Paramore: Party in the U.S.A.
News
Photograph by Ben Watts
Fueled by high-grade chocolate milk on a bus that smells of popcorn and Twizzlers, Paramore traverse the country on a mission to bring sunny angst to the masses. SPIN tags along for the ride, and wonders where they go from here. [Cover story excerpt]
THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 11:30 P.M.
Somewhere on the New Jersey Turnpike
Hayley Williams is on the bus, yanking off her fake eyelashes. It's been a long day for the Paramore singer: up at eight to drive into Manhattan to soundcheck for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, followed by an interview, lunch at a Times Square diner, where she spent much of her meal posing for pictures with fans, the actual Fallon taping, back to Jersey in rush-hour traffic, a quick bite near the Secaucus Hyatt, and finally onto the bus for the band's next tour stop, the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City -- a two-hour trip that, thanks to a new driver and a wonky GPS, is now well into hour three. If ever there were a time to kick back with a nice cold bottle of…
"Do you like chocolate milk?"
That's guitarist Josh Farro, standing by the fridge. "This is the best chocolate milk ever," he says, holding a pint. "They make it at a farm near Knoxville. Our friend sent us, like, 20 of them. You gotta try it."
For the self-proclaimed "five best friends from Nashville" in Paramore -- Farro, his drummer brother Zac, bassist Jeremy Davis, guitarist Taylor York, and Williams -- this is what the road is all about. They stay up late. They watch Spaceballs and play Yahtzee. They sing Hanson songs, and not even "MMMBop" -- we're talking deep cuts. Their bus smells like popcorn and Twizzlers, and their chief entertainment is a book of hypothetical questions they take turns shouting out answers to. (If you had to be the underwear of someone famous, who would it be? "Jake Gyllenhaal!" blurts Williams.)
But inside this mobile slumber party lies a thriving rock'n'roll empire. The band's third album, 2009's Brand New Eyes, has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. The one before that, Riot!, sold two million. In between came their song for the Twilight soundtrack, "Decode," which clocked over a million downloads and solidified Williams, a 21-year-old dynamo with a voice like a fire truck and hair to match, as America's leading purveyor of teen-punk angst.
(Speaking of: Team Edward or Team Jacob? "Oh God," she blushes. "I don't really like either. I wish she'd date the guy at the school lunch table. The other two seem a little high-maintenance." Note: Hayley Williams doesn't do drama.)
Finally, after a lengthy detour through the back roads of Ocean County, the bus arrives at the hotel. Williams -- in hoodie and tight jeans, all black everything -- makes a beeline for the elevator. She's beat, and all she wants to do is get upstairs, take her first real shower in a week, and crash. But then there's these guys. "Yo, you better take them skinny jeans off."
At 5'2" and maybe a buck, Williams jokes that she has the body of a 12-year-old boy, and apparently these two mooks in the lobby are under the same impression. "For real, son," says the second. "We don't play that shit around here."
She stops, not so much mad as annoyed. "Dudes," she says, pulling off her hood. "I'm a fucking girl."
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 12:53 P.M.
Atlantic City, NJ
"Look at those seagulls with their fat little bellies!"
The next morning, Williams is strolling along the Atlantic City boardwalk, munching on a $3 corn dog. She's got a hint of twang and a pretty, crooked smile that reveals the gap in her front teeth. (One of her nicknames is SpongeBob.) In articles, Williams is invariably described as "flame-haired," but up close it's much more intense: an eruption of red so volcanic it could shut down European air traffic. (It's part of the uniform: When she's off duty, she usually goes blonde.)
She's wearing leggings and a black New Found Glory hoodie -- her boyfriend, Chad Gilbert, is that band's guitarist -- and around her neck hang two pendants: a diamond from Gilbert, and an Elvis/TCB-style lightning bolt over the letters TLC. On her feet are a pair of custom-made Vans, decorated with characters from Pet Sematary -- zombie cat on the left, demon kid on the right. The shoes are size six, although as a sixth-grade basketball player, Williams insisted on buying size eight. "I don't know why," she says. "I guess I thought I'd grow into them." The girl dreams big.
