Tuesday, December 9, 2008
National Skyline Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill Admits to Struggling With Anorexia
Posted by D Patrick Rodgers on Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 7:00 AM
In a recent interview with Q Magazine, Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill admitted that he has, in the past, struggled with anorexia.
"I always thought I wasn't good enough." To combat what he saw as a weight problem, he said he would do press-ups until he couldn't go on and would go running run [sic] on blisteringly hot days wearing a heavy tracksuit to shift the excess. He would also drink coffee constantly. "Anything to keep my hands and mouth busy without eating," he said.
I'd first like to state that we at The Cream have standards, and we wouldn't poke fun at matters as serious as eating disorders. Now, I--unlike other Cream Team members--don't really give much of a damn about a rock band's image. Haircuts and waistlines and carefully styled facial hair don't seem to have much bearing on the music itself. Except, of course, for the fact that if a band is clearly obsessed with their image, it's a pretty good indicator that there isn't a whole lot of substance behind the scenes.
But anorexia is a different story. Karen Carpenter was a superb musician, and we all know what happened to her. That being said, can a body image issue be chalked up to a "disorder" when the victim claims he cured himself by getting high?
The phase ended when [Followill] began to smoke marijuana, he said, and gave in to the associated munchies. Now he has brought his desire to exercise constantly under control although he would prefer be [sic] a little more bulked up. "I want to look like I can defend myself. I want a guy to look at me in a bar and know that he can't talk shit to me or run me over, even though he probably could," Followill added.
I mean, really? Again, anorexia is no laughing matter, but Kings of Leon have proven to be a laughing matter on occassion. You're telling me if someone had only handed Growing Pains star Tracy Gold a doobie, she never would have starved herself half to death? I'm certainly no expert. Perhaps a quarter of kind bud and a strange alpha male state of mind sans the alpha male physique are all you need to kick manorexia. So if Followill genuinely does suffer from this terrible disorder--this disorder that should not be made light of or bandied about in order to garner empathy or respect--then I congratulate him and wish him luck in dealing with his disease in the future.
(Via the Guardian.)
Comments (45)
Showing 1-45 of 45
like
dislike
"If a band is clearly obsessed with their image, it's a pretty good indicator that there isn't a whole lot of substance behind the scenes." Rock music history proves you wrong d00d; just look at the New York Dolls.
Fair enough, Anon. As is the case with most sweeping generalizations, there is always an exception to the r00l. But I don't get the impression that KOL (image wise) are going for anything other than hip-lookin'.
man, rogers... i thought you were a little bit more respectable than some of the other cream contributors b/c i don't really see you take shots at some of the local artists as frequently.
but this thread sucks b/c you knew that the vultures would just clown on caleb for the "anorexia" thing and the band in general. total stabert move and just b/c you say "this is no laughing matter"... you knew what was about to happen in the comments section and i think you were looking forward to it.
i know i know... you're just reporting the facts, right?
Stabert move? Ouch.
I could be honest and say I don't give much thought to how commenters will respond, but you probably wouldn't buy that, would you? Pretty good bust though, please. I must say.
Why should he change what he writes just because everyone in this part of the website is an asshole? How is that his fault?
"Anything to keep my hands and mouth busy without eating"
that's what she said! (or he, in this case)
matt, i wouldn't expect you to understand, you are a big part of the problem.
rodgers, thank you for the compliment. no, i wouldn't believe you if you told me that, but i have trust issues so it could be me. either way... if you care at all, maybe you should consider how people will respond in touchy situations like this.
Oh, but you still didn't answer either of my questions. I'm trying to understand.
Please, Please. Don't be lame and act like you weren't happy to see a post you could comment on especially a KOL post.
matt...
part 1: this post wasn't trying to just relay the facts of the Q Magazine interview. it was scattered with sarcasm and snark. the intent appears to be to throw out something controversial/serious (anorexia), include some snide remarks about how they are a joke of a band (hot dog link, the tags, etc) and ultimately ridicule them via this serious matter. whether it was intentional or not, we all know how cream feels about KOL and anyone that has visited this site more than once knows the drill here.
part 2: assuming the above facts are true, why would someone use anorexia as a means to ultimately take another shot at a successful, talented band from our hometown? i don't see how that is respectable or productive for our scene.
