Lamb of God Frontman Explains Why He Believes in Covid-19 Vaccine Science
The current timeline we inhabit, in which “believing in science” is a thing that’s even being discussed, is wild. Five years ago there’s no way anyone saw this coming. Science was established fact, canon, unshakeable, except for those uber-religious loonies. Not anymore!
So here we are reading about why the frontman of a prominent metal band believes in the vaccines for Covid-19, which are completely safe and very effective. Not that we’d expect any less from Randy Blythe, who has already advocated for mask-wearing and vaccinations and has consistently been on the right side of social and political issues throughout his career. But it’s certainly extra-noteworthy in today’s political climate, especially given the reports that Blythe’s own bandmate, guitarist Willie Adler, is not vaccinated.
Speaking on Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn’s No Fuckin’ Regrets With Robb Flynn podcast, Blythe explained:
“I believe in fucking science. And I have friends who are doctors and scientists and nurses, and these are people I’m going to listen to — not someone on social media, not another musician, not a talking head on CNN, Fox News, USA Today, PBS; none of this stuff. I talk to my friends who are molecular biologists, immunologists, emergency room doctors, and I have friends who are nurses, one of whom works in a COVID ward — and someone very close to me. These are not my friends’ neighbors’ second cousin’s buddy [saying], ‘I heard this or that or the other’; these are people who are friends of mine I talk to directly. They’re, like, ‘This is real. This is the science. This is the data. This is what I see. These are the people I see dying.’ So I’m going to listen to my friends ’cause they’re a lot smarter than me.
“For me, everybody has to quote-unquote do their own research, I guess. My research involves talking to friends of mine who spent years of their lives pursuing degrees that cost them thousands and thousands of dollars, or who dedicate their lives to the service of others in the medical profession. And this is what these people are telling me. So I don’t have to filter through all this data, through all these different media sources; I just talk to my friends. ‘Are you vaccinated?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Tell me about this vaccine. Tell me about the technology.’ And I’ve had these conversations.
“When the vaccine came out very rapidly, comparatively, like anyone else, I was, like, ‘Well, that’s quick.’ But then some friends of mine explained to me, ‘This is old technology. They’ve been working on this for 15 fucking years. It’s not new. So cut it out with that.’ And also, this is not just an American or one country’s or one corporation’s push; this is a massive international effort to get this vaccine ready — different ones ready — for distribution.
“I have a friend who works in intelligence — pretty high-level intelligence — and one of their jobs right now is helping out with COVAX, which is the international vaccine distribution arm. And he [was] talking to one of his co-workers from COVAX, and it was just, like, it’s very frustrating with certain places where the vaccine is available and people don’t wanna take it, and there are countries that are begging for it.
“All that aside, for me, like I said, it’s a matter of talking to my friends and being, like, ‘What’s the deal with this?’ Because these are people I trust, and they’re a lot smarter than me… So I’m going to listen to them — I’m just gonna.”
Thank you, Randy, for continuing to speak out. Your words may save a fan’s life.
Lamb of God just wrapped up their tour with Megadeth, Trivium and Hatebreed. The tour’s Canadian dates were canceled, at least in part because certain members of the touring party — including Adler, Dave Mustaine and Jamey Jasta — were unvaccinated and would not have been let into the country.