Williams was born in 1988, in Meridian, Mississippi, the daughter of a teacher and a car-audio specialist who divorced when she was seven. Her strict Christian upbringing meant secular music was frowned upon, but she managed to absorb enough 'N Sync and blink-182 to keep her in the loop.
But after she and her mom moved to Nashville, a feud with some Lohan-caliber mean girls led her to quit public school altogether. She started going to a weekly tutorial in a church, where her study buddies happened to include two musical brothers named Farro.
Since then, Williams has led the kind of life they don't teach in home school: She gets clothes from Marc Jacobs and advice from Gwen Stefani. Hollywood is sending her scripts. She's on B.o.B's summer smash, "Airplanes." She's friends with Miley Cyrus and McLovin, and when they're both at home, she has girly time with Taylor Swift. In September they saw Jennifer's Body and talked about how hot Megan Fox was.
Last year Williams bought a house in the Nashville suburb of Franklin. It's a cute, '30s-era cottage with a backyard and a barbecue and sweet old neighbors. Williams hates it there. "I love my friends," she says. "But I don't like to be home for more than a week. I go to the yogurt bar, I ride my bike, I eat sushi. What am I supposed to do?"
As we're talking, a guy approaches. He's in his mid-40s, glasses, balding. "Holy smokes," he says. "I can't believe I'm meeting you!" He asks for a photo, tells her about some videos he posted of the band on YouTube, and after about a minute of friendly awkwardness, goes on his way.
"I guess the demo has changed!" She laughs it off, but it's clear she's a little uncomfortable. "I don't want to be like, 'This guy doesn't like our music, he's just a creep.' I try not to be judgmental."
After the divorce, Cristi Williams married a guy Hayley has described as a "super-Southern Baptist Nazi." The move to Nashville was to get away from him -- for a while, they were in hiding. Now her mom lives in Los Angeles, where she's a life coach for young Disney stars-in-the-making. "Watching her reinvent herself and become an independent woman all over again," says Hayley, "that helped me a lot."
One of Williams' favorite quotes is from a song by the band mewithoutYou: "A fish swims in the sea, while the sea is, in a certain sense, contained within the fish."
"To me, it just means my surroundings don't control me," she says. "Being on the road, playing every night, you can lose yourself. It's a reminder that I'm what makes things either positive or negative. It's not everything we're swimming in. My identity is created by me."
Read the rest of the Paramore feature in the July issue of SPIN, on newsstands now!
Featuring an exclusive, full-band cover shot and 11 pages of photos, many snapped by the band themselves! GET IT NOW!
56 Comments
Click here to comment- Posted By Brandneweyez
08.12.10 1:06 PM
Spin did the exact same thing to No Doubt when they hit it big. They nearly broke up over it! That's what the video for "Don't Speak" is based on. I'm starting to think I may never read this magazine again!
- Posted By Anonymous
07.16.10 9:18 AM
people!! before you go judge the band why don't you see what Hayley wrote on www.Paramore.net...she said SHE ISN'T HAPPY WITH THE article and that she knows that the Spin didn't actually cover anything about the band! so it's not like Hayley Williams said oh hey, lets do an article about me! no, in fact she hates the fact that all these music journalists are always trying to find something bad about a band, or a musician. and she says she isn't friends with Miley or McLovin.
don't believe me? heres the article: 1) http://www.paramore.net/blog/3-strikes-im-out/
2)http://www.paramore.net/blog/strange-youth/
- Posted By Anonymous
07.14.10 3:34 AM
ya know... you do have a point there... =)) but don't you think you're a little bit going overboard? you shouldn't trash people like that.. but about what you said, yeah it's true. especially this part, "And to the so-called fans, you're gonna stop listening to their music because of this article? Huh? What exactly was said in this article that makes their music that you once adored a turn-off for you?" they shouldn't stop listening to Paramore just because of this article. not unless they are just "so called fans" as you say.. P.S. you were once (or maybe are) a teenager too.
