Vocalist Zak Tell of the long-running Swedish rap/metal combo CLAWFINGER spoke to France’s Loud TV about why he and his bandmates no longer perform their controversial single “N****r”, an anti-racism statement that caused quite a stir and was a massive success. The track was included on CLAWFINGER‘s debut album, 1993’s “Deaf Dumb Blind”, which sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and was critically acclaimed in Swedish press.
“It’s just a matter of being respectful to the fact that times have changed,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “There’s a new political climate. You’ve got the whole Black Lives movement. You’ve got a completely different awareness. And out of respect for the way things are in the world right now, it’s not the right song to play. 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 making it too… It’s too serious of a topic and a problem to let a song be more important than the big picture.
“So no, we don’t play that song anymore. And it’s not because we don’t stand by it, ’cause we stand by those lyrics in that song 100 percent, but it’s to be respectful to the way the world is right now. And maybe that’s sad, but it’s also the reality. And we’re not one of these MÖTLEY CRÜE bands who just says, ‘Fuck you. We’re gonna do whatever the fuck we want because we’re MÖTLEY CRÜE.’ We’re a bit more respectful than that, and we like the idea of changing with the times. Yes, in our world, we’re the most important band in the world, of course, but in reality, we’re just a small stupid fucking rock band. And this topic is so much bigger than that. So, as of now, it’s not a song we play, unfortunately.”
Tell also expressed his belief that humans are our own worst enemies when it comes to what it will take to deal with existential risks.
“Grown-up human beings are fucking stupid and overrated a lot of the time,” he said. “We’re a pretty basic species when it comes down to it. We’re not as evolved as we think we are. This is just my personal opinion. I think we’re pretty fucking stupid a lot of the time — myself included. I’m not sitting on any high horses thinking I’m fucking perfect or amazing. It’s pretty fucking scary when you look at the world, what we’re doing to each other. We have a long way to go if we wanna survive as a race. And I’m not sure we’ll be the last race standing on earth. I think the animals may very well outlive us.”
In March 2022, CLAWFINGER released the official music video for its new single, “Environmental Patients”. The track marked the first new music from CLAWFINGER in more than two years.
Prior to the arrival of “Environmental Patients”, CLAWFINGER released a single called “Tear You Down” in September 2019 and “Save Our Souls” in 2017. “Save Our Souls” was made available four years after CLAWFINGER announced it was calling it quits.
During the break from the studio, the members of CLAWFINGER were reportedly taking care of their families while performing sporadic reunion shows, mostly at European festivals. “CLAWFINGER no longer is our main job,” the band explained at the time. “We all have other jobs and families to love.”
CLAWFINGER‘s last studio album, “Life Will Kill You”, was released in the U.S. in July 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD, which entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 89 upon its European release in 2007, was recorded and produced at Sweden’s Fear And Loathing Studios, a facility that CLAWFINGER runs along with the members of MESHUGGAH.
