Why Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe Trusts the COVID Vaccine
Back in August while Lamb of God was getting ready to hit the road with Megadeth, singer Randy Blythe posted on Instagram sharing his desire to see concertgoers getting vaccinated and wearing masks in order to help prevent the spread of COVID. Now speaking with Machine Head's Robb Flynn on the No Fuckin' Regrets podcast, Blythe has elaborated on why he's in favor of getting the COVID vaccine and how he came to that decision.
"I believe in fucking science," started the singer (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), "And I have friends who are doctors and scientists and nurses, and these are people I'm going to listen to — not someone on social media, not another musician, not a talking head on CNN, Fox News, USA Today, PBS; none of this stuff. I talk to my friends who are molecular biologists, immunologists, emergency room doctors, and I have friends who are nurses, one of whom works in a COVID ward — and someone very close to me."
Blythe adds, "These are not my friends' neighbors' second cousin's buddy [saying], 'I heard this or that or the other'; these are people who are friends of mine I talk to directly. They're, like, 'This is real. This is the science. This is the data. This is what I see. These are the people I see dying.' So I'm going to listen to my friends 'cause they're a lot smarter than me."
The vocalist continues, "For me, everybody has to quote-unquote do their own research, I guess. My research involves talking to friends of mine who spent years of their lives pursuing degrees that cost them thousands and thousands of dollars, or who dedicate their lives to the service of others in the medical profession. And this is what these people are telling me. So I don't have to filter through all this data, through all these different media sources; I just talk to my friends. 'Are you vaccinated?' 'Yes.' 'Tell me about this vaccine. Tell me about the technology.' And I've had these conversations."
"When the vaccine came out very rapidly, comparatively, like anyone else, I was, like, 'Well, that's quick,'" the singer recalled. "But then some friends of mine explained to me, 'This is old technology. They've been working on this for 15 fucking years. It's not new. So cut it out with that.' And also, this is not just an American or one country's or one corporation's push; this is a massive international effort to get this vaccine ready — different ones ready — for distribution."
"I have a friend who works in intelligence — pretty high-level intelligence — and one of their jobs right now is helping out with COVAX, which is the international vaccine distribution arm. And he [was] talking to one of his co-workers from COVAX, and it was just, like, it's very frustrating with certain places where the vaccine is available and people don't wanna take it, and there are countries that are begging for it," adds the singer.
Lamb of God recently concluded their summer tour with Megadeth, Trivium and Hatebreed. The tour postponed the final three dates of the run that were set to take place in Canada due to restrictions and international logistical issues. However, it is expected that all three shows will be made up in the spring. That said, Hatebreed revealed shortly after the announcement that they would not be part of the rescheduled shows.