Pantera's Philip Anselmo Reflects on 'Becoming'

Loudwire Exclusive: Philip Anselmo celebrates the 20th anniversary reissue of Pantera's 'Far Beyond Driven' by taking us back to 1994 with this recollection of 'Becoming.'
Buy the 20th anniversary edition of 'Far Beyond Driven' here: itunes.apple.com/us/album/far...

[@Pratt-zp5mr]

Married with two kids, an upstanding member of the community and nearly 50 years of age. But I would still charge headfirst into traffic, headbutt some glass, or run through a wall, all prompted by sonic effect of Phil's vocals resonating in my ears; it just makes me want to do that sometimes. Heaven help those that are in my way with this CD playing in the car...

[@Drummer81able]

I hear you... Its like religion..healthy religion..metal religion,thats Pantera.🤘

[@SchemaGarage]

AMEN BROTHER!!!!!

[@strangemachines_]

I hear ya, I’m 35 and I have that same head rush when I jam Korn or Linkin park as I did back at 16. Music does that. 🎧🤙

[@jeremyjames1659]

Upstanding? That can be debated.

[@smellywilly1517]

dude his voice is just badass

[@_SliK_]

“BECOMING GODSIZE” is probs the best quote I’ve ever heard💯☝️

[@Raynadelic]

He's not on anything here! He was in the middle of a tour, he's tired! Give the man a break! Love this guy and his stories! I could listen forever! Metal on PHA!!!

[@kerriannewillis4393]

​@@bullyinspace Stop harassing women.

[@jeremyjames1659]

Who cares. Too bad it wasnt this clown gone instead of Dime or Vince.

[@kerriannewillis4393]

@@jeremyjames1659 Obviously you care since you're here running your mouth 8 years after this comment was posted. The "it should've been Phil instead of Dime" crowd are obnoxious.

[@crunked6674]

@@jeremyjames1659 To wish death upon another man is not just petty but fucking childish. Grow up.

[@wirtentier]

The chorus in Becoming is fucking killer.

[@losronin3875]

I love vinnie just rocking those hi hats also. The Abbott brothers were a gift from a higher plain. I truly believe that.

[@MrMafiale]

Becoming and Strength beyond Strength were my favorite songs from Pantera since I can remember. These are very powerful songs almost a little narcisstic even. But dude, I feel like my ego grows twice as much and like beeing on 30 lines of cocain whenever I hear these songs. Also great for workout purposes. Thanks Pantera for these two masterpieces. I feel like only Phil Anselmo can deliver them so good. Because, you know, he is a beast.

[@crunked6674]

I think both of those songs were the thoughts of the band's rapidly growing success at the time

[@stevenwilliams1805]

Still one of the greatest, in my book.

[@johnstoner666]

An Insane song. Get's me too pumped.

[@canadachronic8803]

Any Pantera fans here? Getcha pull 🖤

[@traceyrychewhite1874]

Pantera is still my favorite band and unlike most bands, they never sold out. They were always well aware of what we liked and they delivered!!

[@mattfilms6919]

The song also seems to line up with the story in the Dean Koontz book "Becoming." In the book the character Vesago talks about being born again, with snakes eyes, and other thing in the song match up, as well.

[@joddeurter2448]

Thomas Harris' Red Dragon

[@BDLyons]

Brilliant Phil, all of it my good sir. Never sold out. Stay metal.

[@analozada9475]

One my ultimate favorite songs and my favorite album! 🙌🖤🔥🤘🔥👊

[@mikescott2879]

Phil just is bad ass. This is the sickest drum beat ever imo, and I miss Pantera way too much. It's almost unhealthy. From the world premier of CFH to 2020, I have been there. I have met every band I ever dreamt of, never got star struck. Saw Pantera, chose not to go see them, for the fear of acting like a pantie wipe lol. Seriously, as a drummer, what do you say to the baddest drummer in metal, baddest guitarist ever, and you get it.... That said, I finally did in 96, and it was everything I thought. I'm still recovering from the hangover today. My musical hero's.

