With all the news surrounding the Machine Head/Arch Enemy House of Blues show that Disneyland canceled, we thought we’d go directly to the source and have Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn write up a guest blog about his views on citizenship and censorship. Check this out, and don’t forget to watch the band’s new video for “Now I Lay Thee Down.”
In the six years since the attacks of September 11, the United States has become a better place in a number of ways. As a country, we have implemented a few common sense security procedures and protective measures that have made the nation little more secure; as a people, we are a little more conscious of our surroundings and what we can do to increase our safety; and, as a society, we are (to some degree) a little more aware of our effect on the rest of the world, both positive and negative. On the night of September 11, when I asked the crowd in Tucson, Arizona to please give 15 seconds of silence to pay respect to those whose lives were lost on that tragic day, for that one brief moment, we all felt like one. These are good things.
However, in those same six years, the United States has also managed to deteriorate into a place much worse than it was on September 10, 2001. Since that infamous day, many ugly truths have surfaced, many of the liberties we once took for granted – freedoms we once thought invincible – have been quietly erased by men that have taken it upon themselves to ignore the Constitution and write their own rules. These are the same men that fed the world lies in order to justify a war that it wouldn’t agree to, men who value power and control over human life and exercise it with an unprecedented audacity and disdain for the law. And these are very bad things.
But worse than any of that, in my opinion, is the fact that, for the most part, we are allowing it. We, the people, are sitting idly by while all of this is happening, watching it slowly unravel in front of our very eyes. The scale of it all so large, the stage so vast that it’s impossible not to feel helpless and detached in the shadow of everything that’s happening — that is, until the same kinda s–t happens to you, on a much smaller scale. You tend to turn a blind eye, until you see the same tyrannical attitudes and repressive tactics trickle down into your daily life, absorbed by corporate America and dictated to you as “the way it needs to be”.
I have been on the road touring for over half of my life, 13 years of which have been with Machine Head. This is what we do. Frankly, it’s all we know how to do. And in the 13 years we’ve been touring, we have never experienced the kind of flat-out extortion that we were just privy to. Never did we think that what we just witnessed over the course of the last few weeks would ever be possible, let alone tolerated in this day and age. But as I sit here writing these words to you, we are still in an utter state of shock.
About a month ago, we were told that our concert at The House Of Blues in Anaheim, California (which is on Disney property) — after having been on sale for six weeks — was going to be moved on two days notice because Disney had begun silently enacting a blanket policy to eliminate all heavy metal shows from the two House of Blues venues that reside on Disney property. Now, of course, no one would go on record about exactly what Disney’s brand new issue(s) with metal seemed to be (understandably so). But the “unofficial” gist is that metal lyrics were deemed “inflammatory” and metal fans deemed “undesirable.”
Is it ultimately wrong for a family-oriented establishment like Disney to have a say in who plays at venues located on their property? No. During Machine Head’s early years, we ran into a not-really-similar scenario when we tried to play our local punk club, 924 Gilman Street. We were turned down because of the simple fact that we were “a metal band.” Our friend Tim from Rancid even spoke to the 924 Gilman committee about why we should play there, but in the end, they “voted” us off the table, as they felt it would compromise the integrity of what their club was — a “punk rock” club. We’re a metal band, fair enough.
But when a corporation like Disney forces the cancellation of your show because your style of music is “inappropriate,” it really sticks in your craw, especially when you think about what’s playing at the theater right next door. For example, now playing at the Downtown Disney AMC Theater are a number of movies rated “R” for, among other things, “strong sexual content”, “strong horror violence,” “intense sequences of graphic brutal violence,” nudity and drug use. It goes without saying that a heavy metal show is (with the exception of violence) fairly tame by those standards. Hell, even by the oft-assumed worst-case scenarios preached by ignorant conservative groups about “the evils of heavy metal,” the genre still falls well short of offering its fans the sort of influences present in the major motion pictures playing a mere hop, skip and a jump away.
