Philip Anselmo Promises to Address Back + Drug Issues in New Book

Philip Anselmo is an open book. He is quite candid and brutally honest in interviews, rarely avoiding even the most sensitive of topics, like the 2004 murder of former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, from whom he was estranged at the time. In a recent chat, the singer, currently on his first solo tour, revealed that he will remain an open book, literally. Anselmo has confirmed that he will discuss his co-existing back issues and drug problems in his upcoming book.

"It’s a book about my life," the singer stated to the New Orleans Times-Picayune about his upcoming memoir. "It’s not just strictly a Pantera book, although Pantera was obviously a giant part of my life. It took a whole lot in the New Orleans area and throughout Louisiana, gigging and gigging. A whole lot happened, and had to happen, before I was even able to be in the same room with the great musicians that were in Pantera."

He continued, "Obviously, after the breakup of the band and the death of Dimebag, a whole lot has happened. There’s a tremendous story to tell there. I’m going to try to pick out the most humorous things, and the most crushing things. Touch on all of them."

Judging from that description, the tome will pull back the curtain, exposing the good and the bad. We'd expect nothing less from Anselmo. When asked if his recurrent back issues would be addressed, he affirmed, "Absolutely. And drugs, and everything. Hopefully, it’s educational for people that are going through the same thing."

He promised to "discuss how doctors are only doing half their jobs these days." He elaborated, "They don’t explain to the patient the repercussions of certain medicines that they dole out so portentously. I’m going to slam some doctors, but I’m going to be brutally honest about myself."

Despite digging through the dirt and the not-so-pretty stuff of his life, don't expect the book to be a downer. Instead, Anselmo hopes it helps the reader, but not in that New Age, zen, self-help-y way that'd make you roll your eyes.

"There’s an upside to everything," Anselmo mused. "It’s 2013. I’m 10 years clean from anything that resembles hard drugs. I haven’t even tasted a sip of whiskey since 2001. Things change in a life. So there’s plenty to tell. That’s where I can relate with the reader who might be going through some similar things, whether it be chronic pain, or quack-prescribed opiates, or drugs in general. Not every recovery is the same. Maybe someone out there will gain something from my experience."