SLAYER Guitarist On Possible ROCK HALL Induction: If It Happens, It'll Be After It's Important

D.X. Ferris of Cleveland Scene recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On the band's seemingly youthful endurance:

"I try to take all my experiences from growing up as a fan and apply them to SLAYER. I think that's why our fans are so dedicated to us."

On being one of the few long-running bands that's never recorded an album with, say, a different singer and fill-in guitarist:

"People need continuity. We've changed drummers, sure, but if you take people out of the front positions, people are like, 'Well, SLAYER's coming to town — who's playing with them?'"

On still playing a full-on metal show more than 20 years into the band's career:

"That's what people expect of us. That's what we expect of ourselves. Unfortunately, the first time I saw [JUDAS] PRIEST was on 'Point of Entry'. I'd seen pictures of them all in leather, studded out. And that was the only tour in history where Halford wore denim. And I hadn't heard MAIDEN before, and MAIDEN opened, and they kicked the shit out of 'em. And it's always a dark thought in the back of my mind: 'I can't let that happen.'"

On the possibility of SLAYER being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

"If it does happen, it'll be after it's important. If anybody gets in from this genre, it'll be METALLICA, for sure. If we get in, it'll be an afterthought or [because of] pressure from fans. They won't say, 'You guys did a lot for the music, you changed shit, you need to be in today.' I don't expect that shit. We've always been the blackball band, the bad guys. Unless you're a fan, that's a bad thing."

Read the entire article at the Cleveland Scene.