Phil Scott (born 17 January 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Victorian/Australian Football League (VFL/AFL).

A foundation player at West Coast, Scott made his debut in the third round of the 1987 VFL season. He was used as a ruckman and represented Western Australia at the 1988 Adelaide Bicentennial Carnival. Scott twice won West Coast's 'Best Clubman' award, the second of which came after making his final appearance in the 1990 Preliminary Final loss to Essendon. He finished his career back at his original club, Subiaco, with whom he played in the 1986 premiership side. Having taken the field for two further years to bring his tally to 110 WAFL games, Scott retired.

References[link]

• Phil Scott's statistics from AFL Tables
• Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.

Phil Tippett (born 1951) is a movie director and an award-winning visual effects supervisor and producer, who specializes in creature design and character animation.^[1][2]

Early career[link]

Tippett was born in Berkeley, California. At the age of seven, Phil saw Ray Harryhausen's special effects classic, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, and his life's direction was set. Phil completed a bachelor's degree in art at the University of California, Irvine, and went to work at the animation studio Cascade Pictures in Los Angeles.

In 1978, Phil headed the ILM animation department with Jon Berg for Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (released in 1980). For this film, Tippett co-developed the animation technique called go motion to animate the sinister AT-AT Imperial Walkers and the hybrid alien tauntauns. In 1981 Tippett continued using go motion for Dragonslayer, and received his first Academy Award nomination for the extraordinarily realistic dragon animation. By 1983, Tippett led the famed Lucasfilm creature shop for Return of the Jedi for which he was awarded his first Oscar in 1984.

In 1984 Tippett Studio was born when Phil left ILM and set up a studio in his garage to create a 10-minute experimental film called Prehistoric Beast. The realism of the dinosaurs it depicted and the film's reflection of contemporary scientific theory led to the 1985 CBS animated documentary Dinosaur! Tippett Studio won its first award, an Emmy for Special Visual Effects, for the animated dinosaur sequences.

In 1986 producer Jon Davison hired Tippett to create the animated robot sequences for RoboCop. Craig Hayes was simultaneously hired to design and build the ED-209 robot. This project became the start of a long and successful collaboration between Phil and Craig. He also modeled the Dark Overlord creatures seen in Howard the Duck.

Stop motion animation to CGI[link]

In 1991, Phil was hired to create the dinosaur effects for the Steven Spielberg blockbuster Jurassic Park using his go motion technique made famous in the film Dragonslayer. However, Dennis Muren and his CGI team at Industrial Light & Magic created animated test footage of a T-Rex that Spielberg loved.

When Tippett was told that Jurassic Park dinosaurs would be computer-generated, he was shocked, exclaiming "I've just become extinct" (a line Spielberg borrows and uses in the movie).^[3] Far from being extinct, Tippett evolved as stop motion animation gave way to Computer-generated imagery or CGI, and because of Phil's background and understanding of animal movement and behavior, Spielberg kept Tippett on to supervise the animation on 50 dinosaur shots for Jurassic Park. Phil supervised both the Tippett Studio and ILM animators, resulting in realistic digital dinosaurs that breathe, flex, twitch and react. His effort earned him a second Oscar. Work done on Jurassic Park resulted in the development by Tippett Studio's Craig Hayes of the DID (Digital Input Device) which was pivotal in the transition from stop motion to computer generated animation in bringing creatures to life.

In 1995, Tippett Studio was hired to create the giant, hostile alien arachnids in Paul Verhoeven's adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's classic science fiction novel Starship Troopers. Tippett marshaled a team of 100 animators, model makers, computer artists and technicians and expanded his all-CGI facility. Because of the intensity of his involvement, and his ability to pre-visualize the hoards of teeming arachnids, Verhoeven has credited Phil with co-directing the large-scale battle sequences for the film. The excellence of this work resulted in Tippett's sixth nomination in 1997 for an Academy Award.

During 1997-98, Phil supervised animation and effects for Universal’s Virus and Disney’s My Favorite Martian. In 1998-99 he and Craig Hayes co-supervised the visual effects on Jan De Bont's, The Haunting, for DreamWorks. Under Phil and Craig's lead, Tippett Studio created over 100 complex effects shots that expressed the horrific character of the house and the spirits that live there.

In 2000, Phil joined director Ivan Reitman as the visual effects supervisor on the DreamWorks science fiction comedy, Evolution. In just under a year, Tippett Studio designed, realized and animated over 17 extraterrestrial creatures in 175 shots.

Throughout 2001 and into 2002, Phil changed direction to focus on developing and directing his own movie. Phil achieved this with Starship Troopers 2, by partnering with his long time associates writer, Ed Neumeier, and producer Jon Davison, with whom he worked on the original Starship Troopers and Robocop.

