Bottum of Faith No More on embracing vulnerability in music, nineties nostalgia and rock’s first openly gay star

The bassist on the importance of leaving space for rawness and loudness in music, falling ‘head over heels’ for Will Oldham’s Palace Brothers and, oh yeah, being the first openly gay rock star

“There was no question that becoming a musician was what I was going to do,” says Faith No More and Imperial Teen bassist Mike Bottum. “As a young kid, music was always the most important thing in my life. I’d spend hours in my room listening to records and making up my own songs. It was my way of expressing myself and connecting with the world around me.”