Interview With Tommy Victor and Scott Ian

by Simon Dümpelmann in 2003, Translation by dVain

This is the reason joining Anthrax's guitarist Scott Ian and Prong's frontman/guitarist Tommy Victor to a completely not so serious talk, which you could read .

While Scott is called as a some funny pal , and can tell you some amusing storeis ,Master Victor sat relaxed on the couch trying to influence himself with the good mood of his colleague.In all other respects both musicians originally are from New York...

Scott: When did we meet for the first time? In the 80's?

Tommy: Yeah! Sometime in the mid-80's ...

If two old stagers touring together for the first time, probably there are some memories of the good old times in New York...

Scott: That could be a long answer... I remember still the first time, we played the old Ritz in the 11 th street That was our first headline show and Exodus were the opener /ie they played before us/. That was a really huge thing, since we wanted to play there , and then again we headlined and the club was sold out . I invited all my friends and bands colleagues such as Agnostic front and Murphy's Law, which had not ever seen, how metal kids freaking out ...

Tommy: I still remember that crossover thing , which was announced at the time. Bands like Corrosion OF Conformity, Cro Mags or D.R.I., from whom we copied some things, in order to mix it with some industrial noise. It was another time At that time there was no InterNet, only a few fanzines... I ask myself sometimes already, how young bands can apply today these efforts. I wouldn't want to start today with a music career, this is meanwhile too difficult...

New York in the past to Germany in the present...

Scott: In former times not my dearest place, honestly said. I believe at a certain time in the 80's, when we were at the top, was it somehow everywhere where we came rather largely. Only I had the feeling with the shows in Germany that somewhat toughly ran, compared to other places. And in order to be honest, the turning point came for me to a certain extent with the Motorhead shows last October. That were the best gigs, we ever had. Then we returned in March as headliner and each show was fuckin' full. So well it didn't run ever. Even not before 10 years to Sound OF the White Noise, which is our best record, we never cleared in such a way as for the moment. And recently we tour Russia, Bulgaria and the fuckin ' Switzerland and could not really expect again to come to Germany . Seriously, for the moment thi is our dearest place to play . I do not have notion which for us changed here, whether it is a new audience , I dunno. in any case here is realy cool. Perhaps it is because of the fact that Nuclear Blast here really work well ...

Tommy: I believe that this is the point to be on a label here. When we were on Epic/Sony, we did not get any interviews and the people in the underground feel there's a bad taste, those people don't like if you are on a major label. So, now, at the moment we are however still in a strange stadium, because the record is not out yet and we must again completely develop everything.

Tommy concieves something completely different about Germany...

Tommy: I like Berlin. Since the border is open, You can look at all this weird communist architecture...

Anthrax belonged in the former times to the top acts of the Thrash Metal wave. Nowadays is thrash rising again it has a taste of a reunion in the US ...

Scott: That all this bands come back, It's great. there were in the late 80's and early 90's so many bands, which never made it for any reasons. Perhaps because grunge killed the metal (looks amusingly) or whatever. But it's good that bands return and make new records. If they have the passion to do it , then they all should do it. In the states we had,briefly before we came here, a few shows with Death Angel , these guys are today around and better into it than in the 80's! I'm really looking forward for their new disc!

Anthrax and Prong might belong to the idols of my generation. What are the idols of the musicians of Anthrax and Prong?

Scott: Hmm.. Stan Lee! (general laughter./ Stan Lee is the inventor of Comic figures such as Spiderman and the Hulk/).Anyway Gene Simmons and that was actually. Clearly , he is a dick, perhaps but without him I would have never played in a band or smething like that . In addition, Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey (both The Who.) .... The Who, Kiss and Black Sabbath were actually the three bands for me. Tony Iommi was my hero in puncto Guitarn playing

Tommy: Iommi is definately the deal! And Kiss was a huge one! Beside Gene also Ace had lastingly impressed me.

At this subject nearby "The Osbournes". The reality soap around the family life of Ozzy"What the fuck..."Osbourne...

Scott: Now, sometimes merry things happen. I saw a few episodes of the first series, but I duno... the whole thing becomes rather pitiful somehow. It' s sad to see Ozzy in such a way as in this show. I think people laugh for the wrong reasons. It is not funny that the man is so burned out that one makes it a show, where people laugh themselves over him, in order to make thereby money. We say it times in such a way: For someone, like me who grew up with the music of Black Sabbath, this is not my favourite tv show...

Tommy: It's bizarr! In the old days it was tough to see only one photo of Ozzy . I mean, they played in a sold out Square Garden We were waiting for ages to see/read something about Black Sabbath in a magazine even a few pictures. And now You can see Ozzy everywhere...