Selected filmography[link]

Visual effects[link]

• The Crater Lake Monster (miniatures builder, uncredited, 1977)
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (stop motion animation, 1977)
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (go motion animation, 1980)
• Dragonslayer (go motion animation, 1982)
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (makeup designer, 1983)
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (effects creative consultant, 1984)
• Prehistoric Beast (go motion, 1984)
• Dinosaur! (go motion, 1985)
• Howard the Duck (go motion supervisor: ILM visual effects unit, 1986)
• RoboCop (ED-209 go motion shots, 1987)
• Willow (two-headed dragon go motion sequence, 1988)
• RoboCop 2 (RoboCain go motion sequences, 1990)
• Jurassic Park (Dinosaurs go motion sequences, 1993)
• Dragonheart (dragon designs, 1996)
• Starship Troopers (creature visual effects, 1997)
• Evolution (visual effects supervisor, 2001)
• The Spiderwick Chronicles (animation supervisor, 2008)
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 (visual effects supervisor, 2011)

Director[link]

• Prehistoric Beast (1984, short)
• Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004, full length)
• MutantLand (2010, short)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Phil Tippett at the Internet Movie Database
• Phil Tippett at AllRovi
• Tippett Studio
• StarWars.com Phil Tippett bio

Harry Knowles
Knowles at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010.
Born	(1971-12-11) December 11, 1971 (age 40) Austin, Texas
Occupation	Writer, critic
Spouse	Patricia Cho Jones (July 15, 2007 – present)

Harry Jay Knowles (born December 11, 1971) is a film critic and writer known for his website called Ain't It Cool News. Knowles is a member of the Austin Film Critics Association.^[1]

Biography[link]

Harry Jay Knowles was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Jarrell Jay Knowles and Helen Jane (Harrison) Knowles, who married September 19, 1970, in Austin. His early years were spent traveling the Southwest and Mexico with his parents who did light shows for touring rock bands. His parents then settled in Austin and began trading comic books and movie memorabilia from the upstairs floor of their Victorian era house, as well as from Austin's first comic and movie memorabilia store, the N.E. Mercantile Company, Inc. (N.E. was short for "New Economics"), which they founded in 1970 and ran until 1984. Knowles's parents also produced the Austin Fantasy Film Fest in 1976, one of the first science fiction conventions in Austin. Knowles spent many hours watching B-grade horror movies as well as other genres from mostly bootlegged 16 mm prints.

Knowles's parents separated in 1983 and divorced March 12, 1984; his mother received custody of him and his younger sister Dannie. The children subsequently lived with their mother on her family's ranch, the Portwood Ranch in Seymour, Texas. His mother took possession of the comics, films, and related ephemera, and placed their ownership in the names of Harry and Dannie. With nothing better to do on the ranch, Knowles spent more time immersed in reading comics and watching movies. Knowles's other activities included the Boy Scouts of America and he attained the rank of Eagle Scout.^[2] In 1989, at age 17, Knowles moved back in with his father. His mother died in a fire on December 5, 1992, on the Portwood Ranch, and Dannie moved back to Austin shortly thereafter.

Following his divorce from Helen, Harry's father founded Jay's 20th Century Esoterica in Austin in 1985, and was later joined by Harry after he graduated from high school and moved back to Austin in 1989, and by Dannie in 1992. In 1994, Harry Knowles fell while pushing a cart up a ramp at a convention, and was subsequently run over by the cart with its 1,200-pound load of memorabilia. The accident injured his back and left him virtually bedridden. With an unexpected bequest of $5,000 from his mother's life insurance, he purchased a top-of-the-line computer and a friend arranged for Internet service so they could play Doom online together. Jay, Harry and Dannie ran Jay's 20th Century Esoterica until Ain't It Cool News "took off" in 1996, and the family went out of the memorabilia business, but retained their extensive collections and continue to add to them.

Knowles married Patricia Cho Jones on July 15, 2007 at Green Pastures in Austin.^[3]

On April 4, 2008, Knowles announced that he was diagnosed as a Type-2 diabetic.^[4] On May 20, 2008, Knowles underwent lapband surgery to help alleviate his diabetes and to help lose much of the weight that has contributed to his health issues. In January 2011, Knowles underwent emergency spinal surgery to his T-10 vertebrae. According to Knowles, the surgery restored sensation in his legs for the first time in over 15 years, and he will now be undergoing physical therapy to learn to walk again.^[5]

Career[link]

After purchasing a computer in 1994, Knowles taught himself how to navigate the Internet and began frequenting newsgroups to exchange gossip and rumors with other fans about upcoming films. After being chastised by future film critic Mike D'Angelo for posting binary image files to the newsgroups, Knowles launched the website that would become Ain't It Cool News in February 1996.

