Why Phil Anselmo's icon status does not excuse his "white power" shout
Boasting appearances from Phil Anselmo, Dave Grohl, Robb Flynn, Zakk Wylde, Rob Trujillo and members of Stone Sour and Alice In Chains, this year's Dimebash was set to be a truly extraordinary night. Raising money for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund whilst honouring the legacy of late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, the night seemed like an all-round momentous occasion. Following the event, various fan footage appeared online, including videos of an all-star line-up of Anselmo, Grohl, Trujillo and Dave Lombardo performing 'Ace Of Spades' in memory of Motörhead's Lemmy. The sense of community among the metal family was high as these artists came together for a good cause, but unfortunately since, the night has become a source of controversy.
More specifically, ex-Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo has been the target of much abuse following footage from the very end of the show. In said footage, Anselmo appears to deliver a ‘Sieg Heil' (or 'Nazi salute') whilst loudly shouting "white power". The joyous mood that obviously goes along with an event like this was abruptly spoiled, and Anselmo was rightfully brought under the scrutiny of the internet.
Reactions to this footage has been mixed, with some even defending Anselmo and believing his side of the story, in which he claims that it was an "inside joke of the night" as they were drinking white wine. Posting from Housecore Records YouTube page, the Down frontman exclaimed that "some of y'all need to thicken your skin" - a lovely response to people being offended by a clearly racist gesture. Putting aside the fact that even if this was some kind of silly inside joke (Robb Flynn has also since claimed there was no white wine backstage) it's inconceivably stupid to shout it at a crowd full of people that aren't in on said joke, what Anselmo did simply can't be ignored.
Various rock and metal publications have ignored the controversy, even when talking about the night. It's not hard to condemn such outlandish actions, so why have some publications failed to do so? The sense of community within the metal family is undoubtedly one of the best parts of being a metalhead, so when someone from a band held in as high esteem as Pantera lets the team down so badly, it feels to many like he has betrayed the metal community. This is perhaps why the user who posted the footage, Chris R., originally cut the section out of his video, before deciding Anselmo's actions needed to be publicised.
It's hard to accept the footage for what it is when you've connected with Anselmo's work with Down, Pantera and/or Superjoint Ritual. When you're offered an explanation, no matter how ridiculous it sounds, you'd want to accept it. However, the unforgettable truth is that Anselmo has history in this area.
An infamous speech made by Anselmo onstage from March 1995 has been seen by hundreds of thousands online over the years. During a Pantera show, Anselmo said he has a problem with rap artists "pissing all over white culture", despite also saying that "Pantera are not a racist band" and that the band have friends "of all colours and all kinds". He also said that he sees 'Stop Black on Black crime' shirts as saying "it's okay to f*cking shoot a white person". These videos have haunted the singer's career for years, but just as some claim that then he was only defending who he was, some have now been placated by Anselmo's frankly ludicrous 'white wine' explanation.
The singer apologised for the rant later, noting the "harmful words that may have racially offended our audience". He also admitted he wouldn't have included a Confederate flag on Superjoint Ritual's debut album cover "in hindsight" during an interview with Hard Rock Haven last year. He also acknowledged that some of the lyrical content, particularly on the band's second album A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred was "regrettable". Anselmo added that he had "a crazy sense of humour and I do do a lot of tongue-in-cheek s*it man" and noted that "when something reads in black in white, people most of the time are gonna read it in black and white." It's undoubtedly good that he recanted these things and that he realised the power of symbolism and speech, considering he denounced "the coward Muhammad" and "Jewish elitists" on the album's ninth track, 'Stealing A Page Of Two From Armed & Radical Pagans'.
Metal has always drawn from dark topical areas, with countless bands discussing topics like Satanism and death in their lyrics, but as a scene metal intrinsically praises diversity and individuality. Whether some outlandish joke or not, what Anselmo did was not okay, and it should not be overlooked.
Pantera, Down and Superjoint Ritual have made some great songs and Anselmo has rightfully been commended for his contribution to those. Enjoy his music guilt free, but remember his position as an icon within the metal world does not excuse his actions. Is he a racist? Decide for yourself. He has denounced the accusation many a time (even saying he once had a black girlfriend to defend himself) but the facts are there to support a very strong case against him.
UPDATE: Phil Anselmo has since posted an apology on the Housecore Records YouTube account. Despite originally saying "no apologies from me", Anselmo admitted his mistake, saying, "It was uncalled for, and anyone who knows me knows I don't believe in any of that". He went on to say, "I am 1000% apologetic to anyone who took offence to what I said, because you should've taken offence at what I said". Anselmo ended the video on a plea to his fans, "just give me another chance, I love all of you".
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