Phil Anselmo Posts Second Apology, Suggests Bandmates “Move On Without Him”
Yesterday, we reported on the Dutch FortaRock Festival pulling Down from their line-up in response to the fact that frontman Phil Anselmo ended this year’s Dimebash by throwing a Nazi salute and screaming the phrase “WHITE POWER!” into the crowd.
While Phil posted an apology video last week — which some thought wasn’t quite enough — he has now posted an even lengthier apology to his website, seemingly in the wake of the FortaRock cancellation.
Here’s what Anselmo posted:
To all this will concern,
Every citizen in this entire world has the unalienable right to live with dignity and respect without hate or oppression. And I mean this, with all of my crushed, yet, guilty heart.
It’s common knowledge that we can choose to either learn from our mistakes, or continue on a path of insensitivity and destruction.
I am utterly responsible for the mistakes I have made, and can only give you my word to no longer do them in the present, through ACTION, not just mere words.
My band mates are now experiencing the consequences of my behavior, and I now publicly apologize to them as well. Never in my entire lifetime would I drag them down with me, and I’ve privately suggested to them that they move on without me.
My biggest obstacle(s) are the over-indulging in the booze and blurting out spiteful, ignorant reductions of the human spirit itself. I will address these issues, head-on.
I’m repulsed by my own actions, and the self-loathing I’m going through right now is justified by the hurt I’ve caused.
I realize we live in a society where apologies are NOT accepted easily, yet long for a day when they can be, but I also understand if I’m shunned till I hit the dirt.
From the bottom of my heart, and with all sincerity, I once again am truly sorry for the pain I have caused.
With truth, love, hope & respect-
Philip H. Anselmo
As a fan of Anselmo’s music, this shit is tough to read; that’s why I labeled this piece ‘This Sucks,’ because it does. This latest post reads like it has some pain in it. It certainly comes off as more heartfelt than his video, which felt a little like trying to move past the problem without solving it. More so, his suggestion that his bandmates “move on without him” is heartbreaking, but also noble. It’s bullshit that the other members of Anselmo’s two bands have their livelihood put in jeopardy because he got hammered and reverted to a skinhead. I appreciate that Anselmo recognizes this.
That said, this is a step in the right direction, but we’re not there yet. The sentiment expressed here is really great, but Phil has work to do on himself before I buy it, and one of the things he needs to work on is his drinking. You can hate our own Elitist all you want, but his point is valid: Phil is a lousy fucking drunk, and needs to cut that shit out. As the dude who writes this site’s liquor column, I very rarely suggest sobriety as a cure for what ails you, but when me and my friends get drunk we eat all the snacks and purchase lackluster concert t-shirts. We don’t yell the catchphrase of a violent hate group at the nearest group of people.
So let’s see what happens. Will Anselmo redeem himself following this? Can he? Should he be forgiven, after this many drunken, bigoted rants? Let us know what you think in the comments.
