Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir recalls being told he’d never make it – because of the way he dressed.
When Suicidal Tendencies first emerged in the 1980s, they looked a million miles apart from many of the people on the punk rock and metal scene at the time.
But Muir and his bandmates were never interested in conforming, he says, and he recalls one ‘rock star’ trying to offer wardrobe advice.
Muir tells Alt Press: “We didn’t dress the way other people did. It’s funny that with punk rock, they talk about non-conformity, but they want you to conform.
“I remember someone that was in one of the ‘big bands’ back in the day saying, ‘Mike, you’re actually pretty good, but you’ll never do anything looking like that.’
“I’m looking at him with eyeliner and his leather jacket, thinking, ‘Dude, you look like you’re dressed up for Halloween! This is the way that we are.’ I said, ‘Dress the way we do, think the way we do and then you’re an individual? I lost that somewhere.’”
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And Muir thanks skateboarders for not caring what the band looked like or what genre they belonged to and simply falling in love with their sound.
He says: “Skateboarders were the first people that got into the band, that didn’t sit there and go, ‘What kind of music is this?’
“They just connected to it and thought it was great to skate to. We were inducted into the Skateboard Hall Of Fame this year, which is a really amazing thing for us.”
Suicidal Tendencies released their 12th album World Gone Mad this year.
Suicidal Tendencies tour dates 2017
Jan 18: Berlin Astra Kulturhaus, Germany (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 19: Warsaw Progresja, Poland (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 20: Brno Sono, Czech Republic (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 21: Dresden Eventwerk, Germany (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 22: Torhout De Mast, Belgium (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 23: Hamburg Grose Freiheit, Germany (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 24: Wiesbaden Schlachthof, Germany (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 25: Munich Backstage Werk, Germany (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 26: Milano Live Club, Italy (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 27: Lausanne Les Docks, Switzerland (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 28: Oberhausen Turbinenhalle, Germany (with Agnostic Front)
Jan 29: London O2 Forum, UK (with Agnostic Front)
