Zakk Wylde Remembers Dimebag: “Like Santa Claus with a Pink Beard”

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Pantera‘s Vulgar Display of Power, an album that I once wrote saved American metal. And while today is a great day to honor Pantera’s legacy and the impact that the record had on metal, it’s also a day in which many will remember “Dimebag” Darrell Abbot, Pantera’s virtuosic mischief-god guitarist who in many ways embodied the band’s spirit and was tragically murdered in 2004. Now, Ozzy guitarist and Darrell’s longtime friend Zakk Wylde has said something about Dime that we can only wish would be someday used to describe us.

Speaking to Metal Hammer, Zakk said the following:

“Dime had a massive heart and just loved seeing everybody have a good time. He was like Santa Claus with a pink beard; I think about him all the time. First time I met Dime was at Donington when I was with Pride & Glory [in 1994]. Pantera’s set was amazing, the power they had was unbelievable, and we became buddies after that show. We talked all the time.”

Damn, dogg, we want to be compared to Santa Claus after we’ve died. We can only hope we’re fat enough to warrant such a statement (kidding, we’re bloggers, we’re obviously fat enough).

Zakk went on to confess that he discovered Black Sabbath via their best-of album We Sold Our Souls for Rock’n’Roll, like the rest of us:

“Not even a real Black Sabbath record! I was beyond terrified; I’d been raised Catholic and by halfway through that record I’d turned full Satanist. By the end I’d gone back to Catholicism just so’s I could thank God for creating Black Sabbath, ha ha ha!”

Awww, what a dude. No shame, Zakk, it just means that like so many others, you saw that cover and were like, ‘This looks cooler than whatever the fuck that Technical Ecstasy bullshit is.’

Keep your eyes peeled for Ozzy’s new album, on which Zakk is back and playing guitar on every song.