I <3 GOJIRA'S JOE DUPLANTIER

My man-crush on Gojira’s Joe Duplantier just got even larger. Not only is the man largely responsible for one of the best records of the year, but Duplantier continues to prove himself an all-around good dude,  responsible citizen of planet earth and flag-waver of humanity. The man’s environmentalist sentiments are pretty well known and have been covered in this space before, but in a recent guest blog for Headbanger’s Blog, the level-headed Duplantier comes off sounding like the Dalai Lama:

We have the power to bring positive energy around us by thinking, For example, “These people around me are my brothers and sisters and we’re part of the same existence.” Being in this state of mind is pretty hard sometimes, but it can be a sort of self-discipline in life and a good way to overcome hate, anxiety and jealousy. When we are on tour with the band, we go through tough situations every day — even though we have fun and love what we do and respect each other — because we’re tired all the time. A lot of things can be hard for the nerves. The way we behave becomes more important every day, and we have to find the proper way to behave. For me, it’s an unlimited source of strength to think about life in a positive way and to face problems thinking, “There is a solution.”

I am talking about a deep decision of being constructive and the will to be into compassion instead of competition. Being part of a global solution instead of a growing cancer for our planet: destruction.

Some call this positive thinking “prayer.” In my opinion, it’s just another word for that. I am not a religious person but more of a spiritual guy, I guess. I try to see the different levels in each aspect of life and I feel “concerned.”

Maybe Duplantier should consider a side-career as a road therapist for Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe.

-VN