It grieves me that my last three blog posts (this one included) have contained this kind of news. First the announcement of Dio's cancer, then the anniversary of Dimebag's death (which is admittedly more of a celebration of his life), and now one of the founding members of Slipknot has left us. While that is certainly my fault for being lazy and not posting more, the fact is that it is this kind of news that triggers emotional responses that require some kind of outlet. Some of you may ask, "Chip, these are not people you knew, why mourn so much, why let this affect you the way it does?" This is something I had to deal with when Dimebag was murdered and while these deaths perhaps do not hit me as hard as Dimebag's passing, I cannot help but feel the hurt of the loss. The same question could be asked to the thousands, if not millions, who mourned the loss of John Lennon. Why do we mourn the loss of musicians or any celebrity, artist, etc. that we enjoy without ever having met them? Now, I know some would consider it blasphemy to hear me compare these men with someone who had the global impact that Lennon and the Beatles had, but, to some people, what they did to enrich their fans' lives is no different.
I would guess that the obvious answer to the question is that we cannot underestimate the power that music has in our lives. Music's power is experienced by not just the musicians themselves. Also, I am not merely talking about all the various people in the music/radio/journalism industry that have lived a life that centered around music. I believe that you have to include every person that can say that "some part of who I am is defined by the music I listen to or the band that I love." For those people, music is more than entertainment and it changed their life in a positive way. I am not going to get into the myriad of reasons that people feel this way about music. That is a topic that sociologists (or whatever) have studied and will continue to study for years to come. But there is no denying that music can be strongly tied to our emotions and our emotions are a part of who we are.
I think that anyone who knows me knows how strongly passionate I am about heavy metal. I have told the story of my gravitation towards the genre to many people on numerous occasions. At the center of the story are Pantera and Slipknot. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Pantera was the first heavy metal band that I could say was my favorite and Slipknot was right behind them. Those bands were such a huge part of my high school years for many reasons: concerts with friends, getting pumped for football games, driving with stereo blasting, watching the band's home videos with friends. Those activities all point to what is probably the paramount reason for my attachment to metal: those bands pointed me in the direction of the friends and people with whom I identified. And though it may sound contradictory, I would argue that in defining who I identified with, I also developed my own sense of individuality. This may not be the case for everyone, but since that time, my passion for those bands and the genre have not wavered and have only grown more ingrained in my personality, though the people around me have not remained constant.
So though I did not know Dimebag personally, there was no reason for me to be completely void of any sense of loss. What he created had an effect on me. Then one must ask is it that much different, indirect as it may be, than what a teacher, friend, etc. can do to a person? Would you not mourn if that teacher or friend that influenced you passed away? No, it is not exactly the same as having known the person, but again, the sense of loss still exists.
Having said that, I would like to talk about Paul Gray and Slipknot. In high school I was a Slipknot maniac. A member of the "Maggot Corp" if you will. Myself and four of my friends owned the official Slipknot jumpsuits... yes, I still and will always own my jumpsuit:
My friends and I instituted "Slipknot Thursdays" during my senior year. We all wore our jumpsuits to school. To stand out? Yes. But the passion about the band made us do things together as friends. Paul Gray embodied that spirit of Slipknot. People scoffed when Slipknot came out. "Why in the world do they need 9 members in the band?" But Paul Gray knew, and the other members echoed the sentiment in a press conference yesterday, that Slipknot is about the 9 members of the band, each being vitally important to the whole. Paul Gray was one of the founding members of Slipknot and understood that well. While the other members had side projects, the majority of his focus was Slipknot and I thank him for what he gave me. I am somewhat off put by metal websites already asking whether or not Slipknot will replace him. I do not want to get into it so soon, but the philosophy of "The Nine" was apparent in Slipknot from the start. I am not saying I do not want Slipknot to go on, but it is a delicate topic. The bottom line is he made great music, had people around him who loved him (he leaves behind a pregnant wife), and the fans appreciate him. Thanks for everything Paul.
As for Dio, what can I say that hasn't already been said? The man was a living legend. Eddie Trunk is one of the most respected men in heavy metal radio/journalism. He knew and was friends with Dio. His blog expresses many of the sentiments that I feel much more eloquently than I can convey:
Lars Ulrich did the same on Metallica's website:
These two men give you just a glimmer of what a revered, respected, and classy individual Dio was. All that aside, there is no denying that the man had some pipes. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times, Ronnie James Dio has the quintessential heavy metal voice. He started his career in a perhaps lesser known band called Elf and then joined forces with Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow to create such amazing tracks as "Stargazer." During those early years he laid the foundation for the fantastical lyrics that infiltrate all of power metal today. The power in his voice and his lyrical artistry enticed the Black Sabbath members to seek him out when finding a replacement for Ozzy Osbourne. Big shoes to fill, but Dio did it. He went on to have an amazing solo career, continuing to pen such metal classics as "Holy Diver" and "Rainbow in the Dark." Most recently he reunited with the members of Black Sabbath under the moniker Heaven and Hell and created an album just as powerful as ever. Dio was a diminutive figure, but what he lacked in stature he made up for thousandfold in vocal prowess. His voice really was never touched by time.
Though I cannot claim Dio as one of the early favorites that influenced me, as my library of metal knowledge and albums increased, he became sacred to me for his contribution to the genre over the last four decades. I revere his voice as one of the greatest and I envy those who knew him because he is a man that I have never read or heard an unkind word about. Thank you for your voice Dio, you will be missed. We are forever your "Rock and Roll Children." Lastly, thank you for the symbol that metalheads all over the world identify with: The Horns.
No two words of power this time. Just put on some Slipknot, some Dio, or whatever else moves you and find the power in that.Godspeed on the Devil's thunder, getcha' pull, and may the power of the riff compel you always.
