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The following interview comes from WWE.com:
WWE.COM: Could you talk to us about how the band got started and how you came up with the name?
JEFF HARDY: Actually, back in ā99, 2000, 2001 is when I met my guitar player, Junior Merrill, in Cincinnati. He just gave me some acoustic tracks, and I was writing poetry at the time ā a few raps, but not like rock ānā roll, like alternative music ā and I fell in love with his style. I started to write to what he threw down on a six-string guitar and we clicked, man. We started getting together and rehearsing a bit; between now and then, weāve [produced] a lot of songs. Itās been so much fun: the process of recording, writing and performing. I canāt wait to do more.
WWE.COM: You just put out a new record, too, correct?
JEFF HARDY: On [July 17], we released our third band album, but overall, Iāve released 48, 49 songs now that I can go out and perform. Itās something that Iāve done for a long time, but now Iām just starting to get out in front of people and do it. Iām very excited for what the future holds.
WWE.COM: Did you audition any members to join the band or did you know who you wanted from the outset?
JEFF: No, itās just been me, my guitar player, Junior Merrill, and Dale Oliver, my producer in Music City, Nashville, Tenn. Heās great. Iāve learned so much from him. Heās like my āmusical father,ā so to speak.
Oh, yeah, and the name! āPeroxwhy?gen.ā Itās very confusing, and people wonder what it means. I was on the toilet one day and I looked at a peroxide bottle, and I thought, āPeroxide, it cleans wounds and heals you. And oxygen, we need that.ā I just took that letter āyā and made it a word āwhy.ā
I remember I met [Smashing Pumpkins singer] Billy Corgan and said, āHey, man, I think I got a pretty cool name. Really kind of abstract and it donāt make much sense.ā He said thatās good, though, to put something out there thatās very artistic. So, thatās where it came from, and it just kinda stuck.
WWE.COM: Being a full-time WWE Superstar is obviously time-consuming. How do you split time between the ring and the band?
JEFF: Itās hard, man, [on] days like that Monday Night Raw in Nashville. We did that show after our latest CD ā āPrecession of the Equinoxes,ā which is available now at JeffHardyBrand.com ā came out. It was a tough day: We wrestled The Revival, got beat, and then I had to get ready and sing 14 songs. Itās tough, but I think moving forward, weāre gonna try to do a show at least once a month in towns near and around Nashville.
WWE.COM: The new album is very intense. What were some of your inspirations in writing it?
JEFF: My songs have always been journal entries to me. Itās very honest and open about everything Iāve been through in life. Itās therapy for me, actually, just like painting. If I see a blank canvas and I have an image in my mind, Iām gonna do my best to bring it to life. Same thing with music ā I hear something, I just get obsessed with it. All I need is that opening line, find a good hook for the chorus, and Iām gonna finish that song.
WWE.COM: A lot of the songs are really heavy, while some have more of a pop feel. Do you prefer writing one kind of song over the other?
JEFF: It doesnāt matter to me. I want to do more slower stuff because the last time we performed was really tough. There wasnāt much breathing time with a lot of the songs. There are a lot of slower songs we could do really well, and Iād be able to breathe more. Itās conditioning; the more I do anything, the better Iāll get. But moving forward, I want to write a lot more slower songs.
Iāve already got one thatās just with Dale. Itās very slow ā not a ballad, but for a movie, actually. I think itās gonna [be in] an indie movie. But Iām up for anything. I like the heavy stuff to challenge myself and the slower stuff to just kind of meditate and feel the vibe.
WWE.COM: Songs like āUnforgivableā seem extremely personal. Is it difficult for you to write about intimate topics?
JEFF: Theyāre all extremely personal. āEmotionlessā is a heavy song about a point in my life which is very public. Even after I went through all the chemical dependency issues and addiction, drinking is one of the easiest things to get out of control with. āEmotionlessā is a song about drinking too much, honestly, but then kinda controlling it and drinking just enough to not get crazy. Some people are gonna hate it, and some people will love it.
āUnforgivableā is very heartfelt and very touching; that was one of my favorite slower songs the last time we performed live. I had a great feeling. It must be good if it gives you goosebumps, and I got goosebumps that night playing it.
