Why Faith No More Reunited Without Original Guitarist Jim Martin

Faith No More fans have had a lot to be thankful for since the band's 2009 reunion, and this year promises further rewards in the form of a new album and another tour. But for those who've loved the band since it started, it's still hard not to wonder why all this is happening without original guitarist Jim Martin.

That absence was explained by keyboardist Roddy Bottum during a recent interview with Noisey, during which Bottum insisted the plan was originally to bring back Martin, who left the band in 1993 and was replaced by a succession of guitarists who filtered through the lineup until Faith No More's breakup in 1998. Despite their best efforts, however, it just didn't work out.

"We totally reached out to him. I was of the mind that, of course we would not do this without Jim. There’s no way," explained Bottum. "I think we all felt pretty strongly about that initially — well, some of us maybe more strongly than others. Jim was a real contentious person in the band, but I loved him."

While the passage of time had softened the other members' negative feelings about Faith No More's '90s self-destruction, Bottum suggested that Martin may have had a harder time letting go. "I wanted him to do it, and I actually talked to him about it. I thought it was going that way, but it just didn’t work out," he continued. "I think he had interest. But I think he also had really pent-up resentments about the way we broke up. I think it was difficult for him to come back into the fold, and he set it up in such a way that … I think, unconsciously, he was gonna cut off his nose to spite his face. Like he was so damaged from resentment that he dug a hole and didn’t come out of it. Which is a shame."

Bottum stressed that this version of events is just his point of view, and added that "I’m sure he’d tell you a different story, but he’s a very masculine, closed person who doesn’t really talk about that sort of stuff." And just because Martin may not have wanted to rejoin the band doesn't mean he's unhappy about how his life has gone since leaving Faith No More, either: "I think he has two daughters and he’s married," said Bottum. "I think he still makes some music. And he grows pumpkins. He seems happy."

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