Threatin frontman Jered Threatin has given his first interview following the most ridiculous story of 2018. In a new chat with Rolling Stone, Threatin (real name Jered Eames) claims he orchestrated the whole fiasco for media attention.

The saga of Jered Threatin is one for the ages — a true exercise in zero self-awareness and outdated rock star vanity. Threatin booked an entire European tour by defrauding promoters, pretending to have an actual fanbase and posting fake videos on YouTube. Even Threatin’s bandmates were tricked. Still, the memefication of Jered Threatin was one of the most entertaining spectacles of the year and gave us plenty of laughs at the expense of the Tommy Wiseau of rock and roll.

“There was no way that I was going to get enough attention being a rock artist in 2018,” Threatin says, “unless I did something to get people to pay attention … It’s a publicity stunt, but the music is very real.”

Speaking about his upbringing in a small midwest town, health issues and making the rounds with death metal, Threatin, along with some of his closest associates, spoke to Rolling Stone for a detailed conversation.

“You hear people say it all the time: ‘With the Internet, it’s easy for people to get discovered. It’s actually the opposite,” Jered says. Spending upward of $10,000 on recordings didn’t get him a fan base, nor did working with Greg Calbi, who engineered John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen works.

“If you’re the hero, you’re going to get a quarter of the attention of the bad guy,” the musician explains. “A happy story lasts a day, but a tragedy is going to last a lifetime … Fuck what other people think,” he proclaims. “I’m willing to do what it takes to try to bring rock back into the spotlight.”

Check out the full interview with Jered Threatin at Rolling Stone.

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