Artists say the darndest things once you get them talking. Chris Martin admitted to ShockHound that his music embarrasses him, Lady Gaga gave us a glimpse of the real girl behind her party diva persona, Air aired their hatred for French women, RZA revealed that he actually has no rhythm — and that’s just a few of the highlights from our amazing 2009 Q&A sessions. From personal fears and struggles to unbridled optimism over upcoming epic albums, check out what some of the biggest names in music confided to us this year!

Lady GaGa
Bye bye Stefani Germanotta, hello GaGa: Lady GaGa sat down with ShockHound just as she was firming her grasp on the balls of the pop world with her first hit single, “Just Dance.” The now-infamous pop star gave our readers an intimate glimpse into her art, drug problems, and the insatiable desire to “shock” her audience.

30 Seconds to Mars
This Is War: 30 Seconds to Mars’s Jared Leto recounts his band's $30 million battle with EMI, the old Hollywood legal precedent that saved them, and enlisting his army of fans to participate on the band’s latest record.

Adam Lambert
The man who brought glam rock to American Idol talks about his Idol experience, taking risks, and coming out before his album did.

The Pixies
The legendary Black Francis expounds on the Pixies’ 20th Anniversary comeback, their epic Doolittle tour, and teases us with the prossibility of a new Pixies album on the horizon.

Pearl Jam
ShockHound visited with Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament to take a look back at his band’s two decades of rockin’ in the free world, and the reissue of their multi-platinum debut Ten.  

Frank Turner
Thursday’s Geoff Rickly sits down with British hardcore frontman-turned-singer/songwriter Frank Turner for an artist-to-artist talk about Turner's solo album, his punk and acoustic inspirations, and why English girls will “defile anything with a pulse, a penis and a yank accent.”



Coldplay
“Whenever we do a record I always feel embarrassed about it.” Coldplay's Chris Martin shows his vulnerable — and quirky — side in this quippy Q&A.

Ghostface Killah
In this intense and revealing interview, Wu-Tang alum Ghostface Killah takes you down the yellow brick road of his album Ghostdini Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City, and tells you why he thinks lip-synching rappers are "fucking the game up."

MGMT
Taking a brief breather from making the new MGMT album, Andrew VanWyngarden reflects upon his band’s surreal year, which included playing with Sir Paul McCartney and his run in with the President of France.   

Spirits in the Sky
ShockHound was there as Billy Corgan and Dave Navarro got together for a side project to pay tribute to the late garage god Sky Saxon, and sat down with the talented dudes to discuss their collaboration and the future of their respective bands.

Depeche Mode
“We don't dance as much as we used to.” Three decades into their impressive and influential career, Depeche Mode keyboardist Andy Fletcher looks back on the evolution of the band, the family-like ties he shares with his bandmates, and life on the road.

Paramore
While fame was tearing Paramore apart, frontwoman Haley Williams exorcised her demons in her journal. In this revealing interview, the 21-year-old singer recounts the turmoil that nearly broke up her band apart, and growing up to see the world with Brand New Eyes.

Method Man & Redman
Meth & Red love haters — no, really. The hip-hop duo explains here how Internet shit-talking reignited the fire behind their music, as they remind the world why they’re still “smokin’” hot.

Phoenix
French buzz band Phoenix bring a whole new meaning to “retro” with their 19th century-inspired album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Guitarist Christian Mazzalai tells ShockHound how the band doesn’t get hung up on what’s considered “cool,” and maps out the free-wheeling adventure that was the creation of their fourth album.



RZA
Rapper, actor, director, animated character, the Wu-Tang’s RZA does it all…except dance. 

Anvil
“At fourteen, they made a pact to rock together forever. They meant it.” ShockHound caught up with Anvil frontman Steve “Lips” Kudlow to talk about the struggling Canadian metal band’s breakout documentary, and what it's been like to finally realize their lifelong dream of rock ‘n’ roll stardom. 

Lily Allen
The Brit-pop diva stays cheeky on her second album It’s Not Me, It’s You, battles the paparazzi, takes up baking, and Twitters about it all. "I'm a good person," she tells ShockHound.
  
Adele
One year older and sounding several years wiser, soulful UK songbird Adele admits that she’s in the market for a quality man, but assures that she’s “nowhere near the weakling I was when it comes to boys” as she was on her heart-wrenching debut 19.  

The Pretenders
Her "Boots of Chinese Plastic" will walk all over you — and that's just the way we like it. Head Pretender Chrissie Hynde explains the concept behind her band's kick-ass Break Up the Concrete LP, and tells us why she much prefers a gorgeous Fender Telecaster over a Fendi handbag.

AIR
The French electro gods of AIR — Nicolas Godin and Jean Benoit-Dunckel — discuss the poetic side of love-making and Love 2 making, as well as why French women don't really do it for them. 

— Courtney Lear