "our" instead of "my" drummer for starters. Pay attention how drummers (for the most part) carry themselves socially. Its always "us" and "we". Same deal with bassists. Singers, meh, not so much. Guitarists, phew, they need to get their ego checked. Keyboardists, god help you!
lol your drummer had jon theodore level talent did he
The drummer always makes the band, never forget that musicians!!!!
I saw Jon Theodore playing with Golden opening for Rye Coalition some years ago. Cedric could not have described him any better.
Man, Wish I'd get to see these guys live again, with Ikey and Jon, perhaps some day in another world.
Jon Theodore was such an integral ingredient to the band. That’s why the Jon/TMV albums were so amazing.
Jon ended up with a much bigger gig so.....
fuzzylogiceire a lot less work too!
this. he's not really showcasing himself anymore :(
after watching live performance of Queens of the Stone Age you realize they both lost. What he plays now is way too rudimental for him. Theodore wasting most of his talent with QOTSA. And Cedric and Omar went back to do a an equaly disapointing ATDI reunion...
:(
Maybe he's gonna be more active in the next album, like how Mikey seems more prominent in Villains, his second album with QotSA
Alex Poulin And with the way QOTSA sounded on Songs for the Deaf with Dave Grohl on the kit, you would think Jon would be the perfect replacement to go back to that style of drumming, but no, their latest album is not produced very well as a QOTSA album and they didn't have Jon display his talents at all. Really disappointed me because QOTSA is one of my favorite bands, Jon is one of my favorite drummers, and them teaming up was a dream come true....only for Jon to play so lowkey. Joey busted out way more awesome grooves than Jon has during all of his QOTSA material. My hope is that their next album will a) not have Mark Ronson involved at all, and b) will give Jon a chance to show off his skills
Very cool interview!
"aw dude man tell me about like, Jon Theodore and shit"
Seems after Cedric himself got burned out by Omar's relentless rhytm and left the band, he had the time to reflect and look back on how they had manged their band and the relationships with their bandmates. It's good that he recognizes the mistake and that he is happy that Jon landed the gig with QOTSA. Jon's insane talent deserves to be enjoyed by the people.
"He was playing with Zach from Rage, but that was just-" "Day in the Lion!" lmao, much love Dean, and thank you for the interview.
I never was interested in the drum part of a song/album or a band in general. That was ended when I listen Deloused in the comatorioum for the first time. Jon Teodore is a beast!
Jons one of my favorite drummers ever. De loused has so many great parts.
Listen to every Mars Volta album with Jon Theodore in it multiple times and still listen to them today and love them. Listened to the album Mars Volta put out after they let Jon Theodore go a couple times trying to get into it and just couldn't. They just completely lost it for me after that. Tried to listen to whatever else they put out after Bedlam in Goliath and just couldn't even enjoy it. He was the band for me. Glad one of them realized it.
John Theodore made the Mars Volta - When he left they scrambled and became desperate...John's drumming was on point on every song, he was extremely....extremely creative...I could learn so much from just one song it was unbelievable. the form and structure of his rhythms were what made their songs timeless...i miss him and his drumming style for this band so much. He was the reincarnation of John Bonham...
...
i will always respect omar and cedric for one thing. Artistic integrity
Cool to hear that humilty after the time
Jon Theodore changed my life as a drummer... And I’ve heard this interview before, but I forgot how much I gained respect for Cedric for admitting his poor decision in agreeing to let him go. Cedric really sounds like he reflected so hard on his regret, that that whole situation humbled the shit out of him. They got some good shit out of Jon, though. So kudos for all the good songs and records, at least while it lasted.
I'm a big fan of Volta and ATDI, but I'm glad Jon ended up joining one of the greatest rock bands of all time in Queens Of The Stone Age. It's even more amazing live when Jon gets let loose to do a solo. Seen Queens 4 times since Jon joined and he blows me away.
I never knew this. Such a great band and one of my favorites from a decade ago. Such a shame.
Man I got to see the original TMV line up at Big Day out Gold Coast. Omg so amazing.
That man had some fucking grooves. Ugh. One of the most satisfying drummers
I have new respect for the guys now that I hear them being so honest about sacking Jon. Very cool and it's all worked out for Jon in the long run.
De-Loused in the Comatorium, Frances the Mute, and Amputechture are the definitive Mars Volta trilogy thanks to Jon Theodore.
Asistí a una presentación de Mars Volta en el filmore auditorium en denver en 2005 y fue electrizante!!!!
The mars volta is what gives me hope for music and for making music. Outside of the box and creative music.
theodore was the secret weapon
Im glad the interviewer let them know hes murdering it with queens now
Thank you for this. I was appalled when I first heard they dropped him. He is amazing. I dont even love the singer's voice or the guitar style and yet I loved the songs cause the ebb and flow and drum parts and bass especially. Sigh. I still listen to the older albums regularly cause they are great. The newer stuff has a couple of gems but nothing that trully compares. Especially the soft latest albums I was like "huh" I wish they hadn't let him go cause he doesn't get to shine on qotsa as much but that's what it is. Ill always be looking for anything Jon does from here on.
