Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe has updated his Randonesia blog with a heartfelt post that finds him speaking on what its like to be a member of Lamb Of God.
An excerpt from the entry can be read below:
“Being a member of my band, lamb of god, has provided me with many different experiences. Some are incredibly exhilarating, such as watching one of my best friends jump out of an airplane right in front of me, then eight terrified seconds later following him into free fall high above the Nevada desert. Stepping onstage in front of a hundred or so thousand screaming people in the English countryside. Running wild through the streets of Tokyo at night, intoxicated on a heavy mixture of strong Japanese beer, jet lag, and the Blade Runner-esque neon skyline I had dreamed of seeing since my childhood.
Some of the experiences aren’t so fun. Getting the flu and traveling around Europe in a sweaty haze, screaming my brains out for more than hour and trying to entertain the paying concert goers when I feel like I am going to pass out and/or defecate in my shorts on stage. Leaving home heartbroken after a terrible argument with my wife and not having time make it right before I fly to Australia for a month. Not being able to find a toilet that isn’t covered in excrement, vomit, blood, or urine and REALLY having to take a poop. The sheer exhaustion that settles in after rushing from airport to airport on far too little sleep for a couple of years in a row. It gets mind numbing at times.
For me, being in a band, MY BAND, is often long, boring, stretches of “hurry up and wait”, interrupted by really intense moments of pure joy. Somewhere in the middle of these highs and lows is the experience I call my life. I really cherish all of these moments, the good AND the bad. I try not take them for granted, to examine them under the admittedly clouded and subjective microscope that is my perspective, learn from them, and become a better man. I want to understand them for what they are, and what they mean in the context of my life. Since I’ve put down the bottle, I believe I do a pretty good job of it most days. The quotidian can get rather bizarre at times, but it’s mine. I’m clear headed enough to remember it, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
But there are times that being in my band gives me a moment that makes me stop dead in my tracks and ask myself “Why am I experiencing this? Why me?” A few fleeting seconds on the clock that I don’t understand the exact nature of, ones I can’t seem to process, no matter how I look at them. A minute or two in my life I can’t immediately compartmentalize, yet I know is important to me, the way I view the world, my place in it, and my movement through it.
I had one of these moments a few nights ago. My band was in Washington DC, finishing up a short six day east coast run to kick off our tour cycle for our new record. We were playing at the venerable 9:30 Club, and since it’s so close to home for us there were lots of friends and family members in attendance. When it was time for us to play, I walked over to stage left, kissed my wife for good luck, and took my place behind a wall of amps and cords with our guitarist Mark and his tech Warren Lee.
As our intro started to roll, Warren handed me a black aluminum band with some letters on it and said “Hey man- this kid gave me this. He wanted you to have it. It’s his buddy that got killed in Afghanistan”. I read the bracelet.”
Head over to Blythe‘s Tumblr to read the rest.
