During an appearance on the Beardo & Weirdo podcast, Faith No More co-founder Roddy Bottum discussed his experiences growing up gay in the 1980s music scene.

Bottum, who is promoting his memoir The Royal We, described the intense contradictions of being openly feminine yet deeply misogynistic within that era's dominant rock culture.

He recalled how MTV and rock videos pushed hyper-sexualized imagery that was accepted as normal despite its ugliness.

"It was ugly to women," he said.

"We can say that now and recognize it now, but when we were in the thick of it, we just kind of took it for granted." Bottum also discussed how Faith No More's genre-blurring sound left audiences unsure about how to categorize the band.

He recalled being marketed as metal after Metallica members began wearing Faith No More shirts publicly, which he said was a turn-off for the band's original sound.

"It opened us up to a whole new fanbase, but it sidelined us into this world of metal," Bottum explained.

He also reflected on coming out publicly in July 1993, becoming rock music's first openly gay star without many visible role models.

The conversation underscores how much the culture has shifted since then.