ANTHRAX's JOHN BUSH: Most Lead Singers Are Pricks

ANTHRAX singer John Bush recently spoke to ModernFix.com about the group's decision to re-record some of their early classics live in the studio as part of their 20th Anniversary Celebration (for the upcoming "Metallum Maximum Aeturnum" collection). Asked if he fears the band might upset purist fans that don't want them to "fuck with" the original songs, Bush replied, "That's a good point. My goal is not to 'redo' the band's catalog at all. As a matter of fact, when the band discussed this thing, they were like, 'Let's do 20 songs.' My attitude was that was too many. And they aren't all going to go on this record. They will probably show up in different places like a B-side here, and there is a box set we are eventually going to do. I don't even want to do that many songs because I don't want the perception to be that we are trying to redo the bands catalog. That's not it. Those records are amazing and they stand on their own. They were very successful and people are very close to those records. My goal is to just say, 'Here is a few songs that we do live, that people have been hearing me sing live for 11 years now, so here is how they sound. Here is another way to listen to them.' The same as it would be if you did hear a live record or a DVD. A DVD is more visual, that's something that we want to do.

"The standard live record that bands used to put out, they just don't seem to have the intensity that they used to have. At least compared to records I grew up with as live albums. So we didn’t want to do just a standard live record. Our goal is to get into the studio and do this as raw and live as possible. But have this kind of be like a live album.

"I always try to respect everything that's happened in ANTHRAX's history because it's obviously laid the groundwork and been very important to the band. And I have my own integrity and pride when it comes down to it as well.

"I think we try to do the right thing at the end of the day. And I don't want to come off as 'Mr. Joe Humility' because I'm not THAT much like that. Although when it comes to lead singers, I think most of them are pricks. I am definitely the anti-lead singer. I've never been like that. Even in the early days when I started playing music and people were like, 'You gotta be more of a singer, a rock star.' And I was like, 'I don’t know what you are talking about. I don't know what you mean by that.' I literally never wanted to be that. Which is kind of a conundrum for a lead singer. You gotta be the front guy."

Read Bush's entire interview with ModernFix.com at this location.