In a brand new interview with “The Hardcore Humanism With Dr. Mike” podcast, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe offered his perspective on the well-known downside of social media, which is the addiction it creates.
“This is one thing that worries me for the younger generation, who are raised with these things,” he said (hear audio below). “The ‘pocket Jesus,’ as I call it, the cell phone, has everything you need; it’s your savior. The world is your oyster.
“For instance, I’ve traveled the world. I’ve been to every continent except for Antarctica. I can tell you there is a vast, vast difference from looking at pictures of, let’s say, the Highlands in Scotland, or watching a documentary about the Highlands in Scotland — you can learn some things. There’s a vast difference between viewing that on a screen and being there. It is unbelievable. That’s a plug for the Highlands; it’s an amazing place. But it’s not comparable.
“So, for me, I’m not a Luddite — I believe the Internet is a valuable tool — but I feel it should be as the tool, a means to an end rather than the end itself. And I feel that’s kind of, in a lot of ways, what it’s become, with social media and so forth, people chasing likes and building their profiles and all that other stuff. And it’s, like, to what end? What does that get you in the end? A bazillion Instagram followers. What does that get you? How does that translate into something of value within your life other than you’re popular on cell phones. [Laughs]”
Blythe went on to say that while social media can be a valuable educational and communication tool, it can also be an immense distraction.
“When I lay down on my death bed, and I do hope I’m cognizant when I am dying — I hope I’m awake,” he said. “I want to experience this; I want to understand what’s happening, and hopefully I will meet it with fortitude and bravery. But when I lay down on my death bed and I think about my life, I doubt I will say to myself, ‘You know, I really wish I had spent more time looking at my cell phone, building my social media profile. I really wish I had been on the computer more Googling kangaroos,’ or whatever I was doing.
“I like to use these things in order to inject myself into the stream of life,” he continued. “I’m lucky enough to travel — or I used to be — with my band a lot, and when we would go into a city, I’d go on Google. [I would look for] museums, or what’s an interesting neighborhood here, or what’s the local food. And then I put the phone in my pocket and I go. Because I want to taste that food, I want to walk in that museum — I want to see these things. And I think the challenge right now, being stuck at home so much, is there’s a lot of things about my town, and I think this is for anyone probably, that they take for granted, that become mundane after you’re exposed to them daily. And I’m trying to really broaden my perspective on where I live and go see some things I haven’t seen in a while or maybe find some new things — try and view the world in a different way.”
Later this month, LAMB OF GOD will offer fans first-time-ever live performances of the band’s critically acclaimed new album “Lamb Of God” and the landmark 2004 album “Ashes Of The Wake”, both performed live in their entirety in the band’s hometown of Richmond, Virginia. As standalone ticketed events, these performances will be LAMB OF GOD‘s only chance to perform these songs for fans this year — and the band are ready to deliver to the highest degree.
The first stream, scheduled for Friday, September 18, will see the band perform songs from its latest self-titled album live for the very first time. For the second stream, on Friday, September 25, the band will perform the ground-breaking RIAA-gold-certified album “Ashes Of The Wake”, in its entirety for the first time ever. Both sets will feature encores, including fan favorites as well as songs that haven’t been performed in years.
For more information including tickets and merch bundles, go to this location.
“Lamb Of God” was released on June 19 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe. The follow-up to “VII: Sturm Und Drang” marks LAMB OF GOD‘s first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band in July 2019 as the replacement for the group’s founding drummer, Chris Adler.
“Lamb Of God” was recorded with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM) and includes special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT).
As previously reported, LAMB OF GOD‘s North American tour with MEGADETH, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES has been rescheduled for 2021.
