Get Thrashed: The Story Of Thrash Metal director Rick Ernst is featured in a new interview with Metalist.com.il. The following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: I understand you spent a long career in MTV, how did you start out?

Ernst: "I started out at MTV in New York in 1993 as an intern and assistant on Headbangers Ball. When the show was cancelled, I continued at MTV and eventually worked my way up the ranks to Supervising Producer of several shows, including the new version of Headbangers Ball which airs on MTV2 in the States. Currently, I’m at Roadrunner Records as their Director of Video Production. Essentially, I coordinate the making of the label’s DVDs, music videos and other video productions."

Q: Was metal, and thrash in particular, your favorite music when growing up?

Ernst: "Absolutely, I loved thrash metal. It was - and is - by far my favorite type of music. Many of the photos from the 80’s feature me wearing thrash t-shirts, high top sneakers, leather jackets etc. Growing up, it was thrash metal, 24/7 for me!"

Q: How did you combine your love for the music with your work in MTV? They’re not known for being overly metal-friendly…

Ernst: "True but I always figured it was better to have a fan on the inside fighting to play more metal than at home sitting back and yelling at the TV because they were playing another Bon Jovi video! I was fortunate to work on many hard rock and metal shows and had the opportunity to advance the genre by booking bands like Anthrax, Fear Factory, Bruce Dickinson etc that would have never been booked on an MTV show in the mid-late 90’s. So in some small way, I feel that being an insider at MTV helped the metal cause."

Q: How did the whole idea of doing the ultimate thrash documentary start out?

Ernst: "I had hoped that after all the years working at MTV, a TV special or documentary would have come along and that would have satisfied the urge to make a thrash metal piece. That never happened so I thought I’d take the bull by the horns and do it myself. In 2003, I began interviewing bands and piecing the film together. About a year and a half later, I had the basic storyline in place and then some guy named Rat Skates emailed me. Of course, Rat was the founding drummer in Overkill and an important part of the thrash movement. We met and figured out a way for him to get involved in the film, mainly though his graphic design abilities."

Go to this location for the complete interview.