Dan Spitz Interview on Metal Sludge

Oct 5, 2003
2,550
11
36
Visit site
I know it was mentioned in another thread. I never read it. I just found it read it. Thought it was deserving of it's own post. I was laughing out loud. He says some very sad but true things in the interview. I agree with almost everything he says that has to do with Anthrax. I never knew he felt that way about how things happened etc. I almost have a new found respect for him after reading this. The guy knows Anthrax went to shit when he was gone. Not much denying that.

None the less here is the transcript for people who didn't find it:

Over a year ago, on September 26th, 2000, we got an email from Dan Spitz requesting to do 20 Questions in response to Charlie Benante's 20 Questions. So we sent him out the questions and never heard back from him. We emailed him 4 times and he never responed once. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. He eventually ended up on the Pussy List. Then we forgot about him.

But last week, Dan sent us an email basically bitching about Anthrax and answered a few of his own questions that he made up! We said it doesn't work that way. You either answer our questions or you get denied. So he sent back his original 20 Questions and included everything he bitched about in his original email. Plus he sent us some new photos of himself.

So for the first time in 6 years, Dan Spitz is basically going to go off on a variety of topics. Strap yourself in for this wild and bizarre ride. Enjoy!

1. Who are you and have you done anything that's made you famous?
I don't do things to be famous. I do things to be original and achieve a goal un- attainable by the average person, and at a shorter time period than is the norm. As you have previously asked scott in one of his 20 questions He
even gives you the answer, and then contradicts himself later pertaining to his first quote that "He's smart" then the contradiction that I am "an owl hooting in the forest". I don't hoot, scott, I hunt!!!! Find the following and stop with the I, I, I, I, I and me, me, me, me stuff sourrounding Anthrax. A distinctive and original band is the sum of it's parts that makes a majical connection that is un explainable or un attainable with any other conbinations of people.
I now will respond after 6 years of silence to some of your un explainable, self motivated, mouthin off of things that are un- true in the Anthrax camp. It's time the fans knew the truth so get ready everyone 'cause were havin' some fun now!!!

A quote from scott from his 20 questions:
"Who is more of a bitch and why, Joey Belladonna or Dan Spitz?
scotts answer:
"Dan. He's smart."
answer from me dan spitz:
Bet your ...... watch your mouth for once. Bag of big wind. Too bad you still don't realize everyone dislikes you. You should turn around faster after you talk to someone, maybe you might actually catch what they say about you. Let
someone else in what is left of the band talk for once. Try to be a little more sympathetic to peoples feelings. It couldn't hurt.

2. What is your take on the theory of evolution?
answer from me dan spitz:
Read what you just asked ^^^^^^ isn't that word "THEORY". Look up the definition in a dictionary of that word. Then base some FACT from that theory that concludes only still in THEORY!!!!! No conclusive evidence = just a
theory.

3. How does one "Bring back the heaviness?"
answer from me dan spitz:
Ask Scott (a legend in his own mind), he's been trying (since I left for Switzerland, and after the big decision to part with joey) with NO SUCCESS ONLY TO FAIL TIME AFTER TIME. Take a Total album sales survey and see when the band Died!!!
Hmmmm 1995<<<< Hmmmm>>>> isn't that when I was done loving this thing we call music after 14 years or so in Anthrax?
1.4 million in sales still with me and john bush. Next album after me 80,000 sales.
DO THE MATH!!!!!!!

4. What hard rock/heavy metal band should give it up and call it a day?
answer from me dan spitz:
ANTHRAX, stop ruining the name. Everybody is laughing at you guys. Honestly. I'm on the outside looking in (charlie). There was only one Anthrax. You guys are not Dave Mustaine, havn't you figured that out yet or should someone hit you with a brick.

5. Charlie said you are responsible for Joey Belladonna backing out of the Anthrax tour last Winter. What do you have to say about that?
answer from me dan spitz:
Really, charlie you said that? I don't believe it. and I thought it was just scotts mouth once again not telling the fans the truth only to what amounts to a ficticious story in his own mind as usual. Find the following quotes from scott.
A 20 question quote from scott:
Joey Belladonna was scheduled to go back out with you guys for your latest tour, but then he flaked out. What was the real reason behind that and why is he such a bitch?
$$$$$. Money, money, money. He wanted more money than Metallica pays their tailor. If he would rather sit home than play to the Anthrax fans, that's his decision. Sharp as a marble. In the immortal words of Tony Soprano, "he's
dead to me now".
answer from me dan spitz:
Finally I'll set this one straight For Joey. I was there at joey's recording studio/house and listened to what was going on. The band offered Joey less per week than they paid the guitar tech or my old roadie paul crook.
Metallica money? are you freakin' kidding. I think it was $1000 bucks a week!!!!! Joey makes more than that collecting interest at the bank. For the fans sake is a Joke!!! an excuse by the band to cover up the truth!!!
They previosly (the band) made joey drive to ny to sing on some anthrax song and never re-payed his GAS MONEY!!!! nice guys!!!!
Joey is one of the nicest guy's I know. The band tried to take advantage of his amazing voice, and name to further there almost done carreer. Joey is a lot smarter than the band knows. He is just tooo nice for the half of a band
that's left to understand.