- Posted By Anonymous
07.11.10 1:31 AM
A lot of Paramore's fans (and haters) seem to be very immature for the most part, judging by the comments below. No one is saying that the band should be immune to criticism, but if you genuinely dislike the band and cannot say anything positive about them even in the slightest, then why bother commenting about how much they suck? Seriously, that's just a waste of time. And to the so-called fans, you're gonna stop listening to their music because of this article? Huh? What exactly was said in this article that makes their music that you once adored a turn-off for you? I guess that's what happens when your fanbase consists of the most fickle people on earth, a.k.a. teenagers. Grow up and get over yourselves, people.
- Posted By Anonymous
07.08.10 12:58 PM
It really bugs me that this interview was all about Hayley and shes the only one on the front cover. Don't get me wrong, I love Hayley Williams to pieces and I look up to her so much, but I love all the dudes just as much. Josh is so kind (the chocolate milk thing made me "awwww"), taylor and zac are hilariousss and jeremy is so adorable and kind :) I love each and every one of them and I do feel a bit uncomfortable as all the main attention is focused on hayley.
But, people need to realise that the media does this. They grab at anything to make an article or interview more colourful or interesting, no matter how it may portray the celebrity in question, and unless you're loud and outgoing like Hayley, they just won't give you the time of day. They want to sell sell sell, and if they need to make someone look bad to do it, they won't care, they won't give a second thought.
To the comment she made to the dudes who called her a guy. I don't think she did anything wrong. Sure, she's a Christian and a really nice, genuine person, but come on. You're so tired, you probably smell a bit, you've been on a cramped little bus for weeks, never getting a proper rest and playing shows almost every night, people always screaming at you wanting attention. Are you saying that you wouldn't be the littlest bit crabby when some random guys have a go at you for wearing skinny jeans?
You're lying if you say you wouldnt snap back at them.
Someone made a comment about her not wearing clothes that make her look like a girl, how can she get mad if she purposely dresses like this?
What do YOU wear when you're exhausted and lounging about? Do you wear a nice little dress and pumps or heels and have all your make-up plastered on?
idiot.
Yeah, people are going to pass judgement on you if you're famous, but that doesn't mean its a good thing to do? Why do we pass judgement? Because some random magazine deem them good enough, or popular enough to go have a little chat with them and record it, doesn't mean that we have aaanyyyy right whatsoever to take one look at these people and go, oh they're an awful person, they said this, they said that.
Have you met them? No. Do you know them? No. Do you have any right to say these things? Hell no.
Personally, I think they're an amazing band, I love their music and that they are so fan orientated, they really care and they really work hard.
I have met them before, and I genuinely think they are some of the nicest, kindest and loveliest people you could ever meet.
Why have we all of a sudden started listening to what a bunch of selfish twats behind their computer screens (the media) have to say, and why do we suddenly think they're right about everything?
Make your own opinion on somebody, don't let someone else influence what your decisions.
Ima finish up by saying that I love you paramore, I'm glad the majority of your fans are loyal and I can't get enough of your music, which is what you are really all about.
To be honest, I don't think the article was too bad, they didn't hate on them but they didn't exactly shine the best light on them either. They kind of missed the point of paramore, which is sad.
Bad journalist, in my opinion.
Hayley, Josh, Zac, Jeremy, Taylor, I love you guys <3
- Posted By Anonymous
07.06.10 5:44 AM
No offence y'all, but it's kinda sad if you "don't give a f**k" about this band and still feel the need to leave hate comments.
I'm not A Super-Duper Huge Fan, but I'm not going to say hateful things... I mean, you're entitled to say whatever, but what pleasure do you get from being completely disrespectful? Either no one cares what you say, or their feelings are hurt.
You can hate Paramore, you can say here that you don't like them, but try to be a little classier about it.
Because really, otherwise, what's the point?PS - I don't think Paramore was accurately potrayed in this article. It needs to focus on the band and their music (like most music articles). Paramore was reasonable in their response towards this article - Hayley said she didn't think it really captured them, but was grateful for the opportunity. I think that was very reasonable.
