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Korn chose the name Untouchables not to invoke any sort of invincible mob image or to honor director Brian De Palma, whose 1987 film of the same name was infused with the kind of violence and intensity Korn thrive on. Ironically, they selected the moniker to reflect the idea of being an underdog with little hope for the future.
"The 'untouchables' are part of the caste system in India," Davis said. "They have three different ranks of people there — the rich, the middle rung and the lowest of low, which are the untouchables. People are not to look at them or talk to them and they get spit on. I think that America has its own untouchables, made up of all the kids that get tattoos and piercings. They just want to express themselves and do something different. But if they want to be rock stars or go into movies or do art their parents shun them and say that it is horrible and they shouldn't do that and they need to get a real job."
From day one, Korn have always identified with their audience, insisting that if they weren't up on the stage, they'd be just like those kids in the crowd. Even after critical acclaim and multiplatinum sales, they still see themselves as mavericks.
"We're untouchables, too," Davis said. "Some churches say we are Satanists. Anyone that is different and doesn't conform to the very conservative world we live in can fall into that untouchables category."
Two months before Untouchables was scheduled for release, versions of all 14 tracks were leaked over various Internet file-sharing services. First, the track "Here to Stay" wound up online around the same time Korn were preparing to debut the song on their Web site, and within hours, radio stations across the country were playing the churning, churlish tune. No one's exactly sure how it was leaked since no one in the press or at radio was sent the song, but hearing "Here to Stay" booming across the air prematurely was the least of Korn's problems. Within two weeks, the whole album was available on Web sites including Kazaa, Audio Galaxy and Morpheus.
Then in early April, syndicated New York radio shock jocks Opie and Anthony played four songs from the album on the air. Korn's record label immediately faxed the DJs a cease and desist letter, but the floodgates were already open: Other program directors across the country interpreted the pre-screening as an invitation to let Untouchables out of the chamber two months before its official release. Folks who worked with the band were more freaked than a freak on a leash, though Davis was a bit less concerned.
"The only thing that made me mad about it was that the album was unfinished," he said. "But I have no problem with the Internet. Our whole purpose is to get our music out to people and let them hear it, and if that is the way it is going [out there] then I have no problem with it. You can't fight technology, so you might as well join it."
Davis is so nonchalant partially because he's convinced fans that burned all 14 tracks are still going to line up at record stores when the LP hits stores.
"Kids want to download it now to hear it, but they are going to want to buy it later," he insisted. "I want to hold a CD I didn't burn. I hate burnt CDs. It's like having a tape cassette dub. I want to hold the artwork. I want all of the things that are involved in it. I want the CD-extra. And I like going to a record store and buying it. That is the best part. If you are a music lover, there's a whole thing about going and doing that."
Whether the album rises to the multiplatinum sales levels of their past efforts or not, Korn are not terribly worried about it.
"We always know we are going to have our spot and we are not afraid of anything," Davis asserted. "Let all those other metal bands come and go and do what they wanna do. We're just gonna kick back and do our thing. For us, success is not about going out and selling a billion albums. It's about going out and being able to play live for our fans. That is what we do. That's what gets us off."
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Photo: Immortal/Epic
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