by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Pantera were definitely one of the forces holding the torch for metal in the ’90s. As metal fell out of favour, and regrouped in the underground, Pantera singlehandedly held a place for it in the mainstream by releasing one of metal’s most important records, Vulgar Display of Power, in 1992.

After much-publicized mudslinging with Pantera singer Phil Anselmo, the band’s drummer and guitarist, brothers Vinnie Paul and Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott, would split up the band and form Damageplan, releasing New Found Power in 2003. While on tour supporting their debut, they played a club called Alrosa Villa Nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, on December 8, 2004. During the first song, a diagnosed schizophrenic shot and killed four people including “Dimebag” Darrell, one of metal’s most legendary guitarists. On a note of dark irony, the date of the murders marked the 24th anniversary of the killing of John Lennon.

Since the incident, Vinnie Paul has only recently come out of a dark depression, and is now seeing to it that the legacy of his brother is kept alive by starting his own label, Big Vin, and releasing his and his brother’s collaboration with outlaw country legend David Allen Coe, Rebel Meets Rebel, as well as a DVD of “Dimebag” Darrell footage called Dimevision. The Mirror was honoured and privileged to talk to Paul over the phone from Arlington, Texas, in anticipation of his meet-and-greet session at Steve’s.

Mirror: How did the pairing of you and Dimebag Darrell with David Allen Coe happen?

Vinnie Paul: When me and Dime were little kids, our parents always listened to David Allen Coe, so we’ve been fans for a long time. He was playing in town one night, and Dime waited in line after the show to get an autograph and gave him a Pantera DVD, and they exchanged phone numbers. After he watched the DVD, he phoned Dime and said he was blown away, so we just started talking about doing a record together. We didn’t know if it would work, but we just got drunk together right out of the chute and we knew there was something there. The record was easily the funnest record Dime and me ever made, and I think you can really hear that. I thought Dime did the best solo he has ever done on the song “Get Out of My Life.” He’s got a million great leads, but he just poured all of his soul and feeling into that one, and over the whole record, he was really able to stretch out and show how he could play different styles.

Call of the drums

M: The last time you and I spoke was right after Pantera played in Montreal, the time Phil Anselmo made some white-supremacist comments from the stage. Your falling out with him has been well documented. Have you two buried the hatchet?

VP: Nah, I will never talk to that guy again. That Montreal incident was only one of many other dumb incidents he’s been a part of, and I’m sure he will continue to do. I just hope a lot of people know that he was never speaking for the band when he opened his mouth. I really have no use for him and just keep my distance—I’ll just leave it at that.

M: A lot of people are wondering when you are going to get back behind the drum kit again. Any plans?

VP: I definitely still have a passion about it, but running this record label has been really busy and it’s ended up being great therapy for me. Thanks to people like Zakk Wylde, Godsmack, Disturbed and Sammy Hagar—those people have really pulled through and helped me get playing again. When the right situation comes along, I’ll know it, and I’ll be back behind the drums again.

Time with Dime

M: You just put together the new DVD Dimevision, with tons of footage of your brother. Was it painful putting that together?

VP: Every time I felt like crying, I would just feel like he was pushing me, and that I had to keep going. He can still really put a smile on my face. When we were putting together the DVD and going through all of the footage, I really had no idea that my brother knew how to use fireworks in his house (laughs). He could really crack me up, where I would be just watching the footage, saying, “Look at that crazy motherfucker.” It was actually really therapeutic for me, just to see him on video—it felt like I could just reach out and touch him. It was Dime’s girlfriend’s idea to put it together, and when she came up with the idea, I was ready for it not being much fun to go through. It actually really helped me, and every time I watch the DVD it just puts a big smile on my face. I hope that it will do the same for anybody else who watches it, and you might shed a tear, but it’s a great way to remember him.

M: You were in a dark place for a long time after the Dimebag’s tragic death. How did you get out of it?

VP: Me and Dime did everything together from day one. When it happened, I didn’t think I was really going to be able to carry on. There were several times where I would just wish I could die in my sleep. It was just that miserable. When something this tragic happens, you feel totally out of control and totally useless. You never get over it, but you have to learn to dig deep inside and learn how to cope with it. After a period of time, I could feel his energy, and I just know he wanted me to keep going, and I had to do everything I could to keep going. I also felt I had to do everything I could to make sure his legacy lives on forever. If the roles were reversed, I would be the guy in the sky pushing him on.

M: Do you have any particular memories of Dimebag that stick out in your mind?

VP: There really are so many. I remember the last time I saw him. We used to have a code word, which was “Van Halen,” and that just meant to let it all hang out and have a really good time, because we both thought Van Halen were just one of the most kick-ass bands ever. He was warming up on his guitar before our show like he always did, and putting chapstick on his lips like he always did before a show. I just went up to him and said, “Van Halen,” and he looked over at me and said, “Van fucking Halen,” and we high-fived each other. I didn’t know it, but a minute and a half later I would never hear from him again.

At Steve’s Music Store (51 St-Antoine W.) on Tuesday, June 6, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., free

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