Anand Bhatt is a musician, actor, writer, and philanthropist who is involved in many diverse creative projects. He discusses how he got started in music to impress girls and his love of traveling, especially to warm places. Bhatt writes his own music, acts in films and television, and has written a book of healthy recipes for rock stars called "Rock Star Recipes". He discusses the organic way his music develops and his motivation for writing the recipe book. Bhatt emphasizes the importance of giving back through charity work and finding energy through helping others.

1. Guitar Heroes 2011: Anand Bhatt
Rock-N-Roll
Renassiance Man
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Magazine May 2011 Page 8
The Anand Bhatt
Interviewby Thrust Magazine Contributing Writer M. Alberto Rivera

2. Guitar Heroes 2011: Anand Bhatt
THRUST: How did you get in-
volved in so many diverse projects:
writing, performing, acting, playing
music?
BHATT: My friends joke with me
that working isn’t something I do like
a normal person; working is more of
an obsessive-compulsive disorder
with me. So when opportunity strikes,
I strike, too.
THRUST: Of all the different proj-
ects you’re involved with, do you find
yourself enjoying one more than the
others? If so, why?
BHATT: The enjoyment I get out of
each project comes in cycles. No
matter what you work on, eventually
you get to a point in a project where
you feel overworked and exhausted
and that’s where the next project
seems fresh, new and exciting. Right
now I’m having a lot of fun doing in-
terviews and appearances. I just got
a gig from a software company to be
their “rock star spokesman” for five
minutes at a convention. Being paid
heftily to show and be yourself for
five minutes is quite the dream job —
L
ike so many other restless
minds, Anand Bhatt felt com-
pelled to challenge himself to
do more and to be more. He is rock-
n-roll’s Renaissance man: musician,
actor, writer and philanthropist.
He has mastered the guitar to the
point of being sought out for collabo-
rations by acclaimed musicians such
as Faith No More’s Jim Martin, as
well as performing with and leading
his own band, Anand Clique.
He’s the first Indian American to
be inducted into the Latin Grammy
Awards and is a voting member.
His recorded work spans heavy
metal to jazz.
He has turned his attention to act-
ing and performing in movies and on
television, on talk shows and the red
carpet. Whether appearing as an
actor or host, Anand always delivers
a memorable performance.
Still not satisfied with this full sched-
ule, Anand fully believes a man can
do all things if he wills it, leading him
to embrace knowledge and develop
his capacities as fully as possible. He
wrote Rock Star Recipes and devel-
oped his own line of hot sauces. His
energy and optimism always seem
boundless. His audience never has to
wait too long to see where his curios-
ity will lead him, as he is always
quick to share his new projects.
Anand takes a few moments with
Thrust™ Magazine to discuss spicy
food, hot women and his distinct
world view.
THRUST MAGAZINE: How did
someone who grew up in Chicago
develop such a broad and unique
worldview?
ANAND BHATT: I’m not sure how
broad it actually is, but I know it
helped to grow up in an Indian-Amer-
ican family. My parents were also
very big on traveling when we were
little. They figured if they got it out of
our systems early on we’d focus on
school and career in our twenties.
THRUST: You always seem to be
traveling. Is there one place where
you most enjoy spending time?
BHATT: It depends on my mood. I
am partial to the warm places with
hot girls — so Saigon, Bangkok,
Santo Domingo — but here in the
States, the people of Austin and Los
Angeles do a great job making me
feel at home.
I doubt it will get old.
THRUST: Who or what inspired
you to play guitar?
BHATT: Girls inspired me to play
the guitar, of course! When I was a
kid, I used to listen to my older sister
and her friends talk endlessly about
how hot Sebastian Bach [Skid Row]
and Jon Bon Jovi were and I thought
to myself, “I need to become one of
these guys.” My father had an old
acoustic guitar lying around from
when he was in college (he took les-
sons for a week but kept the guitar
luckily) and I picked it up and started
noodling on it like a nervous habit.
THRUST: What was the music
you grew up with?
BHATT: I was raised on the Beatles
and Elvis alongside my Sesame
Street tunes (although embarrassingly
I find the Beatles unlistenable now —
I know it’s sacrilege to say you hate
the Beatles). The first rock bands I
ever heard were Van Halen, KISS,
and Ozzy. I think I had a KISS lunch-
box in first grade. As I got older I
was a cock-rocker and thrash guy all
“
No matter what
you work on,
eventually you
get to a point in
a project where
you feel over-
worked and ex-
hausted and
that’s where the
next project
seems fresh,
new and excit-
ing. Right now
I’m having a lot
of fun doing in-
terviews and ap-
pearances. I just
got a gig from a
software com-
pany to be their
“rock star
spokesman” for
five minutes at a
convention. Be-
ing paid heftily
to show and be
yourself for five
minutes is quite
the dream job—
I doubt it
will get old.—
Anand Bhatt
Anand poses with a South Korean fan in Seoul (January 2011).
www.thrustmagazine.org Thrust™
Magazine June 2011 Page 9

