Gojira’s Joe Duplantier Names Next Major Event That Needs Metal

Gojira repped metal admirably at the 2024 Summer Olympics, but what other majorly viewed event needs a metal infusion? Gojira singer-guitarist Joe Duplantier tells Full Metal Jackie that he’d love to see metal get some love during the Super Bowl Halftime show, and he’s got some ideas on who he’d like to see in that spotlight.

Before initially sharing how he’d love to see Meshuggah get that opportunity, Duplantier suggested a metal band with a broader commercial appeal and one of his favorite groups – Metallica.

“I think Metallica belongs in the Halftime performance of the Super Bowl. It’s a shame that they were never invited. That would make sense. I hope we will get to see that,” says Duplantier, who envisions “Master of Puppets” and “Enter Sandman” being played to one of the world’s largest viewing audiences.

Having enjoyed the returns from their Olympics performance, Duplantier says he hopes that Super Bowl Halftime organizers were watching. “Hopefully it’ll give ideas to the Super Bowl people,” said the frontman.

Elsewhere in the chat, Duplantier reflects on being in the moment and shares his account of what it was like to take part in that historic performance at the Olympics, gives us some background on the song that was performed and discusses the aftermath of their appearance.

Plus, Duplantier shares why he’s spent time this summer as an activist speaking out in hopes of freeing jailed whale conservationist Paul Watson. And the Gojira frontman comments on their fall tour with Korn and gives us an update on where things stand for the band’s next album.

Check out more of the chat below.

It’s Full Metal Jackie and I am so excited to welcome our own metal gold medaller, Joe Duplantier of Gojira. Easily the moment of the summer for metal fans everywhere with Gojira playing the Olympics. Congratulations. What an amazing performance and just so meaningful. That has to be the most unreal stage production you’ve ever had. Anything ever top this? What was going through your head playing on the side of a castle?

There was a lot going through my head. That was probably the most epic production we’ve ever had. Just the fact that there was hundreds of people with us singing and playing classical instruments and these flames. Then there’s the meaning of this building and all this heresy put together by the French organizers of the event.

I have to say, we were very, very, very lucky to be invited. We were lucky that the Olympics were organized by France during our lifetime in our career at a moment where we’re active and still not too old to perform, not too young. It was perfect.

I don’t know how to explain it, the fact that we’re getting so much credit after this Olympics. But I have to say we got really lucky to be invited. I’m very, very thankful that to be put on that stage at this moment. We’re not responsible for all of it, but for some of it.

And we were very free to write whatever we wanted for that song and to interpret that classic of the French Revolution. So the stars were aligned for a great day and for a great impact, for a great cherry on the cake on our entire career.

Gojira With Marina Viotti + Victor Le Manse, “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ca Ira!)” 2024 Olympic Performance

Joe, I just have to say, watching that just brought tears to my eyes because it just meant so much. Not just for Gojira, which, of course it did, but just metal in general. To be on such a huge platform like that, did you take in the view at all? Like, what do you recall from being in that moment?

I completely took in the view. I was really able to appreciate the moment. There were several epic moments surrounding the Olympics. When they called us to make this offer, it was already pretty unreal. And then it was sort of a rollercoaster, a mental rollercoaster internally when we’re talking about this thing. “Wait a second, we’re going to play in front of 2 billion people?!”

The ceremony of the Olympic Games was the most incredible event, organizing the humanity. So it seemed really overwhelming. At the same time, I started watching Olympic ceremonies online from other years – the one in China and there was one in France a long, long time ago. There was one in England and so, and so on.

Sometimes it’s a little boring to watch. You have all these athletes walking with flags and Nike shoes and numbers on their back for hours. It lasts three hours, four hours. So then I was like, ‘Okay, maybe it’s going to be a little boring to watch and we’re going to go unnoticed a little bit and maybe we’re going to look like background musicians for like something bigger. Maybe it’s not what I think it could be for a band. And it turned out being even better than anything I could hope for, because, like you said, it was something for metal.

The way it was translated for television. The mixing is very crucial for that kind of stuff. It could have easily been more classical instruments than metal or anything like that, but the way it turned out really served the purpose for the whole metal community I think. Even though that was not the goal for the organizers, I think they wanted to challenge the minds and show how France can push the boundaries and push the limits and be a little provocative.

I think it’s healthy, especially right now in the world. It’s good to show some bravery and  push the boundaries in a certain way. So giving us the opportunity to express ourselves on that stage and with no restrictions … and by the way,  just a few things. Okay. It cannot be more than three and something minutes and it has to be that theme and then that tempo pretty much. But we really, really did our thing and there was no censorship. So that was freaking awesome.

It was unbelievable. And let’s just say you headlined the Olympics. That’s what I feel like. I think that you guys were the headliners of that whole opening ceremony. So about that song ….

