Attention Deficit Delirium

Could you imagine this band without this frontman?

In the late Robert Altman’s satirical film The Player, Hollywood executive Larry Levy proposes that his studio can save money on hiring writers by developing scripts themselves, tearing ideas right from front page newspaper headlines. To which the film’s anti-hero, fellow executive and competitor Griffin Mill, retorts: “I was just thinking what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the writer from the artistic process. If we could just get rid of these actors and directors, maybe we’ve got something here.”

That same wisecrack can now be applied to lead singers — after all, who needs someone with a famous face to deliver the words? With the near departure of vocalist Steven Tyler from Aerosmith on the eve of their 40th anniversary, his bandmates immediately began contemplating who might take his place. That seemed like a rather hasty move, but then again this is a group that is in middle age and would not have years to wait for their frontman to decide to return. And these days famed rock gods, particularly vocalists, are becoming more replaceable than ever, something rarely heard of twenty or more years ago.

Replacing famous singers is not without precedent. When Bon Scott died, AC/DC brought in an equally distinct but different screecher in Brian Johnson, and they became huge. That’s a rare exception, but there are others. After Peter Gabriel departed Genesis, the British art-rockers soldiered on with drummer Phil Collins as frontman (so to speak), but he did make them more commercially viable and generated bigger hits. (For true progressive music fans, though, that was heresy.) Sammy Hagar’s turn in Van Halen allowed them to go more pop as well (not that everyone liked that). Hagar was also a star in his right when he joined VH, but lightning did not strike twice for them after he left their ranks. Remember the Gary Cherone era? Further, Ronnie James Dio kept Black Sabbath successful for two albums (and subsequent reunions) after they fired Ozzy Osbourne in 1979, and their music remained as hard and heavy as ever, even today under their new moniker Heaven & Hell. Dio also gained fame previously fronting Rainbow.

Van Halen reunited with Sammy Hagar in 2004.

My friend Eric Vitoulis went to see Journey three years ago at Jones Beach Theater on Long Island. Prior to the show it was announced that former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Jeff Scott Soto would be filling in for Steve Augieri, who was having vocal problems that soon lead to his departure after eight years with the group. A woman in front of Eric turned to her friend and said, “Steve Perry’s not here?” (Not since 1996, my dear.) That ironic statement is proof that many fairweather fans — i.e. the casual listeners who turn musicians  into platinum hit machines — do not really pay all that much attention to the lives of the artists they listen to. It’s what I call the “Rock Of Ages syndrome”. The opening night crowd for that Broadway hit were true ’80s fanatics, right down to their attire, while a subsequent audience months later was mainly comprised of suburbanites, many of whom clearly do not often listen to the songs that were performed nor always remember who performed what. But they love the nostalgia and kitsch factors that Rock Of Ages represents.

Alice In Chains with new frontman William DuVall (at right).

There are many Journey fans who would vehemently argue that no one could fill Steve Perry’s legendary shoes. Yet three vocalists have since, and the latest one, Filipino native Arnel Pineda, has helped boost their careers once again, both in terms of album and concert ticket sales. Journey are admittedly an anomaly, a beloved institution who do not seem to get sidelined for long due to limited warranties on replacment singers, two of whom have purposely sounded very close to Perry. Conversely, when revered metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Ratt and Black Sabbath replaced famous frontmen who left — in Sabbath’s case there were two — fans did not respond as well. They were still there but in diminished numbers. More commercial bands like Foreigner, Styx and others seem to be able to pull this off a little better. Queen certainly made it be known that they were not attempting to diminish or tarnish the legacy of the late Freddie Mercury by bringing in former Bad Company and Free singer Paul Rodgers, and fans responded favorably. They also performed songs by Rodgers’ previous groups to hammer home their point that they were Queen + Paul Rodgers, rather than with. Similarly, ’90s rockers Alice In Chains have soldiered on with William DuVall as original frontman Layne Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002. Like Journey did last year with their platinum Revelation, AIC’s latest album Black Gives Way To Blue hit #5 on the Billboard charts.