3. “
Guitar Heroes 2011: Anand Bhatt
I initially wrote
the Rock Star
Recipes book to
get friends and
family to stop
asking me ques-
tions about my
eating habits
[laugh]. ... Also,
my health-con-
scious friends
wanted some of
the recipes be-
cause they actu-
ally taste good
— my recipes
are deceptively
healthy because
I’m a really picky
eater.
It’s really cool be-
cause now I meet
strangers on the
street who have
read the book
and benefited
from it. One guy
told me he lost
40 pounds in
four weeks be-
cause of the Rock
Star Recipes.—
Anand Bhatt
the way! I did listen to a lot of Faith
No More; it was a dream come true
when I first got to hang with Mike Pat-
ton and when Jim Martin wanted to
do an album with me.
THRUST: On some of your record-
ings, you seem to have some unusual
and unexpected musical choices,
such as using very Asian/Third-
World percussion on a metal sound-
ing track. Is this a conscious decision
or is it something that develops more
organically?
BHATT: Definitely organically. My
process is about getting into the
zone. I slow down my breathing and
let the music flow — which is why I
think my older material may be an
acquired taste. I listen to some of it
now and think, “Woah, I have days
where I’m out there, don’t I?”
THRUST: What was the motiva-
tion/inspiration for Rock Star
Recipes?
BHATT: I initially wrote the Rock
Star Recipes book to get friends and
family to stop asking me questions
about my eating habits [laugh]. They
watch me eat like I’m in a zoo and
seem to be constantly worrying
about what I’m going to eat at every
meal. “What is Anand eating
today?” Also, my health-conscious
friends wanted some of the recipes
because they actually taste good —
my recipes are deceptively healthy
because I’m a really picky eater.
It’s really cool because now I meet
BHATT: I have no idea where this
energy comes from. Believe it or
not, I’ve calmed down since I was a
kid — I drove my parents insane! I’m
glad they didn’t medicate me. I do
take a lot of downtime though. I prob-
ably spend a good two to three hours
every morning just sitting there think-
ing about stuff or reading. Perhaps
it’s like letting a puppy loose from its
leash when I do finally get started
with my day.
THRUST: What’s the one thing
you’d most like people to know about
you?
BHATT: I’m friendly, so say hi to
me when you see me on the street!
For more information on Anand
Bhatt, visiit his official website at
www.??
strangers on the street who have read
the book and benefited from it. One
guy told me he lost 40 pounds in four
weeks because of tRock Star Recipes.
It makes my day every time I hear
something like that.
THRUST: You’ve talked about
how important it is for you to eat
healthy. Is this ever challenging when
you’re traveling constantly?
BHATT: It used to be, but as I men-
tion in the Rock Star Recipes book,
I’ve developed all sorts of ways
where I can eat healthy and tastily no
matter where I am. The hardest place
was in Vietnam though. Not that Viet-
namese food is unhealthy — in fact
it is all pretty good for you — but I’m
normally a pescatarian/vegetarian,
and good luck avoiding pig parts in
Southeast Asia. I had to make a com-
promise.
THRUST: How did you get in-
volved in the different charities you
work with?
BHATT: One of my mentors is the
lighting director for Sting, Paul
Simon, Bob Dylan, etcetera, and he
clued me in on the importance of giv-
ing to others at a young age. It
sounds counterintuitive, but the more
my thoughts are on compassion to-
wards others, the more I personally
benefit.
THRUST: You seem to throw your-
self completely into each and every
project. Where do you find the en-
ergy to be so enthusiastic?
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Magazine June 2011 Page 10
Back at his Chicago studio, Anand lays down guitar tracks for ??? DATE??