Liz Ramanand, Loudwire / Rick Diamond, Getty Images As one of metal’s most aggressive vocalists in history, it’s no surprise to learn that Pantera / Down vocalist Philip Anselmo is a huge fan of boxing. Surely tracks such as ‘F—ing Hostile’ and ‘Mouth for War’ have inspired many fists to bust through walls, along with faces, so Boxing Insider welcomed Anselmo for an exclusive interview, but here’s the catch: Philip Anselmo was brought in to conduct an interview with yet another musician and boxing fan … rapper 50 Cent. In an hilarious piece of truth, Anselmo admitted to have no effing clue who 50 Cent was, but penned kind words about the rapper. “Call me morbid, call me pale, call me a victim of pugilistic dementia, but I must say, speaking to this man was an interesting experience,” writes Anselmo. “I was beyond impressed with his smarts, his sense of humor, his accomplishments and his future plans.” Although not one to follow the hip-hop game, Anselmo’s interviewing skills were spot-on: Anselmo : “Do you see any parallels between music and boxing on a business level?” 50 Cent : “Well yes. In the past the majority of the record companies were run continuously. Artists would come up and be really exciting at certain points and eventually go through that cycle of entertainment. Then, they (record companies) built entertainment to destroy them (the artists) for the sake of entertainment. And as you go up, and keep going up in an artist’s career, there’s no place to go but down shortly thereafter. And if you look at some of those older artists that are so talented, then ask yourself, ‘What happened to them?’ or ‘Why aren’t they still recording?’ or ‘Why aren’t they still exciting to the general public?’, it’s because the public follows that system. The shadow of doubt is cast over artists and music culture at different points. You have to be independent in order to work things out through that shadow. Because it’s this system that decides who is relevant, and companies have to see if they’re gonna continue to market and promote the actual projects anymore. And it’s the same with fighters; they’ll grow up and they’ll see some excitement around them and they’re having their moment, but in boxing if there is no opponent, the general public will make one for you. If a guy happens to be a shining star in his weight class, there’ll be another fighter that may have a great performance in the same division, so that guy will be perceived as the guy that can beat the shining star. And the public and press will make the challenger as relevant as you, because the star fighter needs to fight! And like music culture is to boxing, you’re only as exciting as your last hit record, or in boxing/music terms, your last performance or fight.” Check out Philip Anselmo’s full interview with 50 Cent at Boxing Insider. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-metal-albums-of-2012″ title=”Down – 10 Best Metal Albums of 2012″ align=”center”]
Posts Tagged ‘philip-anselmo’
Daily Reload: Black Sabbath, Trent Reznor, Pantera + More
Kevin Winter, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Black Sabbath are progressing a new album, as Ozzy Osbourne & company are holed up in a Malibu recording studio. Find out the new details here: [ Loudwire ] – Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor has revealed his involvement as a consultant for the Beats by Dre headphone company and announced that it’s led to “a number of very interesting projects.” [ Loudwire ] – Former Pantera singer Philip Anselmo says that quotes he made about Zakk Wylde taking part in a reunion of the band have been taken out of context. [ Loudwire ] – Ever wonder where the dark and rather spooky lyrics for Metallica ‘s ‘Enter Sandman’ came from? Get the story here. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – Kiss open up about making the ‘Monster’ album, their current lineup, the Kiss Kruise, and their thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan reveals that he contemplated suicide on multiple occasions. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Jane’s Addiction , Slash , and goth godfather Peter Murphy are among the top acts for the inaugural UR1 festival. [ Rock Music Report ]
Down Make Theatrical Fright Film With ‘Witchtripper’ Video
YouTube Down ‘s video for ‘Witchtripper’ is more like an old school, black & white, occult horror movie than it is a music video. You know what that means? It’s much more fun than your average metal video. The clip opens with a coven of cloaked ladies aka witches tossing eyeballs and other items like chicken feet into a cauldron and then burying nooses, hands and more in the sand. We’re not sure what they are doing or why, and it’s probably best not to ask. It’s intriguing nonetheless and we couldn’t look away. Overall, the video has a bit of a ‘Night of the Living Dead’ vibe with the grainy way it’s filmed. The fact that a muscular metal song provides the sound, as opposed to dialogue, makes it that much more ominous. But it also has a bit of camp to it, too. The Down boys are having fun while paying homage to a genre they clearly love. Several occult symbols, like pentagrams, are featured, throughout, too. The entire band factors into the plot, with frontman Philip Anselmo as Magus, wearing eyeliner and a wig. We can’t do it justice, especially if you a horror buff (like Anselmo is) with an eye for detail. Just watch it and come up with your own conclusions about the plot and the nefarious goings on! ‘Witchtripper’ appears on the just-released ‘Down IV, Part 1 – The Purple EP.’ You can read our review of the EP here . Watch Down’s ‘Witchtripper’ Video [via Fuse] [button href=”http://loudwire.com/down-perform-with-former-bassist-rex-brown-in-dallas/” title=”Next: Down Perform With Ex-Bassist Rex Brown in Dallas” align=”center”]
Philip Anselmo Inks Book Deal to Share His Personal Travails in Music
Former Pantera singer Philip Anselmo has certainly lived a colorful life, and now it looks as though readers will get a chance to thumb through the details of his music, his friendships, and his addictions in all their glory as the vocalist just inked a book deal for his autobiography. MetalSucks reports that Anselmo has teamed up with crime author and blogger Corey Mitchell to tell his story, while Gallery/Simon
10 Best Pantera Songs
Choosing the 10 best Pantera songs is no easy feat, since there are so many good ones, full of power grooves that incite moshpits; resonant rhythms that could rattle your teeth loose from your gums; and drill sergeant vocals. Those were the sonic hallmarks of Pantera , without question one of the most important metal bands of the '90s and of the genre overall. The Texas quartet fused equal parts chest-puffing brawn and bravado, but make no mistake: Philip Anselmo, Dimebag Darrell, Vinnie Paul and Rex Brown infused the testosterone-driven mix with pure heart. Metal fans banged their heads furiously until their necks ached, thanks to those pummeling power grooves and Anselmo's militaristic delivery. But Pantera's music made you think at the same time. Their catalog is littered with some of the most memorable riffs of all time, and lyrical declarations that have been tattooed on bodies and were screamed back at them at live shows. So without further adieu, here is our list of the 10 best songs by Pantera: