Slayer and Exodus guitarist Gary Holt says he still brings all the energy he can on to the stage, despite having to deal with being 51 years old.
And he’s determined to make sure that musicians half his age don’t outdo him.
Slayer begin a North American tour with Anthrax and Death Angel this week, then he’ll return to Exodus to start work on the follow-up to 2014 album Blood In, Blood Out.
Holt tells Banger TV: “I’m over half a century old. I’m almost an antique. But I still love doing it, and I go really hard live because I refuse to let a guy half my age best me at that.
“The difference is, after the show they hop on their skateboard, go floating around, go drinking all night and they’re fine. Me, I’m looking for a bathtub and I’m gobbling 1600mg of ibuprofen, and dealing with the age.
“But during the show I don’t ever want to look old, slow and tired. We get grey in the hair and beard, but I still love doing it.
“I don’t want to be a shadow of my former self. I’m committed to this shit. I’m not mailing it in. I’m not a guy that they’ll say, ‘I remember back in the day when he was on fire, and now he looks like he’s here for a pay cheque.’ I’m here because I love doing it.”
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Holt believes that one of the things he brings to Slayer is his eternal good mood. He explains: “I’m a good bridge between all the guys to keep everybody happy. It’s rare for these guys to ever see me pissed off about anything. I’m living the dream – I’m playing guitar.”
Asked about the difference between Slayer and Exodus performances, he says: “Slayer’s not a run-around-all-over-the stage band, and neither am I because my knees are shot.
“But with Exodus we’re still criss-crossing the stage at random, non-stop. That’s not Slayer. That’s stupid. I saw someone online who called me prancing ballerina once, just for what I do in Slayer. Fuck, I guess they just don’t want me to do anything.”
Slayer released a video for their track Pride In Prejudice earlier this week.
Slayer/Anthrax/Death Angel North American tour 2016
Sep 09: Cleveland Jacob’s Pavilion, OH
Sep 10: Detroit Freedom Hill Amphitheatre, MI
Sep 12: Toronto Sound Academy, ON
Sep 13: Montreal Metropolis, QC
Sep 15: Pittsburgh Stage AE, PA
Sep 20: Indianapolis Egyptian Room, IN
Sep 22: St Louis The Pageant, MO
Sep 27: Orlando Hard Rock Live, FL
Sep 28: Miami Fillmore, FL
Sep 30: Tunica Horseshoe Casino, MS
Oct 03: Norfolk Norva, VA
Oct 05: Atlanta Tabernacle, GA
Oct 07: Dallas Gas Monkey Live, TX
Oct 08: Austin ACL At The Moody Theatre, TX
Oct 10: Denver Fillmore, CO
Oct 11: Salt Lake City The Complex, UT
Oct 13: Missoula The Wilma Theatre, MT
Oct 17: Lethbridge Enmax Center, AB
Oct 19: Penticton South Okanagan Events Centre, BC
Oct 20: Abbotsford Centre, BC
Oct 23: Reno Events Center, NV
Oct 27: El Paso County Coliseum, TX