Due to the popularity of the website, Knowles was sought out by the mainstream media, including magazines, newspapers, and television news programs. In 2000, he was ranked #95 in the Forbes Power List. Knowles has made guest appearances on the television shows Siskel & Ebert & the Movies and Politically Incorrect.^[6]

Harry Knowles is featured in the documentary For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism as an advocate of film criticism on the Internet; he articulates the divide between older and younger critics and advocates for the films of Michael Bay.^[7]

He was also played by Ethan Suplee in the 2009 movie Fanboys.

In April of 2012, Harry released the first episode of a new YouTube series. The show caused an uproar over the review of a script that turned out to be fake, which is not the first time such an incident has occurred at the website. Reviews for the show are forthcoming but SFWeekly criticized the show as, "the worst thing...since the website".^[8]

Film events[link]

Every year since 1999, on the weekend closest to his birthday (December 11), Knowles hosts an event called Butt-Numb-A-Thon (BNAT). The event, also known as Geek Christmas, is a 24-hour celebration of film, featuring un-official premieres, and vintage films- from classics reprinted for the big-screen, to the rare, weird and unheard of. Film fans and professionals alike travel from all over the United States and the world to attend the event, which is hosted in the critic's hometown of Austin, Texas at the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse. BNAT has been called "the world's most exclusive and mysteriously secretive film celebration" and "the hardest film event to get into in the country".

Additionally, Knowles co-programs Austin's Fantastic Fest, an eight-day film festival focusing on the genres of horror, science fiction and fantasy. This event is also held annually in September at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's South Lamar location in Austin.

Controversies[link]

Knowles attends events offered to the press, paid for by the movie studios, including visits to movie sets and premieres. Questions have sometimes emerged about the resulting impartiality of his articles and reviews.^[9] For example, he was flown to the premiere of Godzilla, and gave the movie a wildly positive review,^[10] while a vast majority of critics disliked the film.^[11] Knowles later reversed himself and panned the film after the ensuing outcry. Knowles and his defenders, however, have noted that he has given mixed reviews to movies for which he has been sent to junkets and premieres, and in any case is often out of step with mainstream critics. Knowles also gave a negative review to the film Monkeybone, in which he made a cameo appearance.^[12]

In another controversy in 1999, he wrote an article praising a script by Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan. He failed to mention, however, that McWeeny was a contributor to the site, writing under the pseudonym "Moriarty." This and other alleged lapses were reported in a series of articles in Film Threat magazine.^[13]

In early 2000, Knowles posted materials stolen from an ABC staffer's home computer, which Knowles took at face value to be the Oscar nominees for the Academy Awards—a day before the official announcement. When the actual nominees were announced the following day, it was discovered that his finalists in almost every category were incorrect. Knowles acknowledged his error when it became clear he was wrong, but then disclosed the IP address of the person whose computer had been hacked, compounding the error. The Academy considered suing Knowles for trademark and copyright infringement, but ultimately decided against it.^[14]

Harry became the subject of more controversy in the TalkBack section of his Drive review, due to the belief that he had pirated the film. Many AICN "talkbacker's" pointed out that the films' composer, Cliff Martinez, had been replaced in the pirated versions of the film with Angelo Badalamenti. Harry managed to name the wrong composer and upon realizing his error quickly changed the review to reflect Cliff Martinez as the original composer.^[15]

On April 5, Harry posted the first episode of a new YouTube series based on the website. In the video Harry receives a copy of the script to the upcoming science-fiction film Prometheus. The following day, Harry reviewed the script on the website. Talkbackers immediately suspected it was nothing more than an example of fan fiction due to poor grammar and structuring. One of the writers on the film, Damon Lindelof, later tweeted that an element present in the script Harry reviewed was not present in the actual script and implied Harry had "been duped".^[16]

Film credits[link]

• The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991)
• Colin Fitz Lives! (1997)
• The Faculty (1998)
• Monkeybone (2001)
• Ghosts of Mars (2001)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
• No Pain, No Gain (2005)
• Pathogen (2006)
• Zombie Girl: The Movie (2008)
• My Sucky Teen Romance (2011)

Further reading[link]

• Harry Knowles, Paul Cullum, Mark Ebner. (March 5, 2002). Ain't It Cool? Hollywood's Redheaded Stepchild Speaks Out (1st edition). Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-52597-9.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ain't It Cool News
• Harry Knowles at the Internet Movie Database
• Harry Knowles on Twitter

