Pantera

Dimebag Darrell Remembered By Fans On Anniversary Of His Death

08 Dec 2010 13:16:23 EST

Pantera guitarist was gunned down onstage in Ohio six years ago.
By Gil Kaufman

Six years later it's still hard to believe. As fans around the world gather to remember the 30th anniversary of ex-Beatle John Lennon's murder, a small but no less dedicated family of music fans will mark Wednesday's (December 8) anniversary of another shocking rock and roll death.

It was six years ago today that beloved Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, 38, was gunned down in Columbus, Ohio's Alrosa Villa rock club in front of 250 people by 25-year-old gunman Nathan Gale. As confusion reigned in the club, Gale jumped onstage at the beginning of a set by Abbott's then-new band, Damageplan, pumping several bullets at close range into the guitarist before opening fire on the crowd and killing three others. A police officer responding to the scene killed Gale a short time later with a single shotgun blast to the chest.

The metal world was stunned by the murder of one of its most beloved and larger-than-life figures by a deranged fan who seemed to hold a grudge about the breakup of pioneering speed metal act Pantera. Abbott's death, which took place on the anniversary of Lennon's assassination by a crazed fan, still lingers as one of the strangest incidents in rock in recent memory. A number of metal sites paused on Wednesday to pay homage to their fallen hero.

The Noisecreep blog noted that "his death still hurts for the majority of metal fans, his former bandmates and his brother even though over half a decade has passed since the incident. ... While most of the music world is reminiscing today about the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's also-senseless murder, the metal community is mourning the loss of one of the greatest guitarists to ever pick up an axe."

The site spoke to former Pantera singer Phil Anselmo about the murder earlier this year, and he said the memory still haunts him. "I will say that with each passing year, it gets harder and harder and harder. This year was really rough," he said of the work required to curate the reissue of the band's legendary Cowboys From Hell without Dimebag's help. "When I look around today and see what an impact that we made, and where heavy metal is at today, and I think of what could have been? What should have been? It's very hard. It's hard to come to grips with it."

The Metal Underground site also marked the solemn occasion. "To a person, everyone who came into contact with Dimebag Darrell as he made his way around the world several times over playing the music he loved was made to feel like an equal, like a friend," read the site's remembrance. "With Dime, there were no walls between the fans and the musicians, between crew and band. There was only kinship and a common love of music and having the best time humanly possible. Even those of us who never met the man felt like we knew him from watching the Pantera home videos and seeing him exude one hundred percent uninhibited enthusiasm on stage each and every night and completely unfiltered, boyish joy off stage when he partied with his brothers by blood and by metal, the hardest drinking band in the business, Pantera."

In keeping with Dimebag's wicked sense of humor, the Houston Press took the occasion to point out some eerie parallels between Abbott and Lennon's murders, like "both men were guitarists."

Over on the boards of the official Pantera site, some fans paused to pay tribute to their fallen idol. "I miss Dimebag," wrote Jyrki, a drummer from Finland. "Makes me sad that there's never going to be another Pantera record. I'm broken."

Do you have a favorite Dimebag memory? Share it below in the comments.

Related Photos

Remembering Dimebag Darrell

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Pantera's Vinnie Paul Responds To Accusations That He's Profiting From Dimebag's Death

20 Nov 2008 13:59:00 EST

'I'm doing this for the fans and for them to enjoy what Dime was all about,' drummer says of selling products related to his late brother.
By Chris Harris

On Monday, during an appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program "Rockline," PanteraPantera and Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul AbbottVinnie Paul Abbott was asked to respond to online criticism that he's been profiting from the death of his brother, Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was killed onstage during a Damageplan gig in Columbus, Ohio, on December 8, 2004, by gunman Nathan Gale.

Since his brother's murder, Vinnie Paul has released several Dimebag-related items through his Big Vin Records label, including DVDs and the recently released paperback book "He Came to Rock." The book features more than 400 pictures of the guitarist, as well as personal tributes from the likes of Slayer's Kerry King, Anthrax's Scott Ian and Zakk Wylde.

The show's host asked Abbott about message board postings, questioning why the proceeds from these various posthumous releases weren't being earmarked for charitable causes, instead going to him.

"I don't even know where to go with that other than, you know, [my critics are] not in the same position I'm in or had to go through what I've gone through here," he said. "It's really none of their business where it goes, so I don't know how else to address it — I really don't even think about it. It doesn't cross my mind."