Scott: Yes, really. In the late 70's it was really a large thing to find somethig about Black Sabbath in a magazine. There were always such a mysterises around this band and today that's completely away...

What was the moment, in you actually knew a i wanna be a Rock'n'Roller?

Scott: As I saw Kiss in the Madison Square Garden! I knew that I would never wear make-up or such a thing, because i couldn't do it so well, (laughs again), but really at that moment, where I saw Kiss in Madison Garden i knew it, I want to play in a band !

Tommy: Yes, it must have been probably Kiss or Sabbath at California Jam... those bands were really like Comic figures or Wrestling stars... you know, like Satanists. It was amazing... There I wanted to have my own band I was never like dreaming to be basketball player or sonme kind of special job to do ... I was completely okay in the school, but I knew already very soon, what I wanted to do

How did actually your parents react at that time, when they were confronted that you are taking seriously the music career?

Scott: When I was like t13, my mom did not take that really seriously, as I hung some posters in my room and so on. But when I started in 81 the band I was 17. I was in the High School, started the band, then began the college and then i broke the college and worked. I worked for my father, because I needed money for equipment. My parents were divorced and i didn't tell my mom anything of it, she thought that I still go to school each day . It was a big secret. My father meant sometime times the fact that it shuold be better I should tell her and then she packed her things and came and grumbled dreadfully (laughs). she didn't agree with that and it needed a while ... however sometime she liked the idea ?

Tommy: My father hated it! It was his point of view, as soon as one plays in a band has with drugs to do and so on... he could never really accept it. And my mother was like that (the voice adjusts)Oh my God, my son is the whole time in the cellar and plays. She talked about it with everyone there.Whats going wrong with my son? (laughs), it was hard, definitive! I couldn't wait 'till get out of home and then sometime i went to Manhatten to become a Punkrocker. (laughs).

Your favorite own Song?

Scott: That's a hard one! For the moment is Safe Home.

Tommy: There I tend probably too Snap your finger, snap your neck. That is the song, which everyone knows and which runs my career...

Popular question, Nr.1:Was would you do , if you were for one day invisible?

Scott: What I would make, if I were invisible? Mmmhh... actually I even thought about already a few times ! Now, the thing is . if I'd go to a bank and carry the money forward, will the money be also invisible or one can see the money flying in the air ? Harm.... I believe I'kll take the liberty to do a quantity capers all day. Like the big Ones! For example at a MTV live show make things broken and nobody would know what actually happened. And in the newscasts... I would organize simply gladly a quantity of capers , people still remeber long time...

Tommy: I must return to the thing with the money and the bank (laughs too). What if I put the money under my invisible jacket? Does one can see it still or not?

Scott: Anyway the next thing I would go to the White House and would give George Bush a punch big times...

Tommy: Hahaha, that would be really cool...

Scott: ... I'd put a wet finger into his ear ... Haha, now I got it! I would be gladly at the day invisible, hwere he helds his speech on the TV for the re-election and then i'd make such things ... that would be great (laughs)! (Tommy laughs)

A good transition to the popular question NR. 2, i.e. the person, whit whom you would never drink a beer in your life

Scott: Ouch, ui'd like tro drink a beer with George Bush! Whether I like him or not it would be nevertheless cool times with him. Considering, what for a shit these people know! What do you mean, what his father everything knows? He was a boss of the CIA... if once he got drunk , so that he could tell you things, then the whole world would make more sense! Haha. But someone, with whom I would never drink a beer? Mhhh... (touches his beard)... who i hate ? Who do I hate much? (thinks)

Tommy: That would be one of my former managers. If I think about... I think only Should I kill this guy or what? Us both together?!, would be probably no particularly good idea.

Scott: I got someone! Sylvia Owen, the boss of Electra Music. I hate her! (makes a mad face)

Tommy: Yes, A many people hate her! (cannt stop laughing).

What would you do, if you completely quit with the music.

Scott: I'd like to say nothing but it says but I feel that i am not really good in the fact to do that the whole time. Perhaps I would write books. First would probably will be about my life in the music scene...

Tommy: I don't know... maybe I would be a teacher!

For mathematics or music?

Tommy: I sucked in math totally and I don't know rally how to read music, therefore I would be probably an English teacher or something. like that.. would have a badly paid job and a simple life...

Someone you would gladly share stage, touring world wide?

Scott: We never played with AC/DC! I would do that really gladly!

Tommy: I must say that the tour with Anthrax is something, what I had really waited and simply has to be done! Otherwise I would say probably Slayer! Or also Metallica!

Anthrax plan by the way in the autumn to tour German stages again , Tommy Victor will be joining Danzig as a guitarist for the US tour and to ashore a US Deal for Prong...