6. In your bio you said, "It was like every time I touched the guitar it burnt my hands." What burns did you suffer and have your hands healed yet?
answer from me dan spitz:
First your misrepresentation of quote taken out of context reads and starts with "It was LIKE" <<< what part of like don't you understand? It's called losing the love of music moron. A horrible feeling nobody should have. The
guitar, your best friend for years is now a horrible thing to even think about, let alone touch. I wish this upon nobody. Ask Elton John he had it too.

7. On your site it says "did someone say Anthrax reunion?" Are you awarethat the band didn't break up but continued without you?
answer from me dan spitz:
Nobody on earth is aware they continued either. When there is one majic flavor everything else tastes like ..... They probably think that just because the name Anthrax is known now from one end of the earth to another that they can now achieve huge success without Joey and me. Hah!!!!

8. Do you think there's any chance that God might be Black?
answer from me dan spitz:
What makes you think? Hope you can't sleep tonight trying to figure out that one.


9. If King Diamond needed a cuckoo-clock fixed, would you fix it for him?
answer from me dan spitz:
Cuckoo-clocks are for people who cannot attain the following technological expertise attained by myself. Let Scott fix it.
A 20 question quote from scott:
Any plans on following Dan Spitz's path and renouncing the Devil's music or maybe fixing cuckoo-clocks?
scotts answer:
Maybe he'll give me a job at his Christian watch repair shop/Jews for Jesus music project thing.
answer from me dan spitz:
Try four Swiss degrees in Microtechnology, Micro-electro-mechanics, Master Swiss Watchmaker, Master of micro-mechanical Museum Restorations. One of six people chosen per year in the Whole World given a Full scholarship to the Only Swiss English speaking micro technology school. Total graduate degrees per year from this school is 12 people. I'm one of them. That's after completing a 26 month course in 8 months time at the Bulova
school for Watchmaking here in the USA!!! The fastest Graduate in the 53 year history of the school. That's how I got the scholorship. So, that's 5 Diploma's. I did this for quiet time after almost 14 years of loud music. The
sound of tic toc on a $200,000 masterpiece is just wonderful. Or maybe being offered job's from company's such as johnson and johnson to do research for brain implaints for elephantisis. I could name my salary. You want a Job? Get a brain first!!!! Remember what you said scott. spitz = smart. Do the math!!!

10. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate the following sinners. 1 being somebody who is going to burn in hell and 10 being somebody who is going straight to heaven.
answer from me dan spitz:
Only God knows on there judgement day where they are going. Unless they have the Glory of the Holy Spirit running through them now. They themselves will know at that point while they are still here. In the meantime all the following are now on my prayer list. Find the following special message for scott.
Ozzy =
Scott Ian = Keep reading those Steven King books. You'll find the truth there!!! <<sarcasm
I'm praying for your soul right now scott!!!
"May you know the name and power of Jesus Christ. Not a religion, but a personal relationship." Scott to God. You don't need the religion dude. Ever want to know the way. I'm alway's here for you buddy.
Charlie Benante =
Joey Belladonna =
Gene Simmons =
Dave Mustaine =
Tom Araya =
Marilyn Manson =
Howard Stern =
Michael Sweet =
Tommy Lee =
Anybody in Slaughter =
The staff at Metal Sludge =

11. In a recent interview, you said the following about Christian bands, "I need to guide them in the right direction. Their message is great. They just need some good production. And, I hope I can help and guide them. Anything I can do, I'm here. I'm just a vessel-24 hours a day. Find me." How much would it cost a band to be shown the right direction by a vessel such as yourself?
answer from me dan spitz:
God has given man an ordained mission to work by the sweat of our brow. My gifts and talents he has given me are thanked by me each and every day. My talents and brains are not cheap. When you can not only achieve diplomas for sanity, but also know what tubes are in an La2a compressor, or what and how a Q factor is in the recording studio, or the difference between a neve 1073/1066 pre amp/eq, and Trident A series desk, and what the outcome would be in the end result of your music using the previous combinations let me know. Untill then you will pay me MUCHO $$$$. Will I and have given my talents for free. Bet your butt. But you will never know where and how.

12. Do you think people who have homosexual relationships are sinners? And what's worse, 2 guys being together or 2 chicks being together?
answer from me dan spitz:
Sin is Sin. All sin is equal. Read it in you bible if you know how to read.

13. What rock star deserves a smack in the mouth and why?
answer from me dan spitz:
I think I answered that one already.

14. Was "danthrax.com" already taken or what?
answer from me dan spitz:
Let's see. Spitzthrax works. Now on the Anthrax site they have slipthrax logos. Once again. DO THE MATH!!!!!!

15. For a while you thought about suicide a lot. Do you think that had anything to do with you being so short?
answer from me dan spitz:
five feet one is short? Tell that one to Malcolm Young from ac/dc he is smaller than me.

16. Is anal sex a sin?
answer from me dan spitz:
Is the person married yet?

17. Did God promise to fix your lazy eye if you went on TV and renounced the Devil's music?
answer from me dan spitz:
There is Devil music out there. Oh, you mean Slayer. That's not devil music that's a release of Anger!!!!! and my lazy eye is being fixed by the Nova eye institute proffessors as we do this. No joke. Goood question. I got Thick glasses now baby.