Abbott said he isn't trying to cash in on his brother's tragic end but rather trying to keep Dimebag's legacy alive and well.

"I'm doing this for the fans and for them to enjoy what Dime was all about and give them more than what they already had — to increase his legacy and to make him larger than life forever," Abbott explained. "And he'll outlive all of us. I'm beyond letting things like that pick at me or irritate me. I just have to look past them and keep rolling."

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Pantera

Five Finger Death Punch Aim To Make Metal Mainstream; Plus Obituary, Dimebag Darrell & More News That Rules, In Metal File

28 Mar 2008 07:45:00 EDT

'We thrash pretty hard. But we have a [melodic] singer, so we please both worlds,' says guitarist Zoltan Bathory.
By Chris Harris

Get a bunch of longhairs together, add beer, toss out the names of a few bands and, by golly, you'll have yourself a healthy — albeit profanity-filled — debate on the merits of what constitutes true, honest-to-goodness "metal."

It's something unique to the genre, because metal fans are among music's staunchest. They're the true definition of "dedicated," and when you enter such debates, you'd better come prepared. Metalheads — popular media portrayal aside — will back up their arguments with song titles, riffs, release dates, groupie names and analogies (i.e.: "They're metal like Godsmack are metal.")

Now, for some die-hards, but certainly not all, Five Finger Death Punch — which features former members of Motograter and W.A.S.P. — wouldn't quite make the metal grade. And that's fine. Everyone's entitled to an opinion — and Hungarian guitarist Zoltan Bathory, one of the band's founding members, has a couple of his own.

"We had a song ['The Bleeding'] that somehow touched so many people, and became really successful on the radio, but it's like a hate song, and it is pretty heavy," Bathory said of the single — which is hovering in the top 10 on the Active Rock chart — from their latest album, The Way of the Fist. "It's the lightest song on our record, but at the same time, we have really brutal pieces on this record.

"We have really heavy songs, and I think we're a straight-up heavy-metal band with a hint of thrash metal — maybe a hint of the Euro stuff in there, but that's pretty much what we are," he said, adding that mainstream rock radio shunned the band as "too brutal" for months before "The Bleeding" took off. "No one thought we'd have a chance for commercial success of any kind. For f---'s sake, guys, isn't that the plan? As a band, we are kind of walking the line, you know? If you're into Slayer, you buy this record, and you won't be disappointed, because we thrash pretty hard. But we have a [melodic] singer, so we please both worlds. I would hope that the real metalheads understand that and realize, 'Hey, this can be an opening for other bands to come,' and we can bring metal back to the mainstream."

The success of "The Bleeding" on commercial rock radio wasn't the work of a major label promo push, Bathory explained. Only a few jocks were spinning the record at first, and "it kind of spread like wildfire." People started calling in to request the track.

"No way I would ever compare us to Metallica, but it's kind of like when they did the black album, and then all of a sudden, everybody was like, 'Oh, it's not really Metallica,'" he said. "I admit I was one of the guys, but it was a moment of jealousy, because I thought, 'Now they will be really popular, and all the geeks will like them.' People can point at this band and say it's not 'real metal,' but I have confidence. A life's worth of work went into this record, and these are songs I've had forever. When I finished this record, I thought, 'I don't even care where this goes, because I love this record.' It's exactly what I wanted to say, and I'm really proud. There are Internet kids with lots of opinions — the dungeon dwellers that never left their bedrooms. If they're basing their opinion on ['The Bleeding'], yes, probably, people would say it's 'commercial rock.' "

It's been something of a crazy mercurial rise for Five Finger. Their debut album hit stores last July, and already they've done huge arena tours with the likes of Korn. Next up, the band will be touring with Disturbed before heading out with that band again on the inaugural Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour, with Slipknot and others. "We have to be somewhat accessible," Bathory explained. "Disturbed is accessible to people. Korn is accessible to people. We are heavier than these bands. My crowd is people who love Pantera, Metallica, Maiden — all the Euro stuff; that's our crowd. If someone else doesn't like it, who cares?"

The guitarist said fans will need to wait some time for Five Finger's next opus, as he thinks they'll be out on the road for a while on this first release. But for now, before the guys head out with Disturbed, you can catch them on tour with Drowning Pool and Nonpoint, through April 23 in Norfolk, Virginia.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Death-metal legends Obituary have been forced to cancel their upcoming tour with Dying Fetus, Origin and Thy Will Be Done for "reasons beyond our control." They will reschedule the trek for this fall, the band said. ...