[@konradfraczek6482]

Here because my bandmates just praised my basslines on demos. GODSIZE. Love you, Phil. Strong Gorbachev look here, good he's ok. I almost koed myself with wardrobe door yesterday.

[@dorisjohnson6104]

favorite pantera song

[@virgboogie]

You must be a new fan, Phils been smashing his forehead with a mic since the late pantera days ie: Reinventing the steel days.

[@justinlopez4501]

words of wisdom

[@lukeconnolly2583]

Becoming becomes more than a man. More than you'll ever be.

[@dannye3325]

Some tune 🦍

[@claytonbranham3235]

Favorite band of all time behind Sabbath of course

[@coreytarducci36]

Phil is the man

[@FinsaneLorist]

Pantera is the HC'st band ever, and will ever be. Those Hennes & Mauritz / Limb bizkits will never be compared!

[@requiemforredemption5365]

🔥🤘🏼🎙🤘🏼🔥

[@shanepotter6067]

When life is going good

[@StephenAndrew777]

People sometimes reflect on things when 20 year anniversaries happen.

[@donniemarion7383]

Come on phil tour... tour ... tour..... 4 album's platinum sitting there fading away...

[@85smd]

holy shit, what aftto;) but still love this guy

[@drunkability]

dude did they really skip the track throes of rejection? thats my favorite fucking song on that album man! what gives?

[@1999Dorito]

drunkability It's pretty underrated.

[@CFHmetalorama]

Was a nice subtle dig at Metallica by Phil without mentioning them directly.

[@analozada9475]

🤣🙌💯

[@DoesNotInhale]

I the unlord

[@stringpicker2335]

Is there a full interview with this?

[@B166ER-]

Is he still hitting himself in the head with his mic?!

[@Drummer_Jeff83]

B1-66ER im sure he is but I think you are referring to the scars on his head. That happened one night during a down concert, pepper accidentally nailed phll in the head with this guitar as they were walking by each other... He had blood pouring down his face pretty bad but kept the show going. There is video somewhere on KZbin and many pictures of it if you Google it

[@billrobertjoe]

@@Drummer_Jeff83 nah too red to be a scar

[@Steveo3332]

@@Drummer_Jeff83 I watched that video. It was Kirk that hit him brother \,,/

[@Drummer_Jeff83]

@@Steveo3332 must have happened more than once then which somebody else hinted to 🤷‍♂️

[@Steveo3332]

@@Drummer_Jeff83 maybe brother the show I was watching it was in their hometown. When Kirk hit him

[@robbieweld7928]

Playlist for the full interview: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6GVeWh-ltpsmNU

[@matthewpearson9837]

that mark on his head though

[@edwin00420]

That damned mic is like a cheese grader...

[@hubertg-blouin8070]

Yeah. Anyone knows what happened to his forehead ?

[@edwin00420]

Its from the microphone.

[@hubertg-blouin8070]

Which microphone ?

[@edwin00420]

The one in his hand.

[@Fnberg744]

FBD. The Gospel

[@oliverhayesthecreator4988]

I just notice for a second there he started looking like gg alin

[@gavin6666]

fun fact: Phil saw gg allin live twice in New Orleans

[@dudewateva12]

Anyone know what that cut or something is on his forehead? I saw him for the first time in concert a couple months ago and was wondering what it was then and looked it up online but couldn't find anything about it

[@InTheMix27]

He bangs too much the head with his microphone! :D

[@RevoltingCS]

Yeah he usually smashes his microphone to the head, he's usally bleeding on stage aswell.

[@BergmanMusic]

I'm not sure, but I believe he's had that cut for more than a year and the reason I think is that he kept hitting his forehead with the microphone until he started to bleed, and it just hasn't got the time to heal yet because of his style of singing as hard as humanly possible and transporting so much blood to the head, plus he still keeps banging the mic to his head. But I ain't no doctor, just drawing conclusions. Interesting interviews by the way, always a pleasure hearing the Kid talking Pantera stuff.

[@LichRC]

I've seen something similar in Antiseen, where the singer has a bleeding scar on his forehead. Anselmo often wears antiseen t shirts. Maybe there is some relation?

[@yugozastava13]

LichRC Google, "G.G. Allin"

[@phillbr51]

Hey that's great. Please explain your forehead.

