Perhaps more widely known these days for the 2008 ‘rockumentary’ Anvil! The Story Of Anvil than for their music, the enduring Canadian metallers released their latest album One And Only at the end of June. Its title is a perfect description for these singular metal warriors.
Talking to Classic Rock from his home in Toronto, Steven ‘Lips’ Ludlow, the band’s seemingly never-ageing frontman, is sipping decaf coffee “to stop my heart from defibrillating”, he says, laughing.
Anvil are now twenty albums into their five-decade career, with a short break for the pandemic.
We had some music released before, during and after the pandemic [laughs]. I put stuff together every day. It’s my rule to sit down and create, no matter what. Then Robb [Reiner, drummer] will throw me a bunch of titles, and they’re my hooks to find music and lyrics that fit. We had times when we didn’t plan and it became a real clusterfuck, if you pardon my expression. But when I wrote March Of The Crabs [on 1982’s Metal On Metal] I had it all worked out. That was the way forward.
There’s a bit of soul singer Wilson Pickett in the title track, One And Only.
I’m shocked that you recognised it! But rhythm and blues is where rock started, so thought I’d add the ’bah buppa baaah’ melody. We do things differently, that’s what makes us one and only.
Politics and the music business have made it into the lyrics.
I write about my environment, so World Of Fools is political and Truth Is Dying is about misinformation. Fight For Your Rights – I wanted to reflect on the battles we’ll never win now, and the time when we were so desperate for a deal that we signed away our rights to the first three records for ever.
But Rocking The World is about the fans?
The real gold for Anvil is the fans and the friends you make along the way. It’s not the money at all, it’s the experience.
Did the vibrator make it into the studio for a guitar solo?
Not on this album. But it’s still in the live show. That’s part of the ‘one and only’ thing, and my personality. I’ll do things that no one else wants to do or would do [laughs].
The documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil has been remastered and re-released. What’s new in this version of it?
There’s a one-hour interview where we talk about everything that happened as a result of the movie. Since it came out in 2008 we have a whole new audience. Anvil! will speak to generations to come. It’s not so much about the music, but about not giving up, going after your dreams.
The film speaks to celebrity fans, too.
Oh, man! Some of the Hollywood people I got to know, like, why is a rock guy friends with Dustin Hoffman? Imagine your phone rings and it’s Anthony Hopkins? And then you go to an award show and Paul McCartney, my lifetime idol, knows who I am! I’m getting a second heyday. What a way to fucking retire, into rock’n’roll! I could put all the horrible jobs behind me to travel the world and have a party every night. I can honestly say I got everything I ever wanted, finally, out of the music business.
One And Only is out now via AFM.
