Props to Alternative Press here: “As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis is out of prison after being incarcerated in 2014 for conspiracy to commit murder.
When AP reached out to the California Department Of Corrections And Rehabilitation to find out if Lambesis was still confined in a California prison, a representative confirmed that he was discharged Dec. 17, 2016. He was discharged to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.”
So, first and foremost, it’s heartwarming for 18-year old Stoney to look at 30-year old Stoney and notice he’s still reading stuff from Alternative Press. Yeah, I had a subscription (shout out to Revolver, too). I used to read all the articles, cut out the pictures of my favorite band and plaster them all over my walls. I also LOVED As I Lay Dying. They were awesome – great breakdowns and heartfelt lyrics.
I can remember Lambesis going on Fuse (YEAH, who remembers the metal show on Fuse!?! I can’t, and since I make the rules on this blog, I’m not going to research it), talking about how his lyrics are inspired by his love for God and his love for his wife.
Now, 18-year old Stoney is looking at 30-year old Stoney saying, “holy shit – did Tim Lambesis take a turn or what?!?!”
“According to someone familiar with the story, back in 2013, Lambesis asked a person at the gym if they knew any hitmen. That person from the gym then called the police, who then set up a sting. Lambesis was arrested after giving an undercover officer an envelope with pictures of his wife of eight years, her address, alarm codes and $1000.
Lynch goes on to say that Lambesis and his wife adopted three children. He falsely said the children are from Cambodia, but they are actually from Ethiopia. He then talks about how Lambesis spiraled into drugs and strippers.
“He went completely off the rails,” Lynch says. “Abandoned his family, his wife threatened to divorce him.””
Whoa. This is a classic example of “going off the rails.” It’s just the natural progression of things. First comes the drugs. Then comes the strippers. Then comes the desire to murder your wife. I think a lot of people have probably started down that road, y’know?
Like, the drugs are fun…but when you start thinking about the strippers, it’s like, “whoa – bro, I can’t do this. You go down this road, and you end up trying to find hitmen to kill your wife. I love my wife. Time to get off these drugs.”
But, shit – he just couldn’t stop himself. That is as out of control and deranged as it gets. When you’re walking around a gym asking strangers for recommendations on hitmen like you’re looking for a new restaurant to take your date to on Friday night, that has to be rock fucking bottom.
“He recently got out of jail,” Lynch repeats. “Destroyed his band. They don’t have a pot to piss in now—they’re all struggling.”
He continues: “Anyways, he’s out. He’s got a mega-record deal. He’s got a book deal. Everything’s lined up for him. I mean he’s going to skate through life.
“Everybody else is suffering. His wife is living in fear. His children are living in fear.”
I’m going to be honest and serious here for a second (despite knowingly making light of a terrible situation for approximately 300 words – but hey – welcome to The SoBros Network), I’m always a fan of redemption and second chances, but I really hate that Lambesis is coming out of this as well as he is. Record deal, book deal – he’s set. Fuck that. I say let his ass rot in prison. But, that’s just me. I’m not a fan of men attempting to murder women, skating through prison for a bit, and then walking out with plenty of opportunities to succeed.
His wife and his kids are living in fear. His bandmates “don’t have a pot to piss in.” But, the lead singer, who tried to kill his wife, glides on through….set for life. Nah, I can’t dig that.
It’s Hellfire and brimstone for me. But, I’ve stated it plenty of times on this site before: I’m probably not the model citizen we should be basing these decisions off of. That’s fair to say.
Now, the big question here is: does this make As I Lay Dying’s lyrics NOT Christian? Can the actions of the songwriter retroactively take that message away? I don’t know – I think it’s over for me. I don’t think I can ever listen to another AILD song and feel that love again.
I mean, to be fair, it’s also highly unlikely that I’m going to listen to another AILD song ever again….just ’cause I only listen to Pitbull now. But, that’s taking this discussion to a strange place.
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, Contributor to FanSided’s Bama Hammer, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo, @Bama_Hammer
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