Ex-Bassist: 'ANVIL Have Found Themselves Once Again In A Position Of Irrelevance'

Alex Barbieri of Hardrock Haven recently conducted an interview with former ANVIL bassist Glenn Gyorffy (a.k.a. Glenn Five or G5). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Hardrock Haven: What happened in ANVIL that made you want to leave after 16 years?

Glenn: I wouldn't say anything in particular happened that made me want to quit ANVIL. It's been an ongoing thing for many years. Basically, it was getting a bit stale for the artist inside me and I simply wasn't fulfilled playing in the band anymore. As many people know there was a wonderful movie made about ANVIL("Anvil! The Story of Anvil") that re-ignited a flame in the band, not only in the public eye, but also in ourselves. When the film started to receive critical acclaim and we started this amazing ride on the film festival circuit, we found ourselves very inspired like we hadn't been in a long time. The success of the movie also brought with it the interest of the industry and we obtained proper management for the first time in decades — certainly the first time in my long tenure with the band. With that management came tours all around the world and a chance to experience many new things. It was very inspirational and we found ourselves writing and recording "Juggernaut Of Justice", the best album the band has done to date. The truth is before the filmmaker, Sacha Gervasi, came back into ANVIL's life and made a brilliant movie about a great story of perseverance, the band was in a downward spiral. The music just wasn't making a difference and, creatively speaking, we were at a bit of a standstill. This changed with the prospect of a film and a chance to once again record with Chris Tsangarides on the "This Is Thirteen" album. That album, because of the movie, received a lot of attention and was picked up and distributed by big-time record companies like Sony in Japan and VH1 in the United States. That feeling of renewed creativity continued on with the "Juggernaut" album, but unfortunately the interest of the record companies didn't, and in my opinion the album hasn't been given the chance to shine like it deserves and ANVIL have found themselves once again in a position of irrelevance. The music just isn't making a difference in today's marketplace. The movie was sort of a Band Aid over the inevitable, and in my opinion, ANVIL is now on its way back to the same position as it was back in 2005 before the filming of the movie began.

Hardrock Haven: What are some of your favorite memories and experiences from the past 16 years with the band?

Glenn: Well, it's all been great. My entire time with ANVIL has been a great ride. I've learned a lot, experienced some amazing things, got to travel the world and meet some amazing people along the way. Two very wonderful experiences for me took place in England. The first was the recording of the "This Is Thirteen" album. Not only to work with a great producer like Chris Tsangarides, but also to spend nine weeks in the village of Kingsdown where Chris' studio is located. Kingsdown is a small village in Kent in the South East of England. The local villagers are among some of the greatest people I've met and they welcomed us with open arms. I made some really great friends there that I consider my extended family, and I have been back to visit a couple of times. The second was when we went to London for the London Film Festival. The premier of our movie was awesome, complete with being joined on the red carpet by Sarah Brown, the wife of then-prime minister Gordon Brown. But the best part of that particular trip was meeting the love of my life, an amazing woman who is a publicist at The Works, the company that distributed the ANVIL movie. I lived the dream professionally with ANVIL, but all the other things that came with it mean a great deal to me, and maybe more so at the end of the day. I don't play in ANVIL anymore but the relationships remain and I couldn't be more grateful for having such wonderful people in my life.

Hardrock Haven: Is there anything you want to say to your ex-bandmates, Steve ["Lips Kudlow, guitar/vocals] and Robb [Reiner, drums] to clear the air?

Glenn: Actually there is nothing that I would say to them in this forum. One day, when our paths cross again, there will be things to say. For now, I just wish them well and continued success.

Read the entire interview from Hardrock Haven.

Photo below courtesy of Anvil! The Story Of AnvilFacebook page