Eagles of Death Metal Reveal the Truth Behind ‘Zipper Down”s Title and Provocative Cover Art

Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes says the provocative cover art for Zipper Down, the band's new album, came out of some old-school rock 'n' roll naughtiness. Hughes -- who leads the group with his childhood friend, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme – confesses that "it was kind of a staged idea."

"Whenever you have an idea from me, it's going to have something to do with tits," he says. "There was a girlfriend of ours hanging out at the studio with the most amazing tits. I really just wanted to see them, that's honest-to-God how the album cover came up. We were like, 'No, really, this is the album cover design that we had from the get-go and we don't want to see any nudity, we just want to see some artistic nakedness.' So, whatever, it's just art. She went for it, and I was stoked."

So has Hughes ever been caught with his zipper down? "Yeah, when I was in third grade, I zipped my d--- in my zipper," he says. "I had to go to the ER. Just like in Zoolander (Editor's note: We're almost positive he means There's Something About Mary). Except not like that, I did not unzip it in, however he did that. That was one of the most interesting things that I've ever gone through in my life. [But] you know what? This is the kind of 'zipper down' that isn't 'caught with your zipper down.' It's more like a voluntary lifestyle choice. It's a lot easier to let s--- hang out if your zipper is down. Zipper Down is a phrase, like, relax. If someone is getting too excited, someone else will say, 'Come on, dude. Zipper down just a little bit.' Don't take s--- so seriously. Let it hang out."

Eagles of Death Metal are currently letting it all hang out on a world tour in support of Zipper Down, which will culminate with appearances at the Lollapalooza festivals in Brazil, Argentina and Chile in March.

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