IconsofPunk scored a great, candid, and pretty longish interview with Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante. When asked to chat a bit about the band’s new singer, Dan Nelson, Benante responds:

To be honest with you, and it sounds funny for me to say this but, I didn’t want to make a big announcement about it, because we are still in the early stages. We were almost kind of forced into making the announcement now because of the internet; it ruins every surprise. One asshole finds out about something and they post it somewhere. You know?

And then after a little Star Wars smackdown (“…those last three movies for me were just movies to be made to sell toys”), Benante busts out with this prescient commentary about tabloid music-journos:

For me it’s like, what have you accomplished in your life that gives you any credit to criticize anyone in music, or in anything? It just kind of fucking freaks me out sometimes. People think “Well, my voice needs to be heard about this!” Who gives a fuck about you? The people who do that should probably pay more attention to what’s going on in their city, their country and fucking start protesting. The way they used to do it in the ‘60’s, about shit, you know? This country, to me…I’m a proud American, but when I see bullshit about fucking sixteen year old girls getting pregnant and I read comments from stars like “I fully support her”, I’m like, Fuck You. Don’t fully support her. Kids look up to her because she’s on a fucking television show. And try explaining that to your sixteen year old kid. I wish that whole thing would all come to an end. All of them, I just wish it would end. It’s just gossip and it’s disgusting.

So true, brotha drummer, so true. Down with celebrity gossip. And hack DIY journalists.

Except for us, of course. Everybody needs to know what the fuck we think. So we command you all to watch the following drum duel between Benante and John Tempesta.