Phil Anselmo
Phil Anselmo performing live with Down in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Philip Hansen Anselmo
Also known as	Anton Crowley
Born	(1968-06-30) June 30, 1968 (age 43)
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana
Genres	Heavy metal, groove metal, thrash metal, death metal, black metal, sludge metal, hardcore punk, stoner rock, southern metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums
Years active	1983–present
Labels	Housecore
Associated acts	Pantera, Down, Arson Anthem, Superjoint Ritual, Necrophagia
Website	www.philanselmo.com

Philip Hansen "Phil" Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American musician who is best known as the lead singer for the heavy metal band Pantera. He is currently the frontman for the Louisiana-based metal act Down. He is also the owner of Housecore Records and has been a part of many side-projects.

Childhood and early life[link]

Anselmo started life in New Orleans and attended Grace King High School located in the suburb of Metairie.^[1] His father owned and operated a restaurant in Metairie called Anselmo's, which closed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Anselmo has said in various interviews that he was very quiet and secluded as a child. He spent some time working on fishing boats as a young man. During a 2002 Ozzfest interview with the radio show Opie and Anthony, Anselmo shared a story that, at the age of 15, he started a fire in his home to scare his sister but accidentally burned the house down in the process.^[2] While a teenager, Anselmo joined the band Samhain (not to be confused with Glenn Danzig's band Samhain). From the early to mid '80s, Anselmo was a member of the band Razor White. While they did have some original material, they played mainly Judas Priest covers.

Primary bands[link]

Pantera[link]

Anselmo performing with Superjoint Ritual at Ozzfest in 2004

Pantera was an unsigned glam metal band, with three self-released albums to their name. In 1986, it was decided by the band to replace singer Terrence Lee, who was primarily a glam metal singer, because they were heading in a different direction musically. Seeking a new frontman to continue on this heavier path, the band was led to 19-year-old Anselmo. In 1987, after several meetings, Anselmo was added to the Pantera lineup. The band was so impressed with Anselmo that they re-recorded some of Terrence Lee's vocals for their latest release. Anselmo relocated to Texas to record Power Metal, which was released in 1988 on the band's own record label, Metal Magic Records. Following the release of Power Metal, the band dropped its glam image and adopted a more casual look. They were signed to a record label by a scout who was stranded due to a hurricane. The band saw the scout at the venue and was disheartened when he left mid-set, but it turned out that the scout had left to phone the record label and to tell them to sign Pantera as soon as possible. Pantera recorded the album Cowboys from Hell in 1990, and a long tour began. The band documented portions of this tour on their first home video, Cowboys from Hell: The Videos, released in 1991.

In 1992, Pantera recorded Vulgar Display of Power. That same year, Pantera released a promo titled Hostile Mixes that contained four songs, three of which were remixes. The first two remixes were done by Justin K. Broadrick of Godflesh and the last by J. G. Thirlwell of Foetus. In 1994, Pantera released Far Beyond Driven, which debuted at #1 in the U.S. In late June, Anselmo was charged with assault following an altercation with a security guard when fans were prevented from getting on stage. Anselmo was released on $5,000 bail the next day.^[3][4] The trial was delayed three times.^[5] In May 1995, he apologized in court, pleaded guilty to attempted assault, and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.^[6][7]

In 1996, Pantera released their fourth studio album with Anselmo, titled The Great Southern Trendkill. Anselmo recorded the vocal tracks for this album in New Orleans while the other members recorded in Texas. In 1997, Pantera released their first and only official live album titled Official Live: 101 Proof. This album contained two new tracks--"I Can't Hide" and "Where You Come From." In 2000, Pantera released their final studio album, titled Reinventing the Steel. In 2003, Pantera released a best-of album, The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits! (titled Reinventing Hell: The Best of Pantera in Europe). The album featured songs from five studio albums with Anselmo, and also included three cover tracks, "Planet Caravan" and "Hole in the Sky," written by Black Sabbath; and "Cat Scratch Fever," written by Ted Nugent. A bonus DVD was also made, containing all the band's music videos. Later that year, Pantera disbanded over communication problems and accusations that Anselmo had abandoned the band.

Following the breakup, Anselmo devoted much of his time to a longtime side project, Superjoint Ritual. Having heard this, the Abbott brothers of Pantera (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul) formed Damageplan with former Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals and Bob Zilla on bass. Some fans blame Anselmo for Pantera's breakup, because of statements in the heavy metal press. Anselmo has accused journalists of twisting the facts, publishing what they think sells best. Pantera bassist Rex Brown, widely known as being the one neutral voice in the matter, has blamed both sides for the split.

