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I thought the best way to put together a Michael Anthony biography page would be to have quotes from the man himself.
The following clips are Copyright Guitar World Magazine, September 1991
GW: What's your musical background?
Anthony: I picked up the trumpet in second grade, and played until the first year of junior college. I was kind of following in the footsteps of my father, who had played trumpet in several big bands. Then I joined my first rock group and it was like, "See ya later marching band."
GW: Did you study any theory?
Anthony: Yes. I wanted to major in music in college, but my parents were against the idea. So I majored in psychology for a couple years. Finally I wore them down, and I studied music for the next two years. But then I started thinking, what am I going to do? Teach song-flute to kindergartners? I was just a couple credits away from getting my A.A. when I dropped out. The band was starting to play a lot and things were just getting too hectic and complicated.
GW: What did your dad think of that?
Anthony: He kicked me out of the house! But the band was getting huge, locally and it was either now or never. I would've shot myself if the band had made it without me. After we played our first tour, I bought my parents a car and they became my biggest fans.
GW: Did the guys ever tease you for going to school?
Anthony: No! It was just the opposite, they thought it was good. Actually, before I joined the band, Alex and I would run into each other as he was leaving his jazz provisation classes.
GW: When did you first become aware of the Van Halen brothers?
Anthony: Back in '73, when the band I was with at the time opened for them. It's easy to remember because their P.A. blew up and Ed asked me if they could use ours. Later, a mutual friend told me they were looking for a bass player, and were wondering whether I'd be interested.
GW: Was David Lee Roth in the band at that point?
Michael: Yeah, he had been with them for about a year. That was one of the reasons I joined Van Halen. I was the lead singer in my band and I didn't really feel comfortable in that role. I just wanted to concentrate on my bass playing. I thought, "These guys are great and they all sing. I won't have to worry about a thing." Then one day they asked me if I sang harmony, and I said, "Yes." That was the biggest mistake of my life [laughs]. They really like my voice and started giving me all this background stuff to sing.
GW: Do you remember your Van Halen audition?
Anthony: It was really strange. I met Ed and Al in this garage in Pasedena, and they just started playing all this crazy stuff in odd time signatures. I'd never heard a rock band get off on that kind of outside stuff before and it really excited me. All the bands I played with were always very straight ahead. I guess I surprised them, because I hung right in.
GW: What are some of your favorite Van Halen songs?
Anthony: I've been listening to Fair Warning a lot. Every now and then I'll go out with some people and they'll pull out a Van Halen record and I'll say, "Naah, don't listen to our stuff." But somebody put on "Mean Streets" and it sounded great. I actually got the CD for my car and I play it all the time. I also like 1984-"Drop Dead Legs" in particular...
GW: Who are some of your bass influences?
Anthony: John Paul Jones is my primary influence. He's a perfect example of someone who plays with taste. I also like Jack Bruce's work with Cream. Tim Bogert's playing on the Beck, Bogert and Apprice album, and the late Felix Pappalardi - Mountain's Nantucket Sleighride is one of my all-time favorite records. I listen to some jazz, but when I play, I'm a rock and roller.
The first bass player I ever got excited about was Dick Peterson of Blue Cheer. He used to wear his bass down around his knees and play through huge stacks of Marshalls - he looked incredible. When I saw him I said, "That is what I want to do - sling my bass low and crank that shit up!" I wear my bass a lot higher these days. Maybe I should rethink that.
GW: You don't seem too shy and retiring.
Anthony: I'm pretty quiet, until I get on stage. That's when I really open up.
GW: That's true - you look scarier than shit up there.
Anthony: Sometimes I scare myself!
