Archive News Jun 14, 2001

PANTERA's official Bulletin Board at www.pantera.com has been abuzz with speculation over a very controversial Phil Anselmo interview that was posted about a week ago on KNAC.com, only to be mysteriously removed from the site a couple of days later without explanation. The revealing interview, which was subsequently posted in its entirety by a fan on the above-mentioned official PANTERA Bulletin Board, only to be removed from there by an official PANTERA Board administrator, saw Anselmo discussing his relationship with the rest of his bandmates and speaking less guardedly than usual on a variety of topics, including his formative years and his current lifestyle, which appears to be less flamboyant and glamorous than most people would have undoubtedly imagined.

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As it turns out, the behind-the-scenes events that led to this story being pulled from the above-mentioned site are equally interesting and no less troubling. These are the facts as we understand them to be at this time:

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Respected metal journalist and former Metal Hammer/Kerrang! editor Robyn Doreian originally conducted an interview with Phil after a show at the Melbourne Festival Hall in Australia, where the singer's apparently very drunken state led to the interview veering all over the place, often into heavy and controversial territory. A short time later, PANTERA tour manager Guy Sykes walked in and told Doreian that the interview would have to come to an end, and asked the journalist if she wanted to talk to the rest of the band, who were presumably spending the time in their respective dressing rooms. As the interview wound down and Robyn was getting a magazine signed by Phil for a friend, Sykes reportedly walked back in and told Doreian that he'd found her tape recorder outside with no tape inside and suggested that it must have been taken by 'a fan' (an unlikely scenario considering that the interview was conducted in a backstage area that was not accessible to anyone without a proper pass). Without a tape and with no recorded evidence of her conversation with Anselmo, Doreian was eventually forced to schedule a make-up interview over the phone two days later, during which the singer was said to have been completely sober and clear-headed. This second, 'make-up' interview was the one that the aforementioned article was based on, and quotes from this conversation were evidently deemed inflammatory enough to have warranted their removal from the above-mentioned site without so much as an explanation.

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Without further ado, here are some of Phil Anselmo's statements that were at the heart of this controversy and the ones that have led to the KNAC.com article being removed from the site:

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In response to drummer Vinnie Paul's cutting remark that Anselmo 'has the body of a man, but the mind of a 15-year-old':

'He has the mind of a f.cking 12-year old and the f.cking body of a hippopotamus, so f.ck him!'

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On his often confusing drunken stage banter that led to heated arguments backstage between Phil and other band members following the Melbourne gig:

'They [the rest of the band] don't like me with a microphone in my hand doing that. They like everything tight, technical and mechanical. If it wasn't for me, this band wouldn't have a lick of emotion. I am the motherf.cker up there with the mic and I write all the f.cking words.

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'I am not taking anything away from them, but I ain't gonna take sh.t off a bunch of motherf.ckers that I feel I have taught the school of metal to. I am not here to badmouth dudes in my band who will definitely read this sh.t, but if they have a problem with me, bring it on motherf.cker!'

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On his present relationship with his bandmates:

'Everyone is kinda going through their own little thing. We are not 21 years old anymore and life gets more complicated as you get older and take on more responsibilities. On a personal level everyone is wrapped up in their own lives, which is the way it should be, but on a musical level we are and have always been very keyed into what PANTERA is and what it should sound like.

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'As irreplaceable as I am in this band, so is everyone else. They know damn well that if they want another PANTERA record, it is Anselmo that they are going to call up and say, let's get back to work motherf.cker, and I will be there ready to roll. That is understood.'

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On being completely sh.t-faced at the Melbourne show:

'Some nights it hits you harder than other nights and Jesus Christ it hit me hard that night! I was having a good time drinking.

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'For a long time I used to have to take medication for my back and could not drink at all, but I have definitely been drunk onstage in the past five years and maybe I just overdid it, as I was a little excited.

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'It was the drunkest I have been in two years and later on sh.t happened that I don't even remember as I blacked out. They dragged me to some bar and I don't even recall being there. I shouldn't be out in public like that. Send me to bed dickhead — hide me!

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'The whole band was f.cking furious and I realized what I had to do, so I cleaned my sh.t up and the next night we went out and destroyed. Everyone was all smiles and back patting and all this bullsh.t I can't stand. I know when I do a great show or not and to this day I am my own worst critic. I apologize to the fans for that show but they will see us again, and maybe they have had a couple of bad days at the office. You know what I am saying?'

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On calling people 'pussy n.gger f.ggots' while onstage at the aforementioned Melbourne gig:

'That was just drunken bullsh.t man, and it meant nothing at all. I take one person at a goddamn time and either you are beautiful or you ain't and it all comes from the f.cking inside.

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'I am wise enough now to know that what we are all wearing on the outside of us is a big shell and when you die you will look like a f.cking roach. Whatever life energy was inside you and whatever you did with that, was completely up to you. This is just a dressing for the soul and I am not going to downplay someone's skin colour for my own trippy bullsh.t. I don't give a f.ck what color you are. My hero is boxer Felix Trinidad from Puerto Rico, for f.ck's sake!