After Vinnie Paul slammed Superjoint Ritual, saying Anselmo could not even keep his eyes open, Anselmo replied, "I just hear a big and sad yellowbelly crybaby fuckin' knowing that his meal ticket is in a different fuckin' band ... You would have to know those guys to really understand where I was coming from. They're scared of their own fuckin' shadows. And, all that said, I wish them the best of fuckin' luck. I still love 'em."^[8] Anselmo had engaged in a war of words with Dimebag since the fall of Pantera, culminating in the statement "Dimebag deserves to be beaten severely" in the December 2004 edition of the UK's Metal Hammer magazine. Initially, he denied making the statement, but later changed his story in a VH1 Behind the Music special on Pantera, claiming that the comment had been lighthearted and made off the record. However, Vinnie Paul told the press that he had heard the audio files of the interview and that Anselmo had not been misquoted.^[9]

In December 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed while performing with Damageplan. At the request of Dimebag's family, Anselmo did not attend his funeral.

In a lengthy and emotional video posted on the website community YouTube, Anselmo describes his regret over his previous behavior,^[10] and has written and recorded music dealing with the loss of Dimebag on the new Down record, Down III: Over the Under. The band has dedicated their song "Lifer" to Dimebag.

Down[link]

Down has been Anselmo's main recording and touring band since 2006.

Down is an American heavy metal band formed in 1991 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The band is a supergroup, its various lineups consisting of members and former members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and Eyehategod.

Since its inception, Down has released three studio albums and has gone on hiatus twice to focus on the members' respective bands.

Superjoint Ritual[link]

Superjoint Ritual was a New Orleans metal band formed by Anselmo, Joe Fazzio, and Jimmy Bower in the early 1990s, later to be joined by Hank Williams III, and Kevin Bond. Their style can be considered a mix of groove metal and hardcore punk. Bands like Venom, Slayer, Celtic Frost, Voivod, and Darkthrone have also been noted as influences. The name Superjoint Ritual comes from a lyric in the Darkthrone song, "The Pagan Winter". According to Bower, Anselmo wrote 70-80% of the group's music. During their time together they released two full length albums on Sanctuary Records, Use Once and Destroy in 2002 and A Lethal Dose of American Hatred in 2003.

Active side projects[link]

Arson Anthem[link]

Arson Anthem is a Southern hardcore punk project that originated when Eyehategod singer Mike Williams moved into Anselmo's spare apartment after losing all his possessions in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The two spent countless hours listening to Anselmo’s collection of early hardcore bands. They began jamming with Hank III and Collin Yeo, who were united by their desire to have a hardcore/crust punk band of their own.^[11] The Arson Anthem lineup features Mike Williams on vocals, Phil Anselmo on guitar, Hank III on drums, and Collin Yeo on bass.

Defunct side projects[link]

Anselmo performing with Down in 2006

Christ Inversion[link]

Christ Inversion was formed in 1994. The group was a short-lived black metal project formed by Anselmo where he played guitar under the name "Anton Crowley". Most of their lyrics were based on horror films and Satanism. The band recorded two demos in 1994 and 1995 respectively and then disbanded without ever recording a full-length album. Many years later, songs from the first demo were put on an 8-track compilation and released through Anselmo's own Housecore Records on October 28, 2008.

Southern Isolation[link]

The band released one EP called Southern Isolation. It originally contained four songs, but was later re-released with a fifth bonus track. The band consisted of Stephanie Opal Weinstein on vocals and guitars, Anselmo on vocals, backing vocals and guitars, "Big" Ross Karpelman (of Clearlight) on keyboards, and Sid Montz (of Crowbar) on drums.

One rare track called "Faded" has been credited to Southern Isolation on the Manson Family Soundtrack, which is due to be released on Anselmo's Housecore label.

Viking Crown[link]

Viking Crown was a short-lived and essentially solo side project started by Anselmo in the mid-90s. The members of the band are Anselmo (under the pseudonym Anton Crowley) on guitars, bass and drums; Killjoy on vocals; and Opal Enthroned (Stephanie Opal Weinstein) on keyboards. On their first album Unorthodox Steps of Ritual, Anselmo played every instrument and laid down his own vocals. The band never performed live.

Eibon[link]

Eibon was a very short-lived supergroup which Anselmo participated in from 1998 to 2000. The group featured Killjoy, Fenriz, Satyr, and Maniac. The project has been put on indefinite hiatus and to date has only released a single track, Mirror Soul Jesus, which appeared on the 'Moonfog 2000: A Different Perspective' compilation in 2000. The band is on Satyr's record label 'Moonfog Productions'.

