Metal Anarchy

Phil Anselmo (Pantera) recently came under fire for doing a nazi salute, and yelling “white power” while onstage at Dimebash. He tried dismissing it as an “inside joke” about white wine, but Robb Flynn (Machine Head) has posted a powerful new video calling him out on the whole situation. Check it out below:

Here’s what Flynn had to say (transcribed by The PRP):

“I was there, and I can tell you for a fact that there was not a chardonnay or a pinot grigio in sight backstage. In fact the only thing that you were drinking Phil Anselmo was Becks ‘German beer,’ [mocks seig heil,] Maybe that’s where the joke came from, huh? ‘get it, German beer? White Power? Fucking hysterical stuff there…”

He went on to say:

“No white person has been oppressed by black people, quite the contrary. It’s not OK to scream out ‘white power’ and then brush it off as a fucking joke about white wine. Especially when there was none. You know the fact of the matter is, I was there at ‘Dimebash‘, had a great time. Jammed with Dave Grohl, hung out with Zakk Wylde, Robert Trujillo, Dave Lombardo—it was a great vibe.

And upon going backstage, I bumped into Phil decided to strike up a short conversation, as we were going to play a couple of Pantera songs together and I, having toured with Pantera back in 1997, twice.

Within 30 seconds of sitting down and talking to him his drunk ass decided to let me know in no uncertain terms that he hated the ‘nigg*r era’ of Machine Head, refering to our third and fourth album, “The Burning Red“. [Mocking Phil‘s voice] ‘He hated every second of it, hated it with a passion, the stupid look.’

I just laughed in his face, I laughed in his face. I went ‘you are going to stare and judge me for the way I looked back in the day? For the music I was making back in the day, pot meet kettle.’”

Later he added:

“The thing that’s amazing about this is that we’re all scared to say anything. Chris R. was scared to put that video up, I am scared to put this video out. Because we all sit there and look at ourselves and it reminds of us every time we’ve ever said the word ‘nigg*r’, and I have said the word ‘nigg*r’ before.

I was jumped by fifteen black guys, I was angry for awhile. But you know that was in my 20’s and at some point along this journey of life, you change. You know this has opened up a huge discussion within the band as to whether I should even to respond to this or not. And the reason I feel so strongly about responding, is cause I had to stand on fucking stage with you—and granted I wasn’t on that stage anymore when you said all that stupid shit—no I was only on stage when we were playing “A New Level” and you were ‘seig heiling’ after the ‘and power,’ [mouthing white power,] like you’ve done forever now, like you’ve done forever now. And nobody calls you on it. No bands call you on it.

I’ve talked to people on so many tours, ‘yeah Anselmo‘s up there seig heiling and mouthing the words white power’, why don’t you call him on it? ‘Oh, cause I love Pantera man and who wants to start shit with him. Exactly, who wants to start shit with you? You’re a big bully. A big scary dude. But, enough’s enough. Enough’s enough. Now I haven’t felt connected to the metal community for quite some time now. I don’t get it. I don’t get how this kind of shit is tolerated. I don’t get how this shit is even blown off as acceptable, brushed off as acceptable.

You know do I think we should go and lynch Phil Anselmo and fucking call for his head? No, you’re more than welcome to say all of that shit. You live in America, freedom of speech. You’re free to say white power and seig heil all you want. But that freedom of speech doesn’t allow you freedom from the criticism of that speech, because that shit’s wrong. It’s fucking wrong. For somebody to sit there and go ‘oh if you were offended by this, blah blah’ blah,’ if you weren’t offended by that, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you. There’s no place for that in metal, and if there is a place for that in metal, count me out. Count me out. Goodbye Phil Anselmo, I’ll never be playing another Pantera song again as long as I live. And to the metal community that backs this bullshit, see ya later. Count me out, I want no part of this anymore.”