WWE.COM: You also have a couple of big, six-minute epics on the album like ā1 or 100ā and āFiction.ā
JEFF: āFiction,ā to me, is fun. Basically, itās fiction, you know? Itās my Moby Dick story. Instead of being a big, old [sperm] whale, itās a killer whale in this song. The idea is that I got swallowed whole, but somehow survived and believed, had faith [that Iād be saved]. Essentially, itās anything goes, and I love that about songs.
ā1 or 100ā is basically a love song to my wife. Sheās been with me through thick and thin, and that last bridge is a journey back to the past when she got an asthma attack. It was the first time I had to call 911 on one of my own, and that whole bridge section is when I thought she was about to die. Basically, they arrived and brought her back to life. Thatās a good song. Itās one of those ones I canāt wait to perform live.
WWE.COM: Youāre unique as an in-ring performer; there really wasnāt a Jeff Hardy before you. How do you find it hard to create something similarly unique in the world of music?
JEFF: When you watch shows like āAmerican Idolā or āAmericaās Got Talent,ā and you hear some of these voices out there ā¦ these kids sing so good, and itās very intimidating. A lot of times, Iāll hear something I love that makes me go, āWhy am I even trying this?ā But I canāt help it. I guess Iām very passionate for it, and I want to strive and get better. I feel gifted in a sense, just like I did as a wrestler.
One day, I want to put all I can into the music world and actually make a living from it. Itās inevitable, just like wrestling. Iām gonna wrestle for as long as I can, paint for as long as I can and cut grass for as long as I can. Iām gonna do all that artistic stuff for as long as I can. I think it keeps me alive. I just love creating and staying as abstract and different as possible, and I love for others to be able to say, āThank you. Because of you, Iām not afraid to be different.ā Thatās just the best, man. When a kid tells you that? Thatās the best.
WWE.COM: Talk a bit about that CD release party after Raw in Nashville. Matt was very enthusiastic about it on Twitter.
JEFF: Matt dropped me off, did a little filming, walked the streets of Nashville with my camera guy, met some fans along the way and got through the crowd there. People were going crazy. There was a band playing before us, so I just tried to prepare myself. Man, I was psyched up after that match with The Revival. I couldnāt wait to get onstage, and when that opening track hit, it just came so naturally.
I saw my performance later, and [looking back] I thought, āWow, I could do that so much better. Thatās what I did wrong and thatās what Iām gonna fix next time...ā I need to start filming the whole show and just watch it all back, like a wrestling match, and Iām sure itās gonna come to me.
WWE.COM: Does Matt ever offer contributions to the band?
JEFF: Iāve tried my best! Matt has written so many cool raps back in the day. Iāve said, āMan, letās just get in the studio and record a brotherly song! Iāll try to do my little alternative abstract rock and you come in with a bridge rap at the end.ā Heās like, āYeah, man,ā but heās also said heās gonna get āHardy Boyzā tattooed on his neck and it hasnāt happened yet, so I donāt know if weāll ever write a song together. Still, for him to come out and support me that night meant the world. Weāve been through so much, and for us to be back in WWE doing what weāre doing now, and have my music going the way it is, itās the best to have his support.
WWE.COM: Whatās the ultimate goal for the band?
JEFF: I actually had the opportunity to play the [Vans] Warped Tour this month, two Carolina dates. I was so scared to commit; I knew I was coming back to WWE, but it was before we made our return. I was like, āI canāt really commit to that; should I ask somebody?ā I kept putting it off and putting it off until finally, I said, āAll right, thereās no more time.ā But, starting now, my goal is to play the Warped Tour next summer ā a couple of days in the Carolinas or Tennessee. As far as wrestling, itās to keep on rockinā and maybe perform at one of the pay-per-views these days. Maybe write a song for one.
WWE.COM: And, one last time, where can the WWE Universe find the album?
JEFF: Iām very old-school. Iām still a fan of going to Best Buy and getting a CD. Iām not a digital guy at all, so right now itās not digitally available. But you can get it through JeffHardyBrand.com.
The albumās really cool. There are full lyrics in there and itās a cool collectorās item. āPrecession of the Equinoxesā is available on JeffHardyBrand.com, and Iām sure that eventually youāll be able to download it as well.
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