Guest appearances[link]

In 1993 Anselmo produced Crowbar's self titled album and recorded backing vocals on some of the tracks.

In 1996 Anselmo recorded guitars on two songs ("Van Full of Retards" and a cover of Manowar's "Gloves of Metal") and contributed vocals/backing vocals on 18 songs for Anal Cunt's 40 More Reasons to Hate Us album.

In 1996 Anselmo recorded backing vocals for tracks on Crowbar's Broken Glass album.

Also in 1996, Anselmo provided vocals on Soilent Green's album Sewn Mouth Secrets. Although not credited, he is given thanks in the liner notes.

In 1998 Anthrax released the album Volume 8: The Threat Is Real. Anselmo provided backing vocals on track 8 ("Killing Box"). Also, his Pantera bandmate Dimebag Darrell played guitar solos on tracks 3 ("Inside Out") and 7 ("Born Again Idiot").

In 1998 Anselmo sang a duet ("By the River") on Vision of Disorder's Imprint album.

In 2000 Tony Iommi released a collaborative album with various well known vocalists. Initially, Anselmo was going to co-create an entire album with Iommi, but due to tour schedules it never happened. Anselmo managed, however, to lay down some tracks for Iommi's album. Iommi and Anselmo wrote and recorded three tracks together, "Time Is Mine", "The Bastard", and a third unknown track. Iommi picked "Time Is Mine" for the album. "The Bastard" was never officially released, but can be found online.^[12] The third unknown track is now highly sought after by fans of both artists.^[13]

In 2001 Anselmo provided vocals for "HFFK" on Biohazard's Uncivilization album.

On March 6, 2006, Anselmo made an appearance along with Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan and the surviving members of Alice in Chains at a VH1's Decades Rock Live concert, in honor of fellow Seattle musicians such as Alice in Chains' Layne Staley and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart

In 2008 Anselmo recorded vocals for the Mahakali album by Jarboe. The track is sparse musically, features a raw vocal delivery by Anselmo, and a short spoken-word segment.

Further reading[link]

Anselmo playing guitar for Eyehategod during Hellfest 2009

Anton Crowley persona[link]

In the mid-90s, Anselmo began to record for several side projects under the pseudonym Anton Crowley, most notably with Viking Crown. The name Anton Crowley is taken from Aleister Crowley (British occultist) and Anton LaVey (Founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan).

In 1997, Necrophagia frontman Killjoy reformed his band with Phil Anselmo on guitars. Using the Anton Crowley name, Anselmo appeared on the 1998 Holocausto de la Morte album, the 1999 Black Blood Vomitorium EP, and finally the 2001 Cannibal Holocaust EP, which featured Opal Enthroned (then Anselmo's wife) on keyboards.

Housecore Records[link]

Anselmo started his own record label called Housecore Records, to release material by his many side projects and from other bands he supported.^[14] For a time Housecore was merged with Baphomet Records, owned by Philip's friend and ex-bandmate Killjoy of Necrophagia, to form Baphomet/Housecore Records. They have since split.^[15]

House of Shock[link]

Anselmo, together with Steve Joseph, Ross Karpelman and Jay Gracianette, started the House of Shock, a Halloween-themed attraction. Initially, it began in Jay Gracianette's backyard, but was later moved to a large warehouse outside New Orleans that has been converted into an interactive haunted house with 300+ volunteer workers. The attraction has raised money for the Childrens Hospital of New Orleans, the Parish Police Bullet Proof Vest Fund, and the Greater New Orleans Riding Rehabilitation Center.^[16] Anselmo played the role of a part-time actor when his schedule permitted.^[17] Anselmo is no longer involved with the attraction.^[1]

John Kaplan photo essay[link]

Anselmo was featured in the John Kaplan photo essay, 21, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. The photographer documented the lifestyles of 21-year-old Americans. Two pictures of Anselmo were included, one with a snake draped over his shoulders and the second as his head is being shaved to reveal a tattoo.

[edit] The Manson Family movie

Anselmo can be heard in the Jim Van Bebber movie The Manson Family as the voice of Satan. The soundtrack for this movie also contains music from several of Anselmo's bands.

Accusations of racism[link]

Since the mid-90s Anselmo has occasionally been accused of being racist, an accusation that he has denied on numerous occasions.

