SUPERJOINT RITUAL Bassist Says PHILIP ANSELMO Is 'The Boss'

SUPERJOINT RITUAL bassist Hank Williams III recently spoke to KNAC.com about the band's appearance at this year's Ozzfest and the group's future plans, among other topics. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

KNAC.com: How different is it onstage when you are fronting your band versus when you're onstage with SUPERJOINT and Phil [Anselmo] starts one of his infamous speeches? What do you think about?

Hank III: "I'm payin' attention to what he has to say — it's almost like I'm in class listening to the teacher. That's just part of Phillip that's always been there, and as good or as bad as it may be, you could put fifty bands against each other, and there won't be a guy with a presence like he has when he's onstage. That's just kind of his thing. On some nights I've seen him run it pretty quick, and on other nights he may talk for twenty minutes in between songs. It just depends. I may smoke a cigarette or something, but I ain't gonna go, 'C'mon, let's go motherfucker.' The drummer and the guitar player are always the ones screaming at him."

KNAC.com: So you're just basically able to let it go?

Hank III: "Hey, you know, when I came into this group, the boss is the boss. I know how it works all the way around, and he's the damn boss. I just kinda go by what he says. What he says is what we do. There's no way I'm gonna try to tell him what to do on his own damn stage."

KNAC.com: How hard is it for you to play the [Ozzfest] main stage with SUPERJOINT? Is there a part of you that would rather be on the second stage and closer to the audience?

Hank III: "Well, SUPERJOINT has always been about the underground, so I've always been a big fan of the second stage. SLIPKNOT basically owns that slot, though. If we would have gotten where HATEBREED or LAMB OF GOD was, that would have been nice, but things work out for a reason. I think SUPERJOINT would have been a little more intense over there because you aren't as restricted over there. People aren't beating you down as much security-wise. It's a little more to the street. It's just one of those things though. I've always said that the real stuff is on the side stage. The main stage is mostly about people who have been there a long time and have paid their dues, and Phillip has. Where he's at, he's just a bit in the middle. He's 36, and he's been in some pretty big bands, but he still wants to stay underground. He's been in the amphitheatres, and all that did is move the crowd twenty-five feet away from him. We're doing basically what we could get. Basically everybody already had their bids in, and we just got in a little late. We are just happy to be playing with everyone on this bill though."

KNAC.com: Is SUPERJOINT going to continue to tour after Ozzfest?

Hank III: "I think after Ozzfest that we're finally going to take a break. Everybody's been talking about taking a break after this, and if they do, I'll just be going back out."

Read Hank Williams III's entire interview with KNAC.com at this location.