Pantera/Down frontman, Phil Anselmo has landed in hot water recently after pulling a Nazi salute and yelling 'white power' at Dimebag Bash 2016, and Machine Head's Rob Flynn has added his thoughts to the discussion.
The former Pantera vocalist has stated (according Loudwire, that is) that it was merely an "inside joke" about the band members drinking white wine backstage in a statement about the incident:
"Ok folks, I’ll own this one, but dammit, I was joking, and the “inside joke of the night” was because we were drinking f—ing white wine, hahaha…Of all f—ing things. Some of y’all need to thicken up your skin… No apologies from me.”
*sigh*
On social media, Flynn calls these vlogs or rants of his, 'THE GENERAL JOURNALS: DIARY OF A FRONTMAN... AND OTHER RAMBLINGS', and in the latest one titled it 'Racism in Metal', aimed at Anselmo. He calls out Anselmo, making some pretty insightful comments on the metal community and how this has been received. At this point, the singer/guitarist is one of the few prominent metal musicians to speak out, alongside the recently reformed All Shall Perish, who put the following statement out earlier:
"We consider Pantera to be the single greatest metal band of all time, but we should never be afraid to call out our heroes. Seeing Phil's actions and his cowardly justification is not only disgusting and inexcusable but antithetical to the punk, metal, underground ethos to which we subscribe. No gods, No masters, and certainly no master race. Any justifications or cries of "reverse racism", BET, Double standards, PC Police, Or general white whining are just profoundly ignorant of history, systemic effects, and the lasting impact of state sponsored racism, Jim crow, segregation and slavery. Talk with your black friends, if you have any, and try to gain some perspective. There has never, nor will ever, be a true incarnation of “reverse racism” until white people are swinging from trees en mass, sold into torture, defined in the constitution as 3/5th's a person, denied from public institutions and forcibly segregated from society. In the face of what an actual tit for tat reprisal would look like, affirmative action and understanding the significance and context of displaying black pride seem the least the multi-generational benefactors of being the master race can muster. Racism and its institutions are a stain on American culture; likewise, Phil’s actions are a stain on the legacy of Pantera, Dime’s memory and the metal community as a whole.
"Nazi punks, fuck off." – Dead Kennedys."
Flynn's video, which does show Anselmo's inflammatory acts, can be found below and it is definitely worth a watch.
