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A review by gareth_alan
Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax by Gene Simmons, Frank Bello, Joel McIver
5.0
Anthrax was the first metal band I ever got into, and Sound of White Noise was the first metal album I ever bought. It's been my favourite album ever since. So with Anthrax being my first band, that means Frank was the first metal bassist I knew of and is still my favourite.
I've seen the band live more than any other band except for Motörhead, and it's always a pleasure to watch Frank doing his thing. He has so much energy, running and jumping around like a maniac, and you can see he's giving 100% and having the time of his life every single time. So I was excited to hear about this book and I couldn't wait to read it to find out more about him and hear about Anthrax from his perspective.
I've never met Frank, but from word of mouth and seeing him in interviews, he seems like a cool and decent guy, and that's how he comes across in this book too. He's very open and honest about his life. He speaks about how he was affected by tragedies and how he overcame them, from his father leaving, being bullied at school, and the senseless murder of his brother. He speaks about his faults and how he strives to become a better person. He talks a about the history of Anthrax, tells some hilarious road stories, and gives advice from his own life lessons.
The book reads like Frank is actually having a conversation with you, which I imagine would be cool in real life, because this guy has lots of stories. It isn't filled with debauchery and sex and drugs, it's about a regular down to earth guy who doesn't have an oversized rock-star ego, who never refuses to sign an autograph because he remembers what it's like to be a fan and how it feels to be acknowledged by your heroes.
Frank is cool. This book is cool. Read it. Also listen to his song Pieces, which was originally a hidden track on the Volume 8: The Threat is Real record. It's a beautiful song and deserves to be heard by more people.
I've seen the band live more than any other band except for Motörhead, and it's always a pleasure to watch Frank doing his thing. He has so much energy, running and jumping around like a maniac, and you can see he's giving 100% and having the time of his life every single time. So I was excited to hear about this book and I couldn't wait to read it to find out more about him and hear about Anthrax from his perspective.
I've never met Frank, but from word of mouth and seeing him in interviews, he seems like a cool and decent guy, and that's how he comes across in this book too. He's very open and honest about his life. He speaks about how he was affected by tragedies and how he overcame them, from his father leaving, being bullied at school, and the senseless murder of his brother. He speaks about his faults and how he strives to become a better person. He talks a about the history of Anthrax, tells some hilarious road stories, and gives advice from his own life lessons.
The book reads like Frank is actually having a conversation with you, which I imagine would be cool in real life, because this guy has lots of stories. It isn't filled with debauchery and sex and drugs, it's about a regular down to earth guy who doesn't have an oversized rock-star ego, who never refuses to sign an autograph because he remembers what it's like to be a fan and how it feels to be acknowledged by your heroes.
Frank is cool. This book is cool. Read it. Also listen to his song Pieces, which was originally a hidden track on the Volume 8: The Threat is Real record. It's a beautiful song and deserves to be heard by more people.