“He’d get people that were completely sober drinking again”: Zakk Wylde on why Dimebag Darrell was the “life of the party”
Alongside being an incredible guitar player, Dimebag Darrell was a notorious party animal. In fact, he could convince just about anyone to let loose and have a good time – even if that meant occasionally being a bad influence.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, guitarist Zakk Wylde recalls how the late Pantera axeman was always the “life of the party”, able to transform any event into a chaotic night to remember. “Dime’s energy was so contagious,” Wylde explains. “He’d just walk in the room, and he’d be the life and soul of the party. It was nothing but a good time all the time with him.”
READ MORE: “If they were Dime’s original riffs and ideas, of course”: Zakk Wylde says he’s open to recording new Pantera music – but only based on Dimebag Darrell’s existing ideas
Though, that focus on having a “good time all the time” sometimes meant Dimebag could be somewhat of a devil on someone’s shoulder. “He’d get people that were completely sober drinking again… Wylde says. “Or, if somebody had a gambling problem, he’d get them playing poker without knowing.”
Of course, Dimebag never knowingly dished out beers to alcoholic. When his brain was in party mode, he sometimes needed a tap on the shoulder to keep him in check. Wylde laughingly remembers how a confused Dimebag would protest with a cry of “What? I’m just getting this guy a drink!”, before someone explained “Bro, he’s a major alcoholic! You can’t do that!’
The same goes with the gambling antics. Unaware of someone’s vices, he’d sometimes be shocked when a person stepped in and told him to dial things back. Wylde re-enacts how Dimebag would often respond: “What? Nobody told me!!”
Even Dimebag’s brother, the late Vinnie Paul, branded the iconic guitarist as the “wild life of the party” in an old interview with Metal Hammer. “He loved to entertain people and loved to put a smile on people’s faces and he didn’t care how he did it,” Paul explained. “Whether it was with his guitar, doing a picture backstage with some fans, signing some autographs or just being himself and hanging out being the life and soul of the party.”
The party animal mentality was something that Dimebag had throughout his life, even before his Pantera days. “If there was a party to be had, he was always the first one grabbing the bottle and firing it up,” Paul said. “People expected Dimebag Darrell to be the crazy motherfucker off the Pantera videos, and he didn’t want to let them down. But at the same time, he also needed what he referred to as his ‘Dime Time’ – just to chill.”
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