Faith No More frontman Mike Patton has shared that he struggled with alcohol use amid the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
Speaking with The Guardian, Patton recalls actually feeling good at the beginning of the pandemic — “It allowed me to be an antisocial motherf***er!” he laughs — but then “something changed — and not for the better.”
“Because I was isolated so much, going outside was a hard thing to do, and that’s a horrible thing,” Patton says. “The idea of doing more Faith No More shows — it was stressful. It affected me mentally. I don’t know why, but the drinking just … happened.”
In addition to the battle with alcoholism, Patton was diagnosed with the anxiety disorder agoraphobia. He revealed in a Rolling Stone interview published over the summer that the diagnosis forced Faith No More to cancel a tour in 2021.
Those dates, Patton tells The Guardian, won’t be rescheduled. He plans to return to the live stage in December for a run of South American shows with Mr. Bungle. Patton says he’s been “doing pretty good” lately and has been sober “for a while,” though he admits he’s afraid of playing shows again.
“I’m afraid of myself,” Patton says. “The band is rock solid and I want to make sure that I bring it. There are a few issues going on.”
When asked to clarify those issues, Patton replies, “I don’t know if I wanna tell you.”
Patton is also set to release a new album with his band Dead Cross, titled II, on October 28.
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