In a new interview with Australia’s MMM Hard N Heavy radio station, former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman spoke about his decision to cut off his trademark mono-dreadlock.
“It was kind of crazy. I wasn’t expecting that reaction,” Max said. “In fact, when I decided to cut it, it was kind of out of the blue. I woke up one day and I told my wife, ‘I think I wanna cut my dreads.’ And she was very surprised, ’cause it’s been with me for 23 years. She [was, like], ‘Really? Seriously?’ And I was, like, ‘Yeah, it’s bugging me. It’s very heavy. I kind of feel like I need something new, something fresh in my life.’ So we just did it.
“It was a Sunday afternoon at my house. We were having a family dinner. I just went in the backyard and she had a pair of scissors, and [I said], ‘Cut it off. Just cut it off. Let’s not make a big deal.’ But she took a picture and posted the picture. And that was a problem. That was where the sh*t hit the fan. [Laughs]”
He also went on to say that he was surprised by the strong response to his new look.
“I didn’t expect that, man,” he said. “My son called me. He was, like, ‘You’re number one on Google News.’ I don’t even know what that is. I was, like, ‘What the f*ck is that?’ I think [Gloria] wants to frame it and put it on the wall in the house and then do something with it eventually in the future. Those are manager things that I don’t get involved with, manager decisions. [Laughs]
“I tell you what, man — it feels great not having that thing around,” Max continued. “It was good, but it had its time. It was time to go; it was time to move on. I feel like I’ve been liberated from the dread. It was very heavy, man, and it was really long — it was all the way to my ass.
“Everybody was, like, ‘2020 doesn’t get more weird than this. Even Max is cutting his dreads.’ Which I didn’t even think about it until later, that I did it. I was, like, ‘Yeah, it actually is in 2020 that I cut my dreads off.’ It’s just one of those things. Like I said, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I just woke up one day, and I was, like, ‘I think I’m done with this. I think it’s time to cut it off.’ And I just did it. And it’s finally done. But I didn’t know it was gonna cause such a sh*tstorm. [Laughs]”
In a 2011 interview with MyTicket, Max discussed his dreadlocks, saying: “Just leave it there, and it grows, and leave it alone. I wash it. It’s clean. I did find food one time. I opened one of them up and found some macaroni or cheese or rice. I think my wife was going through the dreads and [she said], ‘There’s some food in here, right?’ A stash from tour.
“But, yeah, I just let it grow,” he continued. “I’ve been growing it since 1997. That’s when I started. I never stopped. There’s been rumors that I cut it off. Sometimes fans come to me and say, ‘Hey, man, let me see your dreads. Oh, they’re still there. I heard that you cut it off.’”
