Atheist Frontman on Steve Flynn Crash: “The Airbag Saved His Ass”
Atheist fans present and future shared a moment of panic this week when it was reported that the band’s incredible drummer Steve Flynn (above left) was involved in a serious car accident. The news arrived with little detail (and no credited source), but we were told that Flynn injured his neck, jaw, and wrist — the latter a body part that’s vital to drum performance. No matter how small, the possibility of a world with less drumming by Flynn inspired immediate despair. Then our next thought was of Roger Patterson, Atheist’s founding bassist and Cliff Burton-esque force, who died in 1991 in a car accident.
Confusion joined the stew of bad emotions as well: Again, the info was not credited to anybody, and it came probably a day or two after the accident. (Flynn, according to the metal news ghost/hacker, was already “improving swiftly at home in Atlanta.”) So we begged Kelly Shaefer, Atheist frontman and indefatigable interviewee, to enlighten us about Flynn’s scare and its impact on Atheist:
- Shaefer assured us that Flynn “is going to be okay. He just has to go through some therapy on his wrist and jaw.”
- Flynn’s savior? Technology! Shaefer explains: “The airbag saved his ass. It also fucked up his jaw and wrist a bit.”
- Back in April 2012, MetalSucks was told that Atheist aimed for a Spring 2013 release date for the follow-up to 2010 masterpiece Jupiter. We asked, what now? Shaefer said that Flynn “is a warrior and will be back in action in a couple of weeks. We have compiled a wealth of stuff for the new album — just got to sew it all together.
- Finally, some Shaefer advice: “It’s a reminder to buckle up and be careful right?”
Get well soon Steve! Very very very soon!
