I have to tip my heavy metal hair to journalist, publisher and musician Ian Christe for posting 45 minutes of Slayer's on-stage banter on his Facebook page, recorded at approximately 24 Slayer shows, then edited and digitized to capture the highlights. And oh, there are highlights.
Originally posted on the intriguing-sounding Soundcloud page, Plantweed, the shows in question took place between 1984 and 1987. You might recall this was a pretty crazy time for Slayer. They released their debut record, guitarist Kerry King briefly departed the band to join Megadeth, and they set out on their first U.S. club tour with Araya's bitchin' Camaro pulling a U-Haul with the band's gear inside. Good times.
Plantweed's Soundcloud page references the highly amusing on-stage banter by Venom vocalist Cronos in 1986 in an attempt to prepare you for what you're about to hear come out of the mouth of Tom Araya. If you're somehow not familiar with this historical event, in 1986 Venom shared the bill with Black Flag while Henry Rollins was still intimidating the shit out of fans as Black Flag's vocalist. It all went down in the charming town of Trenton, New Jersey, at City Gardens – the legendary dive that hosted everyone from Kurtis Blow to GWAR during its heyday. Apparently, one of Black Flag's roadies recorded Venom's set, cutting out all of the music, leaving only Cronos' widely-circulated on-stage banter. If you've heard Cronos hollering the words "YOU WANNA HEAR SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA KICK YOUR BALLS OFF???!!!" then you'll be somewhat prepared for hearing Tom regaling Slayer fans with far more sinister/X-rated banter such as when Araya asks the crowd if they like "older women." Because I'm here to tell you he isn't jawing about lusting after someone's hot Mom. No sir.
