Last year, former PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo and his solo band, THE ILLEGALS , were guests on Santiago, Chile's "Waka Weed TV" show . During the chat, which has just now been uploaded to YouTube , Anselmo spoke about his reliance on marijuana as a way to spark creativity and treat chronic pain.
He said (see video below): "I deal with back pain every fucking day, so, for me, right now, going the all-natural route — it's all [as] natural as I possibly can for the last, I guess, a year and a half solid; really dedicated to it. I quit drinking — what? — three years ago or something like that, almost four now. So, yeah, the weed is important — it's important… Especially when you're writing music, doing music, creating music for me — I love the pot, because it does help me focus."
He continued: "Imagine each project that I have — each band has its own sound; they all sound unique. That way I can focus on the style of the band. And I take that style and expand it under its own genre — maybe even branch out. I don't know.
"Creating music with pot is the way to go, and I've always known that, since I was a kid. Even listening to music. When I was younger, you could blare something on the stereo in front of me, but until I smoked weed, that's when I locked down and listened. That's when I would be, like, 'Oh, wow! I feel the power of this.'"
In January 2019, Anselmo undwent back surgery — the latest in a line of corrective procedures designed to helped him deal with the damage to his back, neck, and knees sustained over three decades of touring.
PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS ' second album, "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue" , was released last year via Anselmo 's Housecore Records in the U.S. and Season Of Mist in other parts of the world.