18. Are Scott and Charlie charging you rent to ride their nuts like you're doing?
answer from me dan spitz:
Excuse me<<< but if I followed anyones business sense it would not be either one of these people. I have been quiet and not even in this country for the better part of 6 years leaving the band Anthrax alone to give it a go with no competition or confusion to any of the fans. Now there is no fans. Once again, actions speak louder than words. Find the following:
A quote from scott from his 20 questions:
Time For Metal Sludge's Word Association. We mention a name and you give us your thoughts.
Joey Belladonna - Who?
Dan Spitz - An owl hooting in the forest.
answer from me dan spitz:
The whole world can see how charlie (the brains),(not you scott) has ruined a great band and as alway's places the blame on every record company and manager involved with the band.
Without me and Joey you guy's have attained such success I'm in awe<<<<that's a sarcastic remark for all you Real Anthrax fans who remember my humour.
"Anthrax, wasn't that a band in the '80's"
That's all I hear since I have returned to the USA

19. Are you a Jew for Jesus?
answer from me dan spitz:
Does the following answer your question derfuss!!!
A 20 question quote from scott:
What is your take on people who believe in God, The Bible & their own religion?
And their own religion? What does that mean?
People should do whatever the hell they want to. It's all fiction to me.
Keep reading those Steven King books. You'll find the truth there!!! <<sarcasm
I'm praying for your soul right now scott!!!
"May you know the name and power of Jesus Christ. Not a religion, but a personal relationship." Scott to God. You don't need the religion dude. Ever want to know the way. I'm alway's here for you buddy.

20. Time for Metal Sludge's Word Association. We mention a name and you give us your thoughts.
Joey Belladonna = Meek, mild, '70's music loving, dude. One take Joe. Incredibly Amazing voice!!!!!
Scott Ian = (rosenfeld) Despite what he might think. I think his rythm playing is Awsome!!!! Only malcolm young is in his leauge. Has his own view of the world that ALL must follow (this is not acceptabe behavior in a group
envireonment). Very creative, intelligent man if directed in the right path. A magical connection in playing between us that will Never be duplicated. A pronounced Jew (that's ok). A pronounced christian is not? (hmmm).
Charlie Benante = Very nice guy. An un believably talented musician, probably the best drummer I ever heard, played with, or viewed live. He should play more drums, do less of everyone elses jobs, and realize that there was only ONE Anthrax. I miss jumping on his drum riser and watching his feet go really fast while I try to make him crack up. There is only ONE drummer I would ever play with beside him. That guy in Slipknot. He rocks!!! That's because he studied Charlie very well.
Frank Bello = Warm guy with a heart of gold. Filled with Italian frustration. I love this man and miss him tremendously!!!
John Bush = I voted against him to be in the band.
Creed = A great band that gives thanx to me personally for inspiration during there youth. Passing the torch feel very warm inside.
Lars Ulrich = A million ideas in that head trying to come out and be printed to hard disk/tape.
Fred Durst = A fantastic businessman. All musicians should learn from this guy what there potential is in the music business. I'm sure I'll be mixing something that passes through his hands very shortly.
Nikki Sixx = Another great businessman!!
Marilyn Manson = What a showman. Needs more low end in his mixes. Alice cooper anyone!!
Gene Simmons = Ahhh, the king of All businessman in the music biz. A genious money mogul knowing and searching all new paths at all times. Love this guy.
Slayer = Angst, Pain, ahhhhhhhhhhh, released....
Howard Stern = don't listen
Ozzy Osbourne = Original. Best show I ever saw live was the re-union 1st time around. Bill Ward was the missing link. Who would have thought.

Okey dokey.

Now that was entertaining to say the least! What else can we say about that?

Dan's website isn't up right now, but when it is we'll pass the link along.
 
I will be right back. I'm hungry. But IMF thanks for reposting that. Ill contribute upon my return.
 
Ten years later and here they are playing in front of thousands every night. Yeah, the fans left with Dan. What a dipshit.

Well, they are playing in front of thousands because they are opening for Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth.

The reality is once the band decided to change their sound the crowds went from 5000 - 10,000 to some very lowly 300-400 a night during Volume 8.

The reality is MOST metal heads don't even consider Vol 8, Stomp or WCFYA Anthrax albums. Often times they don't even know they exist. I just know this because of what I hear from going to tons of metal shows. I don't think I have ever seen someone at a metal show wearing a

So in reality when Anthrax did their sound and image make over with John Bush and a new Guitar player they lost almost all of their fan base. So what Dan Spitz says is pretty much right on the mark.

I don't think it is because of Dan Spitz leaving, it is more to do with the change in sound and just flat out putting out piss poor "ANTHRAX" albums in the eyes of most old school metal fans.

Its funny how he constantly is bashing Scat Ian for being and arrogant prick. Same as how most people view him. But he does praise him highly as a great rhythm guitar player. Funny how he says Scott blames everyone from labels to management for their failures but won't look at himself.

