Rob Caggiano Reveals Why He Left Anthrax
When Rob Caggiano quit Anthrax earlier this month, he didn’t get very specific as to why he was quitting Anthrax, instead offering the ol’ “my heart is just steering me in a different direction right now” chestnut. But now he’s gone into more detail during an interview with Pro Sound News, and basically what it boils down to this: he wasn’t getting to do enough songwriting in ‘Thrax. Says Caggiano:
“I had a blast playing with those guys and they will always be family to me, but outside of my guitar solos and production work, Anthrax was never a creative outlet for me (musically). That wasn’t by any choice of my own by the way; it’s just the way it is. But at the same time I was committed 100 percent to the band and the relentless touring schedule, etc.
“It’s been a blast playing with those guys. I love them dearly and I wouldn’t change a thing about the last 12 years, but I guess it just got to the point where I started asking myself: ‘What the hell am I doing? I’m a musician; this is who I am. Being creative is simply food for my soul. Why am I devoting all of my time and energy into a band where being creative is impossible for me?’ It simply stopped making sense a while ago and I ended up feeling very unhappy and unfulfilled.”
My reaction to this kind of statement is always schizophrenic. On the one hand, I completely sympathize with a creative person wanting to be creative, and not just a hired gun; on the other hand, most bands have a member or couple of members who, ultimately, do the bulk, if not all, of the songwriting, and in Anthrax, those members have been Scott Ian and Charlie Benante for thirty years now. Also, sometimes it turns out that these dudes who want to do more songwriting are not actually great songwriters. I’d be curious to know if Caggiano ever submitted any possible material to Anthrax which the rest of the band ultimately rejected, or if he was just told outright not to bother.
The other question that I think is worth asking: couldn’t Caggiano just have started a side-project? Scott Ian has been in like fifteen other bands during his years with Anthrax. Just sayin’.
Presumably we’ll get to hear what it sounds like when Rob Caggiano cuts loose sometime soon. Here’s hoping it’s better than Red Lamb.
[via Metal Insider]
