Lamb Of God vocalist Randy Blythe has launched a verbal tirade against Elon Musk, following the Tesla and SpaceX CEO making an onstage gesture this week that many outlets and campaigners have interpreted as a Nazi salute.
Musk, 53, has been the subject of international controversy since he made the gesture on stage at the inauguration of 47th US president Donald Trump on Monday (January 20).
The richest man in the world put his right hand on his heart before quickly lifting it up and to the right, before repeating the action to those standing behind him. “My heart goes out to you,” he then said.
Amidst criticism from many observers, journalists and politicians, Musk denied intentionally referencing the Nazis in a post on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he wrote on Tuesday.
Others have defended Musk by pointing out that he has Asperger syndrome, which can affect a person’s social interactions, though this argument has received backlash from people who have Asperger’s and autism.
Defenders have also called Musk’s gesture a ‘Roman salute’ – even though said salute did not exist in Roman times and actually dates back to 1930s fascist Italy.
As the global debate continued into Wednesday, Blythe threw his hat into the ring via his Instagram stories.
While the singer, also 53, admitted he couldn’t be sure whether or not Musk held Nazi beliefs, he said that the multi-billionaire’s refusal to acknowledge his mistake and apologise makes him a “fucking asshole” either way.
He also challenged the people who use Elon’s Asperger’s as a defence, writing, “I know a few people with autism – not a single one of them has ever remotely reminded me of Hitler.”
Blythe went on to criticise Musk for naming one of his 12 children “X Æ A-Xii” and called him a “ketamine-fuelled pet rocket monkey”. He signed off by writing, “Fuck all Nazis.”
Blythe’s statement reads in full: “It’s taken me a couple of days to wrap my head around this one. I've tried to consider every angle. Maybe he’s a Nazi? Maybe he’s just trolling? Maybe he’s just so socially awkward he can’t control himself? WHO KNOWS? The motherfucker is weird. But one thing is blatantly obvious – he’s a FUCKING ASSHOLE.
“Does Elon Musk have Asperger’s? Oh, I definitely believe so. That doesn’t mean he’s not a COMPLETE ASSHOLE – the two are not mutually exclusive, by the way. For fuck’s sake, he named his son ‘X Æ A-Xii’ – who would do that to a child other than a pure and unadulterated thoroughbred PRICK?
“I know a few people with autism – not a single one of them has ever REMOTELY reminded me of Hitler. Even if it WAS an autism-induced mistake, he refuses to cop to it, and that tells us everything we need to know. Because, you see, that’s what people with correctly calibrated moral compasses do – they admit their mistakes.
“Supposedly Musk may become an actual government employee at some point – that means we the people will be paying his salary (not that he needs it). So as a tax-paying citizen of the United States, I have a request for the 47th-President Trump, please put your KETAMINE-FUELLED PET ROCKET MONKEY back in his cage so he can do things he’s suited for – obviously appearing in public is not one of them.
“Oh, and of course: FUCK ALL NAZIS.”
Lamb Of God released their latest album, Omens, in 2022 and are currently working on its follow-up. Bassist John Campbell told the And Now The Band podcast in December, “Now it’s time to catch our breath and start working on new stuff.” However, he added that the band’s next release will “take a little time” to materialise.
Lamb Of God have two live dates confirmed for 2025. They’ll play the Inkcarceration festival in Mansfield, Ohio, on July 20 before headlining their own festival cruise, Headbangers Boat, from October 31 to November 4.
