In the summer of 1984 Anvil toured the world with the biggest bands in rock [The Scorpions, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake]. All of them sold millions of records around the world -- all of them -- but one.
Everything about Anvil is remarkable, funny and ironic, and filled with a natural drama. Take, for example, how I first stumbled upon the seminal speed metal band and met up with the filmmaker behind the awesome new rockumentary that's coming out about them.
I was editing the February edition of Scott Ian's Food Coma column, in which he mentioned the Anvil movie premiere he'd just attended in London. While searching for a link to add to Scott's piece, I came across the trailer for the movie.
Having heard the opening tagline, I was immediately hooked (take a look -- you will be too). The next thing I typed was an email to Scott asking him for a contact for the film since I was compelled to write about it. He duly introduced me via email to the film's British director, Sacha Gervasi.
Gervasi is a character whose life is almost as bizarre as Anvil's, though he's enjoyed a greater degree of success than the hapless band. The reported father of Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell's child was the original drummer for a prototype Bush. After leaving the band, he paid his way through UCLA Film School by working as a journalist, then penned a movie, The Terminal, which was directed by Steven Spielberg. Focusing on the tale of two die-hard metalheads on the wrong side of fifty, who refuse to give up their rock & roll dream, might seem like an unlikely follow up to a big budget Hollywood hit, but that's just the route Gervasi chose to take.
I scheduled an interview with Gervasi a couple of Fridays ago, and called his cell phone number from my Studio City home at the appointed time of 7 pm. Here's how this story played out:
Sacha Gervasi: Hello
Nicole Powers: Is that Sacha?
SG: Is that Nicole?
NP: It certainly is.
SG: You sound very English.
NP: So do you.
SG: I didn't know that. Ian didn't say shit about that.
NP: Well you know what he didn't say too? He didn't tell me that Anthrax started out life as an Anvil covers band.
SG: You didn't know that? Anthrax was an Anvil cover band.
NP: I had no idea.
SG: How fucking cool is that? Isn't that mental?
NP: Even when we spoke about the movie he never dropped that into the conversation, which is kind of a big detail.
SG: Kind of a big deal. Can I ask you to call be back on a landline. Is that OK?
NP: Absolutely.
SG: I'm at the Sheraton Universal Hotel. The number is...
NP: You are kidding me. I'm across the road from you.
SG: You better get over to the bar then.
NP: OK.
SG: I'll meet you downstairs...I'll see you in the lobby of the Sheraton Universal in like ten, fifteen minutes.
NP: Perfect. I'll see you there.
[CUT TO THE SHERATON LOBBY. CUE INTERVIEW.]