What better way to honor the memory of the great "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott than sporting duds he designed? Over on the Dimebag Hardware Web site, you can order threads created by the late Pantera shredder. It's been more than three years since Dime was gunned down at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. ...

Last week, we brought you news on In Flames, and the colorful cover of their new LP, A Sense of Purpose. But now you can actually listen to the whole record on their MySpace page, before you buy it on April 1 — and you will buy it. ...

Another week, another band biting the dust: Michigan metallers Still Remains. Yep, they're done. In a statement, the band announced that its swan song would be at this year's Cornerstone Festival. "No, we don't hate each other or want to punch each other in the face," the band assured us. "It's just time for us to move on to different things in our lives." ...

Death Angel? Check. God Forbid? Check. Soilent Green and Light This City? Check and check. Ah, yes, another kickass tour, which kicks off in Flint, Michigan, on May 1, and runs through June 11 in New York. Guest list, anyone? ...

There's more hardcore in the house over at Century Media, following this week's announcement that the almighty Terror have inked with the label. Terror's third LP, The Damned, the Shamed, will hit stores on June 10. ...

Two of Neurosis' masterminds are readying solo efforts. Frontman Scott Kelly's second solo recording, The Wake, will be released May 5, and guitarist Steve Von Till's latest, the awesomely titled A Grave Is a Grim Horse, comes out two weeks later.

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Big Boi To Drop New Single On New Year's Eve; Plus White Stripes, Amy Winehouse, Bow Wow, Jessica Simpson & More, In For The Record

10 Dec 2007 20:20:00 EST

Stripes may never tour again; Winehouse's mother reaches out in open letter; Bow Wow to return to the road.
By MTV News staff

Big Boi is stitching together his upcoming album, Sir Luscious Left Foot, which will be released separately from Andre 3000's own new project and be followed by a proper Outkast release. Big Boi told Vibe.com that fans can expect to hear the first single from his effort at midnight on New Year's Eve. "I want all the stuff to be '08, everything to be brand new," he said. "I'm going to put 12 songs on [Sir Luscious Left Foot], I'm finished with like nine right now. Production is by Organized Noize." ...

The White Stripes trekked heavily in support of Icky Thump this year, but could those have been the band's final tours ever? "If we didn't ever tour again, it doesn't matter to me," Jack White told the Los Angeles Times in an interview that ran in the paper's Sunday edition. "There's so many different aspects to being creative that it doesn't matter if one component is changed. Because it's been changing all the time since the band started." The frontman insisted, however, that he will tour with his side project the Raconteurs for their yet-untitled second album, which he reportedly said is halfway done and due in '08. ...

Amy Winehouse previously announced that she had scrapped her remaining concert dates and public appearances for the year, but a little thing called the Grammy Awards has changed all that. "Amy is grateful and excited about the nominations, and she is planning to attend [the ceremony]," her publicist, Tracey Miller, confirmed to MTV News on Monday (December 10). But while Winehouse may be all smiles over her six nominations, she probably isn't too pleased about an open letter her mother reportedly sent to the British tabloid News of the World. In the letter, Janis begged her daughter to come home and get some help. She explained why she hadn't gone public until now, writing, "People will wonder why I haven't run down to whatever hotel you're staying in, scooped you up and taken you home for a hot bath and a steaming bowl of chicken soup. It's because your father and I know what you're like, Amy. We want to help you, but we know that unless you want to be helped — unless you come to us — anything we tried would be in vain." And though she admitted she's not the #1 fan of Winehouse's troubled husband, Blake Fielder-Civil — currently in jail following an arrest last month on charges of allegedly trying to interfere with a trial on an assault charge — Janis Winehouse said she knows Amy has made her choice. "Blake your husband might not be my favourite person — you know that, Amy — but he's your choice, and I would never say anything about him to hurt you. ... If your relationship is meant to be, it will survive." Janis Winehouse wrote that she thinks early fame has overwhelmed her daughter and that it has "dizzied" and "muddled" her mind. "For a moment, forget you're a superstar. You're also young and vulnerable. Remember you're just an ordinary human being, not stronger than any of the rest of us. You think you're strong enough to get through this on your own, darling, but you're not." The letter comes less than a week after Winehouse was photographed walking through the streets of London in a bra and jeans in the early morning hours. "We were terrified after we saw those pictures of you earlier this week, wandering the freezing streets of London at dawn in your underwear. All I wanted to do was rush into those pictures and wrap you up in a big, warm blanket." ...

