Scott Ian of Anthrax gets political and shares his view of the current administration
Author Benedetta Baldin - 19.5.2026
Scott Ian, the guitarist and lyricist for Anthrax, has expressed his disapproval of the current US administration’s approach to kid protection, as per theprp. In an interview with Allison Hagendorf, Ian discussed the band’s recently released single, “It’s For The Kids,” and offered his critical evaluation of both the United States and the current state of the world. Ian talked about the inspiration for the song’s lyrics, which were released online last week.
I was definitely… That’s how I deal with anger. As I’ve learned over the years, anger is fear-based, and certainly having a son has changed my… If it doesn’t change your outlook, there’s something wrong with you, if it doesn’t change the way you feel about things. And, yeah, in some ways, there’s more fear in my life because you have a child, and this world we live in has proven to be not a safe place for children anywhere — not just here in the United States.
And I have a lot of fear about that, which then, of course, turns into anger about that because nobody does anything. Nobody does anything. Speaking specifically from my point of view as a tax-paying citizen of the United States, I can safely say that the administration in power does nothing to protect the children of this country and does harm to children of other countries all over the world. And if you disagree with that, you’re wrong. It’s not opinion, it’s fact.
And the lyrics to this song are my feelings. And it’s me spewing anger so it doesn’t eat me up. It’s always been a tool I’ve used since I was a kid, since I first wrote lyrics on an Anthrax record in 1985, it’s been a way for me to vent. And it’s very cathartic and it’s very therapeutic for me. And people say, ‘What do you have to be angry about?’ I’m, like, look out the window, dude. Yeah, I’m in a band. I fucking love what I do. I get to play guitar. It puts a smile on my face the same way it did when I was nine years old. But I’m a human being with normal human emotions and thoughts and maybe too smart for my own good. [Laughs]
