Kings of Leon at Home: Inside the Followills' Private Worlds

Rolling Stone took you behind the Kings of Leon's cover shoot for the new issue, now go inside the bandmates' homes in an exclusive video tour. Our cameras trailed the Followills to Nashville, where Matt showed off his "no-girls allowed" zone (his well-stocked garage) and the first guitar he got in Kings, while Jared welcomed us into his guest room, which is for "guests who will not pee on my bed — so no Caleb."

Caleb invited RS into the farmhouse where he wrote the most recent KOL album, Only by the Night, (it used to be more wine-bottle strewn, he says), and we stumbled into his vinyl collection. When asked if he listen to music when he's writing, Caleb replied no, but he listens to songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and Roger Miller. We also checked in with Nathan, who revealed that when he's off tour his focus is getting fresh air and cooking so he can "rest up and hang with my girl."

In Austin Scaggs' cover story, the Kings open up about their most brutal brawls, most unbelievable drinking stories and early days as a country-singing act. Grab the new issue for the full story, plus listen to 10 essential Kings of Leon tracks and check out the boys' family photo album plus exclusive shots from our photo sessions here:

• Kings in Their Castles: At Home With Kings of Leon
• Kings of Leon's Family Album
• All the Kings' Gems: 10 Essential Kings of Leon Tracks
• Kings of Leon Interviews, Photos, Reviews and More

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Song Stories

“Piano Man”

Billy Joel | 1973

Billy Joel’s first hit, “Piano Man,” was – ironically – an autobiographical lament about how his first album wasn’t a hit. When Cold Spring Harbor didn’t take off, Joel briefly became a lounge pianist in Los Angeles, and this song, about that experience, expressed his frustrations and fears at the time: “And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar/And say, ‘Man, what are you doing here?’” “It was all right,” Joel said later, about the gig. “I got free drinks and union scale, which was the first steady money I’d made in a long time.”

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