Dimebag Darrel RIP

[pophead2k]

Terrible news. I know this isn't a big metal forum, but Dimebag Darrel was a great metal guitarist. He was murdered onstage last night in a club in Columbus. Motives, etc. unknown and the perpetrator is dead, shot by a policeman. As a regular performing musician, this is certainly chilling to contemplate. Thoughts to his family and fans.

[BlueChair]

I read about this on CNN. I can't stand metal, but concert performers and attendees should never be put in this kind of situation.

The fact that we live in a culture where this kind of thing can happen is very sad to me.

[selfmademug]

The fact that we live in a culture where this kind of thing can happen is very sad to me.

Amen, brother. So awful, the utter saturation of guns into our lives. Terrible.

[mood swung]

as your avatar would attest, ms mug.

I heard this on the radio this morning. the dj said 'only in america.' I honestly don't know if I hope that's true or not. terrible tragedy.

[selfmademug]

as your avatar would attest, ms mug.

Ha! Touche! It is a funny choice, as I hate guns, but if you saw my little avatar in context it would make more sense. She is most commonly seen/heard chastising her housemate Bad Bob for having that damned gun around (it's his).

[bobster]

The question Michael Moore asked in "Bowling for Columbine" seems more salient than ever..."Are we a nation of gun nuts, or are we just nuts?"

Considering the recent machete (? knife?) rampages in China and some other recent international outrages of a not dissimilar type, the cancer may be spreading.

[Tim(e)]

Considering the recent machete (? knife?) rampages in China and some other recent international outrages of a not dissimilar type, the cancer may be spreading.

I doubt that very much. Killings such as those in China and other places I would think, are likely an abberation and more than likely the result of major mental instability in the instigator. In fact, we had one of the worst cases of a civilian mass shooting on the planet here in Australia several years ago, yet there has not been a similar incident since.

Unfortunately, in the US it seems to be somewhat more than that... thousands of gun related deaths every year tends to nullify the aberration argument and makes one think that there just might be something majorly wrong in the society.

Of course it couldn't be that gun control is necessary... otherwise, how could you defend yourself against all of those "gun nuts"

[bobster]

I guess it's just that, once upon a time, it seemed that those things ONLY happened in the U.S.!

I'll never forget how surprised I was to learn, several years back, that Russia and South Africa actually had more crime than the U.S. How could that be! I mean, we're #1, right? (As a kid, it was a commonplace to hear someone from a place like Northern Ireland or Israel say, "well, we worry, but we can walk the streets at night...which I wouldn't do here in L.A.!")

[alexv]

Tim(e): Random acts of violence have been common in american society for as long as it has existed.

In the early 20th century, random shootings were common events. At the turn of the century, poor immigrants in the Five Points section of NYC created the most notorious and violent patch of city anywhere in the world. A New York photographer named Squeegee or something like that became famous by following the cops in the 30s and 40s and taking shots of the killers and the killed. Gruesome stuff. The tradition of lawlessness goes all the way back to the bad old days of the West. American culture is responsible for two genres, the western and the gangster movie, which are fictionalized portraits, slightly exaggerated, of real american ways of life.

You don't have to go back that far though. I lived in New York City in the 70s and early 80s and it was as lawless in some spots as Dodge City must have been. I have to tell you, if you survived it, you knew you had been through something special. I still get a rush thinking about it. The City is a giant Disneyland these days, by the way. It's a shame. I miss the gunfire and the muggers. And, you know, I was one of the ones who didn't carry a gun!!

If as you say, this pattern of violent behavior is evidence that there is something majorly wrong with American society, then that something has been with us for 200 years or so. During that time, the nation has done some pretty darn good things, including channeling its propensity for violence to some good causes. It dominated the 20th century, much like the English, French, Spanish, Dutch etc. dominated prior centuries. We've done some bad stuff too, of course, but probably not as much as all those other Empires in their time.

Is our propensity for violence necessary for all the good things we have done? Who knows, maybe it's the price of Empire, but I don't think it's evidence of a major flaw in our society. At least, to date, we've managed to avoid the mass killings of our own citizens which countries like Germany, Russia, China, Serbia, Croatia etc. have done over the years. Now, those societies had major flaws.