None the less I think its a great candid interview and what he says reflects the same opinion as many old school Anthrax fans like myself
 
After Dan's Metal Sludge interview, here is the infamous reunion tour interview (shortened version, definetely check the full version). Was in tongue in cheek, lies, or is the short stack living in an alternative universe??? You decide!!!:Smokin:​












anthrax%2020060087anthrax2006.jpg
So you finally fired Joey or did he left by himself?

We had just signed to Elektra which was huge for us, finally we were on the biggest record label in the world, they gave us all the money in the world that we need and we just didn't see, the way heavy metal was at that given point in time, that Joey's voice would fit. That boy can sing Journey, that boy can sing Bad Company, that boy can sing opera, he's feeling confined having to sing 7000 words in one line of a song where he can't utilize his voice properly, so he's feeling contricted as well as I was a little bit. At the same time the band's trying to show him you have to sing this, here's the music, we're finished now Joey, here's the melody line we hum for you and here's the words. Joey's not so educated schoolwise, so it's a difficult process, very lengthy difficult process. It was just clashing all the time to the point where we just.. In this band majority rules, three people vote, we can do anything we want, any three people, it's a band, it's the way it always was, we learned that from Van Halen, split up all the money even, majority rules on everything. So, majority rules, not my vote, was to let Joey go, I vote the other way. Same for John Bush, "Get John Bush in the band!". I voted no.
You never liked him too much then?
A few things. One, I think we didn't try enough singers. Two, it was a preconceived notion of some people in this band that because he had turned Metallica down in the early days, he'd be the golden boy and he had the golden voice, and the direction that the music was going to in that time period, a lot of Seattle grunge just kinda ending and fizzling out, no one wanted to hear someone who could sing. Anthrax music was getting heavier or aggressive even, it was just what we had in us, it was just a changing of the guard that I was not happy with at all. John is a great guy personally, killer guy, but as far as my music, fuck no. I write dynamic, he has to be able to sing.
xsoundof.jpg
Still the album sold pretty well.
Every album except "Fistful of Metal" is platinum in the United States alone. But worldwide "Sound of White Noise" and "Among the Living" are all pretty close at the top, maybe two, two and a half million records sold worldwide. That's not counting the black market. "Sound of White Noise", the music, fucking great album, I was right there for that. "Only" is probably the best song we ever wrote in the history of this band, I kept telling Charlie "Slow down, slow the fuck down, just for some parts.", that's where me and the singer can shine the melody, you know, leaving space is as important as the music that you write.
I remember with Joey, we were in Japan in a van, me, Charlie and Scott going to the show, the three of us, and we said "Joey, no more Joey." and Elektra Records freaked out, they had just signed a big giant cheque for Anthrax and then we called them that we let our singer go home, so a lot of problems.

THE SPLIT
How was is with you then, what was the reason you left after the "Sound of White Noise" album? Was it because Joey's was gone?
Partly, that was a big reason, but mainly also going on at the same time I had a private life, you know, I was married and the only one in the band with two children at home so it was very hard for me to travel after fifteen years of the way we traveled, put out and album and tour for almost two years consistent without going home, so it kind of got to me. And my children were crying, like don't go daddy, stay some, so I stayed home. I spent about a year writing that 8 ball album that they put out whatever that's called I don't even know, after "Sound of White Noise"?
"Stomp 422".
xstomp.jpg
For me it was during that year to year and a half during the writing of the "Stomp 422" album in Yonkers. I spent about a year writing that album, that's what people don't know. I would go everyday in the beginning and by the end once a week I would come and it was on purpose because my business people told me that you can't legally just call and tell you quit, because it's your band. I had to let everybody see that I didn't want to be there, I wrote the whole album and we just talked on the phone from the recording studio and it was bye bye. That week I enrolled in school. It was at the same time scary, but at the same time Joey was gone, we were still huge, so I wanted to do something completely different.
You don't have any credits on that album?
No, but I have all the tapes of all my leads, all my rhythms, basically what you listen to on the album is all my leads copied by my roadie Paul Crook and Dimebag, note for note. If we ever have to go to court for real in front of the judge, the tapes can come out.
Paul Crook also wrote most of the songs for Joey's first solo album...
Yeah, you have to remember I had a roadie for about ten years, he's name was Artie and when he left I got Paul, he was my roadie for at least a year or two on the road. He's a real friendly outgoing guy, unbeliavable guitar player, he's like a walking jukebox, he knows every song, the opposite of me, I never learn songs, ever, because I like it to sound like me, so I don't wanna dwell on any one person. So he can adapt and he's funny and he's a jokester kinda guy, so he's friendly with Joey, Joey was doing something after the Anthrax and Paul'll play with anyone, anytime and anywhere, have a guitar will travel kinda guy.
He replaced you and did the tour for "Stomp 422"...
When I said "That's it, I'm done with Anthrax.", we were still playing Madison Square Garden size places, big, huge. I didn't just decide to leave Anthrax, but no more music, so I left the stage, called the Hard Rock Cafe and gave 53 guitars to Hard Rock Cafe, all my guitars, so I had none. No music, I had stereos taken out of my cars and house and everything and enrolled myself to become a master watchmaker, enrolled myself in a school in America first, a three year school.
Would you like to say your honest opinion about the "Greater of Two Evils" album which includes re-makings of your classic songs?
xgreater.jpg
If you'll give me a lighter, I'll burn it in front of you, how about that? I spit on it. I call it a last chance effort to do something to be honest and brutal, I'm not gonna sugarcoat stuff. To me it's a cover band doing songs that I wrote, it hurts me and I know that it hurt Joey the most, more than me, for me it's a cover band, if it sells a million then send me a cheque in the mail, but for Joey as a singer, oh boy, whoever thought this idea up, if it was a manager or somebody, not a good idea. I don't think the fans kinda liked it either, not the true fans we'll say. The true fans are fans like you who will show their cousin, their younger children Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, this is really heavy metal, it comes from them, not a record company, this is the band you go to see, would you go send them see that or the reunion of Anthrax, what's real? It's like Iron Maiden, with the other singer, not Bruce, him doing a bunch of old Iron Maiden songs, it's a cover band.​