Could anyone truly replace Steven Tyler in Aerosmith? Of course not. When guitarist Joe Perry was gone from the band between 1979 and 1984, the group experienced a dip in popularity. Imagine what would happen with a Tyler-less line-up? Plus he has always been the singer. Groups that have experienced downtime between singers often were going through a quiet phase (the ’90s comes to mind for many) and were a little younger when it happened and thus have been able to cope with such a transition better. A decade after the departure of original frontman and songwriter Dennis DeYoung, Styx has persevered with vocalist Lawrence Gowan. Guitarist Mick Jones has been the lone original member of Foreigner since singer Lou Gramm departed in 2003, and they had been the two lone original members for years prior. And Perry hasn’t been in Journey since 1996, nor performed live with them since 1987. (And who knows when he’ll reemerge publicly.)

Styx ten years after with frontman Lawrence Gowan (at bottom center).

We should not begrudge a group that wishes to continue once a famous member, usually the frontman, departs. This is their livelihood. They deserve to make a living. And there are people who still want to hear the music, regardless of who sings it, as long as they’re good. The irony that the aforementioned Journey follower did not even know who she would be listening to onstage may be ironic — some casual KISS fans probably do not know that Ace Frehley and Peter Criss are long gone — but the upside of this situation shows how some fans really just want to hear the music. Purists will certainly argue that point and are certainly free not to attend the shows or buy the new albums. In terms of replacing iconic singers, the cliché business concept “what the market will bear” comes to mind — even if some people think the results are unbearable.

Anvil circa 2009. L to R: Robb Reiner, Lips, Glenn Five.

By now every self-respecting rock fan knows about Anvil! The Story of Anvil, the moving documentary that chronicles that struggles of the long-running Canadian metal act who were part of the vital thrash metal movement of the early Eighties but got overlooked over the course of time. By bringing their intimate story to the big screen, director (and former band roadie) Sacha Gervasi (interviewed here) helped turn them into stars. Now their film is out on DVD, their latest album This is Thirteen has been reissued through VH1 Classic Records and they will tour America in January. The whole thing seems surreal, especially for fans who grew up buying the group’s albums on vinyl, and it is equally strange for this journalist to interview them in a corner office in the high rise where VH1 is located. It’s the last place a long-term follower would expect to chat them up, yet it is amazing to think that they have attracted such widespread attention decades later.

During their ADD interview, frontman Steve “Lips” Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner were cordial and engaged, even though Lips looked like he was exhausted from touring and promotional obligations. They spoke about their struggle, the timelessness of their style of metal and the possibilities for a TV or movie follow-up to the film that made them a household name.



Now that you have had this huge explosion of interest…
Robb: We’re getting discovered.

Is there a plan to move forward? I know you have a European tour with Saxon coming up.
Robb: We’ve got an American tour here in January, 29 dates, all throughout the country. Our CD is out, and hopefully we might see some revenue from that. It’s all good, man. I can summarize the whole concept here: It’s all happening, we’re all celebrating and there is just going to be more metal and more Anvil. We’re just going to keep rockin’.

The latest Anvil offering, which includes their very first song, "Thumb Hang".

It’s amazing you guys have stuck it out so long, and that’s also due to your long-term friendship. Most people would have given up.
Robb: I always knew that we would be discovered one day. I’ve always believed that. How could you not? In our case the music is what got the movie made, and if it’s the movie that’s now putting us where the band belongs, let it be. It’s good.

I’m curious as to what inspired the song “American Refugee” from This Is Thirteen.
Lips: George Bush.
Robb: Could you imagine if there was such a thing? That was our thought.
Lips: It’s an oxymoron. What is that? It doesn’t exist. A refugee that’s American?
Robb: How many Americans go to Canada?
Lips: “We’re seeking asylum!”

That was the joke amongst many Americans when George Bush was on the verge of being elected a second time, that they would flee to Canada.
Lips: Yeah, exactly. And that’s what actually inspired the song. We went out on tour with a band that’s actually in the movie. They’re from Texas, and they brought a T-shirt that had an American flag on it.  They didn’t sell one the whole tour.
Robb: There was total hatred towards that.

In Canada?
Robb: No, in Europe.

It’s funny because I’ve been to Europe many times since 9/11, but I’ve never gotten an anti-American vibe there. I’ve gotten the sense that many people are not happy with the American government as opposed to its citizens.
Lips: But when you’ve got a flag on a T-shirt, forget it. It represents the government to people. It’s not the individual.

Lips and Reiner rockin' out in Transylvania. (Photo credit: Brent J. Craig.)

