Downset. bassist James Morris appears as the guest on episode 32 of the ‘Talk Toomey’ podcast, hosted by former Primer 55 bassist Josh Toomey. The chat (which you can stream here) focuses extensively on Downset.‘s early career and and touring. Having come up in the same circles as Rage Against The Machine and Inside Out during their own pre-Downset. days as Social Justice, Morris was asked how he felt about Rage Against The Machine‘s meteoric rise and if he was jealous of their success:
“It was never anything for me but like ‘wow, are you kidding me? The kind of music we made in high school can…’ Like they came up—we all came up at the same time—but they took off. Like it went from 0 to 60, like almost overnight. All of a sudden it was us and Rage and then boom, Rage had sort of staked the claim for rap and hardcore together. I never saw it as anything but a great thing for music in general. I was never jealous or sort of that hateful type, that you know ‘f-them.’ We’re cool, they took it and ran with it so no, never any of that. I was always very happy to see what I was doing was so successful.”
When asked on what he feels like Downset.‘s impact was on the nü metal/rap-metal scene, Morris remained diplomatic, offering:
“Do I feel like I’m responsible? I feel like we were definitely responsible for the momentum in some way. We definitely facilitated that sound. I don’t know if I’d go so far to say like we’re recognized as the arbitrators of what’s good or bad, or maybe the originators. I just think that we were a very strong sort of touchpoint in that whole scene.
A lot of those bands have given me credit, when I’ve met them and they talk to me, like ‘you know that first album’ or ‘when I heard “Anger”’ or you know, ‘that bass line’ or ‘that guitar riff’ or ‘when that beat drops,’ like ‘that just made me want to do this and that.’ A lot of those bands opened up for Downset. as they were coming through the L.A. scene like System Of A Down and Korn. Like those were just good days.
Whether or not we made a tactile imprint on those people, I don’t know. But I definitely think that we were in the first wave. And that we were kind of the more underdog, the harder, hardcore sound. So, I think we filled out one corner of that sort of field nicely. So yeah, I’d say we could take credit for being there and doing the kind of thing that helped nurture a scene, absolutely.”
As to the saturation and commercialization of the genre that followed:
“You can’t be a dictator about your art. Whatever it spawns, good or bad, that’s kind of out of your control. If what you did was pure and good, then I sort of, I’m not going to judge the Juggalo because… But for sure, there’s absolutely things out there that aren’t for me that I go ‘yeah… I’m OK.’ But it’s somebody’s art, it’s somebody’s something and you know, it’s all good.
If it’s for you and it’s your favorite music and it’s what you do and you love, then that’s awesome. And if I sort of pushed you in the direction to find the passion that you love and create art and do something that other people love then that’s cool too.
Maybe I hate it, maybe I don’t like it at all. Yeah, there’s a whole spectrum of that rap-metal scene, nü metal, or whatever, that I just wasn’t into. That’s not me being on my high horse, or me being condescending. It’s just saying I come from a certain place and I took where I came from and I tweaked it with four other dudes and it came out like this.
I know a lot of people heard us and we’re like ‘uggh, disgusting.’ But a lot of people weren’t and so I can’t paint the stripe on someone that came after me for some of the more clownish aspects of what hip hop and metal came. They can’t paint me with a stripe, because I don’t give a damn. I did my thing. I did something original, in some respects. And I made art and at the end of the day, no one can take that from me.
Not to be too politically correct about the answer, but I think a lot of that stuff is not for me at all. I don’t like it at all. But I don’t think that ‘ugh’, I don’t hang my head in shame or like ‘oh sorry guys, sorry for making that come to life,’ not at all. Not at all.”
Though the band had a bit of activity a few years back, he doesn’t expect much too happen in the future, saying they are all happy living their own lives. Instead, Morris has more recently been focusing on his current outfit, Noncon.
