And he'd go pfffftt.

Wes Borland is cool.

That's why I like Frown. But he's not against learning or getting introduced to new things.

Wes does seem cool. He doesn't come from a band many people would give him respect for. But he's always been too good for Limp Bizkit. I think everything he's done away from Limp Bizkit has been better and more interesting.

You're right, CN, I am lacking when it comes to playing things like R&B and Jpop. I get that Borland's skilled, but has he actually done anything good? I remember Black Light Burns being pretty lackluster, but it's possible that he could have redeemed himself since then.

EDIT: Talking in terms of music here, not chillworthiness.

I'm the same way with R&B and Rap. Hard for me to listen to.

Uh. Yeah. Black Light Burns had some good moments on each album, but no the project wasn't anything special. Wes has worked with other bands for guitar parts and other things, some cool, others meh. I think the neatest one would be Queen Kwong. He did guitar on her album, keyboards, synths, drums. Probably his best work honestly. I think Wes just hasn't found the sound he's wanting to make musically. I'm still waiting to see him accomplish what I know he can pull off; something diverse, engaging, something genuinely good.

It's been about twenty years. Maybe he's just mediocre.

Could be.

But then when I type that. I do not believe it. If he's better than the mediocre Limp Bizkit, then that puts him above the band and not a mediocre bracket. If he's around in music another five or ten years and keeps putting out music he's better than. Then I'll concede that he's being lazy.

The biggest problem with Wes is that his side projects just don't pay the bills. Despite LB being completely irrelevant nowadays, they still earn quite a bit touring outside the U.S.

Wes has even said in a recent interview that touring with the Bizkit for a few months every year allows him the financial freedom to engage in his side projects, which are in the red financially.

I don't think he's close to being broke, but he's far from being financially secure to the point that he still has to put up with Fred Durst so he can pursue his passion projects. It's sad.

I understand that. As his own projects didn't or do not pull in a whole lot of money on their own. I believe it's true that Wes likely stays with Limp Bizkit for reasons you've pointed out. When LB tours. They actually do pretty well with the pay off. So yeah. It does make sense for Wes to remain with the band, even though by himself he's more creative.

It's not like it's impossible nowadays to record an album at home with little to no cost, if you feel that you're unable to express yourself fully within your musical day job.
Until I hear something interesting from him, I'm still going to assume he's not nearly as amazing as people keep saying.

A band that I listen to whose singer and guitarist I am personal friends with. So far they have self recorded and released all five, and soon to be six albums on their own. So yes. Recording an album from a home studio costs almost nothing.

And here's my thing about Wes. Yes. The man is too good for LB. Wes is skilled. However it's true that he's not real great either. Still. I would not call him mediocre. He's not amazing haha. But when I see him play. I notice his passion and how much he cares about what he's doing. That's something important for a musician to have. So because he has those things. I do respect him.