SKID ROW Guitarist: 'You Gotta Have Fun Doing This, Otherwise It Will Kill You'

Marko Syrjälä of Metal-Rules.com recently conducted an interview with SKID ROW guitarist Scotti Hill. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal-Rules.com: After the first album you went into much heavier direction with "Slave to the Grind"...

Scotti: Well, it was natural, man. We were on that first tour for 16 months, that's a lot of time man! Our influences changed, we were listening to different kinds of music and those influences came through. Even though our first record came out in 1989, some songs were written years before. So it was a complete fresh batch of everything, fresh sound, you know? That was a natural direction we wanted to take it in, to make it heavier. Everyone else went the other way. We wanted to make it heavier. It's what we like and what feels good.

Metal-Rules.com: What comes first in your mind when you think about your third album, "Subhuman Race"?

Scotti: That was the beginning of the end I think! That was not an easy record to make, Bob Rock produced it and we recorded it in Canada and there was a lot of tension in the band, some people love it, some people don't pay attention to it. Personally, it brings back bad memories for me. There are some tracks on there which I think are really cool, but the overall sound of the record I don't like. I think it's kinda thin. But it was not a good time, a lot of tension in the studio and we weren't getting along.

Metal-Rules.com: How is your relationship with Rob Affuso now?

Scotti: I speak to Rob every few months or so, he comes to visit me in Florida about once a year he'll come and stay at my house. He's doing well, we're good friends, and he looks exactly the same!

Metal-Rules.com: Is he still in music business?

Scotti: He plays in a cover band and he does corporate events, he makes a shitload of cash! (Laughs) So good for him man. He's my good friend, I like him a lot. I wish nothing but the best for him.

Metal-Rules.com: What is the reason he is not involved with SKID ROW anymore?

Scotti: Well, when we started getting the band back together his head was somewhere else, he was into other things. It didn't seem like he was giving 100% so when we put SKID ROW back together we didn't bring him back.

Metal-Rules.com: Did you ever even think about asking him back?

Scotti: No, because he was involved with the OZONE MONDAY project and he had other business things going on and he didn't have enough time for it. So we got another drummer in and when we did the SKID ROW thing we didn't bring him along. He wasn't playing a lot so, he was going through his own thing, it just wasn't right for the band. No, he has never asked to come back. I think that he's happy doing what he's doing, I really do. He gets to play music and he's making good money.

Metal-Rules.com: There are still a lot of fans of yours who don't and never will accept Johnny [Solinger], what do you have to say for those people?

Scotti: I don't have anything to say to them, don't listen man! Start your own band, get your own singer! This ones ours, this is the one we are keeping! I don't expect everyone to like it, some people can't let go of the past. I mean how long was Sammy Hagar in VAN HALEN and there were still people going "We want Dave!" I would like to see Dave too but that's not happening yet. I think that any band that replaces such an important band member goes through the same thing. But you know what's funny? People either like SKID ROW or they like Sebastian. You can like it all, you know? You can like Sebastian and SKID ROW, go see him on Thursday and go see us on Friday! 'Cause I tell you, man, the bottom line is you gotta have fun doing this otherwise it will kill you. And it wasn't fun, he wasn't having fun and we weren't having fun. We didn't like each other, he didn't like us! So fuck it. It's not worth it, man! I understand that people might want to see a reunion and all that.

Read the entire interview at Metal-Rules.com.