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Interview with Joey Belladonna of Anthrax
HOB - Las Vegas - May 21, 2005
Phil: We're sitting here backstage with Joey Belladonna, from Anthrax! How are you doing tonight?
Joey: Oh excellent! It's a really good thing being here, it's been awhile since...last time I was here was Kiss. What was it? I think '87, '88. I'm not very good with the months or the years sometimes.
Phil: Wow! So yea, it's been like 13 years?
Joey: Actually for me it's been '85, no excuse me '91. So it's been even better than 13 years, pretty close to even more than that. Although 13, we'll leave at 13! That's a good number, right?
Phil: Did you think you'd ever be back on stage with Anthrax?
Joey: Yea, sometimes, I had a feeling that they might hit that fork in the road and the might go, "you know what? Wonder what it would be like, just to put that thing down, and put it back together again?" I wasn't sure that they felt that they had to do it, and then at times I felt that maybe people thought that it should be that way. Again, after somebody starts doing another new project, I don't know what it means to them, or what the other thing meant to them. How they felt on going back. Of course, us doing something now, it had to be everybody wanted to do it. Everybody did want to do it, and everybody feels good about doing it, playing wise...everybody is there. It's not like "God dude, I haven't sang in like years, I don't know, I'm not sure I can do it, but I'll give it a shot!" None of that kind of shit, we're really tight right now. We're just right on track, everything's exactly the way it was! Almost, almost exactly!
Phil: So, what was the main inspiration for getting this particular tour, getting back together? Was it something that just had to happen!
Joey: Charlie just felt that it was a good time to do something. We're not getting any younger, and it was a good time for them to do it. Everything just falls into that spot. Maybe, that time, I was thinking, maybe there'd be a time they'd want to do it and maybe this was the time! I don't know, I'll never know maybe the real reasons that some people do things! I mean it had to come from them, I wasn't gonna be able to just call them up myself and say "look, geez, I was thinking. I don't know if you guys have been thinking about this but I was kinda thinking about it." It just wouldn't work that way. I don't know, maybe if I did...I'll be damned if I would have tried it a long time ago, if they would have done it, and they would have said yes, but...
Phil: Back in '99, you were scheduled to feature both you & John Bush on vocals. What ever happened with that? It never did pan out?
Joey: It just never got off the ground. You know, trying to do that kind of thing was an interesting thought. They were a band, and the were trying to bring me in as kind of a, I don't know, a featured artist, or something you know double it up. You know the whole logistics of it, just never came to play. It just couldn't happen. Even Danny was at my house at the time, which was the weirdest thing, and he wasn't asked to do it. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Now this even becomes much more of a cooler thing. 'Cause if I would have done it, and then tried to do this, it might not have been this exciting. I don't know, it was a cool thought!
Phil: You guys tried it though, and it just didn't work out?
Joey: No, we didn't even get that far with it. It didn't even get out of the box, never left the building of doing it together.
Phil: So you're back on this tour. You're just coming from Australia, right? How was that down there?
Joey: Yea, that was just a couple of days ago. It was amazing! We did Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane...it was pretty cool man, it went really well. I mean it's Fall there, so it was weird coming out of our Fall and going into their Fall. Their Fall is pretty nice compared to our Fall, you know. We did Dublin, Glasgow, and Holland prior to that. We've been flying around like our 15th, 16th flight right now. Yesterday, 2 days ago was a 17 hour flight, to get home, to LA.
Phil: Whoa, at least you've got LA tomorrow, so that's not too bad. Couple hours maybe.
Joey: Nope, a little puddle jump there, over the mountain and you're back.
Phil: Then it's over to New Jersey, where you're going to film the new DVD.
Joey: Right, we're going to do a live show, which we've got a bunch of stuff compiled.
Phil: From the whole tour?
Joey: Yea, and prior that we team up and did some Sirius Radio press, we joined in a room for the first time, we have all that on film. Coming out of the airport, just a whole array of things that we collaged together. It will be interesting to see how that all comes together on the DVD and stuff.
Phil: In addition to the live performance?
Joey: Oh yea, sure! We got some pretty cool stuff, it should be interesting.
Phil: With so many hits, after so many years, how do you decide how to compile your set list? Do you do a different one each night, or is that hard?
Joey: Well we've been switching around, but after awhile you get, to a point where there's songs that really go. Yea, you get songs that are really strong, things just fall into place. Other songs, that you like, may not go down on stage. You see that they don't go over as well, maybe they do, but you don't feel like they go over as well, even though they're good songs. So you find the songs that really work well, and you got your time slot. So you start putting it back to back and you get something really strong. I think we finally got a great set now and we'll find that we'll probably shuffle that a little bit, but not too much. You got a time frame and you got to get at least a core of the good stuff in there.
