Is it true that Dimebag Darryl once wanted to trade his axe for sax
Does that even mean what you think it means? Turns out, there's a lot that even his biggest fans didn't know about the legendary guitarist
until after his untimely death. Pantera had been around since 1981, but it wasn't until 1986 that the band finally clicked
into gear with a lineup featuring vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, drummer Vinnie
Paul, and guitarist Dimebag Darryl. It was at this point that the group moved away from a glam sort of sound to become a
force of nature in heavy metal. Not only did they pulverize the touring circuit and release a series of seminal albums, but
they also turned into one of the most influential bands of the genre. Don't underestimate the kid
You're f***ing crazy if you do. And I am the kid. All four members are widely regarded as the best in their field, but Brown attested that
Dimebag was the biggest talent and the person who kept Pantera together for so long
He told The Dallas Observer, "...the strongest one of us all in Pantera was Dime, and he kept the peace between all
of us. way about him, and he could get away with all kinds of s**t. He lit people up just by being
nice to them. He just had this glow about him. He had a heart. His heart was just… I can't
explain how huge it was." Brown admitted that the early days of Pantera were the best of times
they played with passion anywhere they could, and there was strong musical synergy between all the
members. Pantera's eventual dissolution in 2003 was devastating to fans worldwide. Everyone wondered
if the band would be able to work through the animosity and reunite, especially considering
the beef between Anselmo and Dimebag. Sadly, Dimebag's death a year later ensured that the
most famous iteration of the band would never appear together again. Pantera did reform in
2022, but Zach Wilde and Charlie Benante replaced Dimebag and Vinnie Paula's guitarist and drummer
respectively. Despite the then-hostility between Anselmo and Dimebag, Anselmo revealed on VH1's
Behind the Music that he flew out to Texas to attend his former bandmate's funeral and attempted
to reach out to people close to the guitarist. Rita Haney, Dimebag's longtime girlfriend
said that she received a phone call from Anselmo and was told that if she didn't speak to him
he would attend the funeral without anyone's blessing. Haney lashed out at Anselmo
claiming that Dimebag had tried to reach out to him in the lead-up to his death. Why didn't you return the nine phone calls when Daryl called you? I go
if you show up here, I'll blow your head off myself. And I hung up on it. In an interview with San Antonio Metal Music Examiner years later, Anselmo said that the
classic lineup of Pantera would have reformed had Dimebag still been alive
For the entirety of Dimebag's career, his brother Vinnie was by his side
The drummer loved him immensely and rated him as a generational talent. The pair ruled the world with Pantera then started Damage Plan with the intention of doing the same Undisputedly they shared a deep connection over their passion for music Before they played in a band though Dimebag attempted to follow in his brother footsteps in a different kind of field the sports kind Vinny told Metal Hammer
I was a little bit bigger than him at the time, and when I used to play football, he wanted to play. He'd try, but he was smaller, and it didn't really work
Once we both got to music, the unbreakable bond really began. Vinny praised Dimebag for his commitment to music, even though he was a 100% natural
The drummer explained how his brother studied different types of styles and genres to create
music that no one had ever heard before. Inspiration strikes at the most random of times
It can come in a hazy dream, or in the midst of a hot shower, or when you're just sitting
there doing literally nothing. The point is, when it hits, it hits. So creatives best make use of these precious moments
According to Vinnie Paul, his brother experienced inspiration in the strangest place in the
house, the bathroom. Can you repeat that? Weird, right? As Vinny told Loudwire in 2016
One of the things people don't know about Dime, he had a guitar in his bathroom. I went in his bathroom one time, I sat down, and I was like
he's got a guitar, he's got his little tape, what's that doing in here? Vinny asked his brother why he had all that equipment in the bathroom
and Dimebag said that's where he wrote all his iconic riffs, while sitting on the porcelain throne and dealing with other business
Vinny joked, he would go and have a bad experience at Taco Bell and write a song about it
Vinny went on to add that he had all the recordings and would be keen to release them to fans one day
Unfortunately, his death in 2018 might have impacted these plans. The band Nitro might not be regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of all time
but it did have riff master guitarist Michael Angelo Badio, whose superior guitar slinging skills inspired a generation of younger players
Speaking on the podcast In the Trenches with Ryan Roxy, Badio recalled a story from the early 90s when he attended a Pantera show
and found out that Dimebag Daryl was a fan of his. Badio said
He goes, And then he goes, Badio said he quickly struck up a friendship with Dimebag
and the pair saw each other on a regular basis throughout the years. He also revealed that Dimebag committed to play on his 2005 album
Hands Without Shadows, but the guitarist died before he could lay down his tracks
One of the biggest things that came out about Dimebag after he died was that he was almost a part of what could have been the best supergroup in history
In a conversation with NME, electronic musician Moby revealed a funny story about how an evening
with Dimebag, Vinnie Paul, and Motley Crue's Tommy Lee nearly resulted in the formation of
a new band humorously titled The Sober F***s. It's true, Moby told the outlet
I've been sober for a while now, but this was a late-night, alcohol idea between Pantera guitarist Dimebag Daryl drummer Vinnie Paul Tommy Lee and I I regret not starting this chaotic metal band with them which would have sounded like a cross between Pantera and my old punk group Flipper Alas it was not meant to be The closest that Dimebag came to being a part of
