PHILIP ANSELMO Explains His Absence From DIMEBASH

Elliot Levin of the NY Hard Rock Music Examiner recently conducted an interview with Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA, SUPERJOINT RITUAL, ARSON ANTHEM). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Examiner: Looking back, as the singer, and in your current role now for Housecore [Records] as a producer, are there any changes you' d want to make to [PANTERA's "Cowboys From Hell" record, again, from that producer point of view?

Philip: If there were such a chance, you gotta think man, heavy metal production was in a really odd place back in 1988-89 when we actually recorded the record. Either you got good production or you got shit production, straight up. It was a hit-or-miss thing, and honestly, heavy metal production, once again I gotta turn to METALLICA to say they were the first ones to really bring that bite to the fucking guitars, so they really upped the game. But I also have to say this. [Late PANTERA guitarist] Dimebag Darrell had known James Hetfield, and Lars [Ulrich], and all those guys a long time, even before I'd met them. I was still living in New Orleans, and Dimebag would tell me stories about them coming down and playing and Darrell said, he told me he taught James many, many scales, and they taught us a lot about sound, the sound actually coming out of the amps, so you know, METALLICA got that ripping sound, but like I said, when I joined the band in 1987, when you were standing in the loop with Dimebag, that fucking guitar sound was shredding. But to get that sound from one room to the next room, and onto tape, no ProTools, no tricks and whistles back in the day, just pure organic tracking, it's like that was a trick. So it's funny, Dimebag has this monster sound, we bring in Terry Date for production and Vinnie Paul's [PANTERA drummer] pretty damn good behind that production and behind that mixing board as well. So, you know, the "Cowboys From Hell" record to me is a step as far as our sound goes, but absolutely not the finished product. So for me it was the high end on the record, for me it's a pretty biting record, especially once "Cowboys From Hell" drops, and kicks in, it's got a little bit too much high end for me.

Examiner: That's the only critical change you'd make? Otherwise you're still happy with the record 20 years later?

Philip: Well, you know I could pick it to shreds, but why pick it to shreds? It really laid a heavy-duty foundation for what was to come as far as sounds in heavy metal. I've said this before but I mean it with all my heart: "Cowboys From Hell" was a great launchpad for the PANTERA sound, but I don' t really think our sound or style really culminated until "Vulgar Display Of Power". But like I said, "Cowboys" was a good launchpad when it came out, but not the complete genuine article.

Examiner: A couple of weeks ago was Dimebash 2010, and the whole Internet was excited because they were saying that you and Rita [Haney, Dimebag's longtime girlfiend, who organized the event] were cool again, and you were going to make an appearance, but then you got sick... I gotta ask if you can clear up what happened there.

Philip: Rita and I... it' s been well over a year now, maybe two almost three years since we've been cool. I don't think that' s anything that either one of us are going to go out and boast or brag about or anything like that, it's just between us and that's fine. But the thing about Dimebash was... I' ll tell you what, man. I went to L.A., I did "That Metal Show", I did a bunch of press, and you gotta understand, I'm down in Louisiana. And I left Louisiana and it was a good 87 degrees. I got to L.A., and it was uncharacteristically rainy, and there was this chill in the air, and we flew back man, and the next thing you know, this motherfucker, ME, of all people, who never gets fucking sick to save their life, all of a sudden it's like motherfucker, man, it got me. It got me, this strain of pneumonia that just killed the old chest, you know? Real hard to breathe, real annoying. Yeah, I got sick man, so to tell you the truth, I went to see the Saints and the Steelers on Halloween night, that's the first time I' ve been out of this fucking house and the last time I've been out of this fucking house. I'm still feeling it, I'm getting over it.

Examiner: Well, it's good to hear you're feeling better, but can fans hope that at Dimebash 2011, you'll be up there singing?

Philip: Well, it depends. It depends on where I' m at in 2011... you know, any festival or any tribute to my guitar player I respect it, I understand it, I get it. But if I'm gonna be there... maybe it would only be fitting if the other two [surviving members of PANTERA] be there as well.

Read the entire interview from NY Hard Rock Music Examiner.