I am looking forward to the day when the anti-gun lobby in the US wins the fight and firearms are limited, because we will be able to test wether the guns led to the violence or the violence led to the guns. I hope it's the former, but I fear it's the latter.

[Boy With A Problem]

At least, to date, we've managed to avoid the mass killings of our own citizens

except for the Indians of course.

[alexv]

BWAP, we call them "native americans" over here. In all fairness, our British founding fathers were the first to conceive of the idea to dispose of them, an idea which at the time seemed eminently reasonable to our European forefathers. Pinning blame on "americans" for that one is not quite right. In fact all kinds of groups got their kicks killing native americans. The Spanish were so taken by the idea that they cleaned up little Cuba of its original dwellers in record time. I think it's safe to say that killing native americans is not an "american" invention. It was a dastardly deed, but one which many different cultures share responsibility for.

[A rope leash]

White guys did it, and called it "destiny".

[El Vez]

BWAP, we call them "native americans" over here.

BWAP is actually an American as well. I've noticed a few people make that mistake because he happens to be living overseas and not shagging his wife at the moment.

I was actually a metalhead growing up and I liked Dimebag Darrel very much and the news of his violent death really is just tragic and unfortunate. Best wishes to his loved ones.

[Boy With A Problem]

I'm an American. Through the end of the 19th century we were at war with the Indians and still killing them....over a 100 years into the founding of the US and over 200 years after the first European settlements in North America and about 300 years after the Spaniards stopped the mass killings in Latin America. I think the US can lay claim to a piece of the historical, world wide genocide pie.

As to the name native american, I figure it's interchangable - in Cleveland they're called Indians and in Washington they're known as Redskins (gasp).

[laughingcrow]

Have any other musicians been murdered while playing?

[pophead2k]

Not that I know of, although didn't Keith Relf get electrocuted while playing or practicing of something? In the world of sports, Monica Seles was stabbed while playing....

[BlueChair]

Keith Relf was playing an electric guitar in his bathtub and it electrocuted him to death.

[Boy With A Problem]

Have any other musicians been murdered while playing?

gg allin was planning on killing himself onstage, but od'd before he could pull it off.

[El Vez]

Have any other musicians been murdered while playing?

Jam Master Jay was shot to death while in the recording studio.

[bobster]

As to the name native american, I figure it's interchangable - in Cleveland they're called Indians and in Washington they're known as Redskins (gasp).

Sherman Alexie refers to himself as an Indian, so I guess it's now a nuveau PC/reclaimed term along the lines of "queer".

[Mr. Average]

Have any other musicians been murdered while playing?

As I recall, a bassist named Gary Thain was playing with his Uriah Heap" band mates when he was electrocuted on stage during a live performance. The band had a string of popular albums in the 70's : Look at Yourself, Demons and Wizards, and whatever the next one was called (sort of Demons and Wizards II). It was tragic. The singer was ultra pretentious about his voice as an instrument and all that crap, but the band had some excellent talent, especially in a Keyboard player named Hensley...I think Ken Hensley,

[laughingcrow]

That reminds me...Alex Harvey (anyone? Sensational Alex Harvey band...anybody? Nooo?)'s brother died while performing on stage after being electrocuted by his microphone.

[noiseradio]

Barry Manilow died on stage, decades ago. Figuratively speaking.

[Tim(e)]

That reminds me...Alex Harvey (anyone? Sensational Alex Harvey band...anybody? Nooo?)'s brother died while performing on stage after being electrocuted by his microphone.

SAB!! I loved that band!! Saw them a few times in the mid-70's during my two year London sojourn, including at the first Knebworth concert... Faith Healer is a superb tune. I always thought it was a shame that Alex Harvey died as he would have been the ideal replacement for Bon Scott in AC/DC (as opposed to that thin voiced geordie from the band Geordie that fronts them now).

And yes, it was Alex harvey's brother Leslie who was electrocuted onstage while performing with his band Stone the Crows. I have a feeling that the singer from that band (was it Madeline Bell?... great vocalist she was too) also died... but not in the same incident.