Since their platinum-selling breakthrough ANThology back in 2001 - and its chart-smashing cover of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal - it's been a tumultuous ride for Alien Ant Farm, but this month sees the band returning to UK shores to perform the album with which they made their name in its entirety.
Founding guitarist Terry Corso is onboard once more to disrupt the nu-metal tag with which the band have long been lumbered, courtesy of the dynamic, genre-hopping riffs he wrings from a Schecter T-style.
Just as the tour kicked off, we got hold of Terry to pose a question or two, and his to-the-point answers only go to emphasise the man's great taste in tone, players and, indeed, sports…
1. What was your first guitar and when did you get it?
"I had a crappy Randy Rhoads Flying V made by a company called Arbor. My grandmother put it on lay away for me and I literally counted the minutes until it was finally mine."
2. The building's burning down - what one guitar do you save?
"My Les Paul 1960s Classic reissue Les Paul. That guitar revived me."
3. What's the one effects pedal you couldn't do without?
"Probably my MXR Phase 90. I probably ape it a little too much."
I had a couple of really great Supros from the early '60s. I miss them very much
4. Is there a guitar, or piece of gear, that you regret letting go?
"I had a couple of really great Supros from the early '60s. I miss them very much."
5. When did you last practise and what did you play?
"I don't remember and I don't remember, haha! I tour a lot."
6. Is there an aspect of guitar playing that you'd like to be better at?
"Practising. Hahaha."
7. If you could have a guitar lesson from one guitarist, dead or alive, who would it be?
"Jeff Buckley. He had a bitchin' style."
8. What item of gear would you take with you to a desert island?
"An acoustic. Obviously."
9. What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you onstage?
"I've eaten shit more than once on stage as a result of mindlessly rocking out, but a couple of times I've gone off the front of the stage as well. That's never good."
10. What advice would you give your younger self about playing the guitar?
"Stick with golf."
Alien Ant Farm tour the UK in October/November:
Oct 24: Preston 52 Degrees
Oct 25: Bristol Marble Factory
Oct 26: Chester Live Rooms
Oct 27: Leamington Spa Assembly
Oct 28: Southampton Engine Rooms
Oct 30: Wolverhampton Slade rooms
Oct 31: London O2 Academy Islington
Nov 02: Barnstaple Factory
Nov 03: Reading Sun 89
Nov 04: Southend Chinnerys
Nov 05: Hull The Welly
Nov 06: Oxford O2 Academy
“It stands out for being HEAVY!”: Jerry Cantrell reveals his favourite Led Zeppelin song
“‘Where's Carlos?’ ‘He's in that room.’ So my parents and I, we knock on the door, and he's, ‘Oh, you're the kid I heard about… do you want to play tonight?’”: How a 9-year-old guitar prodigy ended up jamming with Carlos Santana