a supergroup was during his time with Damage Plan. The band's only album, New Found Power
featured contributions from Slipknot's Corey Taylor and Black Label Society's Zach Wild
Though Nickelback is one of the most hated bands in the music industry, you wouldn't find Dimebag
or Vinnie Paul among their hordes of haters. In fact, the brothers used to be fans of Chad
Kruger & Company, defending the Canadian rock group from detractors and insisting that people
give them a shot before slamming them. Dimebag even teamed up with Nickelback for a cover of
Elton John's Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting. Speaking to WGRD 97.9 in 2023
Kruger recalled fond memories of both Dimebag and Vinnie. He was particularly appreciative of how
they put their necks out for his band when they didn't have to. When the metal community would come down on those guys and be like
what's with this love for Nickelback? I don't get it. And they would say the same thing and they would defend us. And it was really, really lovely
Kruger also opened up about how Dimebag's death affected him. According to the singer
he would get emotional whenever he saw the guitarist's face on the cover of a magazine
or anywhere else for the longest time. Dimebag and Rita Haney met when they were children
kicking off a friendship that blossomed into love in 1984. From there on out
the two were inseparable, staying together as a couple until his death in 2004
In the years since his death, Haney has shared a number of personal stories and anecdotes about
Dimebag. In an interview with The Rock Pit in 2017, she discussed a special moment from 1999
that she referred to as one of her most treasured memories of Dimebag. Haney explained how she and
several others went along with Vinnie, Paul, and Dimebag to talk to a funeral home about a final
resting place for their mother, who had fallen gravely ill. They were informed about potential
discounts if they bought more than one plot, so the Abbott brothers discussed how many they would
need. Vinny suggested three, since he knew their father had made other plans to be buried elsewhere
But Dimebag asked for four so that Haney could be buried alongside him. Haney said
Right at that moment, I thought to myself, that was just the coolest thing that anybody could
ever do or say, because you want me resting next to you. Simply put, Dimebag was a huge fan of
Eddie Van Halen. Despite being a pivotal part of the music industry for so long, Dimebag only met
Van Halen for the first time a few weeks before he died. Rita Haney revealed to Billboard
We'd met him just a few weeks earlier for the first time, and Dime was ready to cut him
a $30,000 check that night for one of his striped guitars, but Eddie told him he'd do
one special for him. When Dimebag died, Van Halen phoned to extend his condolences and see if he could do anything
for the family. Haney told Van Halen that Dimebag loved his yellow and black striped guitar so Van Halen brought the original to the funeral as a gift stating original should have an original Haney revealed that Van Halen visited the funeral parlor but he didn want to go into the room where Dimebag body lay
According to Haney, Van Halen said he wanted his last memory of Dimebag to be of when they met
not him lying dead. So, Haney and another member of Dimebag's crew took Van Halen's guitar and placed it with Dimebag
While Pantera never quite hit the same mainstream levels as the Rolling Stones or Metallica
they got pretty close. It was also a different time in the music industry, as labels tended to fork out more
cash for their artists to record and perform. Dimebag, though, was well aware of the changes around him, realizing it was getting harder
for musicians to make a living from their art. Dimebag's last interview took place with a school newspaper seven days before his death
and it was published years later in both Guitar World and Revolver. In this conversation, Dimebag imparted sage advice for those who wanted to get into the
music industry in 2004, and probably even now if we're being honest
He said, Well, if you're just trying to make it and get rich in this business, just go ahead and hang it up right now
Between the record companies being the way they are and the fact that people can just download one song instead of buying a whole album
it's hard to make a good living nowadays. But if you want to do it because you f***ing love it, then go for it
Dimebag's words proved to be prophetic, as it's only become harder for artists since then
Dimebag's death cut short all plans for Damage Plan. The band recorded and toured their debut album, New Found Power
but after Dimebag's murder, all momentum was halted in its tracks, and the remaining bandmates went on to various other projects rather than continue the group
But Damage Plan's manager, Paul Bassman, told Billboard that there were other recordings that
the band worked on which could be released. He said, There were recordings the band laid down prior to Dimebag's death that are near completion
Vinnie Paul has said there will be a follow-up album down the road, as Dime would have wanted his music to be heard. In an interview on Talk Is Jericho
Vinnie mentioned how Dimebag had his eye on the next Damage Plan record. He wanted to wrap up their tour, take a short break, and head into the studio for the second album
Every metalhead knows the story of Dimebag's death during a Damage Plan concert
but were you aware of the last interaction Dimebag had with his brother before he was shot
Speaking to Team Rock, Vinny explained how he and Dimebag warmed up for the show together
and discussed how their tour was coming to an end, which would allow them to be home for Christmas
and to get a break before they started recording Damage Plan's second album. He said
Our code word to let it all hang out and have a good time was Van Halen, man, and that's
the last two words we ever said to each other. I said Van Halen, and he said Van Halen, and we high-fived each other and went on the deck
to do our thing, and a minute and a half later, I'll never see him again. That being said, Vinny didn't express any regret about their final words to each other
since it was something special between the brothers