JenzaD by "soft" I assume you mean Octahedron which is the only album they made without Theodore that's any good. Anyway, Theodore played drums on a "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy" album called "Ease Down the Road". One of my all time favorite album's along with De-Loused and Frances, thanks Jon.
@@Dehangus I still think every album they had after Theodore is a masterpiece.
@@jakehyrule7260 I disagree, I think Bedlam is ass and Noctourniquet is just good, not great. Octahedron is great and way better than Amputechture still though. I guess my opinion hasn't changed too much from when I was 18. Weird.
@@Dehangus meh, each to their own. I love everything they've done. My opinion hasnt changed much in the 15 or so years I've listened to them. Maybe I'm just biased haha. Nice display picture by the way.
@@jakehyrule7260 Yup, my girlfriend loves bedlam, we've argued about it a couple times haha. But yeah who cares about my opinion. And thanks man, love Nick Drake.
Yes, but how the hell did he play Eunuch provocateur? Still cant find any reliable drum tabs! Magic dude!
I'm glad he admits it. The drummer I saw yesterday was awesome though as well!
If Volta gets back together, I hope its as much of the OG lineup as possible, including Jon.
First two MV albums with Theodore have the best rock drumming in modern times.Pretty much everything about what he did was perfect.
Cool that he's with Queens but when i saw them with him it was almost like his skills are wasted…didn't really get to showcase what he can do with them.But still the man!
Yep, wasted! He should be in a more complex, fun band. But on the other hand, QOTSA sells tickets. u know what i mean.
stay whys? I know this post is old but, lets wait to see what he can do with a new album. He didnt play on the last album so we dont know what he can contribute
In my opinion JT and ZDLR should keep One Day As a Lion. It was FIRE and a real proof that he's incredible drummer
He is an amazing drummer....reminds me of my old drummer where in they have their own style but are part of the music not just boom pat. I miss him in mv. He isn't utilized at all in qotsa but I'm glad he's playing. The stuff I love the best from mv is with him. The other drummers were good but not fascinating that's all. Kinda like dream theatre ...they are so talented but just not groovy/fun to listen to.
Man, we have the same opinion on this stuff. I can't listen to more than 10 seconds of Dream Theatre.
Jonathan Vieira I know this is 3 years old, but every member of Dream Theater can suck a fat chode.
Same with their original bassist. I saw their second show at the troubadour and I thought for sure MV would be better than ATDI ever was. After the show every one was like WHO THE FUCK WAS THAT DRUMMER?!?!
incredible, I hadn't heard this interview directly. When was it?
They are on friendly terms afterall, I m happy with that
Way I see it, if it weren't for the drugs and the mistakes and that, we wouldn't have had such incredible music at all. TMV was a thing to behold. And imagine if QOTSA couldn't get a drummer who could hold up the awesome legacy of their previous drummer, in fact no, don't imagine that, we thankfully don't have to :)
Jon Theodore is THE BEST contemporary rock drummer
Qotsa utilize his style and from the music and what interviews I've read he's thriving. I've followed atdi since the beginning but when I saw an interview with Omar his attitude was this is my band what I want is what I want. If you can deal with that type of environment cool but Jon is creative in his own respect. Hope that this resonates with other bands that all members matter and you can't alienate other members with PR bullshit or not listen to ideas etc... it'll dive a wedge between your mates and it'll whatever project in progress. Still support these guys though antemasque is awesome.
I would love to hear cedric on WTF podcast. I just want to hear those two stubborn egos.
Indeed
Which Volta song would you guys say Jon did his best work on? I gotta say Cygnus or Eriatarka. Incidentally they're probably my 2 favorite Mars Volta songs.
Sure Umm Eriatarka. That rhythmic collapse in the first two choruses, and then the way Jon and Omar calm it down and contain their instruments into a more traditional rhythm in that last chorus is sublime.
Cicatriz e.s.p. for me .
The opening for Tetragrammaton and Roulette Dares.
Chris Check this
@@jsanabria L'Via..... The quickness and dexterity of the kick foot, and the stop-on-a-dime dynamics are the pinnacle of pinnacles. Of course, all the other examples mentioned are killers too, but it's this song (and Cynus) that killed me. Honorable mention- the first section of Miranda. Just cuz I dig the emotive slow jam, too... :)
He was telling fans he wasn’t feeling it. Well he told me anyway. I met Jon by Joe’s Pizza after the what ended up being his last Kansas City show. Its so funny they say he was trying to communicate stuff he didn’t know how to, we were gushing and he was authentic about not feeling it which was rad. Having him record Frances without hearing all the parts was a mind fuck and I loved the improv shit but I got the feeling he was less into it. They should do one last album together and have Rick produce but maintain dynamics which he does nowadays
Met him on the tour in kc. Within 2 minutes he’s talking about not feeling the music.
Unique style, you can hear him pushing his limits
We used to think that it had to be a drum machine back before the album was fully out😂
Wheres the link to the full interviewww
Maybe I’ll state the obvious but he’s handsome af, why excluding him from band shoots?
TMVs greatest Drummer
What was this interwiew ?
