Cameron Edney of Pro Music Photography recently conducted an interview with Skid Row guitarist Scotti Hill. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Pro Music Photography: Scotti, last time we spoke, "Revolutions per Minute" was just about to be released, now that you have had so much time to digest it, is there anything you would have changed?
Scotti Hill: I wouldn't have drunk as much while I was making it. [laughs] Part of that record was played on severe hangover. Sometimes it works; sometimes you shoot yourself in the foot! I haven't even listened back; it's been a couple of years now! Usually when we finish recording something I listen to it when it's done and for me I just put it away and then on to the next thing!
Considering it's been almost three years now, I would imagine you are writing new material and would have the wheels in motion for the next album?
Yeah, we haven't sat down and recorded anything yet, but we have sat down and worked out some ideas and just played them on a handheld recorder. Everybody's writing and we're getting into that mind set but we're very slow, we're very lazy. Once the wheels get in motion we'll all probably fly out to Atlanta spend a week or two up there come home, go back up there do it again, we're all living in different cities, which can make it difficult at times.
Mate I want to talk to you a little more about life on the road… going right back to the beginning can you remember the hardest time you had as an opening act?
Oh man, there were a couple of them! I remember back when we were opening for White Lion… eventually both bands wound up coming acquaintances and friendly but we got bumped around a little bit. Any band that gets an opening slot, especially on the bigger tours, the production people don't give a shit about how many records you've sold, they just care about getting their show onstage and on time. They like to kick around the support act, and we've been kicked around a bunch of times! It makes us stronger; it really makes us a better band. If some bands production crew is giving us a hard time, then we're just going to have to get out there and kick that bands ass! I'm a little cocky about it but I'm proud of it, it's like being in a gang!
There's no doubt that over the years some crazy shit has happened whilst you've been on tour, the late '80s bottle incident comes to mind! What's the craziest thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
Oh dude, I've gotten into fights, I've wound up outside the building. I've thrown up onstage more than once probably, more times than I can count I think [laughs]. You go night after night and you're hitting the alcohol a little too hard sooner or later it's bound to come back to bite you and it's usually when you're up there under the hot lights! During the show all kinds of shit happens; we have little conversations and little things going on during the show that people aren't even aware of! During songs we will have a little huddle off to the side and have a giggle about something that happened or that is happening!
Over the years you have shared the stage with many amazing bands like Kiss, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe and, of course, Pantera, what fond memories do you have of all the craziness that was going on backstage with the Pantera crew and jamming with Dimebag?
Looking back on it, it was amazing! We were all pretty young and I remember how beat up and just run down I felt back then being a young guy. Both bands were hitting it really hard and touring really hard. Both bands developed a really good friendship; we hung out a lot, we spent six month out on that tour together and it was really a test of what you could put your body through... And Dimebag… I could go on with stories all night but the bottom line is that he was just a really cool guy, an amazing guitar player and getting to watch him onstage and play every night before we'd play was the ultimate fire under your ass! You knew you had to go out and hit it with everything you've got or you weren't going to come close!
I know from an early age bands such as Kiss and the Ramones played a large influence on you all, but was music always your goal growing up or did you think you would follow a different path?....
No, no, I started playing guitar when I was 13 and that's pretty much where I set my sights! One way or another I just wanted to have a guitar in my hand, weather it was playing covers down at the bar and grill or if it was coming to Australia to see you guys! I didn't want to answer to anybody and I didn't want to sit in one spot. I don't like that, man I just knew!.
Growing up what did your parents think about the music you played?
My parents were very supportive, I didn't do very well at school and I think it was due to a lack of interest. I was into doing artsy stuff, painting, drawing and playing music. My parents helped me anyway they could, they made sure I had a guitar to play, made sure I had gas in my car to get me from here and there, they just saw something that I liked and like any good parent would do, they supported it!
Read the entire interview from Pro Music Photography.
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