Phil Anselmo’s Nazi salute at Dimebash Festival is one everyone’s mind in the metal community, and Corey Taylor of Slipknot is no exception as he talks about it in a new interview.
When asked about Phil Anselmo’s actions at Dimebash, Taylor told The Guardian, “I’ve been watching this all and I’ve kept mum for the most part, because I wasn’t there. So I don’t know the background on what happened, I haven’t seen the video of it - though I’ve been told by many people that it’s blatant, and there’s no way to misrepresent.”
Taylor further said that it is a “bigger problem than what happened that night,” saying that his band is committed to bringing those in the metal community together, regardless of race. He mentions that Slipknot welcomes all of their fans. Taylor shared that racism is something that is passed down in families and in culture, that spans across generations and is not just limited to the metal community.
“It’s risen it’s ugly head because of the incident that we’re talking about,” Taylor said. “But I’ve not only played a lot of metal shows, I’ve been to a lot of metal shows, and I know for a fact that they are quite diverse and they always have been.”
Anselmo first caused a controversy at Dimebash when he gave the salute and shouted “white power” onstage at the festival, originally claiming that it was supposed to be a joke that referred to white wine. He has since apologized and even offered to quit music and his band, Down, altogether in order to show remorse for his actions. Others in the metal community spoke out on the issue and he was even referred to as a “bully” by Machine Head frontman Rob Flynn.
In a desperate effort to quell the controversy, Anselmo posted an open letter to his website that claims he would never bring his bandmates down and implies that he is considering retiring from music altogether.
