The dark side of supporting bigger bands: finding out that former "idols" are idiots

[sol niger 333]

We opened up for Meshuggah and they were sweet dudes. Had a big jar of shrooms. Took them all. Had some good talks. All in complete crazy land. Jens was green and not looking too well and their bassist was in the spa with some rugged looking strippers. On the other side of things we played with Slipknot and they didn't seem to want to hang much. All running around on their cellphones and shit. They were all really courteous to us though. Rob Flynn was totally rad and a real friendly guy. My guitarist grilled him on his rig for 20 minutes with no objections/brush offs or arrogance. Total sweet dude. Killswitch Engage treated us really well also at a show we did with them.. All in all no major heroes have disappointed me by being assholes except Phil Anselmo when they toured Reinventing in 2001, he started going on a rascist rant and sang like a moron while Dime just kept shaking his head in disgust and embarrassment. Such a shame

[Ketzer]

I think even Phil Anselmo thinks Phil Anselmo is a jerk.

[Scar Symmetry]

the Ion Dissonance guys were the coolest band we've played with. their bass player is insane, he kept grabbing my forehead and shouting things in my face

[Shaman]

Originally Posted by JoePayne

I can understand both sides of the situation. Being away from your family and loved ones can be hard sometimes on touring musicians and sometimes you may even catch them/us on a bad day. I have been guilty of being a hermit after shows when I'm having a shitty day and unintentionally blowing off fans or local bands who just want to chill and maybe have a beer. Some musicians are just jackasses though. I've played with a few and no I won't mention any names. haha!

I remember you being very cool when you were playing with Nile on the Annihilation.. tour here in Finland.

I chatted with you for a while when you were hanging by the merch stand before the show, you managed to sell me the special ed. Annihilation box.

I didn't even know that you were actually playing with Nile, so I was a bit suprized seeing you on stage pounding the s*** out of the bass

I guess I have been one of the lucky ones as well, since I have never had any bad experiences when it comes to players/etc.

[MTech]

Originally Posted by Ketzer

I think even Phil Anselmo thinks Phil Anselmo is a jerk.

Phil can actually be extremely nice it's just hit or miss on his mood. Usually when he's not in the best one you never see him cause he "vanishes" so to speak.

[auxioluck]

Originally Posted by Scar Symmetry

the Ion Dissonance guys were the coolest band we've played with. their bass player is insane, he kept grabbing my forehead and shouting things in my face

Yeah that guy is nuts!!

I was talking with the sound guy for them, and he was telling me a story about how the bass player found out his cat pissed on one of his bass cases. The bassist grabbed the cat by the neck, took him to the sink, and held him over the sink with the faucet running, staring the cat in the face the entire time with this menacing look on his face.

He was a cool dude though. All the guys from Ion are awesome dudes.

[sol niger 333]

Originally Posted by Scar Symmetry

the Ion Dissonance guys were the coolest band we've played with. their bass player is insane, he kept grabbing my forehead and shouting things in my face

I committed a lol at this. I can imagine him being an awesome nutter like that.

[CrushingAnvil]

Originally Posted by auxioluck

Yeah that guy is nuts!!

I was talking with the sound guy for them, and he was telling me a story about how the bass player found out his cat pissed on one of his bass cases. The bassist grabbed the cat by the neck, took him to the sink, and held him over the sink with the faucet running, staring the cat in the face the entire time with this menacing look on his face.

He was a cool dude though. All the guys from Ion are awesome dudes.

That is ....ing

[backyardburial]

We played with Napalm Death in Wellington, and because I knew the promoter I asked how they were getting to the next show, turns out they were flying, and because Barney wanted to drive and see some of the country) I was offered his ticket if I paid the 30 buck transfer fee...so met them in town and went to the airport, where I found out I couldn't do the transfer thing. Then the guitarist and drummer came up and said "just say you're Mark Greenway". (Barney, vocalist). So I did and even tho I had no ID they let me fly...and it was Sept. 11 2007! Anyway those guys were cool, Shane Embury (who I had been a big fan of since I was about 15) Couldn't be ....ed talking to me, even tho I was stuck at an airport with him for 3 hours, but his job is bass not media liason or whatever so Im not too worried, certainly wouldn't hold it against ND

[Cadavuh]

Michael Keene has been a condescending douche both times ive talked to him

[Hollowman]

I haven't toured nor have I gigged but I and some of my friends met some really cool people.