I'm out xoxo
- Posted By Orlaith xx
07.05.10 4:52 PM
you gotta love hayley!!! i dont know why people are so harsh on paramore, its not fair to judge them when you don't know them personally!!! I love paramore so much :)
cant wait to see them in Dublin in November tehe!!
xxx
- Posted By Hayley Williams
07.03.10 5:37 PM
Hi guys its Hayley from Paramore thanks for all the support you guys give us and thanks for coming to all of the shows. You guys are the best fans ever you guys rock well i will be checking back if you guys leave any comments and seriously i'm really hayley williams from paramore. i got to go taylor is going to use the laptop for something bye!!!! for know and go to paramore.net for events and new videos were going to post thanks and god bless..
- Posted By T.H.Fan4life
07.03.10 12:04 PM
Well im not an idiot and im 19 and knowing that someone as annoying as paramore fans dont really know what is going on with them is really sad. now i really hate them and they are really stupid. now everytime i hear them on the radio i turn it off and also if you guys think paramore is hot then that's really is weird. i bet paris hilton is better then hayley if you spent a whole day with her.
- Posted By Anonymous
07.02.10 5:55 PM
This article did not do them justice at all.
It made them (or Hayley) sound like a bitchy, attention-seeking, fame-whoring band or something. Who cares about Hayley's life story or her little inspirational quotes? People are looking for their music, and about their music, not going into Hayley's hair or her whole life's biography. I mean, does anyone care?
And, about one comment that said that Paramore was staying ture and innocent or some crap like that...
Um...Hayley William's twitpic. Her "Stay True" ring is probably thrown somewhere in her house or lost in a garbage can. It kind of sucks that a band like Paramore is getting sucked into the whole celebrity scene and not the music crowds or whatever. Hayley just comes across as a slutty girl now, and it kind of makes you sad to hear that she was sexting, doesn't it? She seems a lot more self-absorbed now, and regardless of what she says, this is a new side to her that everyone is seeing: whether she really has changed, or the cover-up has fallen apart and this is the real her. The more and more I hear of Hayley Williams and all the crap she has to spew about being judged, I dislike Paramore bit by bit...
In reality, Hayley just needs to grow up, to put it nicely. You're in showbiz, kid. Grow up - everyone who gets the amount of fame Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has, or just an ounce: everyone in showbiz gets "judged" or crap flies. Grow up, deal with it, you got yourself into the business, you should have been ready for all that bull, Hayley. Oh, and if someone were to mistake me for a guy because I was wearing tight jeans, if I was short, or had a hood up and a baggy sweater on, covering the proof that I am, in fact, a girl, I wouldn't have said what she said. The better response: "I'm a girl, guys." Either she needs to learn that just because you swear, you're not cool, or she has social problems and needs to learn how to reply to people and word things properly, there was no excuse for that line she dropped - it didn't make her look cool, it made her look similar to trash. Unless they were mocking her and really got into saying stuff and throwing words at her, then she could say that, but they were being polite by the way it was written here. She just sounded like a snooty brat, not to mention trashy.
- Posted By Anonymous
07.01.10 9:22 PM
This is just me, but I found the article kinda nauseating. I don't know if it's Paramore that's changing, or if it's just the media. But seems to me that they were focusing on irrelevant matters such as Hayley's life story, and they were obsessing about how "normal" the band is in what they do in their spare time instead of really describing their music. And as vibrantly red as Hayley's hair is, I don't thing it could shut down european air traffic, I've seen it. I love this band and all, but they could do without this article.
- Posted By Skyy Allen
06.29.10 1:37 PM
I love this months article featuring Paramore. I'm more in love with the band now than before. The young band is bound to receive backlash from fans & critics alike, due to their evolution & growth. They're young & thus bound to step on some toes, & are entitled to evolve: not only in their sound, but in persona's as well. Kudos to Paramore for remaining as true to themselves as they know how & to that incredible voice that is Hayley Williams.
- Posted By T.H. fan 4life
06.29.10 12:32 PM
I love paramore and all but you have got to admit hayley is kind turning stuck up like paris hilton if someone called an 12 year old boy i would just say im a girl not the WAY SHE SAID IT. at the begining paramore was just a band that sang for fun now its just for the money and popularity im sorry but that is my opinion if you dont like i dont care. tokio hotel are them selfs still but paramore are changing and not being them selves anymore.!!!
