"I wanted to get out of New Orleans because it was getting too hectic, too crowded, too busy," says former Pantera/current Down frontman Phil Anselmo. Anselmo was born and raised in the Crescent City, and you can hear it in the unmistakably Cajun twang that slices right through his gravelly growl.
But now he makes his home in Northshore, which is about a 45-minute drive up from New Orleans. In the latest episode of Fuse Follows, he shows us his sprawling compound where he lives with animals both domestic (dogs named Shirley and Jack) and farm (a chicken named Hazel, a pig named Lucy). He also runs his label Housecore from there and jams with his current band Down.
But the land is run by the animals, which is clear as he shows his property. "We need puppy Valium or something around here," he sighs as the dogs bark over his voice. Still, it is all love.
"I love beasts," he says. "I like animals. They're true."