Slayer is a band that have basically done it all. They are legends of heavy metal. But this wasn't always the case. Kerry King was recently interviewed, and asked about the moment when he realized his band "made it" and his answer turned into a rant on newer bands and their sense of entitlement:
"Probably the first time we got a tour bus. One thing that I notice a lot… I can't say all the new bands, but a lot of the younger generation, they seem to expect things. They expect to go on tour and have the tour bus that their heroes have. When we came up, we had a Camaro and a U-Haul. And then when we got 'big,' we had a van and a u-Haul. So when you got the tour bus, it was, like, 'Alright, something's gotta be working,' you know. But I never expected it. It was just, like, 'Alright, if we deserve it, when our time comes, fuck yeah, we got a tour bus. That's awesome.' And then you get a different perspective. But people…. I see it a lot at these NAMM shows, people come in and present themselves like, 'Don't you wanna give me some?' without being anybody, without earning shit. And it wasn't like that when I grew up … I think they have a huge sense of entitlement."
I get what King is saying. A lot of bands have primadonnas in them. But the thing is, literally ANYBODY can rent a bus. All you have to do is pay for it. From what we hear, it basically costs $1,000 a day to rent/maintain a bus. If a band is making that kind of money and is willing to burn through their income to have luxury on the road, then by all means, go right ahead.
Ultimately, this is a business, and it's about saving money. The reason Kerry feels the band made it when they got a bus is because they could afford the luxury. Some bands jump the gun on luxury and I think that's what King is talking about. Earn your bus rental!!
[via Blabbermouth]
