Unexpected!
Apparently, tough guys have feelings too!
Something about his gravelly voice and burly appearance (the shaved head, the tats, the big guns) when coupled with his obvious enthusiasm for the subject just brightened my day. It’s really worth a watch, I promise, regardless of whether you are a fan of the musicians in question.
For those who don’t know who Phil Anselmo is, he was the singer of this band:
And the object of his affection; nay, obsession:
Inspiration and influence can come from seemingly-unlikely sources.
When I was in High School, one of the fun things to do was take your cassette copy of “Bona Drag” and cut out the picture of Morressey from the liner and tape it over your picture on your student ID. (Kill Uncle also worked, in a pinch.)
Ah, those were the days.Report
Dimebag wearing a White Zombie t-shirt reminds me that there was a time when people thought White Zombie would be the future of metal, the next Metallica even (since Metallica wasn’t Metallica anymore). Ah, good times.Report
Ugh, I didn’t mean to nest that. Oh well. I’ll just add that my student ID photo was covered with a picture of Kermit, to make it relevant. I don’t know what that says about me.Report
hardcore scene guys all (secretly) loved morrisey.
don’t know why.Report
I remember reading something about Latino/a gang members being huge fans also.Report
Okay, that was five minutes of the most unlikely juxtaposition of topic and speaker I’ve heard in a while.
A lot of musicians are incredibly open in their enjoyment of music, very undiscriminating. When I played music, I realized, sadly, that that’s what would forever separate me from players with real talent. Music I sneered at as simple-minded and clichéd, they enjoyed with unadulterated enthusiasm. They heard and appreciated the things I overlooked, because they were musical geniuses and I was a critic with a guitar.
I love how Phil Anselmo is not laying out a case or taking an angle on The Smiths, but just waxing enthusiastic about a band he loves.Report
I think when you look like Phil Anselmo, you don’t really need to lay out a case. After all, he’s probably able to bench-press anyone who disagrees. And a bench as well.
But yeah, the fact that he doesn’t just go the “safe” route of acknowledging Marr’s guitar mastery (which anyone, regardless of preference, kind of needs to do) but also talks about how “Asleep” is “heart-crushing”, or how “The Boy With…” could be “about a guy like me” is really refreshing.
And when he compares them to King Diamond? Mind blown. I thought I was out on a limb the other day when I went to Diamond Dave. This is even better.Report