So that makes you wonder exactly what it is about having a heavy metal show at the traditionally metal-friendly House of Blues next door that seems to scare Disney enough to allegedly threaten and pressure promoters into canceling all currently booked and on-sale metal shows, and prevent the booking of any future shows within the genre. What is it that metal says to people that makes it so much worse than the content described in the ratings of the aforementioned movies? Is it as simple as Disney wanting nothing to do with metal fans? And if that’s the case, how do you think the public would react if they made the same decision about hip-hop fans?
Or does it have something to do with the fact that metal says what most other media is afraid to say? Take Machine Head’s lyrics, for example. When we were writing the lyrics to “The Blackening,” we all sat down and had a good old fashioned vote on whether or not we should go ahead with what we wanted to say, knowing full well that we could piss off a number of people, and that there might be repercussions. So, the whole idea of Disney reading the lyrics to “Clenching The Fists Of Dissent” or “A Farewell To Arms” and deciding that there was no way in hell that we were going to be allowed to play there is far from shocking. The real shocker came two days before the show when they suddenly decided to pull the rug out from underneath the opening night of our tour, after tickets had been on sale for six weeks. This new policy of theirs apparently “began” around that same time, and since then, nearly every other metal show at the House of Blues Anaheim and House of Blues Orlando - already booked and on sale - has also been mysteriously canceled. The only exceptions to said “rule” have involved a handful of Christian-friendly and/or Bush-friendly metal bands such as Megadeth, Underoath and As I Lay Dying.
So what’s really going on here? Is this your average, everyday case of ignorant corporate tools making decisions for you, or is it something else? f this was all in an effort to make Disneyland a “happier” place for everybody, why do they still allow the showing of R-rated movies at the AMC Theater in Anaheim, or the purchase of unrated DVDs and explicit CDs at the Virgin Megastore in Orlando? Those two simple facts alone speak to a less-than-global elimination of “questionable” content from their premises. So, why ban metal shows? They’re no less lucrative than a country show, and there’s no less potential liability involved than with a hip-hop show.
The one word that continues to stick with me is “inflammatory.” Now that we’ve played four shows on this tour at House of Blues venues – all without issue or incident — I’m left wondering if this really was a case of an uber-conservative corporation deciding that certain things simply should not be said. After all, banning a genre of music that has always traditionally been anti-establishment and (especially in Machine Head’s case) very anti-administration and anti-war does coincidentally serve the very obvious agenda of the Disney/ABC conglomerate, albeit a very minor service in the grand scheme of things.
We’ve played the House of Blues venues in Anaheim and Orlando before, as have many of the bands now being banned, so why has this genre now been labeled “inflammatory” and their fans “undesirable?” As much as I might want to dismiss the notion that there is a degree of suppression involved here, I just can’t shake that word “inflammatory.” What exactly are metal bands supposedly inciting with our lyrics: Free thought? The idea that our government might not always be working in our best interest? Comprehension of the corruptive force of organized religion? Have things really gotten so bad here in this country that the mere possible mention of these issues is now enough to remove potential “offenders” from the table outright?
I won’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m no scholar by any means, but in between the enormous amounts of vodka I consume, and the occasional recreational drug, I do pay very close attention to what’s happening in our world today, and I can tell you this… I, like many of you, have got a real bad feeling about the road we’re all traveling down.
Was all this to make Disneyland safer? Are these the things that make America safer? Is this the America we live in now?
Because if it is, it has to be asked, safer for who? And who protects us from those in charge of making it “safer?” Because I don’t feel safer…at all.
Well put, Robb. Now, here’s Machine Head’s video for “Days Turn Blue to Gray”
Fock Disney.
Come to play in Singapore, Robb.
It is in South East Asia; neighbour of Malaysia and near to Indonesia and Australia.
