David Draiman Thinks You Can’t Read Good

David Draiman has posted the following message on the Disturbed Facebook page, typing, as per usual, in ALL CAPS for no discernible reason other than to make his message as hard to read as his music is hard to like:

I’VE GOT TO GET SOMETHING OFF MY CHEST;

LAST NIGHT AT THE GIGANTOUR DATE IN EVERETT WA., WE (DEVICE) WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR SIGNING AT THE MERCH BOOTH IN BETWEEN BLACK LABEL SOCIETY AND MEGADETH’S SETS, MEETING AND GREETING THE FANS, WHEN SOME GUY (BIG DUDE IN A BLS VEST/GEAR) RAN BY THE SIGNING TABLE, LOOKED ME IN THE FACE, AND BLURTED OUT “LEMMY IS GOD!”, AND THEN RAN OFF LIKE SOME LITTLE KID IN HIGH SCHOOL GETTING OFF ON TAUNTING SOMEONE, AND THEN RUNNING OFF LIKE A LITTLE PUSSY (I MEAN SERIOUSLY THE GUY WAS LIKE 6’5″ AND HAD TO WEIGH ABOUT 300 LBS!).

I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THIS IS A RESULT OF THE FALSE, AND I REPEAT, FLASE STORY THAT LEMMY AND I HAVE SOME SORT OF BEEF. LET ME MAKE MYSELF COMPLETELY CRYSTAL CLEAR. WE DONT.

I HAVE NOTHING BUT TREMENDOUS RESPECT FOR LEMMY AND ALL OF MOTORHEAD. THEY ARE PIONEERS IN THE GENRE AND ARE LIVING LEGENDS WALKING THE FACE OF THIS EARTH. THEIR FUSION OF PUNK AND METAL HAS INFLUENCED AND INSPIRED, JUST ABOUT ANYONE WHO IS A PART OF THE WORLD OF HARD ROCK AND HEAVY METAL.

THIS NONSENSE THAT CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE PRESS LIKE TO PERPETUATE IN ORDER TO CREATE DRAMA WHERE THERE IS NONE, IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND SHODDY REPORTING. THIS ALL STEMS FROM AN INTERVIEW WHERE I WAS ASKED WHAT I THOUGHT OF LEMMY WEARING NAZI PARAPHERNALIA, OR BRANDISHING NAZI SYMBOLISM. JEFF HANNEMAN (RIP) WAS BROUGHT UP AS WELL I BELIEVE.
COMING FROM A FAMILY OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY SENSITIVE SUBJECT FOR ME AND I SAID. “I DONT CARE WHO YOU ARE, IF YOURE GOING TO WEAR NAZI PARAPHERNALIA I’M GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT”, AND I STILL DO. ALWAYS WILL. HOW COULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND EXPECT ME TO BE OK WITH SOMEONE WEARING NAZI GEAR?

I HAVE NOTHING BUT LOVE AND RESPECT FOR BOTH ARTISTS, BUT I WILL NEVER BE OK WITH NAZI SYMBOLISM/PARAPHERNALIA BEING BRANDISHED BY ANYONE. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I HAD A PERSONAL “BEEF” WITH EITHER ONE OF THEM. I MOURNED JEFF HANNEMAN’S DEATH AS MUCH AS ANYONE, HE WAS AN INSPIRING AND BRILLIANT MUSICIAN, AND I STILL HAIL LEMMY AS ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME. THAT DOESNT MEAN I HAVE TO AGREE WITH THAT PARTICULAR CHOICE OF SYMBOLISM OR FASHION, BECAUSE I DONT AND NEVER WILL.

THE DRAMA WHICH CAN BE PERPETUATED BY CERTAIN PRESS ELEMENTS, LIKE SO MANY CHILDREN GOSSIPING IN SOME CORNER (YES BLABBERMOUTH, PRP, AND ALL YOU OTHER HATER SITES, I’M TALKING TO YOU), DOES NOT HELP THE GENRE, IT ONLY HURTS IT. I HAVE HAD A BEER AT THE RAINBOW BAR AND GRILL IN L.A. (WHERE YOU CAN FIND LEMMY PLAYING VIDEO POKER MANY NIGHTS AT THE OUTDOOR BAR) WITH LEMMY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND WILL ALWAYS BE HONORED TO DO SO AGAIN.