But then you have this other song, “Bombs Away,” which expresses a very strong sentiment that they wouldn’t like either.
Lips: [Bassist] Glenn [Five] wrote the lyrics for that, but they’re written in a way that it’s almost disgusting.

I thought they were strong when I read them.
Lips: It’s the mentality of why there is retaliation.
Robb: Remember that “shock and awe” campaign?
Lips: “Bombs Away” is about retaliation. Look at how ugly it looks when you read it.

I feel that there are many metal bands and fans that are more conservative than some might think. Many people assume we’re all a bunch of long-haired, liberal hippies, but a lot of the fans are the exact opposite. They’ll read lyrics like that and go, “Hell yeah!”
Lips: I really don’t think that’s what was implied. It really demonstrates the mentality was in-your-face, “back atcha”. When you read it like that, you go, “I don’t know, man. ‘Come to our shore, now we’re comin’ to yours.’” [He grimaces.]
Robb: I just thought it was about the shock and awe thing, “Bombs Away”. Blow your whole city off the map, you know? The government mentality.

Still angry all these years later. (Photo credit: Ross Halfin.)

Have you ever felt that there were Anvil songs that were misinterpreted or that people didn’t get?
Robb: Many years ago some church guy wrote us about “666″. He wanted to save us. But the song is not really about the Devil. It’s just saying that the Devil is in everything and in all of us.

I always thought it was funny that bands like Iron Maiden would perform songs like “Number Of The Beast” that clearly were not promoting Satanism, but they were accused of it just the same back in the day. I recently found a videotape with a hilarious 20/20 news report from 25 years ago about Satanism in rock music, and I was just shaking my head as they were showing all of these album covers by bands like Grim Reaper. And it was embarrassing back then.
Lips: I really still don’t know why there is an underlying thing about that in metal music. What’s up with that? The Antichrist. Satanism. What’s up with that? Why is that immediately equated with heavy metal? And why do we listen to the music and if we’re into that, why do we want the singing to sound like growling and call it demonic? Why is a demonic voice a deep voice? There are a few questions I still have about it. I did this way before it even began. The song “666″ was only a description about how evil is in all of us and is always there.
Robb: And we just used “666″ as the hook to it.
Lips: It had more to do with the actual arrangement of the song [and how the measures broke down in the verses]. It goes six, six, six than four. So in describing musically how we play the song, it’s 6-6-6.
Robb: It was done innocently and was not contrived.

Robb has often received great compliments about his drumming. Do you think we’re seeing a turnaround with younger bands that really want to start playing their instruments again?
Lips: It’s not quite that simple. When I walk into guitar stores and I ask for 08-38 strings, which are very, very thin strings specifically used by lead guitar players, they go, “We haven’t got any.” I go, “What?” “We’ll have to order them for you.” No one’s playing lead guitar. There was a backlash after the ’80s when guys like Malmsteen, Steve Vai and all the shredder guitar players killed it. Everybody went, “We’ve heard 10 billion notes per second. Who gives a damn.” And then, “We’ve heard the highest singer in the world.” So then came a backlash with all these guys singing with octave dividers so they sound like Satan. There are all of these extremes that came out of it. To me, it’s quite distressing because I thought that the middle stuff seems to [have been] cut. And we are part of the middle. Not being sappy and commercial and writing ballads, and not being death metal, just being this middle ground, which almost got forgotten about. People seem to only notice the extremes of the genre, and here we sailed down the middle path. Actually the middle path is the timeless path. It’s the same path that Black Sabbath is on.

Hamming it up for adoring Japanese fans. The security guard is secretly enjoying it, too. (Photo credit: Brent J. Craig.)

Your documentary has exposed many things that have transpired in your life. We’ve gotten a very intimate portrait of you, which is why many non-metal fans have reacted so well to the film and to your music.
Robb: We’re turning people on to the metal.
Lips: This is really fascinating. A number of weeks ago I met Chris Martin at the hotel where we were staying, and I didn’t know who he was or anything about his music, but he knew all about me and Anvil and about the movie. He was really, really cool and a very nice guy. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realized who it was, and I got on an overseas flight that showed a BBC special on Coldplay. I watched it three times and enjoyed the hell out of it. Why? Because of the person. It’s somebody I know now, and I like that person. It’s absolutely impossible to draw judgment on the music. All I could do was find good with it.
Robb: The same thing is happening to Anvil. They like the guys, and it opens up their ears and hearts to the music.

