Some of the most compelling artists are those that show the craft behind what they do. Not necessarily how they write songs, but what goes into being a touring artist and bandleader. Some artists do it on Instagram, like Randy Blythe and Killswitch Engage’s Jesse Leach. On Facebook, Machine Head leader Robb Flynn has done a great job of that via his “General’s Journal” entries. Today, the band peeled the curtain back a little more, via a 20-minute tour documentary, Damage Inside.
It turns out that’s a pretty accurate depiction of what’s wrong with Flynn, as the film begins with him talking about having an ear infection and not being able to hear out of his left ear. It then cuts to the band playing the final show of their Australian tour, in Perth on June 29th. His ear infection doesn’t affect the sold-out show in the least, but he wakes up several hours later with his ear hurting worse than before, and he boards a flight to Kuala Lumpur, the descent is unbearable, and Flynn suffers a seizure. Thankfully, the camera doesn’t show him seizing, and he’s treated at a hospital.
After being unconscious for 45 minutes, Flynn comes to and tries to piece together what happened. We find out what’s wrong with Flynn soon after, and he’s stuck in Kuala Lumpur for a while. That resulted in the band’s Tokyo show being rescheduled, but Flynn was a trouper about the whole thing. While watching a typical band documentary makes touring look glamorous, this certainly refutes that. Add in the fact that he’s needed gallbladder surgery and had montezuma’s revenge in the past year, and you’re getting a warts and all view of what touring life is like from Robb Flynn and Machine Head.
DAMAGE INSIDEThe boys wrap up their Australia tour in Perth, but an ear infection threatens to derail things.
Posted by Machine Head on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
