“There’s too many choices
And I hear their relentless voices
But you’ve gotta run them out
Return to now and shut it down”
From “Memento Mori” by Lamb of God
It was a pleasure to talk with Randy Blythe for the Hardcore Humanism Podcast. Most people know Randy as the frontman of the heavy metal band Lamb of God. The band has ten studio albums (including two under the name Burn the Priest) including their recent 2020 album Memento Mori. Metal Hammer rated them as one of the greatest American heavy metal bands in history. Rolling Stone rated their album, As The Palaces Burn, (2003) as one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. And Loudwire declares, “Ask any metalhead — Randy Blythe is one of the best guttural vocalists on the planet.”
In our discussion, Blythe discusses how he uses the concept of being protean – or the ability to change frequently or easily – to living his life. We discuss a range of domains in which Blythe applies this concept – including how he uses it to survive addiction and maintain sobriety, as well as to manage during the coronavirus pandemic. Further, he discusses some of the methods he uses to maintain being protean, including meditation and creativity.
Certainly, on face value, there are many reasons why being “protean” may be associated with improved mental health and well-being. Perhaps most importantly, being protean implies an increased ability to cope. Specifically, the ability to mobilize and orient to changes in one’s life, especially stressful changes, will make it easier to deal with difficult situations. But the way Blythe describes being protean, it goes beyond just flexible coping. He describes an openness to experience – an orientation to life that receives the world as it is rather than how he in theory wants it to be.
There has been research on several constructs in psychological literature that may inform our understanding of Blythe’s discussion of being protean. For example, the personality trait “Openness to Experience” has been associated with increased creativity and imagination. Further, individuals who demonstrate more “flexible coping” have been shown to have lower levels of depression.
One literature in particular that may inform our understanding of being “protean” is the concept of adaptability – or the ability to adjust to new conditions. Studies suggest that adaptability predicts life satisfaction. For example, one longitudinal study of 99 university freshmen measured adaptability and life satisfaction both at baseline and a one-month follow-up. Results found that adaptability at baseline predicted life satisfaction one month later.
And adaptability can be understood not only as an individual construct, but also as a social construct. For example, one study examined whether family adaptability in 149 mothers with autistic children predicted maternal depression and child behavior problems over a three-year period. As predicted, higher perceived family adaptability predicted lower maternal depression and fewer child behavior problems.
Overall, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that being protean may improve our mental health and well-being. We hope you enjoy listening to how Blythe applies the concept and that you learn lessons about being protean that you can apply in your own life!