“So Mea Culpa is Latin for my fault, my bad, and means it will be all right, Everything will be all right. But it’s also a way to say we’ve had enough. It depends how it’s said. And so it’s a bit of a weird title, but it means a lot to French Republic because it was something that was sang during the Revolution, the French Revolution. At least that’s how we were taught.

So this song is really, really attached to the concept of revolution and that the people can change things. The outcome was a little bloody, beheading people and stuff, but it doesn’t mean that the things cannot be resolved.

For me, that’s what I take away from that whole thing is that change is possible. So this is our version of that song and we called it “Mea Culpa.”

Joe, the Olympics is a platform unlike any other for promotion. While I know you saw an expected sales jump and streaming numbers spike, were there any unexpected impacts that came from playing the Olympics? Has it opened any surprise opportunities for you or elicited reactions from places or people you never expected?

Not really. Of course, there’s a million little stories around it. And some people discovered the band and some people that are not into metal at all, it did something for them to see that metal could be on an event like that. So somehow it sends a message to the masses. It’s okay to listen to metal.

Beyond just being presented with metal, it’s also a message to tell people, just relax. You can listen to that, and you can listen to Lady Gaga in the same hour, and it’s fine. Your head is not going to explode. You’re not going to turn into a beast. It’s good. I think that’s why it’s good for metal. And everybody understood that in the community. It could have been another band, not Gojira. It would have been almost as good. Not quite, but for the metal community. I’m just kidding. I’m bragging here. But I think any other excellent metal band would have done great too. You know what I mean? It’s just the fact that metal was presented that day.

READ MORE: Gojira’s Spotify Stats Prior + After Their 2024 Olympics Performance

I know I’m not answering your question exactly, but there’s so many little stories. The thing  for me, the best is when I go to the post office and I end up taking a selfie with a person behind the counter that just discovered the whole metal thing.

That’s great for you guys and great for metal in general.

Absolutely. For metal in general. It’s great for us. We’ve been on that path for almost 30 years, relentlessly working and steadily improving and being on our toes all the time and going on ambitious tours with ambitious songs and working our ass off to expand our music. So the Olympics is really unexpected. It’s not something you apply to participate in or anything. It’s just we were invited there and it sort of accelerated something in our movement, in our progression, and it gave us more exposure.

But it’s not a change of direction per se or a radical change like, “Oh, my God, things are different now.” Things are exactly the same. It’s just that we get more credit, more exposure after that. So it’s awesome.

Joe, just one more about the Olympics here. You had a chance to carry the banner for metal at one of the most observed events in the world. So now, let’s just say you get to be the scheduler for a moment. What metal band would you want to see at a major event that would help spread metal to the masses, whether it be the Super Bowl or the Grammys or other large audience events.

I’d love to see Meshuggah at the Super Bowl.

Can you imagine?

Oh my God, if we’re going to talk about Super Bowl, they need to put Metallica on.

Agreed.

I think Metallica belongs in the Halftime performance of the Super Bowl. It’s a shame that they were never invited. That would make sense. I hope we will get to see that. Playing “Master of Puppets” and “Enter Sandman.” Imagine that! Metallica is known in the sports world. A lot of pitchers walk to the mound with “Enter Sandman” or at football games I hear a lot, their music is very present. They just deserve to do the halftime. It would be a total success.

I agree completely. We’re going to try to will it to happen by just continuing to say it out loud.

People are watching the Olympics. The organizers, they’re all dedicated people, professionals. I’m sure they keep their ear to the ground and want to make sure to not miss anything. And hopefully it’ll give ideas to the Super Bowl people.

Joe, those who have followed your socials have seen your activism on display of late, fighting for the release of whale activist Paul Watson. How did you first learn of Watson’s flight and what made you get involved? And also, what do people need to know about Paul and how they can help spread the word?

People need to know. It hurts me that people don’t know what’s going on with Paul Watson. He’s a dear friend of mine. We met more than ten years ago, for sure. 14 years ago, to be precise. I found out about Sea Shepherd Conservation society and Paul Watson specifically because he is such a charismatic activist and leader and founder of awesome movements. He was co founder of Greenpeace in the early ’70s and the founder of Sea Shepherd. He’s continuing his work to protect whales and marine life in general.

There was a show, Whale Wars, that was filmed in around 2010. It’s him basically putting himself and his crew between the boats and the whales to protect the whales, putting himself on the spot, taking risks, putting his life at risk to save whales.

The way he’s talking about it is very, very inspiring. Paul Watson inspired me personally in my activism and he’s a great example that one person can make a huge difference in the world. He personally and with his crew, I have to add saved tens of thousands of whales, especially if you count all the babies that were made by the whales that he saved. He saved generations of whales. We can thank him personally for having saved maybe two times the amount of whales that would exist on earth if he wasn’t there, maybe it would be just half of that number. His work is incredibly important.

