When Randy Blythe was acquitted of manslaughter in March of 2013 for the death of Lamb of God fan Danny Nosek in 2010, anyone would have expected him to be overjoyed with the outcome. After a week long trial, he’d won his freedom and was able to return home to America.
But Blythe wasn’t happy in any way, as he writes in his essay on his blog today. He couldn’t be happy, because a fan of his was dead and a family was shattered.
In his essay, “Be Carefully”, Blythe beautifully articulates the difficulty during the trial of trying to describe how an accident like the one that took Danny Nosek’s life could legitimately be an accident. Anyone who’s been to a heavy metal or punk rock show knows the atmosphere is almost always aggressive and energetic and joyously violent. Moshing, crowd surfing, stage diving: it’s all part of the fun. But to an outsider, like Blythe’s judges, it’s purely an anarchistic mess of mayhem. The only people partaking in that kind of thing, in the eyes of the Czech courts and media, are evil, drunken drug addicts, and Blythe was no different.
Blythe writes:
“If you are reading this, more than likely you were directed here by a link on some heavy metal news site. That means that more than likely you know who I am, what I do for a living, and why I went to prison and then to trial for manslaughter in the Czech Republic earlier this year and last. This also probably means that you are part of my extended music family, and in all likelihood have seen either my band or at least one other band of the metal/punk/hardcore/hard rock genre perform in concert before. You have witnessed the kind of activity that occurs at these shows, and maybe even have participated yourself at some point. Moshing, slam dancing, crowd surfing, and stage diving- these things are a unique part of our scene; the ways some of us express ourselves, shed our cares for an hour or two, and enjoy this music that makes us feel so alive. I grew up in the punk/hardcore scene doing all of the above mentioned things, and I have the lumps, aches, and scars to prove it. I am just like you, just probably a little older and uglier.
When I returned to Prague for trial, answering the charge of killing a young man named Daniel Nosek who was a fan of my band, one of the biggest hurdles I and my legal team faced was attempting to explain the atmosphere of a heavy metal show, trying to get across to three Czech judges how smashing into other people and flying through the air over a crowd in the hopes of being caught was a normal thing. From the perspective of folks who are not a part of our scene, these seem to be the actions of insane people.
“Why would anyone do such a thing? You could be severely injured.”
Over and over throughout my trial, the witnesses and myself were asked if we knew what “stage diving” and “moshing” were, then asked to explain these things. Slowly, through a translator and with the help of videos we put together, we tried our best to show that the aggressive nature of our music and other bands like mine was not an expression of malice. My character was questioned again and again, several witnesses saying ludicrous things like how my quick onstage movements, my deep voice, my profuse sweating, and how I dumped water over my head (astoundingly, I do it because I’m sweaty and hot) was clearly evidence of the fact that I was drunk, on some sort of drugs, and yes, even evil. I was sober as a judge that night, thank God, and I know I never intended anyone harm, otherwise I would not have been able to fight for my freedom.”
Blythe was deeply affected by the Nosek family, who were dignified and solemn throughout the trial, showing no outward anger towards Blythe but only focused on their intense loss, one Blythe could relate to after the death of his own child.
After the trial, Blythe met with the Nosek family, and cried with them. And Danny Nosek’s uncle begged Blythe to use his position as a famous heavy metal rock star to try and change the heavy metal and punk scene – to get venue managers, security, musicians, and fans to be sensible at shows, to use common sense to prevent something like this from ever happening again:
“If you are in a band, remember what has happened to me, to Daniel, and to his family. If you are playing a show, make sure that security is adequate and that barricades are properly placed. A dead fan of my band would still be alive today if those two things had been in place in Prague that night in 2010. I never saw that stage before I set foot on it, and I wish I could go back in time, inspect that nightmare set up, let the people in charge know that they did not fulfill a vital part of the contract we sent out, tell my crew to pull our gear out of there, and leave that town. But I cannot go back in time, I never had the chance to see that stage, Daniel is dead, and I can only warn you band guys and girls to make sure the venue and promoter are holding up their end of the contract. Do not settle for less. This is a matter of life and death, as I can sadly attest.
If you are a promoter or club manager/owner, make sure your security and barricades are sufficient for the event you will be having on any given night. Security is there to protect the band, the fans, and your business. If you cannot provide a safe environment for a show that requires security and barricades, do not have it. You have no business playing around with people’s lives for a few extra dollars. No amount of money is worth the risk of someone dying in your establishment. Your club will probably shut down anyway, because no one will want to play there. All of us in bands talk amongst each other, and if you’re shady, we will all eventually know.
If you are a fan and are going to a lamb of god show or ANY SHOW where there will be moshing, crowd surfing, etc.- know that what you are doing carries a risk. Use your brain- if it is too rough for you, get out before you get hurt. If you are wasted on whatever, please realize that you are not a stuntman, sit your ass down at the bar, and relax. Being obliterated is not conducive to injury free concert activities. Also, for Pete’s sake, if you are moshing and someone falls down, PICK THEM UP. We have stopped shows before because people have been getting hurt, and we will do it again. This is our community, and we should take care of each other. A show is a place we are supposed to be together, having a good time, supporting one another. The real world will beat you down enough- we don’t need to get stomped on at a show. Give each other a hand.”
Do yourself a favor, and read all of Randy Blythe’s beautiful essay, “Be Carefully”, here.
