Mike Patton’s most famous lyric is: “You want it all, but you can’t have it.” As the chorus of Faith No More’s 1990 rap-metal megahit Epic, it’s a line that has entered the Top 10 in three countries and has been heard on streaming services more than 200m times. Yet the singer’s omnivorous career over the three decades since has somewhat proven the lie in those words.
Ever since he joined Faith No More in 1988, while still fronting his high school band Mr Bungle, Patton has followed his every muse to become rock’s most prolific multitasker. His CV is as immense as it is eclectic, ranging from the avant garde grindcore of Fantômas to the mind-bending noise/folk fusion of Tētēma. He has also fronted prog-metal idols the Dillinger Escape Plan, scored a host of films and provided the anguished screams of the zombies in the 2007 Will Smith vehicle I Am Legend. Even if he is not a household name, you have at some point heard Mike Patton’s voice in your home.