Kerry King: He was super cool met him at a Guitar Abuse Clinic he didn't have any attitude and seemed even Happy to be in Delaware.

Michael Angelo:He was cool to the point of being annoying but in a good way.

Dean Zelinsky: founder of Dean Guitars very very nice guy bought a Dean after I met him.

Wrathchild America: played under the alias of Kiddie Porn I think met them in a little metal club in Seaford DE they were really cool.we got really really drunk.

Gwar 1st gen: met them they played under an alias don't remember what though long time ago. Honestly didn't have any Idea who in the hell they were until they started playing stuff from Scumdogs


I know this isn't me but this ones cool.

Dime: My friend Charlie met Dime 1 week before he was killed in Philly at a Hatebreed show Dime was hanging out and Charlie ran into him coming aroud the corner of the building after the show he got to talk to Dime for like an hour but told Dime he didn't have anything for him to sign but he wished he could have his autograph so Dime told him he could have his"Lucky Pick" which is still to this day hung up in a frame in his house.

[scottro202]

Originally Posted by Hollowman666

I know this isn't me but this ones cool.

Dime: My friend Charlie met Dime 1 week before he was killed in Philly at a Hatebreed show Dime was hanging out and Charlie ran into him coming aroud the corner of the building after the show he got to talk to Dime for like an hour but told Dime he didn't have anything for him to sign but he wished he could have his autograph so Dime told him he could have his"Lucky Pick" which is still to this day hung up in a frame in his house.

That's cool as hell dude

[Scar Symmetry]

Originally Posted by Hollowman666

I know this isn't me but this ones cool.

Dime: My friend Charlie met Dime 1 week before he was killed in Philly at a Hatebreed show Dime was hanging out and Charlie ran into him coming aroud the corner of the building after the show he got to talk to Dime for like an hour but told Dime he didn't have anything for him to sign but he wished he could have his autograph so Dime told him he could have his"Lucky Pick" which is still to this day hung up in a frame in his house.

Yeah... maybe Dime should've held on to that lucky pick

[Tukaar]

I met Bob Fouts from The Gates of Slumber (He works at a Guitar Center here) and shot the shit with him for upwards 3 hours the day I met him about Sleep, tours, and the doom genre as a whole. Then I told him I had a doom band. Long story short, we recorded our first demo in his basement studio. Greatest experience of my life.

[Hollowman]

Originally Posted by Scar Symmetry

Yeah... maybe Dime should've held on to that lucky pick

we used to pick on him and tell him "you killed Dime!"

[Rick]

I've met lots of musicians (metal, mostly). The only one I didn't like was Jaxon from hed (PE). He decided he was too important to come out of the bus and talk to fans.

[777timesgod]

Cannibal corpse's Alex Webster must be the nicest guy in metal. We were waiting (10 people or so) in the freezing Glagow cold after their gig in front of the bus. When he realized there were people downstairs he came down and signed autographs took pictures, answered all questions and after almost 30 minutes went back inside (not before asking if anyone needed anything else) and convinced the rest to come out so we could meet them. Pat O'Brien who is the guitarist i admire the most was ok i guess, we all know that he is a funny character and a bit moody but he was not rude despite being cold and hungry.

Belphegor were cool, Helmuth especially. And Dying Fetus, the drummer is cool and never shuts up.

The worst for me were Sepultura and my former favourite guitarist Andreas Kisser, primadonna and a bad guitar player nowadays. Sloppy and bored.

[etiam]

Helmuth is a kinda twisted dude. I can't say I've been on the 'played with' side of things, but I've definitely been on the journalist side, which puts you in a different light than "just" a fan at a show. Most folks have been tremendously accommodating, even when waylaid in the most inopportune ways.

Perhaps the most unexpected was Lord Worm of Cryptopsy. We spent nearly an hour in interview on the 'Once Was Not' tour talking about his aspirations as a metal performer, what it means to be a metal performer, what flavour of sherbet he would like to be, if he could choose, and why making people uncomfortable is so rewarding.

/thread hijack.

[cob]

You know who is awesome to meet? Brandon Small. He's a class act all the way, he reminds me of Petrucci when he does the signings and the pictures, always has a smile, shakes every hand. He signed my guitar AND a wendy's coupon book for my buddy who could only make it to the show and not the signing. He always had an insightful question about everyone's guitar who brought one, we talked about tunings and the piezo system and how much the amp tone might affect your pickup choice(since he recently made the switch to Marshal). Great guy.

