Vinnie Paul: “Music Hasn’t Supported Me Since 2000”
Example 9,898,799 of the decrepit state of the music industry: you’d think that the dudes from Pantera could make their living JUST off of being Pantera, wouldn’t you? Even though Pantera hasn’t existed in over a decade? They got big when the word “big” still meant BIG, they had success for years, their music still gets licensed from time to time, they put reissues when appropriate, and people still buy Pantera merch like the band was just on tour yesterday. Which is to say nothing of the fact that the band’s three surviving members have all had varying degrees of success with their post-‘Tera projects. I mean, the venues Hellyeah plays may not be Madison Square Garden, but they ain’t exactly small clubs.
And yet, according to Vinnie Paul, he makes most of his money from the four strip clubs he owns in Texas (and, Metal Injection notes,, a few other businesses, including a sports bar). Says Paul in a new interview with Metal Mouth:
“I don’t get hands-on, no, but for the longest period of time, I spent a lot of time in strip clubs when I was on tour. When we would get done playing, I would take my entourage and we’d go down the strip bar and have a good time. It’s a great place to go to where you’re not surrounded by people that are always fans, signing autographs, taking pictures. There’s beautiful girls there, there’s good rock and roll music, there’s drinks, and I figured I’d spent enough money in them, the only way I was going to get any of it back was to own my own. So I got involved in the ownership thing. I’ve always been a down-to-earth business guy. That was the beautiful thing about me and my brother as we worked together, is that I could be the business guy, and he could be the party-all-night-rock-and-roll-all-day guy, and he would be the life of the party and I would be able to make sure we were all getting paid and things were getting done right. I like being able to own things, to not have to depend on music to support myself. Music hadn’t supported me since 2000. I mean, it really hasn’t. I just do it because I love doing it.”
Which is both very lucky and really great! Love of music SHOULD be the reason you’re playing; when your heart’s not really in it anymore, the fans can usually pick up on it (coughMetallicacoughcough).
That being said… gee, I sure do wish he loved making BETTER music. I mean, Hellyeah is just awful. Shivers.
