Ivan Moody on Tommy Vext: “This Dude’s a Waste of My Time”
The career trajectory of Bad Wolves has been inextricably linked to Five Finger Death Punch. The two bands share a record label, Better Noise (formerly known as Eleven Seven) and management company, 10th Street Entertainment, with Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory in particular looking after the day-to-day affairs of Bad Wolves. The acts toured together a number of times over the years, and ex-Bad Wolves singer Tommy Vext even filled in for Moody following a mid-tour, on-stage meltdown in 2017. The two also teamed up for various initiatives related to promoting a sober lifestyle.
But it seems that recent events have led to a souring of the relationship between Vext, Moody and the rest of the Five Finger Death Punch camp. Since parting ways earlier this year, Vext and Bad Wolves have become embroiled in reciprocal lawsuits, disputes over songwriting credits and plenty of public drama.
Now, in a pair of public comments, Five Finger Death Punch singer Ivan Moody has shared his thoughts on the situation and his current opinion of Vext in particular.
First, in a Q&A with fans on Instagram to promote his new book, Dirty Poetry, Moody was asked directly about the state of his relationship with Vext, who has been increasingly vocal about his far-right viewpoints in recent months. His response:
“Am I still friendly with Tommy Vext? Friendly? Yes… Yes. Friends? I’m not sure if we ever were anymore.
“Listen, I’m not going to get too far into it, but I don’t understand people that believe half what they say and say half of what they believe. I just don’t get where politics got so massively involved with the kid. I think he got a little taste of it and ‘the love’ that comes with picking a side and, in my opinion, got stuck. And, I’ve said this actually, that I wish he would just come out and say, ‘Listen, I fucked up.’
“The thing about it is, and if you want the truth, is that Zoltan managed them [Bad Wolves]. I’ve been friends with Doc [Coyle] and John [Boecklin] from Bad Wolves for almost 20 years… So for me, that relationship goes deeper… That whole collective, they’re fucking rad people, man. And so when I hear about one of them getting choked the fuck out over something really minor, no.”
Moody is referring to an incident, as relayed by Bad Wolves guitarist Doc Coyle, in which Vext allegedly physically attacked Coyle during a verbal dispute.
In a separate fan Q&A later on, Moody was again asked about Vext, and responded:
“This dude’s a waste of my time, I don’t know why you guys keep bringing him up. He’s more worried about me than I am of him. I’m sure you know who the fuck I’m talking about. Some peoples kids… And P.S., the reason I don’t talk shit online, and I don’t need to, is because if I have a fucking problem with somebody, I’ll just go to their fucking house. I’ll show up and we can talk. Really talk. I dodn’t have to sit here on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter, it’s just pipe… Anything I have to say to you I’ll say it on the record or I’ll say it to your fucking face. I’ve got no time for bullshit, man, and I ain’t tryna make anyone popular by giving them my fucking yes or no. Suck it.”
Bad Wolves’ new album, Dear Monsters, comes out this Friday, October 28, their first with new vocalist Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz.
You can watch the above-referenced clips of Moody in the below recap from Rock Feed.
