The following is an excerpt of the interview with Mike McPadden, author of If You Like Metallica…, on Rocktopia.co.uk. Please visit their site for the full interview.

When did you get into rock and metal?

That goes back as far as I can remember. The first rock song I really loved and would wait to hear on the radio so I could sing along was ‘Little Willy’ by Sweet. That was in 1972. I was four. I still love that song. And Sweet.

Which artists have you interviewed in your time?

In 1994, Hustler magazine sent me to Lollapalooza to see who’d talk to us. Green Day ran away, Jennifer Finch from L7 told me off, James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins pretended he had somewhere to be. Nick Cave was really gracious, however, and gave me a great sit-down one-on-one. Perry Farrel was very cool, too.

Who are your favourite bands?

I have tattoos in honour of the Butthole Surfers, the Melvins, King Crimson, and Meat Loaf. So that’s a good roster to start with. I’m also planning some Alice Cooper ink.

Beyond that, it’s not a surprising line-up. Metallica, KISS, Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa, the Sex Pistols, and Ted Nugent form the base. Most of what I like arises from that swirling pool. Right now, my favourite band in the world is The Devil’s Blood, from the Netherlands.

Tell me about your Metallica book… how long did it take you to write and research?

If You Like Metallica… is a reference book that connects more than 200 bands, movies, books, artists and other cultural elements to Metallica. It spans from the dawn of rock to what’s going on right now and topic-wise, it’s all over the place. Entertainingly so, I hope. Backbeat Books gave me the opportunity to write the book in June 2011 and I turned it in just before December. It was a lot of work!

Keep reading this interview on Rocktopia.co.uk!

If You Like Metallica… by Mike McPadden (Backbeat Books)

From garage rock to the avant-garde, indie pop to hardcore punk and, of course, all shades of metal, If You Like Metallica… illuminates the sounds and styles that influenced and have been influenced by this band, in addition to nonmusical elements such movies, books, and cultural iconoclasts. Just as Metallica expanded heavy metal to new meanings and new possibilities, If You Like Metallica… expands being a fan of the band to an education and a treasure hunt that, put as bluntly as a devil-fingered salute to the face, rocks.