JOSH HOMME FOR GQ.CO.UK

In much the same way bands see themselves in This is Spinal Tap, no British journalist can watch Queens Of The Stone Age spoof documentary Secrets Of The Soundwithout a wince of recognition, particularly at hapless hack Matt Berry. "It really got to the bottom of how f***king incredible Matt Berry is," explains Josh Homme, Queens' frontman and backbone, speaking toGQ from the bowels of a BBC studio in Maidstone. "It all started by he and I reading the bible to each other. He's an Old Testament guy and I respect that. But really he can read directions to a toothbrush and I would listen."

California native Homme, now 39, is in a fine mood, particularly as he's about to step on Jools Holland's stage to perform tracks from Queens' sixth studio album …Like Clockwork. At times pulverising, at others poetic, it is probably the most ambitious LP they've recorded yet - and it's aided considerably by a guest list including Sir Elton John, Dave Grohl and Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner. To mark the release he discusses everything from brawling with one of America's finest food writers to wanting to dress like a Seventies comedian.

GQ: The line "I'm in flagrante / in every way" on "Smooth Sailing" is terrific. What lyric are you most proud of writing on the new album?
Josh Homme: Well if I was to pick from that song I'd probably be excited about "Blowing my load / Over the Status Quo". That song came at the end of recording an album that's born out of a lot of being lost in the fog. I think that song is really an exhibition in "Screw it all." All I really care about is that I'm being honest and I'm real and I'm coming from a real place. There's a part of me that's a total cad and a part of me that's also a family man. I think the best thing you can do, if you're blessed enough to do this for year after year, is to tell where you're at, what you know and ask about what you don't know. That can make you pretty f***ing vulnerable but I think you just have to let it all go and let what happens,happens.

You've spent most of the press campaign talking about your Elton John experience…
You make it sound like a ride. [grandly] "The Elton John Experience!"

It would be loud, flashy and brilliant.
That's it in a nutshell. It's wonderful, inspiring, exciting and we threw this song with a lot of changes and a lot of complexity to it at him. He learned it in 20 minutes. Perhaps that's the underrated feature of the Elton John ride: he's an absolute monster as a musician. As someone that understands song structure, he learned [the song "Fairweather Friends"] in its simplest form first, so when he said "I have a few ideas", those ideas were born of learning the roots first. It was so experienced, respectful and just cool, man.

Is it tempting to reference one of Elton's own records as something you're like to recreate - "I'd like a 'Street Kids' sort of sound" - or is that dangerous?
No, I don't mind saying what's on my mind. With music there's no reason to beat around the bush - he certainly doesn't do that! What really happened is we're both focused on tinkering on the same toy or engine together. That song, even though it's not clear, really has this root in that Marc Bolan, T-Rex, Wendy Carlos, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", Bowie with Iggy in West Berlin sort of vibe. And [Elton] was there with Marc Bolan! Bolan was a great friend of his. I think he got that without me having to say, "Hey! Like this!" Jamming with Elton for us was really that - I don't think I need to say something obvious to him as he has his expertise in picking up on things without even making a thing of it. He was, like, "Don't you wanna jam?" The answer is "F***ing A, yeah I do."

You're great friends with writer and chef Anthony Bourdain. Where do you and he differ in taste for food?
His love of the dirty bits, perhaps. He's "French", you know? I love a little bit of pâté and I think he likes a little more. But we don't differ that much which is why we get along so goddamn good. He's another guy that speaks his mind, you know where you stand and I think that's kind of a relief. You don't focus on things you don't like but if you do find something you can say "God I can't stand that." So you know when he does like something then it's just as real.  I really appreciate that.

Is there pressure when he comes round to eat?
Nah, f*** it man, it's all food. I took him to the s***tiest restaurant in Joshua Tree where we were served cold eggs on a Styrofoam plate.  What Tony knows is that it's as much about the company - something truly awful can be one of the greatest experiences of your life. It's really how you're willing to frame your outlook and your world view. He and I have been in some terribly awful places - we've even thrown out one of his fans from a restaurant together - so we have a bit of a cavalcade of experiences already.

That particular fan incident took place in Pappy & Harriets, a barbeque restaurant in Pioneertown - what exactly happened?
The fan was drunk and being a little rude and maybe had a little sense of entitlement. I never really had anyone stick up for me, primarily because it hasn't been necessary. I told this guy "I think you're being a little out of line…" and he said "Who the f*** are you?" Bourdain said to him "You've made a huge tactical error. Now I'm not going to take a photo with you, this conversation is over and you're going to have to get the f*** out of my face." The guy was so stunned, so I said "Whatever comes out of your mouth next, you're going to have to think about it. You may not know who I am but everyone else here does - because I've been thrown out of here before. You're about to be that guy." Right as we spoke, I showed him the door and there was a guy jumping over my shoulder to get to him - and it was Tony. It's a shame it wasn't on film, as it would have been everyone's favourite moment.

What's the purchase on tour you've regretted most?
The island of Fiji - I really should not have purchased that. No, I think I learned years ago when I went to Hawaii that you don't bring puka shells back. You've got to be careful of your vacation purchases. I think the idea is you would be yourself in all these locations and not try to necessarily, in a fashion way, pull something [into your wardrobe].

What's been your best recent fashion purchase?
I have this coat that I got in a nefarious deal years ago. It's a Johnny Carson coat and I've had it remade three times. It's mine all the time. Carson was a real man and I thought "Coats for real men by real men? I'm in".

Have you ever been fired from a job?
No, never. I've worked at a deli, I've worked construction, I've worked a few different jobs. I always think: "You know the type of guy who gets fired? The type of guy that gets fired."

What's the strangest place you've heard your own music?
I was being detained by an officer and the car that pulled up next to us was blasting our music. That was not as comfortable as it would see. The officer was talking about letting me go but I thought, "This isn't the right place for me to be noticed…"

What skill should every man have?
The ability to make fire. And I don't just mean physically but mentally as well.

What surprises you about working with Alex Turner and the Arctic Monkeys?
When I worked with them on Humbug I never saw a piece of paper or a pen. They changed lyrics a number of times and they would tumble from one beautiful sentence into the next. Alex never wrote anything down and I thought "This is just a part of who he is. This is a part of him. And that's one smooth motherf***er." I think much like a yoga instructor he's always stretching himself and he's finding new places to reach. He's willing to take big risks and I really respect that and think it's the way to do it.

What music do you love that would surprise people?
I love Ol' Dirty Bastard - but doesn't everybody? It's a shame he's gone from the world as his particular brand of crazy was really exciting for me.

What do people still get wrong about your band?
I think people believe I'm some kind of evil dictator sometimes. But I don't much care about that. I'm not politically correct, I never said I was. I made a lot of hard decisions in my life. Sometimes hard decisions have to be made and sometimes wonderful decisions have to be made. You've got to be willing to make them all. You can't just avoid stuff that's necessary. What is that root of this record is that you can't run away. And what are you going to do about other people?

Originally published on GQ.co.uk in May 2013. Read the original here.