ZAK TELL On Why CLAWFINGER No Longer Performs One Of Its Biggest Songs Containing Anti-Racist Message: The Topic 'Deserves To Be Addressed Properly'

In a new interview with the IMPACT Metal Channel, vocalist Zak Tell of the long-running Swedish rap/metal combo CLAWFINGER was asked for his opinion of the current political situation in his home country. Zak responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a mess, like it is in a lot of places. A lot of right-wing forces with Nazi roots and fascist ideas. Oh, it's pretty shit at the moment. But having said that, politicians are always pretty shit anyway, regardless. I mean, as much as we wrote a song about [U.S. president Donald] Trump, and what a scumbag he is, he is not the only one. There are plenty of assholes just like him all over the world. He just happened to be the person we used because it paints a very clear picture, and he is so obviously a complete fucking moron. But there are loads of morons out there. And there are loads of good people out there as well. Unfortunately, a lot of morons seem to become politicians."

Zak also spoke about why he and his CLAWFINGER bandmates no longer perform their controversial single "N****r", an anti-racism statement that caused quite a stir and was a massive success. The track was included on CLAWFINGER's debut album, 1993's "Deaf Dumb Blind", which sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and was critically acclaimed in Swedish press. Asked if he thinks the song will ever make its way back into the CLAWFINGER setlist, Tell said: "I do not know. Times have changed since we released that song. There's a whole new wokeness, and people are a lot more aware. There's Black Lives Matter... I think one of the problems today is that things get taken out of context, and nobody cares about the big picture, nobody cares about background. People get stuck up on words and small things instead of seeing the big picture. I mean, we're totally fine with the song. We know what we stand for. We know we're not a bunch of racist idiots. The problem is everyone else out there who doesn't know, and all of a sudden sees a 10-second TikTok clip or a... And all you get then is the chorus. And it gets taken totally out of context. And it just creates... I think it creates more problems than it creates solutions. And also it's about being respectful to the fact that the times have changed, and people do see things differently. And maybe it's a topic that's more important than a three-and-a-half minute song. It deserves to be addressed properly. And maybe we shouldn't be the people addressing it anymore, if we ever should have been. But maybe now and here is not our time and place to be the agitators... It's not really our job to educate people about it, I feel. So it's mostly just out of being respectful that we chose not to play it anymore. Not because we don't believe it's a good song, 'cause we do. But it's not our time and place anymore, the way the world is now. Maybe in the future that'll change and people will understand the bigger picture more, and realize that it's okay to say basically anything, as long as your intentions are good. But I don't see the world working that way right now. Unfortunately."

Asked what the reactions were like from the black community when CLAWFINGER first released that single, Zak said: "You mean back in '93? I don't really remember much of a particular reaction at all. It was a very different time. We're a Scandinavian, European band. If it had been in the States, I think already then it would've been very difficult because we're all pink and not brown. But in Europe, it worked so differently, and the word isn't loaded in the same way. Also we came at a time when there were a lot of bands branching out into different styles, and that music world was very open. And there was a big alternative scene. And for anyone with half a brain, it was pretty obvious that we weren't a racist band. 'Cause if you listen to more than the chorus, if you read the lyrics, if you read up on us, then it's obvious. So it wasn't really a problem. It led to discussions quite often, and it made people open their eyes, like, 'Whoa, what's this?'"

Zak continued: "In that case, we had bigger problems. I remember one gig we did in Stockholm back in, like, '95, and there were a bunch of skinheads who came to the gig because they had misunderstood the song and thought it was an anthem for them. And then when they realized it was an anti-racist song, they started throwing bottles at us on stage. So it has caused problems, but not the kind of problems you would think. On the other hand, when one of our record company representatives went over to the States back in, like, '93, '94, and played it to the record companies, they did not like it, which tells you quite a lot about how much more loaded it is in the States. I remember we got a fax from a record company, and all it said was, 'White guys who try to tell black people how to live their lives ought to have their balls cut off.' So it was never released in the States."

Back in February 2026, Zak was asked by Made In Metal if the message of "N*****" was "misunderstood" in certain territories because CLAWFINGER was made up of white musicians. Zak said: "In America — definitely. We never played a gig in America, ever. I remember we got a fax from a record company. Someone from our label in Sweden was in the States shopping for a record deal and they played them some of our songs. 'N*****' was one of them. And we got a fax back that said, 'White guys who try to tell black people how to live their lives ought to have their balls cut off.' So, in America, definitely.

"To be honest. I don't feel like it was that misunderstood," Tell explained. "I feel like the majority of people back then were smart enough to read the lyrics and understand the bigger picture. I think it's more of a problem now than it was then, because everything is taken out of context now. Nobody has the patience to listen to a whole song. A lot of people have a ten-second attention span. So if you hear a chorus like that, you are gonna misunderstand it, 'cause that's all you're gonna hear. But once again, back then, most of the time, it led to very interesting discussions with a lot of people. And most of the time, the majority of the people who were frustrated about it or found it wrong or provocative were white people or pink people or whatever you wanna call it, whereas a lot of African-Americans or black people, or whatever you choose to call it, actually really appreciated it. But then, of course, there were assholes as well.