- Posted By Anonymous
06.29.10 12:22 PM
TOTALLY and ridiculously agree with the last two comments. SPIN did NOT do them justice. It is a REALLY big shame after reading how THIS article--ONE article changed peoples mind about how flippen talented they are. They work so hard just to have fans turn on them by this article. On top of that, she's 21, she can swear all she'd like, she even does once in "Teenagers". Everyone swears. Celebs are always caught at their worse for the purpose of getting a good story. They are the most fan oriented people and you can TELL they have a lot of passion toward their music. I PRAY they come out with more albums to spread their endless talent with the world and share their love for music. THEY ARE AMAZING and none of that above could take it away from them.
- Posted By Anonymous
06.29.10 5:37 AM
OMG! Peoples! I have never known Hayley to swear?! But I guess everyone get's pissed off. I'd be pissed if someone mistook me for a 12 year old boy, too.
Some people are just pathetic! What is wrong with you, SPIN? This is not Paramore. You have just portrayed them in a completely different way to everyone, making them sound so controversial. !ARGH Did anyone read Hayley's blog about this article? She's so upset that she was portrayed this way! This is not Paramore. Hayley hates Franklin? WTF?! I don't think so. Oh my freaking God! D: What have you done SPIN? What have you done...
- Posted By Rory
06.28.10 5:11 AM
They don't know who Kurt Cobain is?! That's probs why Hayley Williams listens to Nirvana...
--'
I just don't see the point of you coming here, clicking on this article just to say bad stuff about paramore.
If you don't like them, don't read articles about them.PARAMORE <3!
- Posted By Nealz
06.27.10 10:19 PM
I'll admit I used to listen to Paramore when I would work out because I liked the fast pace of their music. I would never just choose to listen to Paramore unless I was working out. And when I work out, I'm not paying any attention to my music selection whatsoever. It's just background noise for me. But after reading this article, I feel more embarrassed that I actually supported and purchased some of their music back in day. They sound like a bunch of morons. That one kid didn't even know who Kurt Cobain was? Come on. I'm freaking Hayley's age and I know who Kurt Cobain is. They help in making my generation look and sound more like idiots. I agree with what everyone else has been saying, they truly are just another crappy pop band that won't be around in a few years. Disappointed in you Spin, once again.
- Posted By Polly
06.27.10 2:34 PM
I'm entilted to state my opinion same as anyone else.
I wish someone would point out to me what this band is doing that is anything special. Just one thing! Something new, something they are doing that another hundred bands aren't, something good amidst their generic tediousness other than the 'look it's a woman! and she's singing!' freakshowesque pointing. I cannot find anything remotely of interest.
- Posted By thethinker
06.25.10 7:02 PM
Spin, why do you feel the need to suck up so adamantly to this band? I'm not saying they are a bad band. And they certainly don't deserve to be hated or disrespected. It's jsut that they are suberbly nothing specail. Just another sh!tty emo punk pop band that shouldn't still be getting as much attention as they they have been. The only thing that makes different from being another Fall out Boy is that they have a female singer. And I do beleive that this story helps prove that. And that is just bullsh!t that the Paramore so much attetion simply because of the lead singers gender. Haley seems like a nice girl and all, but she certainly ain't no Joan Jett or Courtney Love. But regardless, just like Fall Out Boy, in a couple of years no one will care about them anyway.
It was bad enough to include Paramore's album in your list of Best Albums Of 2009 and then you had to go and do a cover story on them! I think you've done enough unneccisary ass-kissing of this unworthy band.
Oh well. At least it's a break from you kissing the Strokes' asses.
- Posted By Erin
06.24.10 6:00 PM
and another thing....i've never heard hayley say that she hates it in franklin. in fact, she loves her hometown, they even have a song about it (aptly named, "Franklin".) However, I do know that she loves to tour and perform and gets restless when she is off and at home for too long. maybe thats what she said, and this is how it played out on paper.
08.14.10 10:51 PM
I remember when a similar thing happened to them with their Kerrang magazine cover in 2007. It just goes to show that even when applying to music journalism you should always take everything you read with a pinch of salt, be it about either a band you like or one you dont like. Writers do have 'creative license' with how they portray a story after all :S
<3paramore.