Phil: Yea, 'cause you get so much good stuff then after awhile you start doing medelies and stuff. *laughs*
Joey: You know I'm glad we're not doing too much, I'm not in favor of doing too much of that. After awhile, I'm sure if we started bringing in the whole, then we'd kind of have to bump them together. Then that's a teaser, you know, those can be a little bit confusing sometimes. Even though I've heard some really cool ones, but I'm not too sure...
Phil: I saw ZZ Top do it once, years ago. It's kind of strange.
Joey: Yea, sometimes it is pretty cool but it's like "boy I wish they would have done the rest, they didn't to that part.
Phil: Yea, that part! That one part! *laughs* So that's messed up! So everyone is getting along good, I take it?
Joey: Everyone is getting along good! I mean everything is in prime, prime form. Every little thing that you can imagine, what we used to do and how we used to do it, is all coming full cycle again. I'm, you know, you're hoping that everyone is completely psyched the way that everything is going down. Even though there's always the bumps, and every day stuff that goes on. Everybody has moved on in their lives, so everyone is bringing in their new friends and way they go about their day to day. Every time we arrive, people go here and go there and meet here and there and go there. So, there's a lot of different things, but it's all good! It's all real, you know!
Phil: Good! You got your solo project still going on right? You recently released an album back in November, I believe? Artifacts?
Joey: Yea, Paul he was just here a little while ago! 'Cause he plays in the Queen thing here. You know the solo thing, it wasn't so much I wanted to be a solo artist, but I had to continue. I like to play, and it was inevitable I was going to try and do something. I've had a lot of hard times, just finding the right people to do it with. So, I've had an array of people here and there doing stuff, but as long as I continue...and that's one thing I keep telling those guys, as long as I've been out of the band, I still feel like I've been part of the band, but I'm doing it on my own. Kind of waiting in the wings, finally we'll get back together, it helps a lot to be able to be in the game. Be able to write, get better, and just achieve the goal of being a musician, I enjoy that. I'll keep doing some stuff, but as long as I'm doing this, I don't really care about that right now.
Phil: Right, I understand!
Joey: I always say, I don't mind playing, look if you're going to play with me...try to keep this together for now and don't think about all these little goofy things that you're doing. I don't care what it is, because if you don't focus on this, then this is going to take a shit fast. Nothing is going to happen, yea, you got your own band, you come into mine and you got your stickers and your own band and your album...you know what, you can't...you know we've had guys who will go and start handing out their CD's, after the set. I'm like, slow the fuck down, I mean who are you? Don't confuse people anymore, it's hard enough just starting out. So you get a lot of weird stuff. So right now, I'm not that overwhelmed that I'm worrying about that kind of thing. If I can keep this going, I'm good with it! There's always time for that again. I've got plenty of material, I've got tons of stuff!
Phil: Sweet! So you also play drums as well, have you been doing anything with that?
Joey: I've been playing live for awhile now, a year, year and a half, live singing. A three piece, we're like the ZZ Top of thrash. It's been fun, we'll go in the mini van, take the seat out, throw the kit in there, throw in a couple cabinets, and we're heading down the road. It's kinda cool, ya know, just banging out. We do about 40 shows a year. Yea, it's been an uphill battle, doing my own on my own. I think these guys have gone out on their own. It's pretty rough, it's not like a full blown thing. You go out there and you get it done! I did some shows with WASP, Kings X, did some fests, a bunch of fests and stuff. Metal fests, and I'd go and headline a lot of my own shows with a bunch of local bands every night. It was good! Doing a mix of Anthrax, a mix of Belladonna stuff!
Phil: So, you guys recently teamed up with The Slave to the Metal Foundation. Or did you guys create that? What is that all about?
Joey: It was just something that management had combined, what it boils down to is, there's a lot of people who are in the military, that have no right to say no. If they do then they get passed on, or either let go. They don't even know the facts, of what it does to your body. I mean it really, makes you sick, badly...and there's a lot of deathly symptoms that they're not aware of. We're trying to make them aware of it and maybe give them the right to say no. Who knows? Maybe one day, if they change a law and say everybody's got to do it, then we'll all be thinking a little bit about "hey, I don't want to get sick!" It's just a hell of a thing! It's something, and our name! It's anthrax, we're Anthrax, it's just something we want to make aware of! We've met a lot of people who have been in situations. And really good people, one guy he was a...he worked on engines, you know jet engines, the kid was really smart! He didn't want to take it, so he got Court Marshaled out. Because he didn't want to take the shot! How can you blame him? But yet, he's not there anymore. He was a good soldier, you know!
Phil: So it's basically from like the Gulf War Syndrome and that type of stuff as a result?
Joey: Yep, yep and a lot of, there's a lot of people out there who just have bad, bad, bad vibes about the whole thing! That's a tough one! Bones, and muscles, diseases and all kinds of shit. It's pretty heavy.
Phil: Just blame it on the sand, and the air and all this type of stuff!