What interview is this?? I've got to hear the rest of it.
Let There Be Talk, podcast by Dean Delray
Well atleast i saw them and fuck it was insane
Don't hate on me, but the two albums with Thomas Pridgen after Theodore left are amazing
That was extremely interesting to listen to because for the past 10 years I've been wondering why the fuck he ever left the band. I thought he left on his own! I've pretty much disliked every album they've put out since he was kicked out. Bummer.
Never been the same since. Nothing against QOTSA, but I think Theodore's talents could be optimized in a less straight forward band.
Hearing from a dude who worked with them during the Frances The Mute sessions, apparently Jon was sick of Omar and Cedric's shit, same thing happened with Pridgen...
Hey that's interesting could you elaborate?
Sorry, you're wrong. A similar thing didn't happen with Pridgen... Pridgen got himself canned from the band. Not him quitting from Cedric and Omars dictatorship. Pridgen had made a few passes at Cedrics wife and Caused a confrontation between him and Cedric... Canned the next day
According to this podcast pridgen got fired for pissing on their tour bus. Listen to the interview with Juan and he says this.
This is a great interview. Would be even better if dean del ray gave Cedric time to answer without stepping all over every other sentence
Not even Thomas Pridgen could save the band? He's an amazing drummer!
Minty Thaw I think Thomas Pridgen is a better drummer but I also believe Theodore was a better fit for Mars Volta since he was there since the band started. He is definitely a unique drummer, it's too bad QOTSA doesn't really justify what he is truly capable of.
***** those are Pridgen's same influences lol, I think Pridgen was given lessons from Tony Williams too!
***** Regardless, Pridgen is amazing, he could do what Theodore could do but he implemented his own style. Yes he was incredibly flashy for the band but then again Mars Volta became musically chaotic and that is what they wanted. My only guess is that the band didn't get along well with Pridgen so that is why it didn't work out.
Bedlam In Goliath had horrible drums. Pridgen didn't ever use half the dynamic varation Jon has. Snare and kick drum sounded like they were run through triggers. It's like Mars Volta hired a technical death metal drummer. Then again I might be biased, because I just hate the way Bedlam sounds in it's entirety, maybe except Cedrics vocals. Either way Pridgen gets a hard pass from me.
@@Uzurr69 I agree completely. I think Theodore's era in the band marks the only albums I can always, ALWAYS bring myself to listen all the way through. THAT was The Mars Volta, and Bedlam almost feels like an imitation of their own style, as much as I love some of the cuts on that album.
Plus the god-awful mixing on that album makes it feel like a big stupid loud brick, whereas the first three were soundscapes that dynamically changed from song to song in such a creative way. You could picture shapes and colors with those, whereas Bedlam... Big brick.
I'd like to listen to the rest of this interview.... where did you find this??
its on the description soundcloud.com/deandelray/let-there-be-talk-ep36-cedric
DeadeyesX311 Oh I should probably have read the description. my bad. Is this you giving the interview?
i wish, but if i would had done it, it would had been totally different
afry925 idk why i didn't told you who it is, its comedian, dean delray doing the interview
I've actually seen him live.... he was talking shit about the audience and he wasn't funny.
he was really really good...wait he IS really really good..what am i saying. Miss him in Volta!
I was so sad when Jon was fired, almost as sad as when Ian Gillan left Black Sabbath.
golden is a reference on john theodore skin tone
Sounds like jonah hill interviewing
Bonnaroo 2005 was insane. Easily the best show in my life. Jon is easily one of my favorites. Definitely TMVs biggest mistake.
ever since he left the band lost a lot of its feeling
The Raul Guerrero G thats what happens wen drummers leave band, examples korn and slipknot
it's basically another band since then
Hugo Marenco ya man, after that i actually stopped listening to them
The Raul Guerrero G sorry To hear because they did manage to make great albums without him!
The Raul Guerrero G You definitely should take a listen to Octahedron, people rip on it but I think it's better than Amputechture. Bedlam and Noctourniquet aren't really worth a second listen but Octahedron is overlooked. it took me a while to like it but it grew on me, there's nothing that has the same atmosphere and feel.
I think they did veeeeery well with Thomas Pridgen...
But yeah Jon Theodore was IT for the band.
Jeremy Ward too.
Jon Theodore plays the drums.
+Joe very well
He was the best for the band seeing him live killed
Thomas Pridgen left for the exact same reason... Everything he's saying fits Thomas's situation, word by word..
Pridgen was kicked due him overly immature behavior.
I don't know where you read that, but hum... that was not the case, believe me.
Juan said that was the exact reason on this podcast (Dean Delray's let there be talk)
Pridgen got kicked out because he is a complete fucking moron!
We back bois
maybe if he could have transmitted what he like to play... sound devastate to history .
Jon was THE greatest drummer for the mars volta... I don't care what anyone else says... All of their drummers they've had are amazing BUT no where near the image of what Jon brought to the table... They should have never let him go and they know it now too... It makes me feel a little better that they realized he was the one... It's 2019 and ATDI is on a hiatus... I'm hoping Cedric and Omar are about to revive the mars volta WITH Jon by their side...