No it is not part of China
Slayer, Metallica, Heaven and Hell, Black Sabbath, Sick Of It All, Red Hot Chili Pepper all came and played here before, even though some says Singapore is a strict country.
So..Machine Head, come to Singapore!
this is pathetic
how can disney rightfully decline to allow machine head to play on their property
yet they dont mind 50 cent playing on their property
rap lyrics are generaly more cynical and pointless than that of metal
more voilent
why dont disney just go shove themselves up their own arses?!!
oh, and something that i forgot to say DISNEY ?%?$*%% SUCKS!!! inflammatory???? what the hell is that supposed to mean? if metel is “”inflammatory”", whats the other types of music? all smiley-happy-goody %#%~? certainly not. I’ve listened to music that isn’t metal and still relates to what MH sings, but do they get their asses kicked for it? on no, never!! for Disney to do something like this, it’s almost like racism, only towards music and not people. this whole world is ~%~**? up and it needs to be fixed. i don’t want to live in a world of decay and despair. make sure you make yourself heard robb, maybe it’ll “”inflame”" people against what this world is coming to.
I absolutely agree, i may not live in America (i’m an aussie) but i despise what this world is coming to. i’m only 13 years old and a girl to boot, but i hate these pointless laws and rules. why can’t anybody in this god forsaken world just live a normal life without all of this backstabbing and %~@#? its just simply pathetic. i wish i was old enough to come to your concert but, oh well, i’ll wait. (not that i feel i can) good luck for your tours and ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yes yes and more yes cus got tickets to see machine head this year at download and we missed a train and didnt make it but deff u shuld cus i know dat itle be well gd
I agree with Rob, but not entirely.
i live in Australia, and as an outsider I was worried about American Foreign Policy and American political structure a long time ago, before September 11.
The structure of American society seems to me to be that the Rich get powerful. And people complain, but a majority of them don’t vote. In Australia voting is compulsory for everyone over 18. I wonder how different America would be if everyone had to choose, rather then Politicians having to convince people to vote for them. It’s a huge country, and can be a political nightmare I imagine.
And I can understand the certain Animosity towards Organised religion in America. I’m a Christian, and a lot of what goes on in American Christian circles can scare me at times.
However, you have to remember that it is the Extremists and fundamentalists within the faith that destroy it. I wouldn’t imagine any Truly loving Christian would be so… well… ridiculous. Christianity is often labelled as “intolerant” when at it’s heart it is very much the opposite. Tolerance is not just accepting someone elses view as correct, but being able to disagree with that view, yet not let it get in the way of the friendship.
For people like me in Australia, we see all this happening and can’t help but wonder why something isn’t being done about this censorship issue. If a corporation can’t handle a bit of metal, or a mass of metalheads on their property then they have a serious issue of prejudice. We metalheads are no more “undesirable” than many fans of hip-hop or other genres of music, and the lyrics being “inflammatory”? thats just bullsh-t. Let’s just hope no major corporate pigs get to the record companies or we’ll be heading for situation where anything that isn’t “right” will be banned outright, and we can kiss our rights goodbye. If metal is so “inflammatory”, why is it that many metal heads seem quiet and often appear to be such outcasts? Is it really because they will lash out at you or is it because you might wake up to the truth? It is because we have been labelled dangerous by others. We have been censored in everyday society. People can’t stand us simply because they’ve been told never to associate with our type. We can’t stand them because they have shunned us. Society has ruined the image of one of the purest genres, one that hasn’t been chewed up and spat out without the truth, without the anti-establishment, anti-Bush, anti-war themes. The problem can be linked back to religion, sometimes it’s simply a case of “that’s not what we think is right, that must be satanic and immoral”. Thankfully there are still people who know how to speak their minds.
Robb’s got it 100% correct. It’s complete censorship, it encourages naivety and ignorance in the youth of the nation Disney brainwashes. Why do you think High School Musical is so popular? Because Disney says so. 12 year olds are being bought. Disney wants them blindfolded and anything that threatens the happy profits they make off their lies is censored. They encourage a whitewashed view of America. It’s corporate ##~#%#$~. Finally somebody is making it heard. Thank you Machine Head.
