For three decades and counting, Anthrax axe man Scott Ian has brought “the noize”—and helped pioneer the thrash metal movement in the process.
Last week, however, the veteran metal-meister took to Boston’s Cavern Club armed only with his voice as his North American Speaking Words tour wound down. The Crawler caught up with the Ian a few days prior, and here’s what went down.
Nightcrawler: How did this Speaking Words tour come about? Did you see Mike Tyson’s one-man show off Broadway or something similar and get inspired?
Scott Ian: Actually, I was fortunate enough about a year and a half ago to get a kick in the ass from a promoter in England who asked me to do it for one night. So I had five months to prepare… not that I did that whole time, but you know what I mean. It wasn’t rushed, and you know what? When I was finished, it wasn’t like, “Thank God that’s over.” More like, “Wow, that was fun and I’d love to do it again.”
So you roadtested the show in Europe before bringing it back to the States? Did you find yourself tweaking it along the way?
I did book more shows in Europe since I was there anyway. And the thing is, I realized pretty quickly that this Speaking Words thing wasn’t that different from throwing an Anthrax show. And by that I mean all my stories are like songs, so I definitely mix up the order and the content depending on how it’s going and the vibe in the room. For example, if I had a “greatest hit” story, it would be this one I tell about Dimebag Darrell that absolutely kills every time.
Could you give me a teaser about any of these stories?
[laughs] Abso-fuckin’-lutely not! I mean, they are too long to just tell you a couple sentences about, and I do have a couple minutes on my website [scott-ian.com]. But all anyone really needs to know who is thinking about seeing my show or buying the DVD is that I have been in this business almost 40 years and have all the incredible rock stories you would think someone who has been around that long would have, plus a lot more you could never imagine in your wildest dreams. And its all 100 percent true.
Speaking of true, Tru Entertainment’s (truentertainmentandpromotions.com) John Tru checked in to report that he has remained faithful to his mission statement by providing local bands the chance to perform with a national this Friday, March 14 at the 13th Floor in Florence.
Greenfield’s Other People’s Demise, Westfield’s My Pet Carcass and Ludlow’s One Ton Tommy Gun are among the area acts lending sonic support to headliner Mobile Deathcamp that evening.
Formed by Todd Evans at the end of his six-year stint as Beefcake The Mighty with legendary shock rockers GWAR, Mobile Deathcamp also includes Boe Skadeland of Punisher infamy on bass and Tragic Mistake’s Chad Smith on bass.
“Without local bands there would not be national bands,” Tru says. “Potentially interested people may never know about shows with national acts put together by DIY promoters like myself without the support of the hard-working local bands.”
Incidentally, Deathcamp drummer Chad Smith is not to be confused with the Chili Peppers’ percussionist of same name.
That said, the Chili’s Smith is often confused with comedian Will Ferrell, and the striking resemblance the two bear is something they are now hoping to use to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
In a video posted last month on Funny or Die, Smith called out Ferrell and his inability to pound the skins. Ferrell fired back that if $300,000 could be raised for College for Cancer, he would challenge Smith to the “greatest drum versus cowbell showdown the world has ever seen.”
Ferrell’s fundraising goal has since been hit. The time and place of said showdown remains to be determined. Stay tuned!•
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.
