Interview: ANVIL

On May 10th Morgan and I (Martell) had the opportunity to sit down with Lips of the legendary metal band ANVIL. Much to our delight we were joined early on in the interview by co-founder Robb Reiner. That night in Halifax Nova Scotia the band tore up the stage to the delight of many ANVIL faithful, but we were witness to the kind, energetic, and spirited nature of two music icons before they took the stage.

We started the conversation with Lips stating that he was just told that someone had uploaded the new album Juggernaut of Justice to YouTube only hours after its release. Although understanding that in this modern age this happens, Lips was upset over the fact that Juggernaut had “only been out for a matter of hours.” The sentiment that rang true to this theft took on a special meaning to Anvil when Lips simply stated, “haven’t we (Anvil) been ripped off enough?”

Lips went on to show his utter disdain that people hide behind their actions by claiming to help promote the band. With the ease of making MP3s off YouTube, Lips felt this was an absurd justification of their actions. The conversation went on to Lips talking about how these actions have helped kill the music industry with record companies wanting pieces of the merchandise to help pay for the production of the CD. Lips feels you don’t hear a lot of great production like you used to because the money to pay for the producing just isn’t there anymore.

More with Anvil after the warp:

With Lips being the positive person he is we moved on to a better topic: Anvil’s first trip to Halifax. I point blank asked Lips, “what took so long to get you here?” With a smile he stated, “everything.” Lips expanded on this by saying “it’s (music) is a tough business.” He is very grateful for everything that happened because the documentary gave Anvil enough fame to be picked up by a proper management company that gave the band the necessary support. With a proper team in place Anvil is finally reaching the areas and fame it deserves. With that I officially welcomed Anvil to Halifax.

Holding the new CD “Juggernaut of Justice” I had to mention to Lips the amount of people on the album jacket the band thanks for helping make it possible. (Robb Reiner joined us at this point and set to the right of Lips) Both men laughed because the list is so large and ranges from Dave Grohl to Dustin Hoffman. Lips feels there could have been many more, but the ones in there reached out to the band and put themselves out there to help. Dustin Hoffman and his family are a prime example of this. Dustin worked to promote the movie to the press, but also did very kind things like taking the guys out to dinner and introduced them to influential people in the business. If you mention anyone on that list you can see the genuine emotion in the eyes of both men; they truly thank everyone who has helped them.

I asked about the Moncton show a couple of years ago and the fact that they looked like they were having the time of their lives. Robb stated it was a very memorable show and the largest they had done at that point in their career.

Two years ago via a phone interview with Lips he told us the documentary had edited out a lot of the worry and despair that he personally went through. I wanted to follow up on that by wondering if that worry and despair had lessened with the turn-around in their career. Robb was the first to laugh and say he (Lips) always worries. Lips expanded on that by saying he is a natural worrier and even when things are very positive, “I (Lips) worry if I’m being too positive.”

Anvil is known as being a major influence for major metal bands like Metallica, Megadeth, etc. Now a new generation of metal bands is coming up through the ranks and naming Anvil as an influence once again. I asked both men how that felt. Lips stated, “well, this would be the second time around than.” Robb talked about the music being timeless because it is an art form. Lips used the example of the song “Iron Man” as a song that will never become dated and continue to influence bands for years to come.

While talking about influence we talked about up and coming bands. I used the example of Marz Nova and The Worshyp as a prime example of a band that is waiting for their break. Lips acknowledged the album Kingdom Earth and stated “you have to do it (music) for love, right down to your core.” Robb wanted young bands to know they have to “stick to their guns.” It seemed very important to Lips to get across to young artists that “the lifestyle” isn’t as glamorous as it appears. There are only a handful of bands making millions and until you reach that point you will struggle. To paraphrase Lips: Metallica makes money on every CD because their Metallica. Until you are Metallica you will always be working to get your music to that level. To quote Lips, “it doesn’t happen overnight, unless your Justin Beiber.” That statement was followed with a big laugh.

As the tour manager was giving me “the look” I talked about how Lips had told us on the phone 2 years ago Juggernaut was already written and ready to go. I wanted to know if it was the same record. Both men answered: “absolutely.” After “This is Thirteen” wrapped with the movie Lips and Robb were told it would take a year to edit the movie. The band decided at that time to write a new album so it would be ready to go. That writing turned into what Robb described as a “magical process” in the studio.

We finished up with Robb explaining that critics have been harsh on the band about not capitalizing on their fame. Both men wanted to know what more they could do than hit the road and continue to work hard. Even with the radio friendly tracks on Juggernaut there is very little chance they will be played on the radio.

A couple of quick pictures with Morgan led to us shaking hands all around and two music legends thanking us for what I would call more a conversation than an interview. Lips graciously walked us back to the stage and I couldn’t stop smiling at what will go down as my favorite interview in our time in the metal world.

It’s very rare that what you see on TV or in the media is real, but when it comes to Lips and Robb “what you see is what you get.” Their sentiment and nature is warm, friendly, and engaging. To me, that is true Metal.

Thank you gentleman.

Martell

Tags: anvil, glenn five, heavy metal blogs, heavy metal interview, heavy metal news, interview, juggernaut of justice, lips, robb reiner, the story of anvil, this is thirteen