GOT THE TIME ?
How did you get the idea to start working with watches?
anthrax%2020060019anthrax2006.jpg
My grandfather was a jeweller and a watchmaker, so since a little kid I've been taking apart very expensive watches, like Patek Philippe, Vacheron & Constantine, Cartier. This is one I'm prototyping [shows watch], eventually I will sell my own brand, we're very close. When I left Anthrax, I wanted to get a diploma, not just a knowhow, because I'm very mechanical, I build my own guitar amplifiers, my Marshalls I build myself from nothing, so I've always been building things. I enrolled in a school in New York City, a three year school for watchmaking. I called Switzerland, can I come to school? And they said no, ten years, first you must do the three year school, then two years apprenticeship, you show us and then two more years in a pre-school and then there's only one school in Switzerland that will teach in English, owned by the Swiss Watch Federation, by Rolex by Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Cartier, Panerai and all these companies, they give millions and millions of dollars and build one school, six people are allowed in the entire world per year to come in to the three year course. It's for what we call to become a complications specialist, which means the most complicated wristwatches in the world, you can build from nothing and fix and usually when you graduate usually you stay in Switzerland, you go right to the top and work for Rolex if you want. Rolex is nothing, Rolex is like a Cadillac, but if you are able, you go learn at your own speed, you can fix Formula One racecar engine or build engines in comparison that's the best way to explain what I do. I don't fix Timex.
I dare not even ask about the prices?
You'll find out that the third most money that a man spends is first his woman, his car and watches. If you become a lawyer or a doctor you buy a Rolex when you get your first money but then what, it's just like a car, you buy a Cadillac and then what, you buy a Mercedes and everybody has a Mercedes now, so you'll want a Lamborghini or a Ferrari and then what, the same thing. So I enrolled the school in New York, but I finished it in less than one and a half years because you go at your own pace. It's the Bulova School of Watchmaking and they gave me an award for being the fastest graduate in 53 years, they called Switzerland and said take him now. But first I did two years apprenticeship in New York, I had my own business, and then I went to Switzerland to a school called Wostep, I gratuated from there and after that I spent a lot of time in a lot of the watch factories all through Switzerland. Then I came home to America and I opened up two what we call service centers, one in New Jersey and one in Florida, so I stayed very quiet, no more noise or music, just the complete opposite, lots of music for 15 years and now I do my ten years of school in six years and I come out.​
anthrax%2020060192anthrax2006.jpg
You had to spend a lot of time in Switzerland, how was that time in your life?
Six years on and off. It was very difficult for me, very lifechanging, because since a little boy all I knew was music, my best friend was my guitar, when I had trouble with a girlfriend or somebody I was lucky I had my guitar, I put my headphones on and played guitar. People that don't have this they come to our shows and they mosh, we have our art, and now this art is hanging on the wall of in a Hard Rock Cafe and I must adjust and look around to see how people live, I have no clue, I live on a tourbus for 15 years and anything we want we get, we complain and we get anything, like a spoiled child.
Did people over there in Switzerland know who you were?
I called myself Daniel instead of Dan and I didn't tell anybody, I cut all my hair off for the first time in my life. One guy in Switzerland had come from a company called A Lange & S&#65533;hne, an East German watchmaking company, it's the finest watch in the world, one million dollar watch is normal, I work on one million dollar watches, no diamonds, because of the engine inside. They sent him there for a certain portion of a course that I'm in, Black Sabbath freak, big guy, genius in watches. Two seconds and he finds out my brother is the bass player for Black Sabbath and that I'm from Anthrax and we've been in touch ever since, that's awesome. But I tried to keep it quiet, because that's what I wanted, just me and a watch, it's silence when you work and it was to clear my head, like Elton John said he lost the love of playing, I lost my love of playing because we had a lot of business problems in Anthrax and a lot of clashing. I lost the love of playing, I needed to get it back.​

