SAXON’s BIFF BYFORD: ‘It’s Good That People Like METALLICA Say That We Influenced Them’

In a new interview with Dioses Del Metal, SAXON frontman Biff Byford was asked how he feels about the fact that his band has been cited as a musical influence by so many other major metal acts, including METALLICA. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think it’s great that bands come out and say who influenced them. It helps us, because by doing that, some of their fans come to listen to us as well. So we pick up a lot of fans from METALLICA and some of the other bands that have stated their influences. So people are checking us out all the time, especially the younger audience. So I think it’s good that people like METALLICA and MACHINE HEAD and some of the other bands say that we influenced them. A lot of the American bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE and some of the ’80s rock bands were influenced by SAXON and MOTÖRHEAD and JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN. So I think it’s good to be in the top five British metal bands, really.”Elsewhere in the chat, Byford spoke about how his band has been able to adapt to the access-over-ownership business model of streaming music. Asked if he thinks the current streaming model, with its low per-stream payouts to creators, has been good or bad for the industry, Biff said: “ I think it’s both — I think it’s good and bad. I think for bands like us, we have to adapt to the new things. I think if you don’t adapt, then you die, basically. So I think you have to adapt and have your foot in both the new and the old. We release vinyls, which people like and people buy, and we have big streaming numbers as well. So, we live in both worlds. And I think most of the bands that are successful still from the ’80s also live in both worlds. I think bands like MAIDEN and PRIEST — and METALLICA, actually — they use social media a lot. But there are still rock printed papers and there are still vinyls and there are still cassettes and there are still CDs and there’s streaming and you can buy things on iTunes. You just have to adapt. I think it’s good and bad. I think some things are better for the public, but I think for the business, it’s sometimes a lot worse now.”Back in December 2011, Byford joined METALLICA on stage for the first of four intimate shows at the 1,200-capacity Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only. The iconic metal vocalist performed the SAXON classic “Motorcycle Man” with METALLICA.It wasn’t the first time Biff and METALLICA had surprised their fans with a live rendition of the song: in 2009, Byford joined the San Francisco heavy metal giants in Paris, at Palais Omnisport de Bercy.METALLICA’s second-ever gig was opening for SAXON, and Biff has been a longtime friend of the California band; like many other seminal bands of the genre, METALLICA always recognized SAXON as one of their main influences.When METALLICA played Sheffield Arena on February 28, 2009, they invited as VIP guests former SAXON members Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson.”In 1982 SAXON played the Whisky a Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood,” Graham explained to SouthYorkshireTimes.co.uk. “It was sold out and Steve and me were asked if we would pick out a support band from a pile of cassettes sent in by young metal bands. METALLICA were far and away the best and even though it was only their second-ever gig; we saw their potential and picked them out to play. We have been friends ever since. They have always had a soft spot for us. Over the years, they have cited us as a big influence and we are always welcomed at their gigs around the world. METALLICA have played Sheffield three times and they always treat us as VIPs. At Rock Am Ring — Germany’s biggest rock festival — they played part of our song ‘Princess Of The Night’. I wrote that riff in a council house in Dryden Road. Back then we were just some kids from Mexborough who once had a dream. To be supported by the band which became one of the biggest in the world, I think that is pretty special. We were sat in the auditorium at Sheffield and they played the old SAXON track ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’ as their intro track. Kirk Hammett [METALLICA guitarist] told me he loves the solo in that. They played in the round and it was very loud but it was a very pure sound.”James Hetfield [METALLICA frontman] is a lovely bloke, but their drummer Lars Ulrich is probably the biggest SAXON fan of them all,” he continued. “He told us that our 1980 album ‘Wheels Of Steel’ is his favorite and said it was a benchmark for them. It is hard for someone of my generation to see that. When I meet someone who played at the Woodstock festival, I am enthusiastic about it. I suppose it is the same for them. We were one of the bands to play in the first Donington Festival and METALLICA were a bit in awe and asked us what those days were like.”[embedded content][embedded content]