Vocalist Phil Anselmo of Down was recently interview by Kerrang! Magazine, and to the best of my knowledge the word "Pantera" doesn't even show up once. Holy hell! Seriously though, Anselmo makes some good points in his interview, starting off by saying that he does not and has never considered himself to be a "rock star" because it "has ugly connotations to it."
"Anyone who puffs up their chest because they wrote a song that people like needs to get smacked," he added.
"I consider myself to be just another music nerd, like anyone else that's heavily into music.
"I still collect music, I still seek out music, and yes, I've had some success in my career, but it's not like I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I've worked my ass off to get anything out of this, just like any other musician who started like I did at a young age.
"With Down, we have a very hardcore audience that really love what we do. That's the fans' choice and I honor them, because without that, we would be zero.
"Honestly, it's not my fault that I was in a very popular band at one point in my career."
Anselmo also says that any media figure should be held more accountable for their actions because they're in the public view and need to be a role model of sorts, which I totally agree with. If you're going to be a douche, what kind of precedent does that set? I know that makes me "old' or whatever stupid word you're going to sling, but it's the truth.
"I think that there's a responsibility to a certain degree. We should be held accountable because we grow up in the media's eyeball, and I guess people judge us from there. Everybody's different and every musician is different, and it's up to the fans to filter what they see in the press and the music itself. They need to ingest it and take it all in, and, at the end of the day, people have free will. They can follow or be inspired by anything or anybody."
Phil Anselmo, he's a responsible adult that just wants to be a nerdy music nerd and set a good example. As if I didn't like the dude enough already.
[via Blabbermouth]
