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Daniel Johns discusses Silverchair shooting tragedy

In 1995, a 16-year-old boy in the state of Washington, aided by his friend, opened fire and killed both his parents and brother. When the shooter was apprehended, they were allegedly playing Silverchair’s Israel’s Son, which was released the same year and boasts controversial and hateful lyrics. Now, 27 years on, Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns has opened up about the tragedy. “It’s pretty devastating to write a song when you’re a teenager and then have lives taken because apparently it influenced the people to murder someone — that’s too much,” Johns told American radio personality Megan Holiday on In The Mind of Daniel Johns docuseries. An in-depth report on the murders published by Spin magazine in their September 1996 issue cited evidence that the shooter pulled a blood-spattered cassette out of his father’s hand, shrieking “That’s my f***ing tape!” It was Silverchair’s debut album Frogstomp. The shooter’s friend alleged that he put the tape in the stereo and rewound it to the track Israel’s Son. The witness’s version of events, which unfolded at his trial in January 1996, had his friend kicking the deceased bodies of his parents as the song played. The shooter’s lawyer Tom Copland would cite the lyrics of Israel's Son at an evidentiary hearing: “Hate is what I feel for you/I want you to know that I want you dead’. They petitioned the court to be allowed to play the song in his opening statement, as he claimed the song’s lyrics were “almost a script” for the killings. Johns, who was just 16 at the time, said he internalised his trauma after hearing the horrific news. “It affected me, but I had to act like it didn’t,” he said. “I couldn’t acknowledge it, I guess that was part of the patterns.” The Aussie rocker said he didn’t want fans to look to him for meanings or “guidance”. “I don’t like that people look to me for guidance in the songs. I don’t like it,” he said. Image credits: Getty Images

Music

Daniel Johns ordered to complete community service over drunk driving incident

Daniel Johns has narrowly avoided jail time with a 10-month intensive corrections order to be served in the community over a high-range drink-driving car crash. The former Silverchair frontman has also been disqualified from driving for seven months and ordered to fit an alcohol-reading interlock device to his car for 24 months when he gets his driver's licence back. In March this year, Johns was charged with high-range drink driving after a head-on crash at North Arm Cove, north of Newcastle. When tested, he returned a blood alcohol reading three times the legal limit. The police report states that Johns was heading north when his SUV crossed onto the wrong side of the Pacific Highway and collided with a light commercial truck travelling in the opposite direction. Both vehicles ended up on a nearby nature strip, with the 51-year-old driver of the van and his 55-year-old female passenger being treated at the scene by paramedics. Johns entered rehabilitation of his own will for four weeks after the crash and the court was told he had not touched alcohol since. In his sentencing submission, defence lawyer Bryan Wrench said his client suffered from complex mental health issues from his time as a child musical star. "He was a very successful musician. He was 14 when that came to him in an unwanted fashion and that came with attacks and vitriol," Mr Wrench said. "He is a recluse, his house is his only safe place." These defence submissions are what helped Johns avoid time behind bars, as Magistrate Ian Cheetham said Johns was best served to continue with psychiatric treatment in the community. "There is no doubt a custodial sentence will not achieve an appropriate result for him or the community," Magistrate Cheetham said. Image credits: Getty Images

Legal

Daniel Johns facing jail time

Former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns risks being thrown into jail following a horrific head-on collision while drink-driving. The 42-year-old, who is in a rehabilitation centre, entered a guilty plea to high-range drink driving through his lawyer Bryan Wrench. Wrench told the court that his client wanted the matter dealt with immediately because it was causing him anxiety during his three month stint in rehab. Magistrate Ian Cheetham rejected the premise saying the matter was too serious and that Johns could face jail time. The case was adjourned to June 22 for sentencing with Johns ordered to contact Corrective Services NSW officers to complete an assessment report. Wrench previously submitted documents to the courts to avoid his client being interviewed by Corrective Services. He noted that Johns knew the serious nature of the offence was suffering from mental health issues. The lawyer told the court that Johns was also prepared to stop drinking alcohol as part of an intensive corrections order if it would help him avoid jail. Police allege that Johns was three times over the legal alcohol limit when his car merged onto the other side of the road and crashed into a van in the NSW Hunter region about 10.30pm on Wednesday, March 23. The van driver, 51, and his female passenger, 55, were treated at the scene and the woman was taken to hospital. Johns was breathalysed and returned a shocking blood alcohol level of 0.157. He admitted himself to a rehabilitation facility telling his followers on Instagram that he was focusing on his mental health. “As you know, my mental health is a work in progress. I have good days and bad days but it’s something I always have to manage,” Johns wrote. “Over the last week I began to experience panic attacks. Last night I got lost while driving and I was in an accident. I am OK, everyone is OK. “I have to step back now as I’m self-admitting to a rehabilitation centre and I don’t know how long I’ll be there. Appreciate your love and support as always.” Image: Getty

Legal

Why Daniel Johns will never perform live again

He was once the frontman of one of Australia’s biggest homegrown acts. But now Silverchair lead singer Daniel Johns has said he will never perform live again. In a candid interview with The Project, the 42-year-old musician said he has long struggled with shutting down persistent rumours that Silverchair, who split up in 2011, would eventually reform. He said, "I was like, 'This is really starting to affect my mental health'. Because I am saying 'that's it', and every time I try to tell the truth, someone told a lie." "So I was like, 'I wouldn't get Silverchair back together with a gun to my head for $1 million'. Maybe that was too harsh in hindsight." He discussed how Silverchair’s sudden rise to fame after the release of Frogstomp in 1995, when Daniel was just 16, took a toll on his emotional wellbeing. Just months after the album’s release, Silverchair saw international notoriety, as they even opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Daniel said that the level of fandom was “extreme”, as he was always looking over his shoulder. "And I have pretty much constantly had that since the second album, since I saw the hysteria of Frogstomp," he said. When discussing why he would not reform the band, he said there is too much emotional baggage from the highest points of the band’s fame to consider it. "It's not that I am not proud of the work – I am actually really proud of the work. It's just that it's emotionally triggering for me." He said he needed to walk away from the band to be "internally happy", something he has achieved since the band’s end in 2011. "But it took me years and years and years of really, really heavy, heavy therapy. "And if I didn't do that work, I don't think I'd be here." The trauma of the band’s success prompted Daniel to say he has no desire to play live again, but that doesn’t mean he won’t release new music in the future. "I don't even go to live shows because I hate that environment. So why would I want to be the focus? I honestly don't think you ever will [see me play live].” "There is so much music coming and I am really proud of it. You don't need to see it live. Just listen." You can check out the full interview with The Project here: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2N53j1Own8c" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Image credits: Getty Images

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