The Jamaica, Queens-based band were one of the seminal groups in the early U.S. thrash metal scene, along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer (nowadays, they're known as "The Big Four"). In this excerpt, Ian tells the story of future Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine's unceremonious firing from Metallica, and he recalls picking up his replacement - former Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett - from the airport.

It was New Year's Eve 1980, and we had a big party at my friend Richie Herman's house. He lived on the first floor of our building, and his dad was always out of town, so we had fifty or sixty people at his house to celebrate my birthday. I went nuts. I'd been drinking before, but now I was almost legal. I was seventeen, and I drank so many screwdrivers made with that ultrapremium vodka, Popov. It's right up there with Grey Goose and Tito's, if they tasted like used Russian bleach. I must have had twelve. I have vague memories of making out with this girl, and we stopped kissing because I was getting queasy. I felt the vomit come up my esophagus, and I pulled away and puked all over her and then proceeded to puke all over Richie's bathroom.

I crawled up the stairs one flight back to my mom's apartment, crashed out, and woke up the next day still throwing up. I was sick for two or three days. Just the smell of booze nauseated me for years after that. Looking back, that was an advantage because I didn't drink much during all the formative years of Anthrax, and that helped me maintain focus. I'd go to bars and have a beer or two, but I was not part of the Alcoholica team. Looking at Metallica now, they had a totally different dynamic. Their music was strong enough to hold up even when they were sloppy drunk, and even when Dave Mustaine was in the band they really were the Four Horsemen. They just all had very strong, different personalities. James Hetfield was actually the wallflower. He was quiet like [Anthrax drummer] Charlie [Benante] with a good sense of humor and hadn't developed his rock star persona yet. He looked awkward around people, but when he was holding his guitar and screaming into the mike he was right at home. That was where he belonged, even though he never said anything onstage. That was all Dave.

Mustaine was the real front man of the band. He did all the talking onstage and he had that rock star personality. He was also an out-of-control, mean drunk, but he had a sharp sense of humor. Lars could be funny, too, and he could talk a ton of s-t. He actually couldn't really play when they started. He learned by jamming along with James's songs and just got better as they went. It would be hard to imagine Lars in any other band, but he's the right drummer for Metallica. He was also the voice of the band from day one.

If I were to single any of them out as someone who looked like he didn't belong, it would be Cliff. Anthrax and Metallica had a certain look: tight jeans, high-top Nike or Converse sneakers, metal T-shirt, leather jacket, or denim over leather. And then there was Cliff in his bell bottoms, cowboy boots, R.E.M. T-shirt, and jean jacket decorated with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Misfits pins. He was definitely an oddball, but in his own way, he was the most metal of all of us because he flew his own flag and he was the most talented musician-possibly the best I had ever met-even better than [original Anthrax bassist Dan] Lilker. He was a virtuoso bassist, and he understood music and theory. Compared to him, we were cavemen. He was very aloof but not standoffish. He was cool, laconic. He almost resembled a character from the '50s, like the Fonz from Happy Days, if the Fonz played in Molly Hatchet. Cliff would stand there with a cigarette, give you a squint-eyed Clint Eastwood grin and say, "What's up?"