This is a real bad subject of controversy, but things like this happen all around the world. I live in Mexico and politicians here are doing the exact same thing that American congressmen, and it keeps the country in danger of returning to a time in the late 60’s (1968, year of the Olympic Games in Mexico City) when hundreds of people were prosecuted and/or murdered just because they wanted to speak their minds about how f****d up they thought our government there was.
Obviously, being in a different country than the US, there’s no chance that things are at all the same but the same air of stress caused by censorship and two-faced politicians, for whatever reasons you wish to tell, isn’t okay. And a huge enterprise as Disney should definitely know better than that, if they have their R-rated movies showing on theaters on their properties and supporting crack-heads by casting them in movies or TV shows, that seems pretty hypocritical to me, knowing that they could profit from metal shows as well.
I know what it feels like having your freedom of speech censored, so I stand by Robb and support him, and on behalf of everyone in the world with some common sense and some inteligence and true understanding of morale, F*** YOU DISNEY!! Metal will not be silenced nor killed EVER!
Stay (sic)!
[…] Check it out here […]
disney is so &*@#ed up they’re taking the principles this country was founded on and wiping their ass with it. it’s like the freaking pmrc happening all over again. and the next thing you know mccarthyism is back again in full force and free speech goes down the friggin toilet
What I can’t get is the hypocrisy of Disney’s attitude. Disney will not allow metal bands to play on their premises as they think there is something wrong with their music and it is ‘inappropriate‘. Yet Disney will advertise on rock music tv channels that play Machine Head and other metal music so surely they are supporting playing of the music and endorsing the music! Or is it just because they want you to buy their crappy films and don’t care if the money comes from people they deem ‘inappropriate‘? Wonder what else they do are prepared to do with other ‘inappropriate’ people? Don’t trust them!
It’s a weird feeling that we all seem to be out of any charge; those who really know what’s going on in choices made at the top of our governments, those who really know what the true reasons are for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they will probably laugh at our ignorance. I truly think we don’t know half of what is going on. Just like we probably don’t know the real reasons behind Disney’s decisions and the pressure they have probably been put under.
Don’t get me wrong, Disney has made an agreement with Machine Head and many other bands to let them play their properties - just like all the times before - and then, 2 days in advance of a show - they break the contract. I doesn’t seem logical to me in any way. I feel there must be somebody above Disney (George W.’s people?) who has put Disney on the spot here; cancel these shows, or else…
But still, people (fans) shouldn’t be screwed like this. I’m happy Disney is not in charge of any portions of Europe… Can’t wait to see Machine Head in Amsterdam and Wiesbaden. Revolution’s call will NOT be banned any longer!
Well as you’ve guessed from my screen name, i’m from the UK…
OK September 11th was a tragedy, its a shame it has taken something like that for people all over the world to realize that even coalitions like the US & GB are not invincible. people use religion and politics as reasoning for war…. Censorship is fuel for a war, to silence people is to instigate civil uprising, Disney describing metal as “inflammatory” and fans of metal “undesirable” well all i can say is F-K politics, F-K Religion and a BIG FAT F-K to Disney!
Machine Head Rock!!
Certainly Robb is right..
It’s great to realise that there are voices that express a different perspective…
It’s great to express through music the need for resistance…
and … it’s not strange the thing with the censorship. They make wars and kill thousant of people (including americans) for money & power. Would the people who agree (and earn money) with these politics have a problem about censoring a Metal band??
The issue is what we do
real eyes, realize real lies robb.. keep on & come to Greece soon and be careful with these recreational drugs because we need you alive
MH will win cause they stand for what they believe. keep the faith rock hard. from this day on i’ll not buy anything that Disney sells not even going to watch a film in the cinema that they make or buy a dvd that they make. ill pay for my metal save my cash for MH tshirts and other killer bands. i hope that dreamworks drive disney out of the market together with our killer metal bands.