Good news for Bow Wow fans: The singer plans to return to his his tour with Chris Brown, Sean Kingston, Soulja Boy, Lil Mama and others starting Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee. According to a statement issued by his publicist, Bow Wow is still recovering and, as it turns out, his recent rush to the hospital didn't stem from exhaustion, as was previously thought, but rather an appendix infection. ... Jessica Simpson is ganging up with Stride Rite Children's Group for the design, development, manufacturing and distribution of a line of tween kicks. The footwear collection will debut in 2008 and feature current Simpson women's styles in youth sizes, as well as youth-specific silhouettes. The footwear will be available at major department stores and specialty retailers. ...

Green Day may have done it again. A '60s-inspired band called Foxboro Hot Tubs have posted a six-song EP on FoxboroHotTubs.com that bears all the hallmarks of the Green Day sound. Songs like "Stop Drop and Roll," "Mother Mary" and "Ruby Room" trade snarling political anthems for bouncy, poppy melodies and sweet "Ooh, ooh" and "Bah, bah, bah" backing vocals, with a lead singer who sounds like a cardigan-sweater-wearing Billie Joe Armstrong. Green Day have not officially confirmed that the six songs available for free download on the site are their handiwork, but four years ago they pulled a similar stunt with their side project the Network. ...

Led Zeppelin's wildly anticipated reunion show went down Monday night in London, but before it did came news of the band's backstage rider, which includes requests for tea, coffee and an ironing board, according to reports. Also, according to the Los Angeles Times, Randy Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, which organized the concert, said he'll head from Los Angeles to England to "meet with Bill Curbishley, the band's manager, and hand him a huge offer" for a possible tour. "The reality is, Zeppelin has not agreed to a tour," he told the paper. "They want to play this show and see how it goes, how it feels, and then go from there. There's nothing firm yet, but maybe afterward." ... Eric Avery, the bassist and co-founder of Jane's Addiction, will issue a solo LP, Help Wanted, April 8. The set will include guest spots by Garbage's Shirley Manson, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Pepper Flea. ...

Troubled ex-"American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra wouldn't be able to perform at a holiday tribute to U.S. troops in Washington, D.C., on Friday, even if she wanted to. According to The Associated Press, organizers of the concert said the 22-year-old singer has been uninvited from the show, in light of her recent arrest and current jailing over charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest after a scuffle at a Tampa, Florida, bar on December 1. "While we appreciate Ms. Sierra's past efforts to support U.S. troops, including performing for them in Iraq on Independence Day, it is quite obvious that Ms. Sierra needs to devote a great deal of time to putting her life back together," Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Buzz Patterson said in a statement released Friday. ...

Members of DevilDriver, Lamb of God, Soilwork and Killswitch Engage honored the memory of late Pantera/Damageplan guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott on Saturday by performing a cover of Pantera's "Five Minutes Alone" during the bands' gig at the Nokia Theatre in Dimebag's hometown of Grand Prairie, Texas. The performance happened on the three-year anniversary of Dimebag's death. ... Marilyn Manson has unveiled the dates for his upcoming U.S. run. The trek is set to kick off January 19 in Orlando, Florida, and run through February 25 in San Diego. No support acts have been announced yet. ...

The Deftones have completed about six to eight songs for their next LP, according to an online post from the band. "We've taken a different approach to writing this record than we have the past few years, and so far it's been a lot of fun," the statement reads. "The material seems to be flowing freely, and each song is different from the other. We feel like we're accomplishing what we set out to do, which is to write a record that pushes boundaries for us creatively." ... The Mars Volta have lined up shows in support of their forthcoming LP, The Bedlam in Goliath. The band kicks off its tour December 31 in San Francisco and has dates booked through January 27 in Boulder, Colorado. ...

