ANTHRAX Guitarist Scott Ian - "When Bands In The '80s Like BON JOVI And MÖTLEY CRÜE Had All The Women, We Were Playing Seas Of Denim, Leather And Unwashed Man Hair"
August 22, 2007, 17 years ago
Metro.co.uk has conducted a 60 Second Interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian. A few excerpts follow:
What are the highs and lows of being in Anthrax?
"The high is having a 25-year music career without having to do anything else. We’re still able to do what we want to do. We started in 1981 and you can count on two hands the bands that have lasted that long. The lowest point was being on tour with METALLICA in 1986 when their bass player Cliff Burton was killed in a bus crash. We were all very close."Why so many line-up changes? Are you hard to get on with?
"I’d like to think it was that simple – just me telling them to fuck off. Charlie (Benante - drums), Frankie (Bello - bass) and I have been the core of this band since 1981 so maybe it’s a group effort. I can’t take all the credit."Did the anthrax terrorist attacks ruin your good name?
"At first we thought it did but we found we had the support of not just our fans but everyone. I was amazed by how many people told us not to change our name and we were pretty close to changing it at one point. We went on Jay Leno’s show and he told us not to change it too, so everyone was behind us."How many groupies have you got through as a band?
"Two or three. When bands in the '80s like BON JOVI and MÖTLEY CRÜE had all the women, we were playing seas of denim, leather and unwashed man hair. You must remember what genre you’re talking about. That wasn’t part of the scene we were in. I had no choice, I blame AC/DC and IRON MAIDEN for getting me into this music so I missed out on all that stuff. Do I regret it? No."Read more here.