Well said Rob!
I think this pretty much reflects the new scared America.
For me, living in Sweden, this things dosen´t suprise me…
Alhough we in many ways since WWII been influenced by american lifestyles and trends, most people today looks upon USA as a exemple of failure. It´s also ironic how this country brag about freedom.
I blogged about it here: http://stevenmcd.net/wordpress/?p=59
I think its disgusting! Come to South Africa Machine Head. We are seriously a huge bunch of metal lovers. We won’t abandon you guys ever! Metallica toured here last year and were shocked when over 43, 000 people packed their first ever show here in SA. KoRN is coming next year so here’s to dreaming of you lads making it out here!
This whole scenario is not shocking, it’s not unbelievable, and most of all… it’s not without cause. But what is insane is the cause itself. It’s the belief(s) on which certain decisions have been made. It’s the fact that they have to censor the word “HEROIN” in “Days Turn Blue to Gray.” It’s the fact that they are “inflammatory” ??? It’s just flat-out in-fucking-sane. But you know what? Every attempt at condensing the play area of bands like MH… Every time someone decides that they are improper to listen to… It makes me ~*~?$$$ LOVE and have so much more PASSION in what I do, and my lifestyle. Bands that speak… like MH, Arch Enemy, OTEP, In Flames, etc… They give me a stronger drive towards the life I live.
They are no more “undesirable,” “inflammatory,” and “reprehensive” than the next rap or hip-hop star to hit the spotlight.
What baffles me is the fact that these are the same people that attempt to sway the public into thinking that music DOES NOT INFLUENCE a person’s life, or life decisions.
So go ahead and let your 12 year old daughter(s) listen to music that promotes exposing 75% of their bodies. That promotes the “important” things in life… Money, sex and cars. Because that, my friends is “INFLAMMATORY!”
Not the band(s) that say what is real… and what is in our face(s)!
Give me PASSION, give me MH!
I agree completely with Robb as well, but I dont know if its so much censorship as it is generalizing the metal industry and the fans that make up the genre. Apparently Disney feels that we are all a bunch of tattooed, black baggy clothes, no good delinquents, and yeah some of us are, but we all arent. But in the minds of Disney, that is not what the company represents, hence forth shouldnt associate with metal fans and the bands followers. People also don’t like the metal bands tellin the world that sometimes our government is two faced, but if thats the case I dont want to hear any of those people complaining about it like they do on a regular basis. As far as Disney showing R rated movies at there properties that is a bunch of bulls$%^ and we all know it. The things you see on the big screen and TV are often ten times worse then what your gonna ever hear on a metal album. Guess thats all I have to say. If this censorships and generalization going on with Disney is true, then I think they are as two faced as our government is.
I agree Rob. I moved from England GBR 3 years ago to AB Canada. And to see the changes in the world from the affect of America, Iraq, UK. Is pretty crazy. I’ve never been fond of the American system or Country,however, my repsect lies in the Bands. Ex. Machine Head.
I also strongly agree with the Disney issue. what happened to repsect for others and the beliefs etc? Because to be honest, all us metal heads-Metal is our belief, where is the respect for that? If someone is offended by the music playin at a certain venue or a certain date, then don’t go? Simple as that.
something needs to be done in this world, because like you said Rob, “there’s a bad feeling about the road we’re travelling down”
But all the Same. MACHINE F-KING HEAD KICK A-S Nov. 25. Brixton Academy, UK. (my bday)
I have been to many metal shows at the Disney House of Blues. Fear Factory, Soulfly, MH, etc… all numerous times mind you and never once have I had anything but a great time. I can honestly say without hesitation that it has been one of the better places to see a show. Free parking, great security, easy access, kind employees, outstanding atmosphere, the list goes on and on. However I can, and this is hard to say, see a little bit of what I think Disney is getting at. In the late hours typically in the summer, when a show empties out, and you have to be familiar with downtown Disney and the HOB location to understand this, I do see parents with young children who are leaving the park mixing with the concert crowd that just left a show. You can see that they are uncomforable because of the language being used, clothing etc… not exactly the foundations of what Disney was built upon and or the trip that they were expecting to take their kids on. It’s written on their faces and is not hard to understand. Now however, I have never once seen any and I repeat any problem and this is in no way an excuse, just simply an observation from someone who has been there many times.
