Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn says he was kicked out of the Sistine Chapel.
In Italy this past week for a series of shows on the band’s European trek in support of 2014’s Bloodstone & Diamonds, Flynn and a friend took a tour of the Vatican Museum and the Chapel, the ceiling of which was famously painted by Michelangelo in the early 1500s.
Following a three-hour wait in line, Flynn and pal Jern were inside the holy place, marvelling at the assortment of art and the work of the iconic Italian painter.
The singer shared the experience in a lengthy Facebook post and his online tumblr diary, The General Journals.
Flynn writes: “The Sistine Chapel is a must-see-before-you-die type thing. So, of course I had to document it and bring my video camera. The guards didn’t stop me one bit as I filmed everywhere and as I entered the Sistine Chapel I was journaling myself walking and taking you guys through what I was doing.
“In the midst of doing so, it was then that a guard warned me in broken english, ‘No camera.’ Of course I disregarded him. I don’t know what it is with me but when someone tells me not to do something that I want to do, that ‘fuck you’ button gets hit. So I just hung the camera around my neck and kept filming.”
He continued: “I snapped one photo of the famous ‘hands’, and as I watched other people taking iPhone photos, I thought, ‘Hey, why not, they didn’t get thrown out’ When in Rome, right?
“Now, maybe because I already received a stern ‘warning’, or maybe cause I had a Duff’s Brooklyn hoodie with ‘666’ on the hood tied around my waist, let’s just say I kinda stood out, and dudes were eyeing me.
“I snapped three iPhone photos, and security swarmed on me. Poor Jern and I got escorted out lickety-split-like, which in the end was a good thing as there was a line to exit. So I saw it as a way to cut in line and get out first.”
The experience was just another day of fun and games on the road for the singer.
He says: “I had to laugh. When it was all over I just literally laughed out loud. ‘Wow, I just got kicked out of the Sistine Chapel.’ And I still got these pictures. Take that, motherfuckers.”
Read Flynn’s full tale and check out his photos at the Machine Head Tumblr page.