Petrucci is great, Kirk Hammett is pretty cool but I think he's tired of meeting people haha. I met 3 inches of blood and lordi at ozzfest before. Pretty cool too.

It's hit n miss, a lot of it is, as previously stated, not in the individual but in the circumstance. We did a little bit of touring and opened for Amon Amarth a couple times, Johann Hegg was always fun but some of the other guys... they've been playin shows non stop and they don't really do much besides play, not a lot of contact on stage like the vocalist has. Sometimes they'd be cranky and other times they would ask us to toast a chalice of mead with them.

That's my ramble.

Alexi Laiho and Mark Morton are cool too. I wanna meet so many ....in guys though. Not even close.

[petereanima]

Originally Posted by 777timesgod

And Dying Fetus, the drummer is cool and never shuts up.

haha, interesting...thats the guy i refered to in my thread-starting post here.

greatest douchebag i've ever met.

[Sang-Drax]

Originally Posted by 777timesgod

The worst for me were Sepultura and my former favourite guitarist Andreas Kisser, primadonna and a bad guitar player nowadays. Sloppy and bored.

I'm so proud to know that the only big brazilian metal band is a bunch of douchbags! So much for the reputation of being a nice and warm people *sigh*

Derrick did seem like a nice guy when I met him some time ago, though.

[dirkrob]

I have had the pleasure of meeting and or hung out with a lot of bands.....Hellyeah, 36 Crazyfists, Killswitch, Mushroomhead, Darkest Hour, Vail of Maya, Bleeding Through, Walls of Jerico, All that Remains drummer, Lamb of God, Threat Signal, Weedeater, Buckethead, ASG, The Human Abstact, etc.etc.etc. and many more.......
I can understand musicians getting tired of people and the road, but they need to realize that if they turn away and/or act arseholish, they are just screwing themselves (ie sales). Nowadays, I dont try and go out of my way to meet any bands at all. You are better off not knowing!! I have had met some beechz and some good people, but screw it. Believe me I am not putting anybody on a pedestal. I dont care who they are!! I just want hear them jam!!
Funny thing is sometimes I get so wasted at a show that I am the arsehole!!!!

[777timesgod]

Originally Posted by petereanima

haha, interesting...thats the guy i refered to in my thread-starting post here.

greatest douchebag i've ever met.

Too much sugar!

[Samer]

Originally Posted by neon_black88

Chris Broderick stood out with us in a hallway and talked to us for about 20 minutes after a Nevermore show about pretty much nothing because we were kind of lost for words, he actually kept the conversation going and never tryed to get away even in the most awkward moments, it was ....ing awsome. We got photos, hugs, and he tryed to help us find Jeff Loomis but we never did un-fortunatly. Seriously the nicest musician I've met.

It seemed like he was almost as exited to see us as we were to see him

I can defenetly reccomending having a chat with him if you get the chance!

Yes for sure +1 to this, i remember during the Iced Earth / Inflames / Jag Panzer show Chris Broderick stood in the audience for Iced Earth and i started talking to him (i was like 16/17 at the time) and we ended up talking for about an hour; he was such a nice guy.

[Triple-J]

Originally Posted by Zepp88

I bet King Buzzo is an awesome dude

Anybody met him?

Waaaay back in 98/99 The Melvins toured the UK and played a set with one support band cause the other dropped out so to give decent value for money they played a super long set and divided it by having two 15/20 min breaks where they left the stage empty and headed off into the audience.

The entire band hung out during the breaks (except the bassist cause being bassist for the Melvins is like being the drummer for Spinal Tap) and talked about gear, records and everything else in between, Dale was tired as .... but Buzz was really cool and a very sharp witty guy he does have an incredibly dry sarcastic sense of humour though which I imagine rubs a lot of people up the wrong way or just goes over their heads completely.

Meeting the Melvins was cool but my number one expierience was going to see Pulse Ultra and Taproot as I'd just picked up Pulse Ultra album while I was on holiday in New York cause at the time it hadn't been released in the UK so I was psyched about the show.
After the gig ended I bumped into Dominic Ciffareli and I spent a good 3 hours just talking about music and gear, politics, Dream Theater (the guy is a HUGE DT fan and listens to Awake everyday!) and jamming with Darron Malakian he's got such an enthusiasm for ALL forms of music it's almost infectious and he's really inspiring to be around and after meeting him I checked out DT which up until then was something I would never have done.