I know Sacha Gervasi is still filming you in various places, including at the massive show you played in Edmonton opening for AC/DC. Are you planning to do anything with this new footage? Do you think the original movie will be enough?
Robb: We’re carrying on. There’s going to be more metal from Anvil, you know. We’re going to keep rockin’. There’s talk of making a sequel because everyone wants one.

A vintage Anvil promo photo. Ahh, the '80s...

Do you think it will be too much?
Robb: It won’t be an epilogue sequel. We’re living the epilogue now.
Lips: I think it might be [too much]. I couldn’t say that for sure, but I think it might be going too far. As far as making a whole other film, I’d be much more prone to thinking about some kind of series for TV, whether half-hour shows or something, showing the progress as it happens, rather than doing an entire movie.
Robb: I don’t agree with his view.
Lips: I just don’t see what would be interesting about Lips getting a new TV set as a result of this.  I don’t know, man.
Robb: That’s not what they would show anyways.
Lips: What are they going to show?
Robb: You go to your management office, and they see you finally got paid. Everybody wants to see that. That’s a good thing to show. I see what it could be and what would make sense to the viewing public. If they’re already into the story — look, these guys never quit and have actually had some success that is filtering into their lives and to their families, too. You could go very deep with this, man.

You guys have been together for 32 years as Anvil. If you could offer some advice to younger musicians, what would it be?
Robb: The first thing I would tell them is it’s mandatory that you watch the Anvil movie. You want to be a rocker? Cool. Watch that movie. Do it for the right reasons. I think that right there speaks volumes.
Lips: My life is an example. [laughs] I have nothing more to offer.

The cover of the first Anvil album, which I bought on vinyl as a teen. Imagine classic blues-rock given a thrash kick in the pants, and you'll get the idea of where it's coming from.

I am surprised, and quite pleased, that Anvil! The Story Of Anvil has managed to capture the hearts and minds of music fans across the globe. Called the real-life Spinal Tap, the Canadian heavy metal act that has been perennially manned by frontman Steve “Lips” Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner has been banging heads for 32 years but never made a large mainstream impact. Until now. Sacha Gervasi’s bittersweet, heartwarming documentary has created such waves that this past summer Anvil were invited to open three stadium shows for rock legends AC/DC — two in the U.S. and one in Canada before 72,000 people. That’s big. As one Canadian music exec tells the boys in the film, there’s money in their history.

In the film, rock stars like Lars Ulrich, Scott Ian, Lemmy and Slash give props to Anvil while also wondering why they never made it. (Yet I don’t recall any of them touring with or covering the band at all.) They state or imply that the Canadian rockers should have gotten their due since they were part of the influential thrash movement of the early to mid-Eighties. Ian is puzzled as to why they never got big, Ulrich praises Reiner’s drumming, while Slash ponders how seemingly few bands have lasted for 30 years, citing the Rolling Stones, The Who and Anvil.

Let’s get real: Slash is giving them props for their longevity, but seriously, I can name a lot of bands that have been around that long. AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, KISS, Black Sabbath, Saxon and Manowar, to name a few. And the truth is that Anvil have always stayed true to their thrashy roots and often raunchy lyrics and never pushed themselves too far outside of their established style and comfort zone. But that’s fine. AC/DC have been doing their thing for over 35 years and people still love it. Further, listen to a rambunctious, early Anvil number like “666,” and it’s technically more sophisticated than most thrash of its day. That made it a great choice for Rock Band 2, for which it was re-recorded.

Anvil dominating the cover of legendary British metal mag Kerrang! back in the day. (Image courtesy of Slamxhype.com.)

If there’s one group that deserves to mine riches (musical and otherwise) after busting their asses for so long, it’s Anvil. And their latest release, the Chris Tsangerides-produced This Is Thirteen, serves up solid songs like “American Refugee,” “Feed The Greed” and “Bombs Away” that show they have some serious issues on their minds, while tunes like “Flying Blind” and “Should’ A Would’ A Could’ A”  clearly express the angst and anxiety that Lips and Reiner have undoubtedly felt throughout all of their struggles to finally make it. It’s a sincere and genuine album in the way that the film is genuine and sincere (and brave).

