The Not Man: A History of the Anthrax Mascot

Anthrax has the most unique mascot in heavy metal. Instead of a demonic beast or undead specter, the band adopted a grinning, balding, goofball as their official representative. Meet the Not Man!

The Not Man first appeared on t-shirts while touring behind Spreading the Disease. Vinyl copies of Among the Living immortalized the newly minted mascot with an insert. By consciously shunning the skull-centric imagery that haunted the heavy metal landscape, Anthrax used art as an extension of their legendary sense of humor. 

By 1988’s State of Euphoria, the Not Man was king of the Anthrax universe. In a literal embrace of their cartoonish personality, a caricature of Anthrax graced the rear sleeve with the Not Man towering over the band. One couldn’t help but think of Eddie ominously looming above Iron Maiden.

Unlike Iron Maiden, Anthrax never slapped their mascot on an album cover. Although the Not Man never appeared on the front of an LP, his delinquent hijinks added personality to the Antisocial picture sleeve!

“Antisocial” went on to become the band’s signature song thanks to a well-receieved video. Cameras captured the Not Man spray-painting his likeness on stage and interacting with the audience. Who could possibly portray a maniac like the Anthrax mascot? Only Ozzy Osbourne would do! Be sure to watch until the end to catch his cameo!

The Anthrax mascot truly shined in the context of merchandising. An endless stream of t-shirts kept both the Not Man and Anthrax in the public eye as legions of headbangers proudly displayed their allegiance to the rising thrash band.

The Not Man clearly won over Anthrax fans. Yet, what are the origins of this eccentric mascot? If you believe Charlie Benante, the mascot was inspired by the drunken escapades of manager Jonny Z.

Given his jokester reputation, one can’t take Charlie’s claim serious. Resemblance aside, the true origin of the Not Man can be traced back to a bizarre set of finger puppets.

The strange birth of the Not Man gets even weirder. By affixing rubber faces to a mechanical plastic body, the assorted puppets became ax-wielding maniacs. They seemingly danced to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In,” making the macabre concoction just plain creepy.

Observant viewers can catch the Not Man puppet in action at the tail- end of the “Indians” video.

Although the Not Man’s prominence was significantly diluted in the 90’s, his presence was vital to the band’s trajectory to Big Four status in the 80’s. Recent years have seen The Not make a comeback. Simply take a peek at the band’s official website and you’ll notice that iconic grinning face on either side of the Anthrax logo. The merch store is stocked with ample Not Man swag. The year is 2020 and the Not Man is alive and well!