Skid Row drummer Rob Hammersmith recently spoke with Appetite for Distortion about the challenges of working in the entertainment industry, emphasizing that having thick skin is essential.
Hammersmith talked about the challenges of the music industry, also addressing how Richard Fortus has often been compared to Izzy Stradlin. “It’s been a challenge certainly. To start, people like myself and Richard Fortus situation and anybody who might be walking into a situation like this right out of the gate you’re already choosing to work in an industry where thick skin is a requirement. That’s not exclusive to music that’s true of so many industries. but entertainment in general, the music industry, you’ve got to have thick skin even if you are an original member or you are a multiplatinum artist or an amazing songwriter. Whatever the case might be, you still need to go into it. Thick skin is a requirement.”
He admitted there are moments when it’s harder to handle than others. “I’m not going to lie, I’ve had some days or some moments that I was a little bit better equipped to get through it than others. It’s a challenge, but I think for myself, I’m committed to what I do. I’m very fortunate that I’m in a situation where I’m surrounded by people. We’ve had our ups and downs, don’t get me wrong, it’s a family.”
Hammersmith also noted the challenges of being in a band, comparing it to being part of a family. “Anybody who tells you that being in a band is like a family, they’re absolutely right. It sounds cliche but it’s 100% true, and with that, you certainly have moments or you have days or you have periods of time where it’s a little bit easier than others. I think struggle is probably the right word. I’ve been challenged by it trying to figure out make sense of your role in something that’s much bigger than any one individual. That can be really challenging.”
In other news, Skid Row is actively searching for a permanent singer. Hammersmith explained that there are many factors involved in the decision. “There’s so many different factors. I say anybody that’s ever been in a band, but it’s not exclusive to being in the music industry. This is really true with really any situation in life, whether it’s a marriage or relationship or any other industry, there’s so many different factors involved.”
He continued by sharing how they’ve approached the search process: “So for us, we certainly look back on some of our past experiences, myself included — I’ve been with the band for 15 years now; longest job I’ve ever held. I don’t know how I pulled this off, but here I am talking to you guys, 15 years later. So we really did want to take a minute to say to ourselves and then to each other, how do we really wanna go about doing something like this in a way that maybe we can do it differently than we’ve done in the past? So for us, that’s been an ongoing process.”
The drummer also mentioned that while they’ve had great candidates, they are still looking for the right fit.