[@1Deep43VA]

I love this song, but when you try blasting it in the car, the guitar can be painful to the ears. I’m more or less accustomed to it, but I noticed my wife winces every now and then. So, unfortunately I don’t listen to it much anymore. She loves Hollow and The Underground in America though.

[@badasspancake3482]

How did he get that scar?

[@chrislawson6509]

During shows he would hit himself with the mic

[@Mario-us7ds]

I heard he opened a tuna can with his forehead

[@NavySealWannabe67]

Is that wound on his head?

[@greatriffishere]

The wound on his head is from phil taking the microphone and crushing into his skull at every live gig he play's.Phil is very aggressive on stage and is one of the greatest metal frontman ever.

[@NavySealWannabe67]

greatriffishere Thanks man.

[@i_am_a_stupid_fool]

what does he mean by born again with snakes eyes?

[@paulmysliborski4832]

"A lot of metal bands went commercial." So true. But............ Not SLAYER!!!

[@Otium83]

i've been using godsize as nickname since fucking ever because of this |m|

[@GauntLife]

Here's my question: What did you do to catch a claw hammer in the forehead? You caught a fuckin' hammer in the head. Why?

[@85smd]

fatto

[@QuiteNot]

Great song and front man ! But man loosen up, stop analysing your life, fucking rock out, live for the monument. He just seems depressed or unbelievably tired and drug fucked... Fuck who cares that much why you wrote the song, it is what it is a fucking killer song like all of far beyond driven ! Hope he feels better. = )

[@QuiteNot]

I meant, live for the moment, not monument. Stupid auto complete : )

[@MattWeismiller1994]

QuiteNot You can edit your comment after you post by clicking edit under the pop-up menu, in the upper right, when you have the cursor over your comment.

[@QuiteNot]

Cool thanks for info.

[@JoeyRec]

You are obviously really young and stupid.

[@QuiteNot]

You are obviously old and bitter.

[@Phaedrus27]

It's time for Anselmo to let go and let somebody else be the toughest guy in the room. It's so sad how grace escapes him.

[@angrybadger616]

Spot on. Yesterday don't mean $h!t,Phillip.

[@goosegog]

Phil, eat more fruit and veg, get some exercise, you look awful!

[@danamaljohngollapalli9275]

I was the 666th liker

[@tomdaniels3392]

hmmmmmm and yet the band started as a glam band?? had they truly stuck to a style he would have never been heard of............

[@brandonpaulin1595]

9 people don’t want to BECOME.

[@maxdamagus]

Looking a bit toxic here. Stay off the heavy stuff Phil.

[@eyehatecole]

this is actually one of the most sober-sounding interviews I've seen Phil in in years.

[@happysad2]

maxdamageman

[@flamecolumn]

Haha Phil is either dead tired, high as fuck or most likely both in this video. The lyrics in Becoming are far deeper than this paltry and superficial explanation. Becoming is about murdering your old, weak, frightened, apologetic self and moving into a new plane of existence. No more beatings, no more running, no more “the small one”. Becoming godlike...confident, creating a new world for yourself and moving through that world as you choose to, not as others want and expect you to. Burning off the weak, cringing outer husk to reveal a stronger, better person. My sis was going through an awful breakup and was all weepy and defeated and listening to all this sad weepy fucking bullshit music. I sent her this song and told her to live these lyrics. It blew her mind in half. She stopped moping around, became an elite Krav Maga fighter, lost 30 lbs, just got lean and mean as fuck. Threw away her old shit job and now makes a fortune in a new career. Dates a new guy who’s five years her junior. Created a new world and a new life for herself. This song played a role in changing, maybe even saving, her life. She’s no longer “the small one.”

[@hairygreens5347]

Stupidest lyrics ever , Never Disrespect God , Just look at what happened , Everything knee shall bow and tongue confess , Jesus is Lord !

[@riffermadness96]

STFU

[@todddavis4274]

Stupid lyrics???? You shouldn't be commenting on somthing you dont understand.

[@tonystank9739]

If anything the song is empowering because it glorifies God’s “power”.