ANTHRAX Guitarist SCOTT IAN: 'I Find Most Reality Shows To Be Extremely Cheesy'

Metro.co.uk recently conducted an nterview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Metro.co.uk: Which bands at the Kerrang! awards do you want to meet?

Scott: FALL OUT BOY are going, which is cool because I'm friends with them. People might not expect me to like them but I've seen them twice and they put on a great show. If things go south at least I'll have someone on my side. There are lots of bands around at the moment that I'm into. Bands such as MASTODON, who I love. MACHINE HEAD aren't new but their new album is the best metal record for seven years.

Metro.co.uk: What do you make of all the emo kids in the world of metal?

Scott: They all need to start listening to ANTHRAX. Bands such as MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE aren't the sort of things I listen to because they are too poppy for me. I love a good pop song but for me that's something like CHEAP TRICK. I loved them when I was growing up so that set the bar high for me. I'm not into this newer version. Not even on the rock side, the crap on MTV. I just don't like those noises that come out of my TV.

Metro.co.uk: What are the highs and lows of being in ANTHRAX?

Scott: 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.

Metro.co.uk: Why so many line-up changes? Are you hard to get on with?

Scott: I'd like to think it was that simple — just me telling them to f*** off. Charlie, Frankie 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.

Metro.co.uk: Did the anthrax terrorist attacks ruin your good name?

Scott: 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.

Metro.co.uk: How was your reality show with Ted Nugent and Sebastian Bach?

Scott: I find most reality shows to be extremely cheesy so I wondered if doing it would end my career. I didn't know who else would be in it, but it turned out to be like being in a summer camp. Playing guitar with Ted was like a 13-year-old's dream. I got on with everyone on the show, my feet are a bit more firmly planted on planet Earth than Ted and Sebastian so I was the voice of reason. I've known Sebastian for years but I still stay in touch with Ted so I made a new friend out of it.

Read the entire interview at Metro.co.uk.