Fear Factory’s Dino Cazares on Kourtney Kardashian: “I Wish She Was Wearing One of My Band’s Tees”
The Heavy Metal Internet lost its goddamn mind last week when Kourtney Kardashian dared to wear a Cannibal Corpse/Eaten Back to Life longsleeve t-shirt. Even those who defended Kardashian did so in a backhanded manner, suggesting that the shirt actually belongs to Kardashian’s boyfriend, Blink-182’s Travis Barker, an argument which seems like a leap in logic at best and misogynistic at worst given the fact that she’s been spotted wearing metal merch in the past.
Among the many not to even give Kardashian that tiny amount of leeway was Chris Barnes, the complete lunatic and used car salesman whose vocals appear on Eaten Back to Life, who called the socialite/model/reality television star a “poser.”
But not everyone was so unreasonable! Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares, for example, took to Twitter to point out a simple, obvious, yet greatly overlooked fact: that a Kardashian wearing a metal band’s shirt is great publicity for that band.
Tweeted Dino:
“[Barnes] has it all wrong. Why wouldn’t u want exposure for your music even tho he’s not in the band anymore? I wish she was wearing one of my bands tees, great exposure.”
Actually, I’d argue that Cazares is the one that has it all wrong — because idiocy is Barnes’ brand.
The very definition of “conservative,” Barnes actively shuns change of any sort (Six Feet Under’s output, which makes Slayer seem artistically adventurous by comparison, speaks for itself there). A foothold, however flimsy, in mainstream culture will ensure that metal continues to thrive — you don’t hear Mick Jagger bitching about how many people wear Stones shirts regardless of whether or not they’re Stones fans — but neither Barnes nor Six Feet Under’s three remaining fans can see a past time when metal was dominated by straight white dudes. He behaves as though Kardashian wearing his old band’s shirt is some major violation of ideology, and not latent fear that metal will become overrun with women who won’t sleep with him and might demand that he take a shower and read a book or something. The horror, the horror!
(And all of that, by the way, is to say nothing of the fact that at no point has Barnes or any other anti-Kardashian seemed consider that she could genuinely appreciate Vince Locke’s art even if she doesn’t know or care about Cannibal Corpse. It’s actually kind of insulting to Locke.)
Cazares is currently on tour with Soulfly. Remaining dates are below.
Barnes is currently on tour with the voices in his head.
9/07/2021 Emerson Theater – Indianapolis, IN [tickets]
9/08/2021 Diamond Pub Concert Hall – Louisville, KY [tickets]
9/09/2021 Zydeco – Birmingham, AL [tickets]
9/11/2021 Warlando Festival – Orlando, FL [tickets]
9/12/2021 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA [tickets]
9/14/2021 Scout Bar – Houston, TX [tickets]
9/15/2021 Come and Take It Live – Austin, TX [tickets]
9/16/2021 Trees – Dallas, TX [tickets]
9/17/2021 Country River Club – Tyler, TX [tickets]
9/18/2021 Vibes Event Center – San Antonio, TX [tickets]
9/19/2021 Rockhouse Bar & Grill – El Paso, TX [tickets]
9/21/2021 Encore – Tucson, AZ [tickets]
9/22/2021 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA [tickets]
9/23/2021 Alex’s Bar – Long Beach, CA [tickets]
9/24/2021 The Whisky – Los Angeles, CA [tickets]
9/25/2021 Marquee Theater – Tempe, AZ[tickets]
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