Back in January, controversial footage surfaced of Phil Anselmo at a tribute show for late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, giving a Nazi salute and shouting "White Power." Initially, Anselmo said he was joking and wouldn't be apologizing which lead to some serious heat from people in the metal community. Anselmo was famously called out by Machine Head's Robb Flynn, with Flynn calling Anselmo a racist. Eventually, Anselmo offered apology after apology before taking a break from the public eye for the better part of the year.
He broke his silence on the matter speaking to Decibel Magazine back in October. At the time, Anselmo said he would likely never discuss the subject again and would limit the amount of interviews he gave. However when Anselmo appeared on today's episode of Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM Volume show Trunk Nation, and Trunk brought up the Dimebash incident to give Phil forum to explain himself, the Pantera frontman couldn't help but address the issue. The part about Dimebash starts about 21 minutes in:
Once again, Phil claimed there were two or three hecklers who kept shouting racist at him:
“When people start screaming racist, over and over and over and over again at me, what I did was show them what was the ugliest possible thing I could think of at the time was,” says Anselmo. “They were looking for what they got and sadly I gave it to them. What I did was absolutely stupid and I own it, I own it. Instead of pawning it off on oh I was drunk or whatever, I did it. It’s on video.”
While responding to critics, Anselmo avoided naming Robb Flynn by name, but after Trunk brought his name up and asked Phil to address Flynn, Phil did not hold back:
“These so called peers, those are your words, who gave me backlash need to take a good cold stare in the mirror themselves and anyone else who throws that word racism or racist around so freely, they need to understand the implications of said word,” says Anselmo. “It’s a heavy duty implication when you don’t know jack s–t about me except what you’ve seen on what … a live performance, music videos, interviews? Whatever!”
Anselmo absolutely went off at this point, pushing back on any racism claims, saying he grew up in the South around all kinds of people. He said he used to be babysat by a transgender woman, and it was no big deal to him.
Anselmo finally refered to Flynn by name and finally said “it all comes down to and straight up, he wants to ride the coattails” later adding:
“Look at how virtuous I am, and that’s where little Robert comes in. Look at me, what, living in California? You’re going to compare that sh-t to living in the south? You’re out of your f–king mind.”
He then brought up Scott Ian suggesting that Anselmo donate to a Holocaust charity as a make-good for his behavior at Dimebash:
“[Flynn] had ulterior motives and then you’ve got Scott Ian, who, the day after it happened, he wrote me some e-mail and ‘Phil, what I saw was ugly and whatever,’ so says the guy who wrote a record called Speak English or Die [with his side project Stormtroopers of Death]. If that record were to come out this year or last year, f–kin’ forget it. Think he’d get pounced on? You’re damn right he would and he knows it. Virtue! Virtue! Virtue signal … or if you’re really sorry, donate to this Nazi hunter Jewish cause or whatever. I did it in an hour. Did you ever hear about that story? Of course you didn’t. You know why? It doesn’t make good headlines. I donated that hour if not that goddamn second.”
Anselmo acts as if it was made public that he donated to the charity and the press refused it. It was never made public that Anselmo donated, but good on him for doing so. Before concluding the segment, Anselmo was quoted as saying “Context doesn’t matter to these SJW’s — social justice warriors.”
The entire 20 minute segment is absolutely worth watching and listening to.
It will be interesting to see if Flynn or Ian respond.
[via Loudwire]