During a Pantera concert in 1995 at the Montreal Verdun Auditorium, Anselmo gave a speech during a break in the performance.^[18] During this speech, Anselmo stated that Pantera was not a racist band, but security personnel and some people who attended the performance found parts of what Anselmo said to be racist. Following this, Anselmo released an open letter apologizing for any offense that he may have caused during this speech.^[19]

During an interview in August 2003, Anselmo stated in regards to the racist accusations, "I’m anything fucking but, I know there’s shitty people and beautiful people on both sides of the spectrum – black and white. And I know for an absolute fucking fact there’s good Middle Eastern people who live here. And I know there’s good Oriental people. But if I’m writing a song and it has to touch on the negatives of certain issues, I’m not gonna beat around the fucking bush and fence-ride – especially with Superjoint. Before, with Pantera, I had to be slightly careful. Now I don’t. And I can see from the enthusiasm in the audiences that we’re on our way to something extremely relevant – something on top of anywhere anybody thinks we might go."^[20]

Personal life[link]

On October 31, 2001, Anselmo married his longtime girlfriend Stephanie Opal Weinstein. That same year they created an acoustic band called Southern Isolation. Anselmo and Weinstein divorced in 2004.

Anselmo is currently in a relationship with Kate Richardson, who also helps with the running of his record label, Housecore Records.^[1] Anselmo currently resides in a rural property in Louisiana.^[1] He keeps a number of animals, including dogs, cats and a variety of birds.^[1] Anselmo had a pet rottweiler named Dracula that died in 2009.^[21]

Interests[link]

Anselmo owns an extensive collection of several thousand horror films and possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of horror films and horror culture.^[22] Anselmo has an interest in the sport of boxing.^[23] He owns hundreds of fight DVDs and used to take a boxing trainer on tour with him.^[23] He has written articles as a columnist for the Boxing Insider website.^[24] Anselmo is a New Orleans Saints fan.^[25] Anselmo has interviewed Saints player Jeremy Shockey and has helped to coach a youth team at the request of Saints team ambassador Michael Lewis during a visit to the teams practice facility.^[1]

Drug abuse[link]

On July 13, 1996, at the 'Coca-Cola Starplex' in Dallas Texas, Anselmo went into cardiac arrest due to a heroin overdose after a show. Paramedics revived Anselmo and he issued a press release four days later saying, "I, Philip H. Anselmo...injected a lethal dose of heroin into my arm, and died for four to five minutes".^[26]

According to Anselmo, he had been suffering constant pain due to a back injury dating back to the mid-1990s. To ease the pain, he drank heavily, abused painkillers and muscle relaxants, and used heroin.^[1] The medication affected his onstage performances and caused slurred speech.^[1]

Since 2005, Anselmo has stopped using hard drugs, initially so that he could be cleared for surgery on his back.^[1]

Surgery[link]

On November 21, 2005, Anselmo underwent surgery to repair severe damage to his back caused by degenerative disc disease.^[1] The surgery was successful, and after several months of recuperation and rehabilitation Anselmo returned to recording and touring.^[1] Anselmo has stated that he still occasionally experiences pain due to the back injury but much less than prior to the surgery.

In early 2009, Anselmo underwent knee surgery. He made the following statement in regards to the injury:

"It was a semi-torn ACL [anterior cruciate ligament, one of the four major ligaments of the knee] and a semi-torn meniscus [a common knee injury]." Anselmo also stated: "With plans to do some jamming during the healing process, trust me, Down will return."^[27] Anselmo originally acquired the injury at a gig prior to the Monsters of Rock festival in England in 1994, after jumping from a speaker cabinet.^[28]

Influences[link]

Anselmo was mainly influenced by Judas Priest,^[29] Slayer,^[30] Hellhammer^[29] and Venom.^[29] He pays tribute to two of his favorite bands in the lyrics of the Pantera song "Goddamn Electric", singing "your trust is in whiskey and weed and Black Sabbath"; in the second verse, the lyric is tweaked to "whiskey and weed and Slayer". Anselmo states that his main vocal influence is Iron Maiden singer, Bruce Dickinson.^[31]

Discography and filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Phil Anselmo at the Internet Movie Database
• Phil Anselmo's official webpage

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2010)

Geezer Butler
Geezer Butler, on stage with Heaven & Hell in 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Terence Michael Joseph Butler
Also known as	Geezer
Born	(1949-07-17) 17 July 1949 (age 62) Aston, Birmingham, England
Genres	Heavy metal, blues rock, hard rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Sanctuary, TVT
Associated acts	Black Sabbath, GZR, Ozzy Osbourne, Heaven & Hell
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
Lakland Osborn Signature Model Rickenbacker 4001 Vigier basses

Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949 in Birmingham, England) is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.

