STEVE:
Hey! A Blog! Nice. So the year is coming to a close and that leads to us thinking back, recalling all the radicalness that the year 2009 gave us. And there was LOTS! Good shows, good releases and good times all around. And we will GET to some of that action soon enough. For NOW though, a couple stories. Only a couple, although we have MANY… because Kev and I were talking about how awesome we have gotten to be in the last few years thanks to The Rock and our fav three hours of the week: METAL SHOP! Here’s a story that’s near and dear to my heart…….
It was approximately SIX years ago. Hanging out alone, backstage at The Moore, waiting for Arch Enemy to hit the stage… Now, I had gotten there a little late, but it was hard to be bummed out on the fact because a lil band we call SLAYER (they ripped that place apart by the way) was hitting the stage shortly after good ol Arch Enemy was done jud jud shredding us. I always take advantage of free… ANYthing, so there I am enjoying some fresh salsa, chips and a can of Sprite when a man I had never met at that point, a man by the name of Tom moseyed over to the food table. I had met a couple of the dudes in Slayer but never TOM! Did he look menacing? Not really. Was he Tom Araya, the FRONT man of a band that not only every bro I have respects, but has been fronting this “Slayer” metal act since when my Mom had to dress me and cut up my french toast? Yep.
I don’t get nervous often. I pride myself on this. It DOES happen, though. Once in a blue moon. USUALLY when someone I look up to ends up being more generous with their time and even COOLER than I expected. That’s what went down. I HAD to do SOMEthing. It’s just Tom and I in this huge room (almost actually a floor underneath the stage) at The Moore. I had no interview planned and no greeting ready for the quiet and relaxed-looking Mr Araya. Fishing through my pockets like people tend to do when thinking, almost hoping to find an answer deep down in there somewhere, I come upon a couple trading cards. BINGO! One, being a Rock Girl 2003 Trading Card and the other, METAL SHOP. Yes! I can give him my card!
So with a non intrusive, “Hey there…Tom?”, I shove my hand out with the cards, tell him about my little radio thing I do, quickly, thank him for being so BADASS all these years and give a grin. He returns it and thanks me, takes the cards, and well, what more do I need! I walk back over to the chips and chow on a few, feeling quite satisfied with myself. It could end there and the night would be an ‘A’ in my book. But no, Mr Reign in Blood walks over to the table and starts interviewing ME about Metal Shop! I think it was the combo of it being HIM on top of this look he had. Not like, jeans and sleeveless shirt look. Like, the look of a dude that has been around the world a few times, knows what he stands for and will judge YOU far slower than you, him. That’s it! I don’t even know what we talked about. It was only five minutes, but one of my favorite five I can recall. It was a lil bit like hanging with Santa Clause! But if like, he was from Chile and sang about Dead Skin Masks…you know?
