Brian ‘Head’ Welch: “I struggled with my thoughts, I struggled with my looks, so I found things to help me like comedy and music”
Brian ‘Head’ Welch discusses his formative years, his destructive streak at the height of Korn’s fame and how he was saved by spirituality
Solo photos: Matt Matheson
Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Brian Welch had no idea how his life would turn out. Never fully fitting in at school, bullies gave him the nickname ‘Head’ because “puberty made my head grow big and my body stay short,” he remembers today, chatting to Kerrang! over Zoom. He would eventually reclaim the name at the behest of Korn bandmate Fieldy, who told him, “‘All these kids used to call you that, but it’s a cool name now.’”