REKINDLING THE LOVE
How did you get back into playing music?
anthrax%2020060074anthrax2006.jpg
The first time that I picked up the guitar was when I went to Joey's house once just to visit and mess around for a little bit while I was still at my store watchmaking. It was just to see if my soul accepts it, the love, if it's back. I wasn't and I went away for another year or two, never touched the guitar and then my brother invited me onstage to play with Nicko [McBrain] at BB King's in Manhattan, they were on a small little tour when Nicko was off the road [with Maiden], and I got up and played one Iron Maiden song, "Wrathchild" or something. And as the audience flips out, they see me, they recognize me and all of a sudden I feel that feeling, that I gotta play live, I gotta see my fans again, this is messed up, I gotta start all over again. Previously to that actually, I left out a small part, my service center for watches is closed to the public, you cannot come in, but it's in a very affluent area in Boca, and Nicko lives near here, he doesn't know it's me in the store and he has a presidential Rolex, solid gold, but it's a special one, runs on a battery, they make hardly any of this watch, maybe 25,000 dollars American. So, he sees the sign, Swiss Watch Hospital, and walks in and it's me, he looks at me, I look at him and go "Nicko?", he goes "Spitz?" I fix his watch and we get to talk again and I see something's different about him kinda and I found out he's become a christian man as well as I. So we immediately have much in common, and from there we start talking, I close my store, we start to jam for maybe one and a half years, I had a recording studio in Florida, we started to play and just make music and make me happy again, bring me back to life.​


Did you have plans for a real band together with Nicko at the time?
anthrax%2020060145anthrax2006.jpg
We did, but I write all the music, so it was up to me, and I could not find the singer that was in my head. We had Sully [Erna] from Godsmack come in who really liked the music as well as my drum production. But it got so frustrating, one of my good friends in Florida is Vanilla Ice, Robert Van Winkle, one night he was just hanging at the studio and I said "Go in you car and write some words, I wanna see some words to this freaking song." and he goes in his BMW and writes some words and comes in like in an hour and I said "Sign it like rap style, heavy rap style." We had a great time, me producing him just that night, and somehow the guy in the studio lets is out, it was just for fun, for me to hear a direction, a creation. But Rob is a good guy, people should know he's a really good guy and he's very talented. Of course he likes to be in the starlight like a little six year old kid dancing around the house, you know, that's Rob. Then Nicko went on the road with Maiden and I started working with Patrick Johannson from Sweden, from Yngwie [Malmsteen's] band, and wrote a whole albums worth of material aswell, so I have two albums of material, one with Nicko, maybe sixteen songs and maybe eighteen songs with Patrick, but singers for me it's the hardest thing to find.​

Are you maybe going to use some of that stuff for Anthrax in the future?
Some of the riffs might come into Anthrax. Me and Joey are also talking about a few projects, different kinds of music. We'd change the songs a little bit, some of it will get used, some of the music is unbelievable. I was experimenting with 7-string guitars, I tought myself how to play lead guitar on a 7-string like Steve Vai, a lot of weird tunings. I made Nicko play to a click track, so no freestyle, for two months he had to learn how to play solid beats like when he used to be in Pat Travers, after like two months it was unbelievable, no one even knew that is was him, unbelievable drumming, he has the fastest foot I have seen in my life. We just laughed the whole time, we had the best time.​

You mentioned religion earlier, you're now a reborn christian, how did that happen?
I'm 197 billion percent jewish by blood, so I was blind to Jesus or christianity completely. Maybe the last year before I left the band was a time of change for me, where heavy metal was becoming a disgusting feeling for me in addition to losing my love for the guitar. As I found Jesus, certain things were not right in my environment, drinking, drugs, women, but whatever it may have been around me, not good. It just happened, a lot of my friends I grew up were christians, my friend at that time was a christian and christianity for me is reading the bible and talking straight to God, nobody with a collar in between. If you can find it and you know it's real, then you know that there really is something else out there that created us. After that I found that a lot of people in heavy metal are just like me, but very quiet. Me and Dave [Mustaine] and Dave's wife, Pam, have talked many times, all the time, that's why this last tour with Megadeth was wonderful for the two of us, quite different for the other guys in my band. They don't even ask a question, all of a sudden Dan's in Dave's dressing room praying and Dave has a preacher, a pastor, on the road, and we're in there praying. When they're getting ready to go on stage they call to come in and pray, so this is all weird. My band doesn't even ask a question, and this is okay, it's the way we deal with it. I don't wanna push anything on anyone, people should just know my beliefs and that there are many people in some of the darkest bands you'd ever believe who know what is right, that there is a one true living god and you can speak to him anytime you want. That's basically it. For me because I'm jewish, I had no preconceived notion of what's in the New Testament, we have the Old Testament.​

UNITED WE STAND
How does it work, having the watch business going alongside Anthrax?
scott3.jpg
This is a decision I had to make. I got an email from Charlie: "We're in Mexico, we played for two hundred people, I think maybe it's time." There's a secret to Anthrax, some of it's explained and some of it is not. We have Charlie and Scott, who come from punk music, it's about aggression which you feel pounding, and you have me and Joey, we're from melody, I'm a lead guitar player, also happen to play very heavy rhythm but I come from Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Led Zeppelin as well as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. My brother is five years older than me, so I was shown all this other music, the first generation of music as well as jazz and classical music that I'm trained in. So me and Joey, what I say is, we put the melody to the mayhem, it's basically the formula. Maybe when Charlie started to play the guitar about the third or fourth Anthrax album, he can't play good, but he'd play for two or three ours, just riffs and we're writing an album and I would go "What? Play that one again."​