Career[link]

Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, with old friend John "Ozzy" Osbourne in the autumn of 1967. Separated for a time, Osbourne and Butler reunited in the blues foursome, Polka Tulk, along with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. They renamed their band Earth, but after finding a band in the small-time English circuit with the same name, soon adopted Black Sabbath in early 1969.^[1]

Butler played rhythm guitar in his pre-Sabbath days, including with Rare Breed, but when Sabbath was formed, Iommi made it clear that he would not want to play with another guitarist, so Butler moved to bass.^[2]

Butler is noted as being one of the first bassists to use a Wah-wah pedal on his bass, as showcased at the beginning of "N.I.B." which inspired many later bassists. He was also one of the first bassists to down-tune (from the standard EADG to the lower C#F#BE), in order to match Iommi who had started tuning his guitar to C# (one and a half steps down).^[2] While Ozzy Osbourne was the frontman of the band, Butler wrote almost all of the band's lyrics, drawing heavily upon his fascination with religion, science-fiction, fantasy and horror, and musings on the darker side of human nature that posed a constant threat of global annihilation.^[1]

During the latter half of the 1970s, Black Sabbath's popularity dwindled, although the group continued on in the early 1980s with ex-Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio and then with ex-Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan. Butler quit the band in the middle of 1984, forming the Geezer Butler Band. In 1988 he joined Ozzy Osbourne to take part in the No Rest For The Wicked World Tour. Butler re-joined Black Sabbath in 1991 for the reunion of the Mob Rules line-up, but again quit the group after the Cross Purposes tour of 1994.^[1]

In 1995 Butler joined with Osbourne to play on the Ozzmosis album.^[3] After recording Ozzmosis, he formed G/Z/R, issuing Plastic Planet in 1995.^[4] His next solo album, Black Science, followed in 1997. Butler returned to Sabbath one more time for the 1997 edition of Ozzfest, and has remained with the band since. In 2005 he released Ohmwork, his third solo album. In October 2006 it was announced that Butler, along with Tony Iommi, would be reforming the Dehumanizer-era Black Sabbath line-up with Vinny Appice and Ronnie James Dio, under the name Heaven & Hell to differentiate between the reunited touring band fronted by Osbourne, and the current Sabbath line-up.^[5]

Equipment[link]

Butler is endorsed by Lakland basses and plays Joe Osborn and Bob Glaub signature basses.^[6] For amplification Butler plays Ampeg SVT-2PRO heads and SVT-810E 8x10 cabinets.^[2] According to a 1995 interview, Butler is known to use effects such as wah wah, chorus and flanger pedals.^[7] In the past, he has been known to use Fender Precision Basses and Vigier Basses.

Personal life[link]

He is married to Gloria Butler who managed Heaven & Hell. He also shares his Los Angeles home with several cats, of whom he has posted pictures on his website.[1] His son, Biff Butler was the frontman in the Nu Metal band Apartment 26.

According to Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography, I Am Ozzy it states that Geezer "never uses foul language". An avowed vegan,^[8] Butler appeared in a advertisement for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in 2009.^[8] He has also stated on his website that he is a pacifist.^{[citation needed]}

Geezer is a passionate fan of Aston Villa football club and can be seen attending games along with fellow Sabbath member Tony Iommi. In 2006 when Black Sabbath were being inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, Butler was quoted as saying into the microphone "Up The Villa".

Discography[link]

Solo

• 1995 – Plastic Planet (as "g//z/r")
• 1997 – Black Science (as "geezer")
• 2005 – Ohmwork (as "GZR")

Black Sabbath

• 1970 – Black Sabbath
• 1970 – Paranoid
• 1971 – Master of Reality
• 1972 – Black Sabbath Vol. 4
• 1973 – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
• 1975 – Sabotage
• 1975 – We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll
• 1976 – Technical Ecstasy
• 1978 – Never Say Die!
• 1980 – Live at Last!
• 1980 – Heaven and Hell
• 1981 – Mob Rules
• 1982 – Live Evil
• 1983 – Born Again
• 1992 – Dehumanizer
• 1994 – Cross Purposes
• 1994 – Cross Purposes Live
• 1996 – The Sabbath Stones
• 1998 – Reunion
• 2002 – Past Lives
• 2002 – Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
• 2004 – Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
• 2007 – Black Sabbath: The Dio Years
• 2007 – Black Sabbath: Live at Hammersmith Odeon

Ozzy Osbourne

• 1990 – Just Say Ozzy
• 1995 – Ozzmosis

Heaven & Hell

• 2007 – Live from Radio City Music Hall
• 2009 – The Devil You Know
• 2010 – Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell

Non-album compilations

• 1989 – Stairway To Heaven/Highway To Hell (with Ozzy Osbourne)
• 1994 – Nativity in Black (with Bullring Brummies)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website