Recently he got arrested and put in jail for something that if he was really responsible for that thing, he should have to pay a fine, a 400 dollar fine or something. But instead, he’s facing potentially 15 years in a Japanese prison. At the moment, he is imprisoned by Denmark in Greenland, because Greenland is owned by Denmark. So it’s a little complicated. But it’s in Greenland and Denmark that arrested him. And there’s a warrant by Japan that wants his extradition to Japan to put him in jail for 15 years.

Fifteen years, that’s crazy. Joe, tell us more about how people can help spread the word.

I’m trying my best to talk to people and to spread the word about this horrible thing. We cannot let this happen. The system in Japan is very, very, very tough and complicated to change. It’s almost like another dimension compared to what we know in our Western world.

In America and in Europe, public opinion can make a difference in Denmark, for example. But in Japan, it would be really, really difficult to put any kind of pressure on governments. That’s why I went to Denmark after the Olympics, I went to Denmark to try to meet the prime minister of Denmark. It was a bit ambitious, but I wrote a letter and contacted the minister of justice, and I was able to gather a few hundred people in front of the Parliament to make some noise.

We actually got a lot of press in the local news, and we were on TV and in the press. So we managed to make some noise because our only hope is to get the public opinion to make noise, to pressure Denmark to release Paul Watson. And he’s been in jail now for maybe six or seven weeks, and it’s gone way, way, way too long.

He’s already paid ten times what he supposedly owed them in terms of prison time. So, yeah, I’m trying my best to spread the word about Paul Watson. So please see what’s happening with Paul Watson and #FreePaulWatson on social media. Send a letter to the Danish embassies and to the Danish government directly to put pressure to show Denmark that the world cares about whales and about Sea Shepherd France, Paul Watson, all of that. This is very, very important for me.

Joe, while you are working on new music of late, you’re obviously taking some time to get back out on tour. You’re out there with Korn and Spiritbox. What are your thoughts on getting a chance to play out with Korn this year? And does getting these shows in help the creative process before you go back in again?

Yes, we’ve been busy since the summer between the Olympics and this trip to Denmark and this tour with Korn. We’ve been very, very happy to be on tour with Korn. We have massive respect for them. We were paying attention when they were releasing their first albums.

When we were starting being a band and everything, it was always in the back of our mind. There was always this Korn band that was doing something a bit different. And although we were playing more of a death metal type, there was always a link between two bands and massive respect, too.

We tried to organize a tour that unfortunately got canceled because of the COVID. That was in 2020. So finally it’s happening. We’re on tour with Korn. It’s great. I think the crowd that goes to see Korn, they’re ready for some darkness and some weird, emotional journeys. And they’ll find that with Gojira, too. So there’s a similarity.  And Spiritbox is also a great addition. These shows are amazing.

And we are backstage writing riffs, and we have a bunch of riffs. We have a bunch of ideas for the next Gojira, but we’re really taking our time. Our apologies if it feels too long to our fans, but we will release something when we have something that is solid and beautiful and shining like a diamond. We’re not going to release something just to put something out there. So we have some great elements, but something is still missing. This magical ingredient that I’m still looking for and we are still looking for it.

Joe, it’s no secret the band’s been working on new music. I know you’ve said you’re looking forward to push the songwriting to a new level. What’s been inspiring you of late, and how do you know what’s good enough for what you want on the next album? Is there a gut feeling for what will pass?

Yeah, it’s funny. We have a bunch of ideas and there’s a bunch of stuff going on, and it’s still very hard to give you a hand on how it’s gonna feel, how it’s gonna sound until the last moment, until we have our champion songs. And it’s a bit difficult to tell you where it’s gonna go.

There’s some old school stuff going on, and surprisingly some of the riffs we play are more old school than old Gojira if that makes sense. We have some things that are even more primal than our first albums. Also, there’s some technical things and there’s some more melodic things. Again, it’s a bit difficult to talk about it, but I’m excited for it.

With Gojira, the touring with Korn is taking up your time at present. What’s the rest of the year and beyond look like for you?

Well, it’s going to be a lot about the new album and we’re pretty equipped. We have a little studio that we drag with us from town to town so we can make demos and we can record new ideas and complete some of the songs.

So hopefully right after that, we would like to think about studio time. And then there’s going to be a few shows here and there. We’re about to announce a few things for the future. Always trying to announce us as early as possible for our next adventures. But there’s going to be some studio time for sure.

Thanks to Gojira’s Joe Duplantier for the interview. Stay up to date with the band’s touring and new album updates through their website, Facebook, X and Instagram platforms. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie’s weekend radio show here.