THE BEAST

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian isn't bothered by the fact that heavy metal gets little to no respect from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

Asked by the Tampa Bay Times   for his thoughts on Rock Hall's snub of metal acts, Ian said: "I don't care. It doesn't mean anything to me. There's a segment of the fans that are very passionate about this kind of stuff, and it would probably mean a lot to my parents. [Laughs] I feel the same way about that as I feel about Grammys or any type of awards for making music. It's something that has nothing to do at all with anything of me being in the band or playing guitar or writing songs or touring. It couldn't be farther away from why I do this. What does it mean? That 20 dudes sitting around a room decided not to acknowledge the fact that JUDAS PRIEST are one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time? So what? That doesn't change the way I listen to their records. It doesn't change the way I'm going to react when I go see them on tour this year. So no, I don't give a shit. It means nothing to me."

Three years ago, Ian told the New York Daily News that he wished the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame operated more like Cooperstown, New York, where the National Baseball Hall Of Fame And Museum is located. "When you talk about sports, you look at the stats, it's all math," said Ian. "Babe Ruth hit X average and X home runs and so he gets in. Numbers don't lie. When it comes to music, it comes strickly down to taste."

Despite having been eligible for induction since 1999, JUDAS PRIEST was only nominated for the first time last year.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.