Shadowing Practice: Fieldy Finally SPEAKS OUT On Why He Left Korn - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Would you consider yourself retired at this point?
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I'm retired from Korn today, but we'll see what the day brings or tomorrow.
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This is the real reason Fieldy left Korn.
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For five years, nobody actually knew what it was.
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If you've been a Korn fan since the 90s, you've been asking the same question since June of 2021.
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The band gave one answer, Fieldy gave another.
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Fans speculated for years, and the whole thing kind of just sat there unresolved.
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But in April of 2026, Fieldy sat down on the Shady Characters podcast with his old bandmate, Richard Murrell, and finally said out loud what actually happened.
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And it's not what any of us spent five years guessing.
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So on June 21st, 2021, Fieldy posted a statement to his social media that kicked off one of the longest running mysteries in modern rock.
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He wrote, the past six years, I've been dealing with some personal issues
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that at times have caused me to fall back on some of my bad habits
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that has caused some tension with the people around me.
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it's been suggested to me to take some time off to heal.
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He told his bandmates he loved them and didn't want to bring tension or bad vibes to the circle.
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He said he'd be working on getting the bad habits out of his system.
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And then Korn responded with a short statement saying they loved and supported their brother and that health and family comes first.
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That was it.
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That was all anyone had to go on.
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Now Fieldy had a well-documented history of addiction from his earlier years.
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He wrote about it in his 2009 memoir.
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So when he used the phrase bad habits, The implication landed exactly the way you'd expect it to.
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Fans immediately started speculating about relapse.
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Message boards, comment sections, Reddit threads.
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Fieldy was struggling.
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That was the story, even though he never actually said that.
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Meanwhile, Korn brought in Ra Diaz from Suicidal Tendencies.
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What was supposed to be a temporary arrangement ended up lasting years.
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In October of 2022, Fieldy broke his silence with a video on social media.
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And here's where the story started getting more complicated.
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He said, when I made the statement about my bad habits, they weren't drugs.
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It's just at the end of the day, when I'm done with all my responsibilities, I have a Bud Light or as many as I want, to tell you the truth.
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I've never tried cocaine.
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I've never tried heroin.
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I drink Bud Light, man.
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He also made clear there was no beef with his bandmates.
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He said he loved the guys in Korn, that he'd known them since seventh grade, that they weren't mad at each other, and that he was always going to be fieldy from Korn because that was part of his legacy.
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So the drug relapse narrative was officially off the table.
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But that just raised a new question.
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If it wasn't that, Then what was it?
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Why was a founding member of one of the biggest rock bands on the planet sitting at home
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while his band toured without him?
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And why hadn't anyone, including Fieldy, given a clearer answer?
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That question sat unanswered for another few years.
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And then in January of 2026, something happened that gave fans the first real reason for hope in years.
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Fieldy showed up at the NAMM convention and was photographed standing next to Korn drummer Ray.
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The photo was shared by Fieldy's son, and it spread through the Korn fan community fast.
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Just two guys at a music trade show.
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But after years of reported silence, seeing a Korn member and Fieldy in the same frame felt significant.
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Which brings us to April 2026 and the Shady Characters podcast.
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Fieldy sat down with Richard Murrell, former LAPD bandmate. And
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when he was asked straight up why he stepped away from
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corn this time he answered differently than he ever had before was there something
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that that made you want to step away i mean he obviously
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covered it happened yeah that's it i'm like i'm not going out there that's what happened
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because it was new now like that's the whole time i didn't get vaccinated
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or anything but
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when you reflect on it that's what happened they're like we're going scared we're going to florida
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and all this
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and i'm like i'm getting vaccinated i'm not going to get
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vaccinated i'm not going i go people this is weird right
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now that's the real explanation not drugs not a relapse not even primarily about personal demons uh
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when the band was ready to get back on the road in 2021
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and touring meant getting vaccinated field he said no he wasn't going
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and so corn went without him
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and what started as a summer fill-in for rod diaz became
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a multi-year arrangement that's still going today he also reflected on the time away with a kind of clarity
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that only comes from distance.
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He said, But I mean, that's kind of, you know, what happened, but it gave me time to sit.
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And once you sit, you can reflect and you're like, you know, you're kind of just waiting, you know, to what's next.
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Because I don't know what the rest of this day is going to bring.
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And you know, I'm on fire for whatever, whatever is ready.
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So where does that leave everything?
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Affilde's current status is best described in his own words.
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When he was asked directly whether he considers himself retired from Korn, he said, Would you consider yourself retired at this point?
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I'm retired from Korn today, but we'll see what the day brings or tomorrow.
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It's a door left deliberately open.
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And for older Korn fans who remember watching Head leave the band in 2005, only to rejoin in 2013, those words mean something.
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Fieldy himself pointed to that kind of thing.
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He noted that almost every major band goes through lineup shifts.
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He framed it as just being part of how music works.
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In the meantime, Fieldy isn't sitting still.
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He's been working on a new project with Sepultura drummer Grayson Neckrupman and former Fear Factory bassist Christian Oldie Wolbers.
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Two rough songs are already done and on the Korns side, the band dropped a new single called Reward the Scars in April 2026,
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their first new music since Requiem and notably the first new studio recording without Fieldy's bass contribution.
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As for the NAMM photo with Ray, Fieldy didn't walk that back.
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He said there was no beef.
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He said they're his brothers.
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Here's what this whole story really is when you strip it back.
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It's not a story about drugs.
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It's not a story about a band imploding.
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It's a story about a moment in history, a genuinely strange, disorienting moment, where a founding member of a 30-year band was asked to make a decision,
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made it, and then watched his bandmates get on the plane without him.
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For five years, the public had an incomplete picture.
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The original statement wasn't wrong, the personal issues were real, and the tension was real.
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But the full truth was simpler than anyone outside the band knew.
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When touring resumed and a vaccine was required to do it, Fieldy said no. That was the turning point.
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Whether that gap ever closes is genuinely unknown.
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But Fieldy, the guy who helped invent a sound, who sold out arenas and built a legacy that still resonates with fans, is still out there, still talking,
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still making music, and still leaving tomorrow open.

Speaking Goals for This Clip: Mastering Narrative Flow

This video is perfect for practicing how to tell a story with clarity and momentum—key for fluency! You’ll learn to connect events, build suspense, and explain complex timelines, which are essential for everyday conversations, job interviews, or sharing personal anecdotes. Whether you’re chatting with friends or presenting ideas, nailing this skill will make you a more engaging speaker. And with tools like a shadowing app, you can mimic the rhythm and pacing of the dialogue to sound more natural.

Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions for Storytelling

  • "kicked off one of the longest running mysteries" – Great for introducing a puzzling situation.
  • "the implication landed exactly the way you'd expect" – Use to explain how others interpreted a statement.
  • "officially off the table" – Perfect for dismissing a theory or option.
  • "gave fans the first real reason for hope" – Ideal for describing a positive turning point.
  • "spread through the fan community fast" – Useful for talking about how news or trends spread.

Fix Your Weak Spots: Pronunciation & Rhythm of Complex Sentences

The dialogue is full of long, descriptive sentences—like "For five years, nobody actually knew what it was"—that can trip up even advanced learners. Focus on stressing key words (e.g., "nobody," "knew") and pausing correctly to avoid sounding rushed. Try shadow speech: play a short clip, pause, and repeat it aloud, matching the speaker’s tone and speed. A shadow speak tool can help you compare your pronunciation to the original, so you’ll notice where you need to adjust. Don’t worry if it takes time—even small improvements in rhythm will make your English sound more polished. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be telling stories with the confidence of a native!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.