Interviews

Johnny 3 Tears - Hollywood Undead 'The Scene has Always Been Utterly Irrelevant to Us'

Georgia Haskins

Mar 13, 2025

7 min read

There is perhaps no more prolific name within the scene than Californian rag tags Hollywood Undead. The masked vigilantes have served many years at the forefront of stages, traversing through the dawn of emo culture in its most brutally pure and unfiltered, trudging through challenges that have now seen them become retrospective in their journey to the top.

Ahead of their string of headline shows - their first in 14 years down under - and of course, the epic support slot alongside Falling In Reverse and Black Veil Brides, we got the scoop with Hollywood Undead!

Take a seat as we chat with Johnny 3 Tears… and maybe ask him one too many questions about masks!

The last time you guys hit Australian shores was in 2015 for the now-extinct Soundwave Festival. The scene was grimier, and the environment of your music seemed to flourish a lot more, what is the biggest change you can note between your sets in 2015 and what you’re producing for fans now?

I mean I think we are doing what we’ve always done. Doing what comes naturally to us and changing when it’s organic. What’s going on in “the scene” has always been utterly irrelevant to us. Which is probably why we’ve never gotten more successful haha

‍On that note, there’s been a fair few releases in the TEN YEARS you've been absent! How do you even begin to scour through your catalogue to make a setlist that appeases the old men in flannels, to the new generation of fans?

I like that, “old men in flannels,” haha. That’s a good point, I think for us movement and energy are what we look for most. We don’t play some of our bigger songs because they lack certain characteristics. Live shows should be a good time - and I think old people and youngsters alike like to have fun.

Alongside your freshly announced headlines shows, you're also hitting the road alongside Falling In Reverse - which of course, is set to be a MASSIVE few nights. How did this lineup come about? All of these bands ran the scene and continue to have an everlasting impact; has the notion of legacy been bought up a few times leading into this show?

I mean we’ve known both bands for a long time. It’s cool to see after 20 years that everyone still has love for doing this.

It’s a nostalgic and sentimental thing that I’m kind of grateful to be a part of. You never know when it’s your last run so I’m happy to have another one.

You guys are charging to Australia with the anthem of ‘Hollywood Forever’ under your belts - it takes a real sentimental tone towards your tumultuous and unprecedented journey. I can only assume this track conjured up a lot of memories for you! Within your time as a band, what is the memory that comes to your head when you think of your own personal “made it” moment?

It’s funny because the moments where I really thought wow we “made it“ will seem silly to most people now. But I remember being able to have a place to live that wasn’t someone’s couch, but like a bed of my own was probably the day I thought wow I've made it.

One of the beauties of having nothing is - such small things can mean so much.

‍The new single also saw the resurrection, and update, of the band's masks! Of course, this is always something that has made you stand out from the rest, and brought that aesthetic spunk to the table. But with them going and coming back, does it have any deeper symbolism of where the band was and where it is now?

We definitely missed the aesthetic. The opportunity to create them is always one of the more fun aspects of a new record cycle. We work with this guy named Jerry Constantine, who does all the big monster movies. So it’s really cool to work with a genius mask maker and create them. And the aesthetic itself suits the music so much better than our stupid looking faces.

‍From a fan’s perspective, it gives them a chance to join in festivities of wearing their own mask and being part of the bigger Hollywood Undead community - what’s one thing a fan has told you about how you impacted their lives that will stick with you for the rest of yours?

That was the original concept when we started wearing the masks was it kind of took down the divide between the band and the people listening to the band. Or at least that was part of the intention.

Whenever someone tells us that a song has meant enough to them that it changed the trajectory of their life. I mean what more could I ask from music? What more could I ask from anything? All the money in the world and all the other crap you could count and measure, isn’t worth that - and it’s not even close.

It’s easy to get caught up in the meaningless drivel the world throws at us, but in the end the human connection and that bond is what matters.

And I count myself as lucky to have shared in something that special.

‍If up for any fun tidbits- has there ever been a moment during press or on stage where you have completely regretted the introduction of masks to your identity?

Every time someone asks me why we wear masks lol

Interview by Georgia Haskins @ghaskins2002

Catch Hollywood Undead supporting Falling in Reverse and at their headliners.