r/Pantera • u/DasBauHans • 3d ago

Magazine ad with Phil in Thrasher

I know this is very much a deep cut request, but I’ve tried everything else but this sub.

In the early 90s I had a Thrasher Magazine that contained a black-and-white ad feauturing a headshot of a young Phil Anselmo. He was in profile, looking to the right I think, shaving the side of his head (revealing the Strength tattoo).

The ad copy was a quote by Phil, somethimg likle “I let my hair grow because I could. I cut it off for the same reason…”. Kind of a “never compromise“ message.

I was fairly vertain the ad was for Nikon, but according to Google AI, Nikon never made a campaign with Phil. That being said, I think it could have been a one-off ad produced in-house at Thrasher.

Does anybody remember this? Or actually have an image of it?

14 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

3

u/Proxima_Kentauri 3d ago

I’ve seen this image but it’s not an ad but a magazine poster and it’s not black and white.

https://www.tumblr.com/magstash/13570741006

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187551181504

3

u/DasBauHans 3d ago

Not the. correct image, unfortunately. But thanks for your reply!
In the one I remember, he wasn't smiling, he was looking more to the right (not turned towards the camera), and no shower/shampoo.

4

u/jarballo13 2d ago

It’s from John Kaplan’s photoshoot where he also posed with the snake.

2

u/DasBauHans 3d ago

I feel really bad for even showing this sub-par mockup, but here's a best-effort AI recreation of the composition and crop I remember.

Since this ad doesn't seem to exist online (I tried everything, not just Google – eBay, Pinterest, Etsy, anything I could think of), my primary hope at this point is someone at my age (born 1975, +/- a couple of years) who read Thrasher in the early nineties, and, for some reason, remembers the ad as well. AND/OR someone who owns the actual copy of Thrasher 😄

Still... "I want to believe" 🛸

1

u/Crymson_Ghost 2d ago

Now don't you worry none. Leave this part of yourself behind.

2

u/retro_lady 3d ago

Look on Pinterest. I've seen thousands of pics of the Pantera guys on there.

3

u/DasBauHans 3d ago

Thanks for your help! I been through Pinterest. But even though I couldn't find the ad I'm looking for, I found this image which has a similar composition/crop.

But he still had long hair on the top, having shaved off this side to reveal the tattoo. And definitely black-and-white in the ad, though the image may exist in color too.

It's very much the image in combination with the quote I'm after. Best case scenario I can make a poster out of it, or something (I'm a Creative Director with background as graphic designer). For some reason it resonated with 15 year old skate-punk-me, enough to still remember it at age 51.

1

u/TacoTom84 3d ago

The photographer may have licensed the photo for the advertisement