Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe Speaks With Press Regarding Legal Woes
Lamb Of God‘s Randy Blythe has been doing the press rounds recently, discussing his legal woes and future plans. Speaking with Rollingstone.com in particular, Blythe had the following to say about going back to Prague, Czech Republic to defend himself in court against the manslaughter charges leveled against him:
“They want to give me five to 10 years, so naturally, there’s some trepidation. But the way I feel about possibly going to prison for five to 10 years really has nothing to do with the fact of the matter that it’s the right thing for me to do. It’s the right thing for me to do and stand trial if called – if only from the ethical viewpoint that this young man’s family is sitting there with a lot of questions still.”
When asked about what life was like in Pankrác Prison where he was held, he stated:
“Except for Saturday or Sunday, when you get to sleep in until 7, I’d wake up at 6 o’clock, make my bed, brush my teeth, drop and do some push-ups, meditate some and then talk with my cell mates until breakfast arrived. Ate some breakfast, which is just bread and some sort of meat spread or cheese. One time they had this cheese from Moravia, and it smelled like the bottom of a dumpster in an alleyway on a hot August day.
I’d divide my day into serious reading and writing, and relaxing reading. After breakfast I would start serious reading. At 10:30, they would bring us hot water for instant coffee, then read until lunch. Lunch is the big meal of the day in the Czech prison – it was always soup accompanied by stew. Not exactly the finest of cuisines, but it will keep you alive.
I’d work out with my cellmates after lunch – push-ups, knee bends, and we lifted our metal stools as dumbbells. Probably around 1 o’clock, we’d go outside to walk in the yard, and I would talk to whoever was there that spoke a smattering of English. We’d come back, and for about an hour, I would teach my roommates English – I had two Mongolian cellmates. It’s really hard to be in prison and not be able to talk to anyone.
Then we’d have more hot water for coffee, and then I’d write. I wrote from about 2:30 until dinner – letters, poetry, lyrics for songs. I wrote a song for my friend Hank Williams III – I’ve been wanting to write a song for him for years, and what better place to do it than prison? I started the outline of a novel set in Pankrác, and a journal, because I’m sure there’s going to be some sort of book out of this experience.
Then dinner would come, and that was a single bowl of some sort of stew. I got really sick of stew by the end of it. Then after dinner, I would write some more. Lights were out at 9, so by 8 o’clock, I tried to stop writing and reading serious stuff and let the brain take a break and read something light. At 9 o’clock, lights out.
I’d lay in my bed, and people around me in the cells would start yelling across the yard. There was a couple of Vietnamese guys who loved to yell, and some Ukranian guys. And they would yell back and forth for about an hour. When I was arrested, luckily I had some earplugs, so I shoved them in every night. Then I’d blow my wife a kiss goodnight into the air and listen to the Ukranians and the Vietnamese yell.”
Further interviews, including video, audio and text can be found at MTV.com and CBSlocal.com. Both Blythe and Gwar‘s Dave Brockie (aka Oderus Urungus) appeared together last night, August 10th, on 97.3 WRIR as well, though audio of that has yet to surface online.



COMMENTS
Facing 5-10? Fuck going back to stand trial, that’s bullshit.
That is bullshit. This just goes to show how in the dark the rest of the world still is when it comes to heavy metal culture. I feel bad for D. Randy in this situation. Sure, he is a world touring musician, but when someone who knows nothing about LOG/metal goes and listens to their music or watches a video on youtube, I doubt they will sympathize with him. People die at shows all the time for a host of reasons. Dozens of people died at fucking Grateful Dead shows throughout their career, but the Dead never encouraged ten thousand people to split in half and charge at each other full speed.
That said, you fucking roll the dice when you go up on stage with the band. Especially if you’re a little too overzealous while you’re up there. If you fuck with the show you should expect to knocked off.
It is tragedy that a kid lost his life, but it was a freak occurrence. The band can’t be blamed for this.
People die at shows all the times? I must be going to the wrong shows, only person I’ve ever seen die was an older guy in the band opening for Blue Oyster Cult that had a heart attack on stage.
@Adam…you have to admit, you do talk about going to some pretty tame shows sometimes. However, that BOC story sounds like something straight for a movie hahaha. Sad someone died, but it still sounds funny.
Not to go off topic, but I don’t think “dozens” died at Grateful Dead shows, and if they did it was more than likely excessive partying on their part. However they did tour for 30 years, I would be curious what the final ” body count” was. Also, don’t put Altamont in those figures, the violence erupted before the Dead took the stage and they refused to play. That one falls on the Stones.
Yeah I go to all kinds of shows, so it’s not like I’m at Summer Slaughter-type events all the time. Here’s the story – http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/44568/detroit-guitarist-attorney-tom-furtaw-dies
Completely unnecessary and borderline conspiracy.
Justice in Czech Republic = Bullshit.
Doing this probably makes Randy a better man that myself. But you sure as fuck wouldn’t find me travelling back to the Czech anytime soon. Or Europe for that matter. Hopefully if he gets a sentence at all, the judge will take into account that he had nothing but honest intentions through the bail process and they lighten up on his sentence a bit.
I know I occassionally throw this out there, but im a correctional officer. Not in a prison, but a jail (medium and minimum security). I see people that have been in on every level and most crimes, except murder. The situation here is not much different than most US courts, people get fucked all the the time. The main difference being that it seems the Czech gov’t sees you as ‘guilty until proven innocent’. Meaning the burden of proof falls at Randy’s defense teams feet. Randy is gonna get railroaded, not for being guilty, or for malice without remorse, but because he is a minor celebrity from america. This isnt about justice as much as setting a precedent. And maybe they give him a lesser sentence, but I still see one nature of outcome, hard time for the sake of a family wanting justice. Its a total clusterfuck on all fronts.
If you’re from America, your government also hold people (your own Citizen’s) without trial for countless days, sometimes years!
I know I’ll sound like cunt bringing that up but I’m in a semi drunk “Just Sayin’” mood
Being a black man I can tell you the word justice doesn’t exist in my urban dictionary, just GUILTY!
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