Anthrax Guitarist Scott Ian On How To Not Get F–ked In The Music Biz

TThere have been a lot of buzz lately about the Big Four tour, featuring the forefathers of thrash metal – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax (and you can guess why).

Following the hot topic, Ultimate Guitar’s Joe Matera interviewed Anthrax’ Scott Ian last month. The guitar player talked about the latest happenings in the Anthrax world (there are many), and his take on the music industry. An excerpt below, you will be able to read the full interview this week on UG read the full interview right here!

Image credit: revista_offline on Flickr

Did you ever think that some 30 years later along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer, you’d still be here doing what you love and influencing a generation of other metal bands?

It is fuckin’ amazing. I started this thing 29 years ago, I co-founded the band with Danny Lilker and its amazing to me. And I’m sure it is not only for Anthrax but for all four of the bands involved in the Big Four as well, they feel the same. It is like about 26 years since our first album came out and the fact that on a worldwide level, so many people still care about what we’re doing and that it means so much to so many people all around the world, that just makes me feel great.

And the fact that after all this time it is the first time that the four of us have ever played together, and that its happening after all this time on such a massive level, it is just incredible. These upcoming shows are probably going to be some of the biggest gigs any of us will ever play.

Aside from your musical endeavors, you have a passion for writing comic books?

Yeah last year I put out my first book for DC Comics. I wrote a two issue series for their character Lobo. A two issue Prestige Format and each book had 64 pages, so it was like 128 pages of Lobo and it was called Lobo: Highway To Hell. It was so much fun for me and was a dream come true. It was something I have always wanted to do. I spent a long time, about a year working on the book with Sam Kieth the artist and it turned out great and I loved the whole experience.

I’m currently working on my second thing for DC Comics right now for another character which I can’t mention at the moment as DC are going to announce it soon so I can’t really jump the gun on it. But it is coming along great and it is even more story intensive and more layered. And obviously the more I do the better I’ll get at it all. I’ve been reading comics my whole life and to be involved in that world is something I never thought I’d get to do.

Finally out of all your years spent in this tough music industry, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?

To just do things your own way, the business is a necessary evil obviously, but you just got to have your own vision as an artist. And you have to know what you want and you have to know who you are because if you don’t, somebody is going to mold you into something you’re not and then you are going to suck.

We’ve only ever done things our own way and that is the only way I know how to do it and whether it is right or wrong. That’s the best lesson I’ve ever learned. So you better show up with a good sense of who you are as an artist otherwise, you’re going to get fucked.

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