In a recent conversation with the UK's The Guardian, Mike Patton opened up about his mental health struggles that led to Faith No More cancelling what would have been their first tour in five years.
Patton's struggles began, quite understandably, during the pandemic. He was diagnosed with agoraphobia as the virus began to tighten its grip on the world. Coupled with heavy drinking, Patton subsided into a heavy depression.
"My initial response to the pandemic was: 'I love this shit!' It allowed me to be an antisocial motherfucker!" Patton told The Guardian. "I had maybe three months of that: 'This is fucking awesome!' Then something changed – and not for the better. Because I was isolated so much, going outside was a hard thing to do. That's a horrible thing. And 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."
These days, Patton says he's doing pretty well, but things in the Faith No More camp are apparently a little icy. "The band is rock solid, and I want to make sure that I bring it. There are a few issues going on," Patton said, declining to elaborate.
I don't think you have to read too hard between the lines to see that, apparently, cancelling the Faith No More tour dates did not sit well with everyone in the band's camp—and it's important to note that "camp" extends beyond the five members of the band. There's managers, publicists, tour crew and plenty more folks that work their butts off and depend on Faith No More as a business. Still, these days, mental health must come first, above everything and anything, as we can't be our best when we don't feel it for real.
I think it's a very positive takeaway that Patton said the band is rock solid, which says to me they have his back no matter what. As always, we wish Mike well and hope to see him out on the road soon. As for some new music, Patton's Dead Cross project with buddy Dave Lombardo will release their sophomore LP, II, on October 28. Pre-orders for II are available here.
