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I'm the Man cover art

I'm the Man

By: Scott Ian, Jon Wiederhorn, Kirk Hammett - foreword
Narrated by: Scott Ian
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Summary

From founding member and guitarist of the heavy metal band Anthrax comes a personal reflection of his life and the moments that led him to his role as a staple in rock history.​

I'm the Man is the fast-paced, humorous, and revealing memoir from the man who co-founded Anthrax, the band that proved to the masses that brutality and fun didn't have to be mutually exclusive. Through various lineup shifts, label snafus, rock 'n' roll mayhem, and unforeseen circumstances galore, Scott Ian has approached life and music with a smile, viewing the band with deadly seriousness while recognizing the ridiculousness of the entertainment industry. Always performing with abundant energy that revealed his passion for his craft, Ian has never let the gravity of being a rock star go to his shaven, goateed head.

Ian tells his life story with a clear-eyed honesty that spares no one, least of all himself, starting with his upbringing as a nerdy Jewish boy in Queens and evolving through his first musical epiphany when he saw KISS live on television and realized what he wanted to do with his life. He chronicles his adolescence growing up in a dysfunctional home where the records blasting on his stereo failed to drown out the sound of his parents shouting at one another. He sets down the details of his fateful escape into the turbulent world of heavy metal. And of course he lays bare the complete history of Anthrax—from the band's formation to their present-day reinvigoration—as they wrote and recorded thrash classics like Spreading the Disease, Among the Living, and the top-20-charting State of Euphoria.

Along the way, Ian recounts harrowing, hysterical tales from his long tour of duty in the world of hard rock. He witnesses the rise of Metallica, for which he had a front row seat. He parties with the late Dimebag Darrell while touring with Pantera and gets wild with Black Label Society frontman and longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde. He escapes detection while interviewing Ozzy for The Rock Show while dressed as Gene Simmons and avoids arrest after getting detained on suspicion of drugs while riding the tube in England with the late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.

In addition, I'm the Man addresses the trials and tribulations of Ian's life and loves. He admits his foibles and reveals the mistakes made along the way to becoming a fully-functioning adult. He celebrates finally finding peace and a true sense of family with his wife, singer/songwriter Pearl Aday, and examines how his world changed after the birth of their first son.

I'm the Man is a blistering hard rock memoir, one that is astonishing in its candor and deftly told by the man who's kept the institution of Anthrax alive for more than 30 years.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 Scott Ian (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

Jabby, gabby, and metal-obsessed...exhilarating.—New York Times

Scott writes with real honesty...I'm the Man stands up as a great insight into one of metal's leading figures. And you don't have to be a thrash or rock fan to enjoy it—Jewish Telegraph

Eye-opening...The hard-charging head-banger has assembled his best anecdotes into the revealing autobiography...For every familiar factoid, Ian introduces two or three new nuggets even diehard Anthrax fans probably don't know...Despite the shenanigans and chicanery of Ian's teens and twenties, the man who emerges here is surprisingly level-headed and articulate.—Cleveland Music Examiner.com

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He is the man !!

Read with so much energy you cant help but get caught up in it all (caught in a mosh !!) very interesting .

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Loved it!

As expected lots of Anthrax detail but loved all the stories regarding all my favourite bands.

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Amazing, Scott Ian, YOU ROCK!!!

I loved it Scott gave it balls and to hear him narrate it was Awesome! Been a fan since the begining and seen them many times. Anthrax.....Scott Ian......YOU ROCK!!! Thank you for my teenage memories and for sticking it out and giving me music to love and inspire my son.

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Good insights and great stories

Great insight to the highs and lows of anthrax. Ian comes across as honest and humble and get some cool stories through the evolution of anthrax and the genre. Recommend for all metal fans.

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Excellent insight into Scott Ian's world.

A great listen with the behind - the - scenes - Anthrax laid bare.

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Welcome to the Belly of the Beast

Possibly a bit bias as I love Anthrax since I first heard them in the 80s as a kid, but this audiobook is awesome. I found The early years of the band was most interesting, and every album period that followed was a great reminder of the songs etc, so much so that I have been revisiting all the albums continuously for about two weeks. Scott Ian has been a big character within metal, he speaks well on this. I've loved it, gonna play it again.🤘 keep on rockin 🤘

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NOT to be avoided ..

A must for all thrash fans !
Been an Anthrax fan since '84 seeing them many times . This is well written and brings back great memories
😼👍👍

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He Is Indeed "The Man"

This was a really enjoyable listen from the one and only Scott Ian who narrates virtually the whole thing in his own inimitable brash New Yorker way. He perhaps "over shares" in a few place (I could've done without the giving birth part) but on the other hand, he doesn't shy away from some of the frankly bone headed things he's done over the years (drink driving for example) so it comes over as a genuine "warts and all" tale.

I could take issue with some of his analysis about why some of Anthrax's albums failed (fact is, some of them just didn't contain many good songs) but this book is about what he thinks and he gives it with both barrels. He doesn't pull back...ever!

I'm probably making it sound like there isn't much humour in the book but there is plenty of that as well.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone with a passing interest in Anthrax or even the history of "thrash" metal from one of the pioneers of the genre.

Warning: this book does contain quite a lot of profanity!



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Great read, top man.

Great read from a genuine guy. From the very beginning of the Anthrax story and all the struggles to all the highs. Top Notch

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  • GC
  • 23-06-22

He is the Man

Humble, straightforward, detailed account of Ian's life and work. Very interesting for me as an Anthrax fan since the '80s. An insight into the recording processes and line-up changes. Not hilarious, full of adult language. Fluently and passionately read by Scotty Notty.

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