During a 75-minute interview on the “Attorneys On Retainer” show, Iced Earth founder Jon Schaffer broke his silence regarding his involvement in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. The guitarist, who was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump, reflected on his legal ordeal, his time in prison, and his perspective on his career and activism.
Schaffer described his political stance as being based on the country’s founding principles, not on a left-right political spectrum. “I’m very pro founding principle America, and we’ve obviously drifted pretty far from that,” he said. He emphasized that he sees himself as “pro freedom” and not an “extremist.” “I don’t like to get into the left-right part of this, ’cause that’s not where my passion is,” Schaffer stated. “It’s pro freedom. And I want our country and the world to get back to that, and that’s what I’ve tried to express. And a lot of people have put me in a box of being a right-wing extremist and this kind of stuff. And I don’t consider freedom to be extreme.”
He acknowledged that his actions on January 6 were a mistake. “I screwed up, that’s for sure,” he said, adding that he doesn’t see himself as a victim. He pleaded guilty to two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Schaffer detailed the “intense” experience he had while in detention. According to his lawyer, Marc J. Victor, Schaffer faced death threats and was allegedly assaulted with human excrement by other inmates. Schaffer confirmed the difficulty of the situation, noting, “I’ve been through a lot of intense things in my life, lived hardcore… But dude, nothing compared to J6.” He said that after being in general population for a couple of days, he was moved to solitary confinement because he was all over the news.
Despite the hardship, Schaffer claimed that his time in jail was a “blessing” and a “crucible.” “I feel blessed in so many ways because you find out who really loves you, who are the parasites, who are the ones that really love you,” he said. “I stepped off the hamster wheel of the music business and was able to look at my life and reflect, and for that, as brutal as it was, that time of self-reflection, which is all you can do…” He said that for a long time, he wasn’t even able to get a Bible or access a law library.
Schaffer said that being pardoned by President Donald Trump was a “huge deal.” He expressed his gratitude for the pardon, which also extended to approximately 1,500 other people accused of crimes related to the riot. “And I have to say that’s what makes me think Trump is not your regular politician, because there’s so many promises made and almost none of them ever kept,” Schaffer explained. “And that was just an amazing thing. I’ll always be grateful to President Trump for this, big time, and I know everybody else will be too.”
The pardon came after his sentencing, which was delayed for years due to his cooperation with the Department of Justice‘s investigation. This cooperation, which some speculated involved the extremist group the Oath Keepers, was a source of pain for Schaffer. “It’s quite possibly the hardest part of it,” he said. “The people that know me, they know my honor’s a big deal. My word is a big deal.”
Schaffer also discussed his career as the founder of a successful heavy metal band. He admitted that he never bought into the “rock star lifestyle” and that the most satisfying part of his career was the songwriting process. “I don’t need the hero worship, I don’t desire it, but I am a songwriter. That was my driving force,” he said. “That was the thing that made me climb through all of the mountains of s**t that I did for decades.”
He expressed his dislike for the business side of the music industry. “I didn’t like the business. I don’t like dealing with the media. I don’t like those things. I don’t like the drama. I don’t like the narcissism,” he said. Schaffer said that without the desire to write songs, the “spark isn’t there, then I don’t wanna deal with all the rest of it.” He concluded by saying that his willingness to endure all the negative aspects of the business was solely because of his love for songwriting.
You can listen to the full interview down below:
