EXCLUSIVE Q & A with JARED FOLLOWILL, Bass Player of KINGS OF LEON
Interview by Alex Murphy
Edited by Justin Luczejko

WV: What was it like playing in front of a Sold Out Crowd where both the New York Knicks & Rangers play every night?
JF:It was amazing. Playing a place with that much history is a huge milestone for our band. Everybody we love has played there at one point or another.

WV:It was only a few years ago, that Kings of Leon were playing in front of a few hundred people per night. How does it feel going from such a drastic and monumental change in crowd capacity only a few short years later? Furthermore, which do you prefer; the larger audiences or the more intimate settings?
JF: It's very different; mainly to do with the sound. It sounds better in a smaller venue, but you feel more self conscious having people stand so close to you. Actually, it's much more fun playing in a smaller venue. You feel intoxicated with that many people so close to your face. On a larger scale, I have to admit, it's much more fulfilling to sell out the Madison Square Garden.

WV:The band’s sound continues to change and expand exponentially with each and every album you release, how exactly does the success that comes with the change feel?
JF:It feels good for all of the work to pay off. It feels good to get asked "what band are you in?" and the person actually may know of someone who has heard of you.

WV:On "Only by the Night", your latest album, it seems like you went back to your roots, was this a natural transgression or something that you set out to do?
JF:I think the south will always influence our music just because we're from here and we live here. It's kind of hard to get away from it.

“It made us weird people and weird people seem to make the best music! I don't know why we can't seem to get it right?”

WV:With the popularity of Southern-born bands such as Deerhoof, The Black Lips and Be Your Own Pet, it seems there is a resurgence of quality musicianship coming from Southern States, that some say has lacked in previous years. The most recent election is another example of this change is attitude.
JF:I think culture spreads slowly. More and more the south is becoming filled with people you would see in New York and Los Angeles; kids with a true interest in music and art.

WV:Jared…you, Nathan and Caleb grew up traveling with your Father. How would you say being so close to your family has affected your music and being on the road as much as you are, where exactly do you call home?
JF:We all live in Nashville, TN. Our childhood really didn't affect our music directly. It certainly affected our personalities which then, in turn, affects our music. It made us weird people and weird people seem to make the best music! I don't know why we can't seem to get it right?

WV:This issue’s theme of Wonka Vision is dubbed our "Blue-Collar Rock" Issue; what kind of day jobs did the boys in Kings of Leon have prior to being a full-time band?
JF: Nate and Caleb worked various jobs throughout their teens; painting houses, roofing, waiting tables and a brief stint at Spencer's Gift's. Matt was a gopher for a law office in his home town. I was 15 when the band formed so this is my only real job. I mowed a lawn or two.

WV: Despite being pretty big in the United States right now, but not particularly huge; Kings of Leon have been and continue to be on the top of the charts in the United Kingdom, any theories on why this is?
JF:They catch on quicker.

Full 5-Page Story can be found in Wonka Vision Magazine #44 – available March 16, 2009!