FOZZY's RICH WARD Says 'S**tty' Treatment By ANTHRAX's SCOTT IAN Taught Him A Lesson

FOZZY and STUCK MOJO guitarist Rich Ward was interviewed on a recent episode of the "Behind The Barricade" podcast. You can now listen to the chat below.

Speaking about the importance of treating fans with respect, Ward said: "When you see something ugly in somebody else, just remember how ugly that looked, and just say, 'God…' Like the first time I met [ANTHRAX guitarist] Scott Ian, he was a total dick to me. And the second time I met Scott Ian, he was a total dick to me. It was rough, 'cause I'm a big ANTHRAX and Scott Ian fan, so that was really tough. Because as a fanboy, even though I was making records and I already had success of my own, I was still a little kid in his presence, 'cause [ANTHRAX's classic album] 'Among The Living' was a big record for me."

He continued: "I just remember: don't be a dick to people, Rich. 'Cause you remember how it felt when he was to you. Now, I don't know what he was going through. Maybe he was having a rough day, or maybe he just hated my face — I don't know — but I'm just gonna try not to do that, 'cause I remember it just sucked the way it made me feel afterwards. And I walked away going, 'Damn, man. That was rough.'"

Ward added: "Do I think Scott Ian is a dick? I don't even know and it's none of my business to say. I just know that, lesson learned: don't treat people shitty when they come up to you and say, 'Hey, I love [STUCK MOJO's] 'Pigwalk'. That was a cool record.' Make sure to shake their hand and say, 'Thank you.' Because if you're a dick to them, not only does that show little class and a lack of appreciation for a real fan, but, also, it just shows you have no class at all and it means you're just a shitty human. And so all of those kind of bad situations, I just turn them back around on myself as a lesson: don't do that. It looks shitty."

STUCK MOJO's new album, "Here Come The Infidels", was released on June 24. The CD was once again produced by Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and ACCEPT, among others.

In addition to Ward and longtime drummer Frank Fontsere, "Here Come The Infidels" features STUCK MOJO's latest additions, vocalist Robby J and bassist Len Sonnier.

FOZZY's latest album, "Do You Wanna Start A War", sold around 5,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 54 on the Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived on July 22, 2014 via Century Media.