Titles I considered before passing this post off to the more respecteable members of the Cream:
"Barfy McTight Pants Purges His Feelings About Eating Disorders"
"Binge And Purge: Monster of (Bad) Rock Ruminates on the Unbearable Burden Of Sustenance"
"Supposedly, Supermodels Love the Smell Of Vomit On Your Breath"
"Hits From The Bong: A Guide To Overcoming Anarexia"
"Bad News: Barfing Your Brains Out Won't Make Your Band Any Better"
Now, Mr. Rodgers isn't so insensitive now is he? Didn't think so.
"Why would someone use anorexia as a means to ultimately take another shot at a successful, talented band from our hometown? i don't see how that is respectable or productive for our scene."
Because its fun, and being that they are neither talented nor from our hometown, its also a fair shot to take. Our 'scene' is a fucking joke, and the minute it begins to take itself seriously, its all over. So let him barf himself into the ICU for all I care. I'll write a song about it for new faces night.
I would like to point out the healing properties of herb however, as this cannot be denied. If he keeps smoking enough of the right stuff, KOL might even start to suck a lot less.
Finally 'please', Anorexia is funny. 911 was funny. AIDS is funny. Darfur is funny. You can either laugh or cry at life.
fine... i should have said "living in nashville" instead of "hometown", but really, how many of us are actually FROM Nashville? very few...
Good points, please. The point that I wasn't very good at making was that lately everything on this site seems to get construed as baiting in some manner or another. I highly doubt if Patrick had posted this completely objectively and made no mention of his distaste for the band's music that it would make much difference in the comments.
I don't actually have an opinion on KOL at all. I've never even heard them. They were huge when I was in Australia, and friends over there with whom I share tastes like them a lot, so I'm inclined to believe they aren't all that bad. I've been too lazy to investigate that. And even though I happen to disagree with Patrick's insinuation that image-obsessed bands are typically bad, the idea that someone beat anorexia by getting high and having the munchies is pretty ridiculous.
touche. even i appreciated the humor. i still thought it was tacky, overall, and i would have felt like a clownpenis if i'd written it.
You know, the more I think about it the more I realize dudes like Marc Bolan and David Bowie and Robert Plant and even John Lennon were likely obsessed with their image. I certainly wouldn't deny the fact that image plays an enormous role in pop music and rock 'n' roll. It just happens to really bug me when matters of appearance supersede those of talent or originality.
I would say, however, that anyone who chalks up a recovery from a full-blown eating disorder to the munchies is highly suspect.
Please excuse the confusion "Just Sayin'", I've been "battling an eating disorder" pretty much everyday for the last ten years and it can be taxing on the ol' grey matter.
Maybe the dude has stumbled onto a medical miracle!
Dear Dr. Followill,
Will morphine really cure my alcoholism?
You have confused Anorexia with Bulimia as another reader states. Although both can occur simultaneously, Anorexics starve themselves, often to death. Bulimics purge already eaten food to keep from gaining via calorie absorption. None of the KOL were ever what I would describe as emaciated, there's nothing abnormal about late teens and twenties something's being very thin. It's just that now you're claiming or some magazine is claiming he said he's admitting that in his case it wasn't because he was naturally thin and just gaining recently because thats what you do at 23, 24 years old, you become a full-grown adult and the bones have finished growing. That doesn't explain the two brothers and a cousin that were also all thin as well and have "filled out" as young men do, so now I'm confused completely. The whole thing is probably fabricated. Plus it wont stop them from demanding the women they date be bone thin and super gorgeous, just watch
As far as the smoking weed thing, why can celebrities admit to smoking weed with no repercussions for them, be we the people of TN, supposedly one of the largest underground sources of Cannabis, can't buy it legally or without fear of intense persecution and possible jail time? It's time to legalize Pot and make our fuels and papers from Hemp, it's 80 years overdue. The while situation with Pot is ridiculous.