Living in Orange County it’s always been a pain in the ass to drive an hour in LA traffic, even more if it’s a weekend show, to see a band, but I have done it for years because I believe in supporting the music and the band, buying their merch rather than the faceless/horrible sounding MP3 downloads. I attend most of these shows by myself and ALWAYS feel right at home with everyone in the crowd. The Anaheim HOB brought the shows closer to home and I could even catch many of the opening acts for a change.
Robb’s word’s are true and heartfelt and we may never know the real behind closed doors reason for this decision, but it does just plain suck. No othere way of putting it. To expand on the movie theater comment Robb makes, are you aware that the NAMM show happens right across the street? Are you aware that the Grove, again across the street allows bands like Lamb of God and Danzig to play there? And didn’t Disney hire for many films and a major TV show an ex-cocaine user/dealer who served jail time? (I won’t say his name, it’s easy to find out and even his mug shot with the great 70’s porno moustache and all) And I am not talking about Lindsay Lohan.
It is a sad event regardless that things are changing like this and I do believe for the worse over the long run. I do wonder one thing though, why has Disney booked, for more than a dozen nights mind you, a band that has always (love’m for it though) stood for anti-establishment punk rock band Social D?????????? I hope my tickets are still good for those shows.
ooohhh well, off to see MH again tonight! (in LA) Robb and crew keep up the fight and the great work. Duce, get well.
BTW: (I wonder if wearing diapers on the stage the last time you guys played HOB Anaheim had anything to do with it?!)
No matter if you agree or disagree with Robb the simple fact is that we are losing our rights and our way of life at the hands of our hillbillie president and his shotgun wielding evil sidekick. Our tax dollars in the trillions are Lining the pockets of Bush’s cronies and yet we sit Idly by and fund a war that is doing nothing but growing terrorism. We are becoming the generation that is going to be remebered in history as allowing it to happen. Write your congressman, do something because this is not how I want this generation to be remembered. America is a great country let’s not let this president ruin the greatness of it’s people. Remember he is our employee not vice versa
Robb you have changed all of your fan’s lives for the better, thank you for saying what you feel and never pulling a punch! The Denver show was amazing… as always!
MH for life
i want to go to disney now and wear my Machine Head shirt and get my guitar out a play Machine Head to piss them off,
F–k Disney
F–k Bush
F–k The American Government
F–k Religion cause everyone seem to use it as excuse
Machine Head kick ass
I see where Robb is coming from, however this is just a classic case of Censorship. It’s been around as long as the music has been. I don’t necessarily agree with thoughts whole-heartedly. In reality, the question of how such a scenario came to be lays on the doorstep of Mickey Mouse.
I consider myself to be more conservative based, however im also an avid metal fan, and somewhat of a frequent concertgoer. I think The Blackening is by far one of the best recordings to come out this decade. It’s by far the best Machine Head. I think its pathetic that Disney is fearful of metal fans.
The Blackening is addressed about many things.
Race issues, goverment, war, politics, religion and a bunch of other shit.
and their all ?*$#@@* right. this country is slowly killing itself with the desicions its making and thank God or whatever the hell is running this whole show for a band like Machine Head. Not only is the music unbelieveable but the message it sends across is accurate and something we need to open our eyes to.
we do not live in a perfect country.
and Disney should let their balls %$@#~% drop and let bands like Machine Head play
I see childrens shirts going from, “Mickey Mouse” (can I use those two words?)to MACHINE HEAD shirts!!
