Producers' Pick | Skillet's John Cooper on New Album "Dominion"

The Truth Network Podcast is playing now. There it is. That's John Cooper of Skillet. He's got a brand new album.

It's called The Dominion. It's out today, January 14th. What is today? That was last week, right?

So I'm just forgetting. I just want to give up on January because it's so cold out. I just want it to be March where I have tremendous hope. But John Cooper's with me right now. He's lucky enough to be on his podcast yesterday. And John, welcome. Congratulations on the album. Thank you, Brian. It's great to talk with you.

Thanks for having me on. So tell me about Surviving the Game. What's that song about? Oh, man, we all feel like we've been surviving the game the last couple of years, right?

I wanted to write not just a song, but an album that felt like the post-pandemic rock album of the year. You come out of this thing. You're ready to go to the gym, lose all that COVID weight. I know everybody out there needs to lose the COVID weight. But it also gives you a hope for the future and a tenacity to face whatever's happening in your life, this fear pandemic, people that have been sick. We have people that lost their jobs. We have inflation. There's a lot to be, you know, concerned about right now. But people, I think, have given up their hope and they've given up their liberty. And this is just a celebration of freedom. So Dominion, I'm telling you, is the post-pandemic rock album of the year.

Go check it out. See, I'm so I'm so glad you didn't do what what we saw Luke Combs do. He writes that song called Six Feet Apart. It becomes a number one hit. But nobody wants to remember that.

You're not going to want to hear Six Feet Apart three years from now. You wrote about life afterwards, right? Absolutely. I'm like, let's don't focus on how how difficult this has been. Let's focus on freedom.

Let's focus on choice. In fact, I dedicated the album and the liner nose. I dedicated this album to freedom, liberty, those who gave up their lives so that I can have it.

Those who are still putting their lives on the line for us every day and those who still are willing to sacrifice their life for this great opportunity. We have to make something of your life. Be who you want to be. I love America. I love that I can believe what I want to believe.

Nobody here is forced to be a left, right or center or this religion or that religion. You have the liberty to do it and make some of yourself. So I really want to encourage people that have suffered during this pandemic with depression and just loneliness and isolation and negativity. Put that away and let's get some optimism. Take the world by the teeth, you know?

So I hope that people hear those messages on this new record dominion. So you look at this and you say, well, you know, America is free, but Australia was free. It doesn't seem too free now. France, if you're not vaccinated, don't plan on going anywhere. In Italy, it's against the law not to be vaccinated. So all these Western cultures are under siege. Did you feel somewhat under siege over the last two years?

Well, I personally did, yes. And I'm really amazed that people are willing to give up their personal liberties so easily in these Western civilizations, you know, that you just mentioned. I have hope that America is not going to go down that road because there are a lot of patriots. A lot of people like mine that are saying, hey, enough is enough. We've given a gift to the world of freedom once before. I believe that America could give that gift again. And I think that there's enough people standing up right now saying we do not need to give this up so easily.

This is a gift. So when do you get back in front of crowds or are you doing it already? I'm doing it already. Now, truth is, it is a little difficult. You know, there's some basically it just tends to be the red states that are that are open. And I'll go play at any state. I'll go play anywhere that will have me. But right now we're playing mostly, of course, the red states playing in front of crowds and arenas.

We I refuse to play any vaccine mandated shows. I took a little heat for that, but I don't care because to me it was worth putting my career a little bit on the line. If that's what I had to do for something that I really believed in. So we're playing in front of people now, giving people hope. I met so many people that said, man, John, you had no idea how much I needed this show. I needed to experience the music. Music helps people get through their stuff. And like I say, concerts are one of the only places in the nation, concerts and sporting events that you can come into a room with Democrats, Republicans, libertarians, Christians, non-Christians, anti-religious people, Muslims, whatever. You all come together and you celebrate music. And it's one of the only times we can all get along these days. Music helps people through hard times. And I'm just really thrilled to be able to still be doing this for a living. I'll play anywhere that I can. He's a two-time Grammy Award winner.

They're going into this album, already sold 12 million. What role does religion play in your lyrics? Well, religion plays a role in everything that I do, you know, because it's who I am.

It's the way that I see the world. God gave me hope. My mom died from cancer when I was young.

I was 15. God gave me hope through that. He became a refuge for me. In fact, the Bible says that God is my refuge and my strength. He's always there in my times of trouble.

I knew that I wasn't alone. And I think that right now, people all over the world are feeling absolutely alone. And so, again, my religion does play a lot because I write about this hope that I have in God, this hope that I tell people, you do matter.

Your life actually matters. So you hear those messages come through in the music. Skill is a very inclusive band. We have lots of fans that are atheists and agnostics and that sort of stuff.

But they always pick up on the hope, and people come up to me and they say, John, I'm not a Christian. I don't get the Jesus stuff, but your music makes me feel good. And I love that. If that's what music's supposed to do, it brings people together, man. Yeah, your songs are very familiar for people that listen to WWE, ESPN, Major League Baseball. So it kind of works with sports, doesn't it, John Cooper? Yeah, Skill is a great band for sports for multiple reasons.

One thing, it's positive. It's like get up and go music. You know, it's go to the gym music. Also, Skill works good for sports because it is family friendly. You never hear cuss words in our music.

You never hear songs about drugs and sex. It's about life. So therefore, it's safe, it's fun, and we owe a lot to WWE, ESPN, NFL.

We just had so many big supporters, and I think that family atmosphere probably also really helps. So if people go check out the new record, Dominion, you're going to hear those positive messages, family friendly messages, and a great rock album, I hope. What's your approach with your podcast? My podcast is basically this, to talk about the things that are happening in culture, but in a way that normal people can understand it.

You know, I would say it like this. I hope to do my podcast the way that you write your books. When I read your books, I don't have to be a historian.

I don't have to go to college and get a degree in history. I read your books, and I go, oh, that just makes sense. That's the easiest way to explain this. My podcast, I try to do that in a cultural way to explain the differences and to explain things like liberty and these great philosophies behind America and in Christianity as well. Gotcha. And John, it certainly came across, and I appreciate the interview.

It's up there now. So John Cooper, congratulations on the album Dominion. And we're playing out with one of your songs. What song is this, Eric? Same one. We're playing the same song. Coming out. Congratulations, John. Thank you so much, Brian.

Great to chat. This is Surviving the Game. Skill it. Download it. Brian Kilmitjo.