For a band with no aspirations, Suicidal Tendencies has traveled a long way on a bumpy road to success. When it came, the band was ready.
If someone 10 years ago had told lead singer/founder "Cyco" Mike Muir he would be recording albums and performing in front of stadium-size crowds, he would have laughed in their face."Our situation was different," said the soft-spoken Muir in a telephone interview from California. "We got together after school like most kids our age, and instead of playing baseball and basketball we played music, but we weren't real serious."
Muir said the band from Venice, Calif., which will play at the Salt Palace, Saturday, Nov. 28, as special guest to Megadeth, owes its career to the college crowd.
Underground college stations kept Suicidal Tendencies alive after Los Angeles city officials and concert promoters slapped a ban on the band that prevented it from performing within a 400-mile radius of Los Angeles.
"Colleges tend to be a little more liberal than the rest of the country," Muir laughed. Then his voice became solemn.
"I remember the first time I heard the band on the radio. I didn't know what to think. I was in 7-Eleven and thought it was some kind of joke, but after a while I realized it was really us," he said. "I was all paranoid after hearing it and had mixed feelings about what people would say."
Much to his relief, the response was positive.
"I was really surprised when people said they liked it."
It was during these college radio years success stepped to the door and knocked hard.
In 1983, Flipside Magazine ranked Suicidal Tendencies as Best Band of the Year and the single "Institutionalized" became an underground hit with the punk/
thrash crowd. The band was then featured on the movie soundtrack of "Repo Man" and had a guest appearance on "Miami Vice."
With the soundtrack and TV appearance under their belts, the band released some videos for MTV. This proved to be beneficial. National radio stations broke the ban and began playing songs. Album sales skyrocketed.
The only thing left to do was a world tour.
"We just got back from Europe opening for Queensryche," Muir said. "It was amazing. In stadiums, the band has more control. Everything is scheduled and laid out for you. This is a definite plus for the kids. If a band feels in control, it plays better. We did."
One of the noticeable advantages was the arena atmosphere. It was open, free and still intimate.
"There wasn't a feeling of being locked up in a stuffy smoke-filled room," Muir said. "We connected with the kids and had fun this time. I have never seen so much e-ner-gy."
Muir enjoys playing live but said the band still thrives on recording. The secret, he said, is to enjoy the work - not always easy.
"You need to believe in what you're doing and why you're doing it. You also need to have a positive opinion about yourself," he said. "It takes quite a bit of soul searching. I found the best way to be different is to be better."
This same philosophy is evident in the new release, "Art of Destruction." It is the most sophisticated album the band has ever embarked on. Muir believed from the start it was going to be the band's best.
"We went to the studio and really enjoyed being there," he said. "But the situation is much deeper than that. The trick is belief. If you don't believe in what you're doing, it will affect the outcome."
The band also called in a new producer who has worked with Queensryche and Rush, Peter Collins.
"Pete was good to work with," Muir said. "He wasn't overbearing and only there when we needed him."
Collins wasn't the only one new to step on Suicide row. Ex-Y & T/White Lion drummer Jimmy DeGrasso joined the band a few months ago. Muir said DeGrasso was the best choice for the band.
"We auditioned 30-plus drummers who were all highly recommended. When we decided on Jimmy, we were confident he was the right one," Muir said. "He hasbrought a fresh angle to the band and his new interpretations of old songs have helped the band in presenting itself."
The album is proof.
"We knew what we wanted and we went about it the best way possible," Muir said. "We want to listen to this album five years down the line and say, `That's the way we wanted it.' "