Having being born a Church of England Christian, many of my friends would expect me to be upset with what Robb’s gone and said about organised religion. But im not, in fact im impressed cos’ i agree that there is an unhealthy amount of corruption in many of the organized factions of my faith (especially north america) where it is used solely as a money making machine and not freedom of one’s soul. Before ‘fellow’ Christians in america commit unbridled attacks on MH i would at least ask them to stop, listen to the lyrics, check the Bible, let their thoughts swill in their heads (until a defined self opinion is made) then have a rant. ‘The mirror flatters not’ - apt.
Bush sucks.
@?$~ ALL OF U CHRISTIAN PUSSIES MACHINE HEAD RULES!
I think what is missing here is a simple point: How many coincidences is too many? Many many people, using their own intuition and observation, have noticed the almost comedic coincidences that have been taking place in the world. If we don’t guard against the potential ramifications if they aren’t coincidences, we will have given up long before we even make an informed decision. Why do they preach against “big government” when there part of the government is huge. They don’t want big government in anything that will help the majority. They’re weeding out the middle class, that is more than clear. And they aren’t thinking about letting too many people in their club once the majority of citizens are poor. Ruled by the upper 2%? I hope not, cuz I won’t stand for it.
man ~@$% corporate un-america, ~@$% religion (the seed of war and evil) and ~@$% Anaheim n Disney. religion is good if it provides hope and faith - it is not a tool nor means by which censorship and freedom of speech should be mediated by, nor by which ones personal freddoms should be goverened by.
does street rap not only promote but glorify the ‘gangsta’ way of life (need i remind u of fifty cent’s ‘get rich or die trying’, eminem’s ‘Kim’ or ‘Kill You’ where murder, drugs and violence are celebrated) ..but no they dont count coz they get air time on M-motherfuckin-TV.
..and how can we not blame Bush for just about everything thats fuct in western society (i’m mean a $~$*~~ wall between the US and Mexico what is this: the fourth $~$*~~ reich????
oh and ~@$% u Jimmy motherfuckin Benson - if i ever caught u in MH pit booing them i would personally ~@$% u up (me and about 10,000 other MH fans who believe in and stand for what MH and Flynn promote - u ?@*$%?~%##@$, u are just part of that christian conspiracy spoken of in Halo. 2 words: ~@$% OFF!
religion totally #*$#@ up this world.
It is sad that you can’t use the term christian these days without being bashed with a bible! Get over it people.
There are a lot of worse things in life to worry about than Machine Head.
Shame Disney, shame.
P.S. Yes, how good was Download thus year hahah!
I completely agree with everything Robb has said, and I think this is something the entire country should see.
Stifling heavy metal or trying to kill it as MTV once did only serves to make it stronger. Part of the music’s power is drawn from how alienated it is from the rest of the musical world. It is the child of rock that no one wanted.
Disney doesn’t want metal bands? Fine. Let the metal bands go elsewhere. The independent clubs will thrive, and these corporate venues will just lose money.
Btw, I have never seen or experienced anything violent or at a metal show. Metal fans are among the very best concertgoers because they actually care about the music. They don’t pay money to go to shows and merely make trouble.
Country music fans on the other hand raise more hell than anyone. But they don’t ban those kind of shows? Why? It’s middle of the road.
To Rich, We do have freedom of speech. Robb is not in jail for how he voiced his opinion, but you are responsible for what you say. It actually says that in the Constitution in small print. I dont like to compare the two but this is kinda reminicent of the whole Dixie Chicks issue. They didnt go to jail for what they said about Bush. It was the decision of the radio stations to boycott their music. Whether or not Disney acted on the fact that Machine Heads music presented a point of view opposite of theirs, I dont know. It does seem sketchy that they will show rated R movies with all the sex, violence, foul language etc.. at the AMC Theater. Its hypocracy at its best. But Disneys decision is just as American as Machine Heads. Freedom of choice is a constitutional right as well as free speech. If the powers that be at Disney decides that they dont want Machine Head on their property than thats their decision and it stands. They have to suffer the reprocussions of pissing off alot of devoted fans of metal, personally I am forming my own boycott of Disney for what they have done and I encourage others to do the same. I dont know what kind of effect its going to have, probably none but F@#K DISNEY!!!
