Happy belated birthday to Ron Paul, Dimebag Darrell and my longtime friend Suzanne McCaig!

Yesterday were three birthdays I missed.  Ron Paul's, Dimebag's and my friend Suzanne's.  Actually, I wished her a happy birthday on her Facebook page.  Suzanne is my oldest friend.  We have been friends for 29 years.  So happy birthday to them and anyone else who had a birthday on August 20.  I was going to write a long blog post on my friendship with Suzanne.  I decided not to and that might be a future blog entry.  Today I'll be focusing on the man pictured above.

Dimebag Darrell Abbott was the guitarist of Pantera.  He was also a guitarist in Damage Plan and Rebel Meets Rebel.  My first exposure to Pantera's music was in the late 1990s.  I went to a local mom and pop record store called Tapeville in Nanuet. NY.  I almost bought the live album and then some employee recommended Cowboys from Hell.  I bought that album instead and I enjoyed it.  The next album I got from Pantera was Reinventing the Steel.  Those were the only two Pantera albums I had for several years until I decided to check out the first four albums by Pantera.  They're highly superior to the 1990s albums, IMO.  I know it's a super unpopular opinion.  The only groove metal albums by Pantera I truly enjoy are Cowboys from Hell and Reinventing the Steel.  To me the rest are boring as shit.  My favorite Pantera album overall is I Am The Night.  That is one amazing album and it has Dimebag's best guitar work, IMO!

Pantera was highly unfair for letting us hang and not telling us fans anything between 2001-2004.  It was unclear if they were on hold, disbanded or whatever.  The status of the band was unknown.  Better yet, Pantera should have resumed with Terry Glaze since Phil Anselmo was too busy with Superjoint Ritual (who I loved at the time, now I'm not that into them these days).  There were shockingly plans for a Terry Glaze reunion in the works from what I read.  Unfortunately, tragedy struck on December 8, 2004 when Dimebag got shot to death on stage in Columbus, Ohio.  To be brutally honest, I was not affected by Dimebag's death, but I know a lot of fans perceived his death as the "9/11 of metal."  I wouldn't go that far with his death.  It was shitty that happened and there was no need for it to happen.  It could have been totally prevented too.

I have former friends that did disrespect Dimebag's death.  I even was with them and then as time went by... now I do not find humor in Dimebag's death.  Since I'm a better person, I feel his death was unwarranted and it was a major injustice on his part.  He should be still alive to this day.  Same with Vinnie Paul Abbott... I know he died of "dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease."  However, I know he was also heart broken when his beloved brother Darrell was killed.  I know he couldn't take it.  Those two brothers were close and they had bands together.

Well I guess that's that.  Dimebag's death is best documented elsewhere.  Happy belated to Dimebag Darrell Abbott!  R.I.P. Dimebag.