Randy Blythe swapped out Twitter for Instagram because the 140-characters-or-less wasn't doing it for him as a viable form of communication. He instead found his focus in photography, an artform at which he excels. The Lamb of God singer chose to unplug because, being a public figure, he couldn't satisfy everyone, namely himself. With Twitter-less time on his hands, he discovered a new talent, hobby and skill. 

In a recent interview with RVA News, the singer, who battled a manslaughter charge in the Czech Republic for which he was acquitted, reveals he found beauty in things most people don't.

He opted out of Twitter, saying, "About two-and-a-half years ago, I decided after a rough couple-year-long Twitter bender, that I had enough of this stuff … I started interacting with people, and I had 40-50,000 people following me. When you have that much humanity directed at one person -- the hive mind -- people become upset when you don’t talk to them or, if they say rude things to you, because I’m a public person, people seem to think that through the anonymity of the Internet they can say whatever they want."

Blythe wanted to cease all digital communication for a year, pointing out, "I remember a time before -- you can exist without this technology."

That led to a book idea and then a film idea, which led to a camera in his mitts. "Needless to say, my plan to make a documentary about unplugging went by the wayside when I spent a little time in a gated community in the Czech Republic," he said with a slight sense of humor. "I was unplugged, but when I got out, I discovered I needed the Internet to communicate with my lawyers overseas. The pictures remained."

He likes Instagram because he can use it to his own end. "The reason I prefer Instagram over Twitter is that I can still use it as a promotional tool for what I’m doing -- my band, my radio show, whatever. But it seems like I can place something out there, a strong image, and I can explain the thought process behind making it or what the image means to me, or just tell a goofy story. I’m trying to say something."

The singer doesn't think he is great, but we disagree. if you look at his images, you'll find that they are striking and they capture life being lived. They are not static and they capture your attention.

He continued, "I’m not saying that I’m Hemingway or Picasso or anything like that, but I am trying to put something out there that might evoke cognitive thought processes. On Twitter, there’s not a lot of that, there’s a lot 'This is what I ate for lunch.' I’ve gotten some really nice constructive criticism and some valuable information from Instagram, from followers who happen to be professional photographers."

You can follow Blythe's photographic exploits here. Trust us -- you want to. He has a real eye.

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