I have always been a fan but I have more respect for Robb Flynn and Machine Head for standing by their convictions unlike the Dixie Chicks who tried to re-neg and appologise because they couldnt handle reprocussions. Guess MH needs to teach them what real music is all about.
Well put. Aside from what he said from Machine Head’s point of view, Mr. Flynn eloquently un-jumbled my thoughts on this and put them in the right, readable order. I take my invisible hat off to him.
I especially agree with this part: “I, like many of you, have got a real bad feeling about the road we’re all traveling down.”
I also agree with Dave Robson. Download was amazing.
The dimebag stuff was appropriate, just remember that too many opinions can get the government directly interested in you… you dont want william grim having a field-day now do you??
When the hell did he “Blame” Christianity? Personally, i would blame christianity for alot of things if i’m honest. Historically, Christians are worse than the nazis. But thats a different story.
Mr Flynn was merely voicing his oppinion, something the USA preaches about on a daily basis “Land of the free” and “freedom of speech” yadda yadda. But again, i suppose they only mean that when it involves something pro-government, or pro- american way of life. So either take what he says on board, or take his words and swivell on them! Your choice.
[To Mr.Benson]
He’s merely asking, thinking. Talking, he’s not blaming, idiot.
You missed the whole point. Quit while your ahead.
Bottom line is…NEVER CANCEL MACHINE HEAD.
Bloody Disney…
I saw Machine Head at Download…officially the best band in the universe. Robb Flynn is GOD.
No matter what happens…The UK will always love you!!!
Now jimmy, ur comment really just shows u know very little about the country u live in (i say you as im british). your leader (aka G.w Bushmeister) is a christian, as have all the presidents in your history been, u are a christian country. what makes you think ribb IS blaming GWB and christianity, the lyrics off the blackening are addressing SOME issues, which funily enough are caused by those main factors.
Your Country as a whole tells you not to believe the media, but i severly doubt that this is all robb gets his information from. So, why dont YOU go read into ur own f*****g countries issues and stop insulting peoples intelligent views with your own ignorant, government effected veiws, of which i disagree with, as being in another country, i would have a unique view, unnaffected by american media and government, as i do my own research into non-bias sources.
Good on robb for speaking out loud about the blatently obvious issues ur country REALLY needs to deal with.
and jimmy if you want to have a nice intellectual sparring match, then message my myspace. myspace.com/g4chefheavymetalrocks
A point Rob should have tried to make was at what point will Disney stop what it considers “unfit” for the public eye. We are slowly heading down a path where nobody wants to offend everyone and it comes at a cost, it just happened to be our freedom of speech at Disney, Grow a set.
I think this is something to laugh about honestly. You’re blaming Christians for your ineptitude to see that your style of metal is more prone to using foul language and giving off violent motives. Christians aren’t at fault for your misfortune, just as no one else is, only yourselves. Bush is a factor in the way things work now, agreed. But none the less, you can’t go around blaming him and Christians for everything. It just makes you look petty and foolish. Take the fall for yourself for once and learn to appreciate your misfortunes, that will only get you closer to becoming a larger-scale metal force.
How can you blame christians and George bush for EVERYTHING? Disney is a conservative company or are they just idiots who are a child oriented business that decided to be dumbasses? You believe your being different with your opinions, but your just being pulled into the crap that the media and society is telling you to believe. Be original and think for yourself. I would have booed you had i read this before the MH and Arch Enemy concert in Minneapolis.