"I remember back in the beginning, we had a lot of skinheads in Sweden, and they thought it was a song for them," Zak continued. "And when they realized it wasn't a song for them, they got pissed off, 'cause they thought it was like an anthem for them. But no, it wasn't.

"I would say that without that song, we would not have gotten to experience everything we've experienced," Tell added. "And that song has mostly been positive for us. Could we have written it in an easier way or a way that was more easy to understand? Probably, yeah. But I was 21 when I wrote that lyric. I wasn't thinking ahead of what might happen in 20 years or how people might understand it. I was speaking from the heart, because it was something that I thought was worrying and something that I thought was strange and wrong, and for that reason it's never really been a problem. And also, last but not least, if you look at the body of our work, everything about us is anti-fascist and anti-racist. So if you look at the big CLAWFINGER picture, you have to be pretty fucking stupid to misinterpret us as a racist band."

When the interviewer noted that "stupidity grows everywhere", Zak concurred. "Yeah, it does. It does," he said. "I mean, we are not doing ourselves any favors as a human race. We are pathetically stupid at times. And I'm not saying I'm any better. We're all struggling to make sense of who the fuck we are and what it is we're supposed to be doing here. And I think we have a long way to go before we start doing the right thing. We need to be more open-minded. We need to have more patience with people. We need to stop judging so quickly. We need to understand that everyone is different, but everyone has the same basic needs. We want food on our table, a roof over our heads, we want our families to be happy. It doesn't matter where you are from or what skin color you have. We all want those same things. How fucking hard can it be?"

Zak went on to highlight the ridiculousness of racism, saying:  "We have this stupid idea of — I don't know what it is; [it's] some kind of fear. As soon as someone doesn't look exactly like we do, we assume that there must be something wrong with them, or they're crooks. But that's based on how we look. Everyone — not everyone, but we all look different in different parts of the world. So what makes the pinkness I have the one that is considered better or more intelligent? It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It makes zero sense. It's just you become accustomed to what it is you are and what you have and the place you happen to live. But it's all coincidence. I didn't choose to be born in this part of the world with this skin. It's just something I happen to be. It's ridiculous."

Back in June 2024, Tell was asked why CLAWFINGER doesn't perform "N*****" live anymore. He responded: "It's just a matter of being respectful to the fact that times have changed. There's a new political climate. You've got the whole Black Lives movement. You've got a completely different awareness. And out of respect for the way things are in the world right now, it's not the right song to play. And it's a much bigger issue than just a three-and-a-half-minute song. So it's almost making it too easy or making it too… It's too serious of a topic and a problem to let a song be more important than the big picture."

He continued: "So no, we don't play that song anymore. And it's not because we don't stand by it, 'cause we stand by those lyrics in that song 100 percent, but it's to be respectful to the way the world is right now. And maybe that's sad, but it's also the reality. And we're not one of these MÖTLEY CRÜE bands who just says, 'Fuck you. We're gonna do whatever the fuck we want because we're MÖTLEY CRÜE.' We're a bit more respectful than that, and we like the idea of changing with the times. Yes, in our world, we're the most important band in the world, of course, but in reality, we're just a small stupid fucking rock band. And this topic is so much bigger than that. So, as of now, it's not a song we play, unfortunately."

CLAWFINGER's long-awaited comeback album, "Before We All Die", arrived in February 2026 via Perception, a division of Reigning Phoenix Music.

CLAWFINGER are considered pioneers of European rap-metal. Formed in Stockholm in the early 1990s, the Swedish-Norwegian band made an explosive debut with "Deaf Dumb Blind" (1993),blending aggressive guitar riffs with politically charged lyrics and rap vocals. The album sold over 600,000 copies worldwide — more than 250,000 in Germany alone — and won a Swedish Grammis award in the hard rock/metal category.

CLAWFINGER's follow-up, "Use Your Brain" (1995) continued their success with chart placements across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden. Over the years, they released seven studio albums, including "A Whole Lot Of Nothing", "Zeros & Heroes", "Hate Yourself With Style" and "Life Will Kill You", selling over 1.5 million records worldwide.

Known for their direct, riff-driven sound and strong political stance, CLAWFINGER address topics such as racism, political delusion, drug policy, environmental destruction, and social inequality. In the 1990s, they toured intensively with acts like ALICE IN CHAINS, MEGADETH and FAITH NO MORE and appeared at major festivals including Rock Am Ring, Roskilde and Monsters Of Rock in South America.

After a brief hiatus, the band returned in 2014 and has since released new singles like "Save Our Souls" (2017) and "Environmental Patients" (2022]) In 2025, CLAWFINGER signed a new label deal with Perception.

Photo credit: Peter Bjöns