Dimebag Darrell

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was born August 20th, 1966, in Dallas Texas. I was born August 28th, 1966 and live in Dallas Texas.

He was killed by a derranged ex-marine on December 8, 2004. The gunman had blammed Dimebag for the break up of Pantera several years earlier. Dimebag and his brother, drummer Vinny Paul, had started a new band called Damage Plan.

Dimebag died doing what he loved most, playing music. He went down with his guitar in his hands after the gunman stormed the stage and started firing. He was eventually killed by a police officer, but not until after he had killed 4 people.

I remember being in my late teens and sitting alone, and teaching myself Pantera songs on the guitar. I wasn't good enough to play most of them, but I could play Cowboys from Hell, and that was enough.

At the time, it seemed to me like Dimebag was a metal guitar god, which he was, and at least 10 years older than myself. It turns out, the age difference was 8 days. He was that good, that young.

I counted each of those 8 days after he died, until the point in the evening on the 8th day that he died. I knew at that moment I had reached the same exact age as one of my guitar heros when he died. Every moment that I have lived since then is more than what Dime got... and it's not nearly enough.

There is no "culture of life". Life just happens, and every moment after that, we live in the culture of death. We avoid it as best we can. Some do better than others.

In memory of Darrell Abbot, Mouth for War.

Revenge
I'm screaming revenge again
Wrong
I've been wrong for far too long
Been constantly so frustrated
I've moved mountains with less
When I channel my hate to productive
I don't find it hard to impress

Bones in traction
Hands break to hone raw energy
Bold and disastrous
My ears can't hear what you say to me

Hold your mouth for the war
Use it for what isn't for
Speak the truth about me
Determined

Possessed
I feel a conquering will down inside me
Strength
The strength of many to crush
Who might stop me
My strength is in number
And my soul lies in every one
The releasing of anger can better any medicine under the sun

There comes a time within everyone to close your eyes to
what's real
No comprehension to fail
I vacuum the wind for my sail
Can't be the rest
Let others waste my time
Owning success is the bottom line.
Like a knife into flesh
After life is to death
Pulling and punching the rest of duration
No one can piss on this determination