WHEN THE PRESS BAITS YOU, IN ORDER TO GET A RESPONSE THEY KNOW WILL CAUSE CONTROVERSY, KNOWING THEY CAN EXPECT AN HONEST ANSWER OUT OF YOU, AND THEN USES IT TO START SOME KIND OF BULLSHIT RUMOR, THATS NOT REPORTING, THATS MANIPULATION. ITS IMMATURE, AND IRRESPONSIBLE. INSTEAD OF STRENGTHENING BROTHERHOOD WITHIN THE GENRE, THEY CONSCIOUSLY CREATE RIFTS AND SEPARATIONS FOR THE SAKE OF FUNNELING TRAFFIC TO THEIR PAGES. ITS QUITE PATHETIC ACTUALLY.

SO TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT,

I HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT AND ADMIRATION FOR THE TALENT AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MR. LEMMY KILMISTER, EVEN THOUGH I MAY VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE WITH HIS CHOICE OF APPAREL FROM TIME TO TIME.

NOW LETS PUT THIS PIECE OF SHIT RUMOR TO REST, SHALL WE?

-DAVID DRAIMAN

So, the source of Draiman’s upset seems to be not that he was misquoted for saying he doesn’t approve of collecting Nazi paraphernalia, but, rather, that his assertion means he has a problem with Lemmy on a personal level. Can we all agree that that’s a fair summary of Draiman’s message? Okay, swell.

Here’s the quote to which Draiman is referring (emphasis in the second paragraph mine)

Revolver: What do you think of people like MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister and SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who collect Nazi artifacts?

Draiman: That’s super-duper taboo and offensive to me. I don’t understand the fascination. It’s the most provocative imagery that you can brandish, and that’s why people utilize it. And if that’s their goal, I guess they’re achieving it, but just know there are going to be repercussions for that. SLAYER went onstage in Germany brandishing Nazi paraphernalia or Nazi symbolism and it hasn’t been taken too well.

Revolver: Lemmy defends himself by saying he’s just collecting pieces of war history, and that the evil people have the coolest-looking stuff.

Draiman: I don’t give a fuck who you are. If you’re going to brandish Nazi symbolism, I’m going to have a problem with you because I don’t understand how anybody could think it’s OK to wear something on their body that symbolizes the annihilation and genocide of my people. I’m not OK with that and there is no excuse and there is no explanation.

Now, maybe I’m just being really anal about this whole silly “meaning of words” thing, but the phrase “I’m going to have a problem with you” does, in fact, sound personal. So it’s really easy to see how his words were misconstrued. Obviously I’m kinda biased, but I don’t think it’s fair to blame the journalist who asked the question, or the sites that reported the answer. Draiman could have said “I love Lemmy’s music, but yadda yadda Nazi stuff isn’t cool,” or even, y’know, “I’d rather not discuss other musicians.” But he didn’t. This isn’t a case of the internet causing controversy; this is a case of not choosing your words more wisely to make sure they represent what you mean.

In fact, I hate to wax my own car, but when I originally wrote about Draiman’s statement back in 2010, I said that agreed with his general stance (which kills me — not that I did agree, because I still agree, but that I agreed with The Nu-Metal Tarzan), but also went out of my way to make it clear that this ultimately didn’t disrupt my enjoyment of the music:

“I don’t think that this case is akin to, say, having to justify an enjoyment of Burzum or Ted Nugent even though we all know that Varg Vikernes and Nugent are bigots. Those guys ARE bigots, they are on record as having made bigoted statements, and there’s no getting around that. I think guys like Lemmy, Jeff Hanneman, and Marilyn Manson are really just kinda dumb. And as long as they don’t actually hurt anyone or endorse hurting anyone, I can forgive being a dummy.”

See? Specificity of language! It helps ensure that people understand what you’re trying to communicate. Look into it, Dave, I think you’ll find that it really works for you.

Also PLEASE STOP TYPING IN ALL CAPS, it’s irritating and all you’re doing is giving guys like me yet another excuse to make fun of you.  K thanks.

[via “hater site” The PRP]