There is a cruel irony behind the “there’s money in your history” line. While Anvil deserve respect for their contributions to early thrash, for slagging it out so long and for having diehard fans stick with them through thick and thin, the real truth of the matter is that it was a long-time fan that made it in the film industry, and who really understood and empathized with them, who gave them their big break. If their former roadie Sacha Gervasi — who wrote the screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s film The Terminal and is working on a movie about the late Hervé Villechaize, who portrayed Tattoo on TV’s Fantasy Island — had not possessed the resources and time to devote to this project, it never would have been made or turned out as it did. And in the end the wonderful success of Anvil! The Story Of Anvil reaffirms the harsh reality of the entertainment business: If you don’t know someone important or have a way in, you can have all the talent in the world but never make it.

Thankfully for Anvil, they had Gervasi. From here on out, the rest falls on their shoulders.

For my interview with Lips and Robb, click here.
For my interview with Sacha Gervasi, click here.

Phillip Baker (aka the Rock N Roll Painter) created this striking piece in the three hours prior to the start of the band's meet and greet at Sam Ash.

It’s amazing to think that the members of Heaven & Hell — singer Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice — have each been in the music business for at least 35 years. And it’s also impressive to think that for a group who have actually only spent seven of the last 30 years together that they have created a stronger impact than far longer running bands and kept fans coming back for more. Sure, they were the second incarnation of Black Sabbath, but there are never guarantees that any famous group that changes its lead singer will prosper. This roster blossomed and thrived together, even if for short periods, and became a big part of heavy metal history.

On Wednesday,  the day after Heaven & Hell’s blistering set at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, hundreds of reverent fans waited outside of Sam Ash Music on West 48th Street in New York to meet the quartet and get albums and photos signed. One of them, Phillip Baker — known as the “Rock N Roll Painter” to many — conjured up an impressive black and white portrait of the group (pictured at left) while waiting in line. He later got it autographed by all of the band members.

I grew up during the Eighties, so I expected to see fans ranging in age from mid-thirties to mid-fifties waiting in the long line winding down the street. But what surprised me was the number of young fans — many teenagers, and one of them literally five years of age — anxious to meet these metal icons. Inside the store Dio lifted up the tiny tot and gave him a big hug. Hopefully that kid will remember that when he’s all grown up and an adult headbanger. It was also refreshing to hear one teenage fan respectfully call Geezer by his proper first name, Terence.

Catching Ronnie and Vinnie before the throng of fans entered.

Events like this make me further appreciate the position I am in as a journalist. I often get thirty minutes to an hour to chat with my subjects. Most fans get to meet them for a minute. This time I was in the position of being a fan. I was able to quickly say hello to the four H&H members just prior to fans entering the store, and it was a chance to get something special signed and snap a photo for posterity. I actually have connected with the members of Heaven and Hell on numerous occasions over the last decade. I have interviewed Iommi twice in person (for Ink 19 and Metal Edge) and twice on the phone, and I conducted an interview with Dio over dinner ten years ago. I also chatted extensively with all of them last year for my liner notes to the reissued Mob Rules (included in the Rules of Hell box set) and for a Goldmine magazine cover story. I finally got Mob Rules signed yesterday.

Public meet and greets with classic metal bands are rare these days, and Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice tried to sign as much as they could within the 100-minute span that they had. Butler’s nephew Pedro Howse, who plays guitar for his uncle in GZR, stood nearby during the proceedings. (Pedro tells me a new GZR album may be in the works.) Beyond the current tour, Iommi will be keeping busy in a new way. Many fans know that four Black Sabbath movies are being planned by reality TV producer Mike Fleiss, and that the guitarist will score them. Don’t fret, fear fans — I hear they’ll be serious horror films. They will not, however, be based on any Sabbath songs.

Overall, the event went well, the band was in good spirits and fans, many not even born when Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules were released, got to connect with metal royalty. Here’s hoping that Heaven & Hell return to the New York area soon.

(All photos ©2009 by Bryan Reesman.)

Posing with Geezer and Tony.

Many young followers line up down the block.

Pedro Howse, hanging out with his uncle Geezer.

Happily signing away.

The faithful waiting patiently on 48th Street.