Joey: Yea, it's just a lot of stuff! The reason we want to make them aware is because, maybe they didn't have to take it! If they didn't want to take it, they should have the right to say they didn't want to take it.
Phil: Is there another website, that's dedicated to that particular cause?
Joey: I think you may be, I haven't checked on our site, but I think you may be able to click it from on there.
Phil: anthrax.com?
Joey: I believe so, yea.
Phil: This particular tour, you did 6 US dates. You did 3 at the beginning and then you left. Then you came back for 3 more. Are you planning on doing some more American dates later? Or is that it, are you just doing 6 to see how it goes?
Joey: We're in the middle of discussing some state dates. When? Probably late Fall. Nothing specific yet, there's a rally, I don't know what that is specifically what that is, I've seen possibilities. We're definitely getting down to those areas where we are looking ahead and we're looking ahead for possible US dates. Of course June and July we're heading right back over to Europe and doing tons of festivals. We're going to crush a lot of things, big things, like 3 day events. The Download, the Ozzfest over there, Sweden Rock, Gods of Metal, a lot of stuff! We're hitting a lot of different places, like Greece, Austria, just a lot of weird stuff we haven't done in awhile.
Phil: It was rumored that you guys were going to do the Ozzfest originally.
Joey: That was a big rumor, yea. In fact, it was a great rumor, but it never got that far! After awhile you say, "geez, it's too bad we couldn't have got that." I thought that would have been nice, 10 year anniversary I guess it was. That would have been nice.
Phil: There was the mystery band...I was like, that doesn't look like Anthrax? A guy with a hat? *laughs*
Joey: *laughs* Yea, no not us no stupid hat! You know people were getting angry over stuff and happy over stuff, and none of it was true.
Phil: So with all the success in the past, in everything you've done. Toured all over the world, and continuing to tour and all that. What's in the future? What can we expect? Are we still in the developmental stages of the new rebirth, if you will?
Joey: Well, yea, we're taking every step of the way that's been given to us. Again, it's hard for me to look into the ball, I do it all the time! People are like "oh don't worry about it, everything's cool, you worry about too much". I just like to look ahead, I plan my thoughts far and far away, but there's no way to do it specifically, because you don't know. People could be happy, people could be content, but they could also have plans. I don't know all that, everybody is doing their own thing in their own mind. But, I think we're heading in the right direction of doing something, you know, as much as we can. I don't think we have any doubts that we can't do it. I think we're doing as well as we can, even right now. I think we're ahead of ourselves, I don't think anybody even knows that we're really cracking yet! There's people who didn't even know we were together, yet. It takes time to build that back up, and let people know that it's happening. We have to pound it for awhile.
Phil: Yea! Are you finding that the success is more so in Europe, than in the states?
Joey: We haven't even done enough of that yet. To even, know what we're...I mean we're going to play a hell of a lot more, by the time we come back! That's going to be quite substantial, more than anything that we've ever done, yet! In this new set up with this line up, in the reunion. Europe's gonna be...when we come back in July, we're gonna have covered a whole lot by the time we come back!
Phil: Have you wrote any new material on the road? Like wow this is a good song! Or are you guys just sticking to your guns?
Joey: No we haven't done none of that. Yea, we're live right now. Going from place to place, live. If anything we're looking at doing a live show, and doing what we're doing. That's an easy transition. Anything that we can possibly do is tearing apart the old material, into a box set, get everything remastered, possibly. As far as any new, no, but you know what? If it does happen, it will give us something to look forward to. It would be nice.
Phil: Movie soundtracks or anything on the horizon?
Joey: Nothing. I haven't heard of anything, at all. I think it's almost too early, yet. Because we haven't even got in anybody's way, to do that, yet. Or even brought in anybody's thoughts combined. Although, somebody could be negotiating, and I haven't heard anything. Yea, I think it's just a little bit too early really to even stumble onto anything, yet.
Phil: You guys are working with Adrenaline PR, with Maria.
Joey: Yep! Maria is old Mega Force!
Phil: Yea, she's great!
Joey: She's really upbeat, she's doing everything she plans to do for us!
Phil: She says hi, by the way!
Joey: Tell her I said hi, back!
Phil: Well, thank you for taking the time out with closedcoffin.com. I know you're busy and everything, so it was great! I enjoyed talking to you!
Joey: I'm glad you get the buzz too. Because you wonder what people are thinking along the way. When there's been something...they did this, they did that, when we're doing this. You get a mix of things that are going on, it's just like...how do you do it?
Phil: Any final words for your big fans out there?
Joey: Ah, just keep goin'! It's good to be back and I hope everybody is in good spirits about playing and seeing us again. 'Cause we're really psyched to do it, everybody is upbeat! I'm glad everybody has been sticking to their guns about the metal!
Phil: Cool! Well thanks a lot dude! We'll see you later!
Joey: Thank you!
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http://anthrax.com