So you two are the soft side to Anthrax?
Soft and schooled musician. "I think this should have a 4th and a 5th and a flat 7th." and they don't know what I'm talking about, you know we do it that way.​

How much you were in touch with your former bandmates when you were doing other things in your life. I mean you mentioned earlier that Charlie contacted you via e-mail when he asked you to come back in Anthrax?
anthrax%2020060016anthrax2006.jpg
This was a time where my love for the guitar had just returned somewhat and I was already jamming with two different drummers, but I still had my one store. My decision... the way my personality is, I go all into one thing, I don't keep many things, businesses, going. So we discussed lawyers and all that business kinda things and "We'll give it a shot." is what I said, but only if it's the five of us. I had emailed Charlie a few times over the years, he's the only person I had sent an email to during my absense, so if he wanted to send me an email anytime he could have. But beyond that nobody ever talked to anybody, only me and Joey, we talked. So the lawyers did their thing and we said we'd see what happens first for six months and if everything goes well, then for eighteen months. The first six or nine months was really weird, very much adjustment for me, Joey too, but very much for me because I left the band everything and for ten years after "Sound of White Noise" which you know has sold two million copies, their next album sold 80,000 and the next ones less and less. The blessing of the five of us, the chemistry, I guess, is not there. You can blame it on whatever it is, when you leave someone with a restaurant that's serving lobster and everyone's buying it and the day you leave nobody's coming in for lobster, they're coming in for hamburgers now, that's all I have to say. I really have nothing else to say, except that coming back and finding out that we play these kinda places, we travel this way, there's no money, you know, we have to start from nothing again, it's difficult because for ten years they're running the business, all of a sudden I'm new, Joey's new, even though we're old, we're new, so it's a lot of behind the scenes things.​

What's going to happen when the eighteen months are up?
We'll see, everybody here wants to make music, I can tell you I wanna make music, I have plenty of music to go and plenty of riffs. I can't wait to just bring this to the next level where we should be. I can't believe we spent one year on the road and toured songs that are ten years old to thirteen years old, it's been ten years for me, thirteen for Joey, and people still come to see us, this for me is baffling, I don't understand this. First you put out new music, then you go on the road, then everybody sing all the songs. So, it's amazing to see a thousand or two hundred thousand people in Download put their arms up in the air and remember who we are after all this time.​
anthrax%2020060089anthrax2006.jpg
So you at least wish to carry on with the band?
Yeah. Right now we had to take two months off because Charlie had a baby, now Frankie's gonna have a baby, so the next two months will be off, the tour ends and we're not booking up any more shows. If it were up to me, we'd start writing right away without Frankie because like with "Among the Living", I don't think Frankie was ever there. People should know finally that the real pattern of how it's done, people are very confused about this band, they think Scott is the singer, people who don't know, because he does the press, they think Scott writes all the music or Charlie writes all the music, it's all completely untrue.
Yeah, maybe when we were gone, maybe they wrote the music, so this is where they are before I came back, playing a bar, wonderful. I don't care who writes the music, it's the five of us in the room, I take credit for nothing, the five of us, somehow, some reason, something special. Hopefully you'll get a new Anthrax album by this time next year and we'll be back to normal.
For the reunion they also had to get Frankie back in the band, was that difficult?
frank1.jpg
No, he was in before they even contacted me. He was doing the Helmet thing, but that was kinda like a side thing and I don't really know the story of what happened and I don't ask. You have to understand, even when we were writing I'm the Man, Charlie and Frankie they grew up in the same house, Charlie's sister is Frankie's mother, Frankie has no father, they grew up in the same italian house with like twenty people, grandmother screaming. Me and Scott used to drive up all scared to this house to pick them up for practise in the old days. I'd say "Scott, you went inside, are they coming out?" He'd say "I don't know, there's so many people, I don't know who anybody is anymore." So it's a family, you know, when two brothers fight. When we wrote "I'm the Man", Frankie threw an Anthrax skateboard at Charlie, we just sat and laughed, I imagine that's what happened, a lot of business tention at that time, this is me elaborating, not factual, but I would imagine lots of pressures at that time.​

How have things gone moneywise for you?
I prefer to speak about the music [laughs]. Musicwise we're okay, obviously watchmaking is extremely lucrative for me because in America there's maybe like three people like me, in the whole world there's not many either with my credentials. So for me it's the love, I hope to do many other things beside Anthrax, music, like we discussed, me and Joey have one project I wanna do so people can see and feel the true Dan Spitz, the true guitar player. Hopefully we get to make a new album together somehow someway?
There are rumours which says that Frankie, Scott and Charlie have apparently already done some stuff for the new album, have you heard about that?
They did. Joey and I got an email, they just happened to be near Charlie's house doing some press, the three of them, so they got together and jammed, that's it, beyond that everybody knows that once again there's no formula, the five of us are gonna get together in a room and write some music or there's not gonna be a new real Anthrax album, that's my words. Like I said there's still a pattern for the last ten years that has been set, nobody ever took my spot, he [Paul Crook] was my roadie, he was never part of Anthrax, the next guy was never part of Anthrax, Fred Flintstone as they they call him, these are just hired people who make 500$ a week or whatever they make. And John Bush, yeah, he writes lyrics, but that's not Anthrax, there's only one Anthrax that everybody wants to see and everybody can't wait for new music for.​