As far as deeming KOL musical mediocre to irrelevant. That's the dumbest thing I've heard in this town in a while now. KOL is one of the best, culturally relevant bands to come along since Black Crowes. They appeal to a wide age range of listener. The accusations of commerciality are ridiculous as are most media critiques and media music observations. I have no idea what music or bands you do consider relevant but I hardly care. I'm 50, and as far as I'm concerned most of the local music in this town is just plain boring. The performances are boring, the people are boring. It's no accident that Paisley Urban most of the current crop of country stars are so popular in the mainstream they are so NOT boring.
KOL is not boring. Endless lounge cover tributes, night after night of cover bands downtown, slowly run shows, open mikes, writers nights, restaurants parading as upscale serving pig slop; Boring period. This town is a joke. I came to Nashville to sit home and blog. Nashville media=Boring. KOL= NOT boring. Nashville on a local street level, hanging in some bar without "insider status" BORING.
Yeah, dude can puke OR starve himself into the ICU for all I care. Wasn't he the one ripping on Nashville girls for being too fat for his taste a couple of years ago? Now he we're supposed to feel bad because he's got an eating disorder? What a prick.
Did I just hear someone describe the Black Crowes as culturally relevant?
cul⋅ture
noun, verb, -tured, -tur⋅ing.
–noun
1. the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
rel·e·vance - \ˈre-lə-vən(t)s\ Function:
noun
1 a: relation to the matter at hand b: practical and especially social applicability
Great photo by the way, Patrick. Just look at them jowls! How long did you have to poke around the net for that one?
i'm reading a bunch of arguing about the very uninteresting habits of people they read about whom i don't know and will likely never meet, let alone learn from or admire.
god, i'm pathetic
Kings of Leon are an amazing band, thats a fact. Who really cares about their inner struggles and demons. At least Caleb is man enough to talk about his personal battles. Your a total lame tool if you let his problems affect you or their music.
Marijuana is a medical treatment for anorexia. I'm not joking, go look it up.
Or you could figure it out for yourself by putting together the fact that it both relaxes your mind and body AND gives you the munchies.
way to know jack all about what you're talking about.
Haley, I don't doubt that you're speaking the truth to some extent, but that's just fucking idiotic. Drugs and alcohol are not helpful to people with mental illness. Treating anorexia with marijuana pretty much defines treating a symptom and ignoring the illness. Way to be mostly wrong.
How could Caleb not be good enough???
Its nothing to do with looks thats gives you tallent such as these guys have. Its what you are and can do and these guys have proved that in many ways. Look at Meatloaf for example hes over weight but his tallent shines through and this is why hes admired so much.
I dont care what they look like or what they do as longs they keep doing what they love then i know they'll have has many fans far and wide and especially one right here :o)
Good work guys! x
You bitter Nashville people need to get over your hate for KOL! It's actually quite sad. Go get lives pleaseeee, for you're own sakes! Why can't you just accept that Caleb had an eating disorder instead of turning it into yet another reason to slag the band of! Goshhh.
I'm form the cold white north(was drinking and just noticed i F*Cked up on the spelling)...Toronto Canada. What do I know about a group of "nouveau" hot shots that have burst onto the scene over the last couple of years?
At first glance they appear like a Vegas band called the Killers. Prematurely asking to book stadiums for concerts with next to no material. I am a fan of both bads, however, its just that neither have an abundance of material. The leads are both good looking and apprarently "anorexic" but please give up the desperate Hollywood appeal of your appearance. If I wanted to listen to Brad Pitt strum guitar with Angelina on drums, I would have done so already. Instead of anorexia, just go out and binge and purge so that you can be pleasant with those around you until you YACK
If you like my material please contact me at mgishaw@hotmail.com
If you see performances from their really, really early days, you can tell that he's not at a healthy weight. its clearly something he's struggled with, so maybe you should cut him some slack. i really do hope he's doing better like he says, especially since there is so much pressure to look a certain way in hollywood.
Just compare pictures of Caleb from when they first began and him now. It's obvious he struggled with anorexia because he was slim slim slim.
Not every person or anorexia case is the same. Severity ranges from mild to severe. If it worked for him, then I am happy. He is a beautiful person with many God-given gifts. So all you jealous haters ZIP-IT!
You clearly have never smoked it then, as the munchies are seriously uncontrollable, your blood sugar is low and you can't stop eating, your body refuses to let you starve
Vote here for best Band of the Week
Slideshows
Top Commenters
