Dez Fafara opens up about becoming a vegan 4 years ago

The lead vocalist of heavy metal band DevilDriver from Santa Barbara is a committed and highly articulate vegan. Speaking to Australia’s Heavy magazine on 11th June 2019 just before started a tour Down Under, he explained his reasons. 

Fafara made the change four years ago. In the interview, he expresses considerable disgust towards animals being used for food. He comments very eloquently on the transition in society whereby people are starting to see the benefits of plant-based foods. He states that dietary change has had a substantial effect on his health for the better.

In the 17-minute interview the vegan celebrity talks of his commitment to veganism at 2 minutes 50 seconds into the interview until the 6 minutes 25 seconds mark. Here is a transcript, beginning with Dez’s response to why he went vegan: 

“If you’ve ever seen how a cow suffers”

“I did that for the suffering of animals. If you’ve ever seen how a cow suffers… Yeah, you may love cheese, but you don’t know that that baby cow was stolen from its mother so it could give milk for you, and they drag it off screaming. If you’ve ever seen the slaughter process of animals or the way animals are kept, especially in the United States, it’s disgusting to me. A pig is two times smarter than a dog, so now you’re going to keep thousands of them in the dark until you kill them six, seven months later? The way I saw those videos [and] how it touched my heart, it ruined me. I said to myself, ‘I cannot be on this planet and I cannot be part of this.'”

A drastic lifestyle about-face. 

“I was the barbecue guy. I started my career touring with Pantera — like, of course, we’re going to a barbecue. But now, I look at ribs as ribs of an animal that f**king suffered tremendously, all of its life. It was a sentient animal that actually could play catch and sit down and have loving, tender moments. We don’t even need it. Over here [in America], we’re getting Beyond Meat tacos, Beyond Meat everywhere. Carl’s Jr. has a Beyond Meat burger. Del Taco has a Beyond Meat taco. 

“People are starting to see [that] plant-based foods are good for your body, good for the environment, and look how we treat our animals. Right down the street from me, two doors down, a woman has a [pet] pig. She comes out every day — she walks it. That thing knows its name. It comes to me; it gets happy; it snorts; it plays. Now, I’m going to go hang it upside down and slit its throat because I like its ribs? It’s f**king disgusting, and it’s got to change. 

“I’m on the cusp of the generation that needs to change this. The younger generation knows this – the 18-year-olds, the 20-year-olds and the 25-year-olds. 

“I cannot be part of the terror and the torture and the fear that was going through those animals anymore, and that’s what made me stop.”

Health Improvement

“Immediately when I did, going back to a doctor, he’s, like, ‘What happened here? You dropped 42 pounds. You have no cholesterol. Your blood pressure is amazing,'” he said. 

“I did a running test, and he actually said, ‘You have the heart of a 25-year-old.’ He smelled like cigarettes [and] was 50 pounds overweight, and he’s a doctor. I said to him, ‘Hey, dude. What did you have for lunch today?’ He’s like, ‘A nice big burger and a cigarette.’ I said, ‘Exactly.’ 

“If you get in touch with yourself; if you get in touch with your body; if you get in touch with the fear-based foods that you’ve been eating your whole life, all it is is exposure to things you’ve been taught your whole life: ‘You have to have your meat. You have to have your dairy.’ Those things are killing you. Those things are creating heart attacks, those things are killing you, so just stop. You wouldn’t constantly poke yourself with a sword all day if it hurt. That’s exactly what you’re doing to your body every time you eat meat, every time you eat dairy. You’ve got to stop that shit. My energy levels are through the roof [now]. I was skateboarding last night until midnight with my kids. I’m in the best shape of my life right now.”

With his newfound energy levels, Fafara is promising that the band will explode with “authentic ferocity spilling out all over the stage”. Australian heavy metal fans have been warned. 

I cannot be part of the terror and the torture and the fear that was going through those animals anymore, and that’s what made me stop.”       Dez Fafara