Funny thing is that very soon after you announced the reunion, Testament did the same thing...
There are a lot of people that realize as they get older that there was only one magic, only one unexplained, like I said, we get in a room and we write and we play, we can't explain certain things. I know what Scott's gonna play before he play's it and it's not from just being with him for all those years.​

It's funny that when I interviewed Alex Skolnick on last summer he mentioned similar reasons for their re-union...
He's a good guy, a does a lot of jazz stuff in Manhattan too. If you watch Alex you see some of the avenues that I will explore if I will continue doing music, so people can see how I really play because in Anthrax it's so fast paced and calls for a different style than what my soul calls for in lead guitar work. So when we get a chance to do something else, it will be heavy, but with lots of space to really show people "Let's go, Joey can sing, watch this motherfuckers!".
Yeah he really can sing I know that for sure. Our time is now running out... Thank you very much and see you later on the show!
No problem and see ya later.​
 
Dan Spitz always comes off as nuts. Always. Very full of himself.

That said I will say musically the band was better with him but I can't imagine anyone wanting to deal with that.
 
Well, they are playing in front of thousands because they are opening for Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth.

The reality is once the band decided to change their sound the crowds went from 5000 - 10,000 to some very lowly 300-400 a night during Volume 8.
Yeah but remember I saw Slayer around that same time in Jacksonville, maybe 500 people in that bar but probably not that many. It was the time, not the music. Never followed Exodus very much but what were they doing doing this same time period? At rock bottom, if even together at all, because their music sucked? No the music industry sucked for metal at that time. If Anthrax never changed their sound and put out POT2, they would have been done. I wish that weren't the case but music fans are stupid. If a record label doesn't back it 100% and tell listeners this is what they are supposed to like, then they move on. Unfortunately we here are the few who actually appreciate good music despite the labels that record companies tell us we are supposed to like. This is why I like the old thrash and the SOWN direction. It's all fucking great music that stands the test of time, unlike Cobain's garbage that ruined metal forever. RIM Kurt...(rest in misery):D
 
Oh yeah one more example I was so happy to see Exodus live a few years ago, I remember I posted about it here. Supporting the Atrocity Exhibition, completely brilliant album, pure thrash and one of their best albums ever, which is huge coming from a band that has played arenas around the world with legions of fans worldwide. 150 people there. That's what happens when you don't change with the times. Anthrax would have been in the same place if POT2 came out. Instead they changed with John and SOWN and remained relevant, then the industry changed again and they hit a low point (along with EVERY thrash band in existence, all of which had shittier singers than John Bush) so now the industry is telling us that thrash is back so we got Joey again and another thrash album on the way, as directed by the biz. Yay. Also remember we talked about the Anthrax logo being gone on Stomp and how stupid that was? Metallica lost theirs on Load, Exodus lost theirs on Force Of Habit, Slayer lost theirs on Diabolus. None of these bands had a choice. I'll buy this new album day one, I'm anxious to see if the label makes them wear tight pants again, they sure as hell don't have a say.
 
Dan Spitz: "Only" is probably the best song we ever wrote in the history of this band, I kept telling Charlie "Slow down, slow the fuck down, just for some parts.", that's where me and the singer can shine the melody, you know, leaving space is as important as the music that you write."

Dan Spitz: "For me it was during that year to year and a half during the writing of the "Stomp 422" album in Yonkers. I spent about a year writing that album, that's what people don't know."

ironmaidenfan09 are you sure that Anthrax would have been so much better with Dan Spitz during the Bush-era? your fav. Anthrax-tune "Only" is the best Anthrax-song ever in his opinion and your fav. album 'Stomp' was written by him. it was his idea to slow down so the dramatic change of sound didn't only come from Charlene or Jewy, Spitz also had something to do with it.
 
Yeah but remember I saw Slayer around that same time in Jacksonville, maybe 500 people in that bar but probably not that many. It was the time, not the music. Never followed Exodus very much but what were they doing doing this same time period? At rock bottom, if even together at all, because their music sucked? No the music industry sucked for metal at that time. If Anthrax never changed their sound and put out POT2, they would have been done. I wish that weren't the case but music fans are stupid. If a record label doesn't back it 100% and tell listeners this is what they are supposed to like, then they move on. Unfortunately we here are the few who actually appreciate good music despite the labels that record companies tell us we are supposed to like. This is why I like the old thrash and the SOWN direction. It's all fucking great music that stands the test of time, unlike Cobain's garbage that ruined metal forever. RIM Kurt...(rest in misery):D

Are you trying to talk sensibly here? If, so, stop cuz most of the rummies here aren't gonna belive ya......:D

(Good work, I say!)
 
I always cringe when I hear or read things like "grunge killed metal". What the fuck?! It was only that the media created another hype and it was clearly up to the listeners which bands they supported back then (with their money). I mean, where did all the people go? Do you think they all died when they first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit? Come on...