When Godflesh’s Justin Broadrick Turned Down Playing in Danzig’s Band

Jonas Rogowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Industrial metal titans Godflesh have just announced their new album, the aptly titled Purge, is due out on June 9th. It’s the band’s first material since issuing the critically acclaimed Post Self  in 2017. 

According to the band, the album serves as a companion piece to their 1992 classic Pure. Moreover, the title itself is a direct testament to how band mastermind Justin Broadrick utilizes music to relieve the symptoms of his diagnosed autism and PTSD. Tackling themes of personal mental health openly and honestly makes for a dark ride, but one that many fans can certainly relate to.

Broadrick’s absolute commitment to his art is an integral component of his entire creative life. It’s a subject that he addressed in a conversation with Vice back in 2013, when he candidly discussed the time he was offered a position in Danzig:

“I had a couple of phone conversations with him (Glenn Danzig) and his management at the time. This was when Godflesh supported Danzig and Type-O-Negative in America, an arena tour in ’94 for Danzig 4. Glenn Danzig was a big Godflesh fan. Shortly after that tour I got a phone call from his manager, who was this huge corporate manager who managed Guns N’ Roses. And he was like, ‘Hey man, I wanna put you on the phone to Glenn, man.’

Glenn didn’t even ask me if I wanted to join the band, he just talked a lot of other stuff. Quite odd. It was only his manager who said they wanted to fly me to L.A. to do this and do that. And when I declined, his manager had this absolute shit-trip. He obviously saw me as some small guy from a small, odd band and didn’t understand why someone like Glenn Danzig would want me. So his manager had an absolute fit about it, which was quite comical. “You can’t turn him down! Who the fuck do you think you are?!’”

Justin then went on to elaborate on his reasons for turning down the offer:

“I was trying to tell this manager guy that the most important thing to me is my own vision. Sorry, but that’s what I do. I indulge myself. I’d would have had to move to L.A., but I have a life and an existence and I actually like living in the UK, know what I mean?

I think there was one Danzig interview where he was asked why I didn’t join and I know he has a bit of an ego, but his answer was simply, “The guy wouldn’t get on a plane.” Or some shit like that. I mean, I do have a fear of flying that is well-documented by some people, but it most certainly wasn’t that. I do not want to join someone else’s band, it’s as simple as that.”

It’s not surprising to us that Justin would turn down such a position from such a high-profile band. After all, with his hand in creating Napalm Death’s Scum he is one of the key architects of the entire grindcore genre. His journey has taken him from hardcore punk to lush ambient shoegaze to techno to some of the heaviest, most crushing metal ever created, and he’s done it all on his own terms. 

Kudos, Justin.