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'I don't give a f.ck what people think as those people will never, ever look me in the eye because they should look take a good hard look at themselves in the mirror first. Don't worry about Philip Anselmo so much. Worry about your own goddamn self and let the world spin on.'

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On his present relationship with his parents:

'It didn't get bad with them until recently, and that is just personal sh.t I have to deal with. You know the feeling when someone looks you in the eye and they really do not know what they are looking at, or understand what they are seeing in front of them — well, that is a strange sensation when it is your parents who are doing that.

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'I know a lot of kids out there go through the same goddamn thing and you might not think much about it, but later in life, somehow there is a resentment that grows in you. You see and are surrounded by people that are reminiscent of your f.cking parents.

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'The only side of my family that I have to give credit to is my father's side as they don't ask anything of me ever. I have a lot of little brothers and sisters and I don't know how long my old man is going to be around, as he drinks quite a bit. But he just won't quit making babies! He is 55-years-old and has a one-year old child, and that is my baby brother running around. It's like, 'Dad, Come on!' '

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On his formative years:

'I have seen a whole lot of crazy shit and lived with a lot of weird motherf.ckers. I used to bring women to these people as that was a big deal back then.

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'Women have always loved me, so I was always welcome at these places as I had like 20 chicks with me. I didn't have a dime in my pocket, but that didn't seem to matter.'

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On drugs:

'I got introduced to them through living with every sleaze ball possible that would let me crash out on their sofa for the night. I was like 16-years-old and they offered me all kinds of stuff to try. These days drugs come with the territory. I am not a tennis player but a f.cking rock singer, so motherf.ckers will approach.'

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On his well-publicized heroin overdose:

'It was just some shit that happened. No big deal. At that time I just thought I was invincible.

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'It was very peaceful, very warm and quiet with no more thoughts in my head. I guess it was kind of like being in the womb in a strange way. It took me two years to remember that because after the OD I lost a lot of memory and it took me a long time for me to uncover that. It was very blissful I will tell you that. It is nothing to fear.'

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On his off-stage lifestyle:

'When I am away from PANTERA, I lead a very isolated lifestyle. I don't do anything and I don't go anywhere. I just sit in the f.cking woods and hang out with people who are close to me, but even then, not much. I am alone quite a bit.'

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'For some people life is very easy, and I don't want to call them simple-minded or anything like that, but I am a complex son of a bitch and I envy the simpler mind a lot. When I suffer with my mind, it makes different things blossom inside the old skull cap.'

Former OZZY OSBOURNE/ALICE IN CHAINS and current SPYS4DARWIN bass player Mike Inez has temporarily teamed up with Zakk Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY for the remaining dates of Ozzfest 2001. Inez replaces regular BLS four-stringer S.O.B., who has reportedly left the tour to deal with a 'personal situation'.

SLAYER'S God Hates UsAll has had its release date pushed back to late August in order to enable the band to make sure that the package's artwork is exactly the way they want it, and to allow label owner/producer Rick Rubin to go into the studio and do some remixing on some of the tracks. According to guitarist Jeff Hanneman, 'It'll be worth the wait.'

BIOHAZARD, VISION OF DISORDER, RAGING SPEEDHORN and THERAPY? have been to the London, UK stop on the PANTERA-headlined Tattoo The Planet tour (also featuring SLAYER, CRADLE OF FILTH and STATIC-X),which will take place on September 15th at the Wembley Arena. It is not presently clear if any of the above-mentioned acts will join the remainder of the dates, which begin on September 14th in Birmingham, UK and end on October 6th in Berlin, Germany.

THERAPY? are due to release a UK-only EP on July 16th entitled Gimme Gimme Gimme (Back My Brain), which will be a limited-edition EP with four or five exclusive B-sides and will be available on CD and 7'. Mid-August will see the European release of a new single, 'I Am The Money', to be followed by the Jack Endino-produced new full-length album (the group's eighth!),entitled Shameless, in early September.

ROLLINS BAND has signed a new deal with Sanctuary Records. The band's debut album for the label, Nice, has been completed and is scheduled for an August 21st North American release. According to an official Sanctuary Records press release, ROLLINS BAND's now-steady lineup (since 1998) of Henry Rollins on vocals, guitarist Jim Wilson, bassist Marcus Blake and drummer Jason Mackenroth began work on the new album back in June 2000 between tour dates. Clif Norrell, who has been working with the band since 1997's Come In And Burn, engineered Nice at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles.

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Charismatic and brutally honest frontman Henry Rollins comments on the production: 'This record, like the last one, Get Some Go Again, was made in a very simple fashion. Analog 2' tape, real instruments, cut live, no drum beats fixed, no vocals pitched, just music played hard, good sounds going onto tape, very few takes, next. Our road manager Mike Curtis, a guitar and tone aficionado, set us up with several amp, cabinet and pedal options he constructed with gear he rented from LA's Black Market vintage gear store. We got some great guitar sounds this time around.'

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To celebrate the upcoming release, ROLLINS BAND is already scheduled to perform on this years Vans Warped Tour (alongside such diverse acts as BLINK 182, NEW FOUND GLORY, RANCID, 311, ALIEN ANT FARM, SUM 41, and H2O) and will then embark on a headline tour in early fall.

