ANVIL's LIPS On Being 'Successful': 'How Many Records You Sell Is Not Even Relevant'

Guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL, whose documentary, "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil", revived the group's career, has dismissed suggestions that he and his bandmates are not successful. He told Signals From Mars in a new interview (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The people calling out saying we're not successful — you go and record 12 albums. Before you say that I'm not successful, you go record 12 albums and live in obscurity and deal with having to have a day job and then finally get a movie out, and then you tell me what's going on, what's successful or not.

"Being successful in the music industry is writing a bunch of songs, recording them with the guys that you love like brothers and make the best pieces of music that you possibly can and get it out in the public domain," he continued. "That's being successful. How many records you sell is not even relevant because at the end of the day, it's about how many songs did you write? How much did you contribute? What did you bring to this world? That's what living is about, is what you bring to the world, not what the world gives to you. If you have to judge everything on what the world gives to you, you've got fuck all. Even if you've got no one that loves you, you've got fuck all. And if you haven't got someone to love, you've got fuck all.

"Money is only one small aspect of our human existence," Lips added. "And until you put it in perspective of what it actually is, it's a means to an end. It's to feed yourself. That's what you're using to make money. So once you've fed yourself, everything more is abundance. If you're a minimalist, you feed yourself and you go out and you enjoy your fucking life and get as much and put as much of yourself out there as you can to actually be responsible for as much as possible and get as much done in your life as you can. That's what it's all about. So, the guy who wins, the guy who, the guy who records a thousand songs in a lifetime — that's the guy who wins. He was successful. That's real success, man."

ANVIL released its 20th studio album "One And Only", on June 28 via AFM Records. The effort was recorded in the summer of 2023 with longtime producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and Jörg Uken at Uken's Soundlodge studios in Germany. The same production team was responsible for ANVIL's last four albums, "Anvil Is Anvil" (2016),"Pounding The Pavement" (2018),"Legal At Last" (2019) and "Impact Is Imminent" (2022).

When it comes to the most influential bands in the history of heavy metal, authorities on the subject regularly vote ANVIL among the top positions. The group from Toronto, Canada, with its two masterminds, Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner, and bassist Chris Robertson, not only looks back at an impressive career with countless highlights — as well as a number of well-documented difficulties — but has also had a lasting influence on lots of internationally renowned musicians, from METALLICA to SLAYER and beyond.

In January 2023, MVD Marquee Collection released the "Ultimate Edition" Blu-ray and "Standard Edition" DVD of "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil". The new version of the film features remastered picture and sound, as well as a new exclusive epilogue interview with director Sacha Gervasi and Lips and ANVIL drummer Robb Reiner moderated by former MTV host Matt Pinfield.