ZAK TELL explains why CLAWFINGER no longer plays one of his biggest songs with an anti-racist message

Singer Zak Tell the long-standing Swedish rap/metal combo CLAW FINGER spoke to French TV channel Loud TV about why he and his bandmates no longer play their controversial single “N****r”, an anti-racism statement that caused a lot of buzz and was a huge success. The track was featured on CLAW FINGERDebut album from 1993 “Deaf, dumb, blind”which sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and received great acclaim in the Swedish press.

“It’s just about respecting the fact that times have changed,” he said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “There’s a new political climate. There’s the whole Black Lives movement. There’s a totally different consciousness. And out of respect for the way things are in the world right now, that’s not the right song to be playing. And it’s a much bigger issue than just a three-and-a-half minute song. So it’s almost making it too easy or too… It’s too serious a topic and too serious an issue to let a song be more important than the bigger picture.

“So no, we’re not playing the song anymore. And that’s not because we don’t stand by it, because we stand 100 percent behind the lyrics in the song, but because we want to show respect for the way the world is right now. And maybe that’s sad, but it’s also the reality. And we’re not one of those MOTLEY CRUE Bands that just say: “Fuck you. We’ll do whatever we want because we MOTLEY CRUE.’ We’re a little more respectful and we like the idea of ​​changing with the times. Yes, in our world we’re obviously the most important band in the world, but in reality we’re just a small, shitty rock band. And this issue is so much bigger than that. So unfortunately it’s not a song we’re playing at the moment.”

Tell also expressed his belief that people are their own worst enemies when it comes to dealing with existential risks.

“Adult humans are damn stupid and often overrated,” he said. “Basically, we’re a pretty simple species. We’re not as evolved as we think. That’s just my personal opinion. I think we’re often damn stupid – myself included. I don’t sit on a high horse and think I’m damn perfect or great. It’s damn scary when you look at the world and what we do to each other. We’ve got a long way to go if we’re going to survive as a race. And I’m not sure we’re going to be the last race to survive on Earth. I think the animals could very well outlive us.”

In March 2022 CLAW FINGER released the official music video for the new single, “Environmental patients”. The title was the first new music from CLAW FINGER in more than two years.

Before the arrival of “Environmental patients”, CLAW FINGER released a single called “Pull yourself down” in September 2019 and “Save our souls” in 2017. “Save our souls” was four years after the CLAW FINGER announced that it is announcing its termination.

During the studio break, the members of CLAW FINGER They reportedly took care of their families while giving sporadic reunion concerts, mostly at European festivals.CLAW FINGER is no longer our main job,” the band explained at the time. “We all have other jobs and families that we love.”

CLAW FINGER‘s last studio album, “Life will kill you”was released in the USA in July 2008 via Locomotive recordsThe CD, which entered the German Media Control charts at number 89 upon its European release in 2007, was released in Sweden Fear And Loathing Studiosan institution that CLAW FINGER runs together with the members of MESHUGGAH.