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Interviews: Nathan Leone Opens Up

Madina Lake frontman Nathan Leone tells Rock Sound about his brother's shocking attack and inspiring will to live in this brand new interview.

By now everyone who knows Rock Sound knows what happened to Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone in late June after his intervention in a domestic violence incident in Chicago left him minutes from death.

With the shockwaves still rippling through the Leone family, the band, the wider music community and as the case against Justin Pivec is built Rock Sound spoke to the man who knows Matthew best to find out more about the shocking attack and his brother’s inspiring will to live.

Below is a full transcript of a conversation with Madina Lake singer Nathan Leone conducted towards the end of the band’s UK tour. We’d like to thank him now for his honest and open account of recent events. We’d also like to salute Matthew’s bravery and tenacity, read below and you’ll see exactly why.

What was the scene like in the hospital when you first arrived to find Matthew?
”At the hospital his brain began to swell and we had to fight for a CT scan. He and I knew something bad was going on so we basically screamed and yelled and caused a big scene until we got a rushed CT scan. A minute after that scan he and I were in another ambulance on our way to another hospital for emergency surgery.”

How scared were you at that point, sounds like Matthew held on to life by a thread?
“It was even worse than that. There are some horrific things he experienced that I can never repeat, it’s impossible to explain. When you have a twin brother who is your best friend and soulmate and you never spend two seconds apart, to have that person not recognise you for two or three days after surgery, to not know where he was or what was going on with him, it was the ultimate torture.”

We can’t even imagine it...
“When he eventually recognised me it was indescribable. It was this incredibly bitter, amazingly sweet moment as I knew he was missing a third of his skull but he didn’t and I didn’t want to tell him, I wanted to protect him from that as long as possible. He was on all kinds of meds and in critical care but he just kept saying, ‘What happened? Can’t we just get some stitches and get out of here?’ I couldn’t tell him as I didn’t know if he was emotionally prepared to know, the doctors were not being blunt with him and I downplayed everything the entire time.”

What was it like when you told him?
“It was really hard but eventually I felt he had the emotional capacity to comprehend it all. Finding out really freaked him out and he had another couple of really rough days, the other thing that freaked him out was when we moved him down to intensive care, a week-and-a-half after surgery, he saw himself in the mirror for the first time. That was another horrific turn, I was trying to shield him from what he looked like as it’s really traumatic to see and moreso for him to acknowledge. It was super, super rough.”

When did you get the first bit of good news?
“He was very uncomfortable in the hospital and would spend most of his time unconscious. But he would come up for bits and give me a smile, that’s when I sensed he was starting to come back.”

You honoured your recent UK tour dates and played as a three-piece, is part of Matthew’s recovery linked with the future of Madina Lake? Is he banking on you guys keeping the band going while he can’t play?
“Absolutely, 100 per cent. One of the things in his mind is to get back to normal as soon as possible, and normal is the passion we have for the band and for touring. For us to stop and not tour would have hurt him, he’d have felt responsible for the band taking a time out or step back and he didn’t want that at all. He is very selfless and has been shy about all the attention from the whole thing, but he is as grateful and thankful for all the amazing support.”

Are you still releasing the EP and do you have plans for more tours?
”Here’s the weird part, we had finished our eighth new song the day before the attack and Matthew’s bass part was the last thing we tracked. The EP is going to have 4 or 5 songs and we have a million other ideas that the three of us are going to be working on. We don’t want to do the three-piece live thing any longer, we want to play new songs, we can’t and won’t do that without him. I think right now we'll put that last track out, we’re getting it mixed and mastered and we’ll put it up online as soon as possible. Then the EP will come out and then we’ll see, I just need to be with him first and make sure his recovery is going as successfully as it needs to be.”

Are you still considering calling the record ‘World War III’?
“Yes.”

It’s taken on an unfortunate meaning in light of recent events?
“In light of the current position, absolutely.”

How has your phone been?
“Alive! With one hand I’ve been holding Matthew and the other I’ve been dealing with lawyers, detectives, state attorneys, press and everything else. It’s been the most insane month-and-a-half of my life. I can’t even put it into words, and then the Smashing Pumpkins played a benefit for us.”

We were going to ask about that, medical bills must be astronomical and still rising. Brain surgery is not cheap, right?
“We’re possibly looking at half a million dollars for all the medical costs. The way the music community has come together to support him has been mindblowing and humbling, we’re so lucky and grateful. To have someone like Billy Corgan doing what he did, people are coming forward from everywhere and being amazing. But, I must say, it touches us just as much when someone donates their last dollar or just sends well wishes and supports Matthew in a statement against domestic violence. The response internationally has been crazy. We’ll cross the financial bridge when we get to it, we couldn’t care less how long they have to wait for their money. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll get their money, no question about that, but it’s not something that we’re even dwelling on right now. The Pumpkins raised so much money, the Sweet Relief level is up really high too and there are some other really big things coming up too. We’ll raise a ton of money, and it’s so fucking beautiful.”

Do you think people have been compelled to act in the same way Matthew was compelled to intervene on the night he was attacked?
“Absolutely right, Corgan said that. He said, ‘Your brother did something amazing, now we have to do something amazing’, it was a really cool sentiment from him. On the spot Matthew didn’t have the chance to think it out or weigh it up, he stepped in knowing it wouldn’t turn out well for him. What he did that night came straight from his heart and soul. He reacted from who he is, the people that reach out and support him are doing the same thing. It’s just amazing.”

Anything you want to say to people in closing?
“When Matthew was unconscious over the first few days I would sit and read him all the letters, texts, emails, well wishes and articles that everyone had sent. He had his eyes closed but I just know that had a really big impact on his subconscious. I truly believe that’s what helped him get through it.”


Donate to Matthew’s medical bills here.
Read his blog here.
Support Through The Pain here.

www.madinalake.com.

Andrew Kelham