Ex-Korn Guitarist Quits For His Kid

02/24/2005 5:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
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Former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch said that one of the reasons he left the band was to set a better example for his six-year-old daughter, according to the Bakersfield Californian. Welch said, "I just grew up a little bit...I've got to think of my kid. I just want to do the right thing." Although Korn's management offered to let Welch bring his daughter on tour with him, the guitarist was not interested: "What parents would want their kids to go on a rock 'n' roll tour, a heavy metal tour?"

Welch's departure from the band was made official on Tuesday (February 22) when Korn issued a statement that read in part, "[Welch] has chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end. Korn respects Brian's wishes, and hopes he finds the happiness he's searching for."

A founding member of Korn for thirteen years, Welch told the Californian that he's not surprised by the reactions to his departure: "My old friend called today and said he was called up by another friend of mine who said, 'Who brainwashed Brian?' Man, you guys don't even know...A lot of people think I'm crazy. I don't care."

Welch admitted he was increasingly disturbed by the dark image that Korn projected. "Those guys in the band, they're not bad guys. They're just a bunch of kids getting marketed how these guys in the big corporate firms want to do. It makes us look like bad people, but we're really just a bunch of kids who never had a chance to grow up."

Welch will discuss his reasons for leaving this Sunday (February 27), when he addresses the congregation at the Valley Bible Fellowship in Bakersfield, California, where he recently began attending services.

Korn is currently in the studio, working on their seventh album, and have no immediate plans to replace Welch.

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