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You catch ROLLINS BAND on the Vans Warped Tour 2001 on the following dates:

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July 31 - Bristow, VA (Washington DC) @ Nissan Pavillion

Aug. 01 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Amphitheatre Lot

Aug. 02 - Pittsburgh, PA @ IC Light Amphitheatre

Aug. 03 - Camden, NJ @ Blockbuster-Sony Ent. Center

Aug. 04 - New York City, NY @ Randall's Island

Aug. 05 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Park Lot

Aug. 07 - Cleveland, OH @ Nautica Stage

Aug. 08 - Buffalo, NY @ La Salle Park

Aug. 09 - Boston, MA @ Suffolk Downs

Veteran UK NWOBHM act ANGEL WITCH have parted ways with drummer Scott Higham, who has reportedly left the band to join up-and-coming UK metal band SHADOWKEEP. No replacement has yet been announced. In the meantime, SHADOWKEEP's brand new line-up, which now also includes bassist Steve Scott, reportedly made their triumphant live debut at the Bloodstock Festival two weeks ago.

WARRIOR guitarist Joe Floyd is working with original WWIII vocalist Mandy Lion (i.e. Jake E. Lee's WICKED ALLIANCE) on a new WORLD WAR III CD, the music on which is said to be reminiscent of the original WWIII sound, but with a modern twist. Other members of the group reportedly include bassist 'Geezer' (not Geezer Butler!) and WARRIOR drummer Dave Ducey.

Vocalist David Wayne has left METAL CHURCH and has just completed work on a solo album, which will reportedly be issued under the WAYNE moniker. The 'imaginatively'-titled Metal Church was produced by current WARRIOR/WWIII guitarist Joe Floyd and is said to lean in the direction of the old METAL CHURCH sound. It is not presently clear what impact this latest development has on the status of REVEREND, the long-running (on and off) side project of Wayne's that most recently issued a four-song EP, A Gathering Of Demons, through their own Neck Damage Records.

The forthcoming album from Florida's NEUROTICA, the group's first for Smackdown Records, owned by the World Wrestling Federation, will include a track called 'I Feel (Down)', which was co-written by AC/DC vocalist and longtime supporter Brian Johnson (who also co-produced the band's debut album).

Germany's RUNNING WILD are hard at work on a brand new studio, tentatively entitled The Brotherhood, which is scheduled for a January/February 2002 release. Working song titles include 'The Brotherhood', 'U-Nation', and 'Welcome to Hell'.

Former SKID ROW vocalist Sebastian Bach will be appearing on the 'Celebrity Dads' episode of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show this Friday, June 15th as part of her Father's Day Special on NBC TV. Check your local listings for airtimes. It airs at 12 noon Eastern time.

Spikefarm Records has signed the legendary Finnish death metal act DEMIGOD. The band's second album is currently being recorded for a late 2001 release.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine will reportedly be working with DIAMOND HEAD guitarist Brian Tatler on an as-yet-unnamed new project, the musical direction of which is said to be 'different to either MEGADETH or DIAMOND HEAD'. No other details are available at this time.

GLASSJAW will be playing one last show before heading to L.A. to begin recording their second album with producer Ross Robinson. The group will be performing at the Babylon American Legion Post in Babylon, Long Island, NY on Friday June 29th with BURN, BANE, SHAI HALLUD, ENSIGN, OVERTHROW and BLOODRED.

JANUS STARK, featuring guitarist Gizz of PRODIGY, will be accompanied by ELASTICA drummer Justin Welch during their upcoming German and UK tour, which begins today, June 14th. The dates are as follows:

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June 14 - Hamburg, GER @ Knust

June 15 - Köln, GER @ Underground

June 16 - Tuttlingen, GER @ Jugendhaus

June 17 - Burdberg, GER @ Gatterberg Open Air

June 18 - München, GER @ Backstage

June 19 - Stuttgart, GER @ Limelight

June 20 - Berlin, GER @ Wild At Heart

June 21 - Lübeck, GER @ Treibsand

June 22 - Erfurt, GER @ Kulturwochen auf dem Petersberg

June 23 - Wangen, GER @ U&ampD Festival

June 24 - Freiburg, GER @ Cafe Atlantik

June 28 - York, UK @ The Fibbers

July 05 - London, UK @ The Garage

July 06 - Falmouth, UK @ TBA

July 07 - Peterborough, UK @ Willow Festival

July 12 - Glasgow, UK @ King Tuts

July 13 - Falkirk, UK @ Engine Room

July 14 - Aberdeen, UK @ Glow 303

July 21 - Sheffield, UK @ Lakeside Festival

Aug. 09 - Nexus, UK @ Southampton

Aug. 10 - Stiches, UK @ Watford

Aug. 11 - ROX Festival, UK @ Bognor Regis

According to the group's official web site, NILE will NOT be playing at the two Canadian dates previously listed on the CRADLE OF FILTH tour.

The new DARKTHRONE album, Plaguewielder, is tentatively scheduled for a September 3rd release.

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