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	Phil's Blogservations Thursday, December 09, 2004 Posted by philgomes 3:37 PM "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott As most of you already know, influential metal guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was fatally shot during the first song of his band Damageplan's set by a deranged fan. Founding the seminal group Pantera with his brother/drummer Vinnie, Dimebag shook up a generation of guitarists who were becoming dangerously complacent with finger-tapping, whammy-careening cliches. Rumor has it that Dimebag amassed his stash of gear by winning every guitar contest in his native Texas before the promoters got sick of his consistent wins and banned him from participating. His technique and songwriting were together as incredible and unique as his characteristic tone. Of course, there will be the requisite number of lawmakers and special interest groups that will attempt to use this tragedy for political gain. They're going to pore over every lyric (violent as they are) and grit their teeth at every stacatto, flatted-fifth guitar riff in an effort to find out what about the music drove this clearly unhinged nutcase to open fire. The thing to remember is that it's not the music, it's the listener. It's not the gun, it's the shooter. After all, Charles Manson claimed that The Beatles, of all groups, influenced him to commit his heinous crimes. Dimebag's favorite drink was reportedly Seagram's and Coke, a concoction called a "Black Tooth Grin." I'm pretty sure my cousin might consider serving the same at this evening's poker night. In the end, Dimebag joins the likes of Randy Rhoades in the pantheon of metal guitar innovators who have been tragically silenced before their time. HOME | OBSESSIONS | FAQ | HEROES | CAREER | BLOG | CONTACT Note that the views expressed on this site do not necessarily reflect those of Phil's employer, its business partners, its clients, or anyone or anything that doesn't come from Phil.	ABOUT THIS BLOG This blog not only discusses PR and media matters, but Phil's everyday observations about a variety of topics. EMAIL phil[at] philgomes[[dot}]com SYNDICATE Feedburner ARCHIVE YAHOO! IM SKYPE WISH LIST PITCH POLICY MY PHOTOS www.flickr.com Photostream RSS Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz COMMENT AND TRACKBACK POLICY Comments and trackbacks are unmoderated, though I will delete the patently offensive ones. Any comments and trackbacks are the opinions of the individual writer of those comments and trackbacks, and not those of Phil Gomes, his employer, its clients, or its business partners. If you have a bone to pick, bug the people who wrote the comment or trackback.