Perez Hilton wants Lindsay Lohan's friend Samantha Ronson to fork over $93,000 for attorneys fees after his lawyers successfully defended him in the Los Angeles DJ's lawsuit against the blogger, according to Los Angeles TV affiliate KNBC. In her suit, Ronson alleged Hilton defamed her when his site reported that she might have owned the cocaine discovered in Lohan's car when the singer was arrested. Ronson claims that Hilton's depiction of her as a "disloyal, dishonest friend who 'sold out' and 'set up' her friend Lohan for personal financial gain" was nothing but libel. ... Phil Spector's murder retrial is likely to be delayed until September because the only remaining Spector attorney from the original trial, a lawyer who is involved in two death-penalty cases, is unavailable until the fall. In a separate development, the music producer hired a new lawyer late last week. A mistrial in Spector's case was declared in late September after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. ...

The Universal Music Group has become the final one of the four major labels to sign a deal providing its music to social-networking site imeem. Like the others, the home of Amy Winehouse, 50 Cent and U2 will allow free streaming of full songs in exchange for a cut of imeem's advertising revenue, according to Forbes.com. This gives imeem an advantage over sites like MySpace, where Uni

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Vinnie Paul Returns To Make 'Hellacious' Magic With Hellyeah

31 Jan 2007 06:01:00 EST

New band features Mudvayne, Nothingface members; Abbott hopes to get Ozzfest invite.
By Chris Harris

At first, Vinnie Paul Abbott wasn't at all interested in making music again.

Not even two years had passed since the onstage assassination of his brother — and Pantera/Damageplan confederate — "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (see "Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting"), and really, much of his spare time was being spent running his label, Big Vin Records (see "Vinnie Paul Ready To Release Dimebag's Rebel Music"). Committing himself to a new band was just something he couldn't bring himself to do. But that didn't stop Nothingface bassist Jerry Montano from trying.

"Since May of last year, I started getting phone calls from Jerry, who I've known for a long time, just saying that they planned on putting something together and they needed a heavy hitter — they needed me," the drummer explained. "And I was like, 'Man, I'm so busy with my record company, and I don't know if I'm really ready to do this again' and all that. And after about seven or eight calls, he finally caught me one night when I was in the right frame of mind. I had been drinkin' and listening to some music, and I said, 'You know what? Let's give this thing a shot.' The next day, I talked to everybody in the band, and everyone was so super cool and had the same mindset."

Abbott invited the rest of the group that would inevitably become Hellyeah — Montano, Nothingface's Tom Maxwell and Mudvayne's Chad Gray and Gregg Tribbett — down to his Texas abode, and within eight days, the band had written seven complete songs. The guys jammed inside the same studio where Abbott had worked with Dime on the final few Pantera LPs, Damageplan's debut offering and the Rebel Meets Rebel album.

"It was just magic, man," Abbott recalled. "It was like it was meant to be. I think, just given everything I've been through, it's something that, if it hadn't fallen into my lap, I may not have ever been a part of again. It just sorta came to me."

And truth be told, Abbott's impressed with the final results: Hellyeah's self-titled debut, which drops April 10.

"I honestly think it's the best record I've been a part of since [Pantera's 1992 classic] Vulgar Display of Power," he said. "The thing that makes me feel that way about it is, when we made Vulgar, it was just magic. It happened. Everybody's mindset was in the right place. After that record, we never had that same vibe. We still made amazing records, but there were all these forces pulling us in different directions. So when we made [the Hellyeah] record, I had that same kind of feeling. It was just too easy. Everybody was into it. And I feel these songs are that strong, and I think everybody brought something special to the table.

"It's just a special record," he added, "and I really believe we're gonna be f---ing kick-ass live. We haven't done any live shows yet, but I know that everybody comes from a band that's been known as a kick-ass live band. So I know the five of us together are going to make some hellacious noise."

The upcoming album took the band about a collective month — spread out over several months — to write and record. When it hits shelves, it will boast a dozen brutal tracks, including "You Wouldn't Know," "GodDamn," "Rotten to the Core" and "Alcohaulin' Ass," which Abbott said is "a good song about drinking and something that all guys kind of tend to like, and that's ass."

Abbott thinks some fans will be surprised by Hellyeah's tracks, and he said the entire LP is a "very song-oriented record." To him, "it's music with an attitude. It's like a familiar groove but with a new sound. I really don't think it sounds anything like the bands that any of us are from. I think it has its own sound, its own identity, and it's special in that aspect."

While its members consider Hellyeah a bona fide band, its formation will not impact either Mudvayne — who are working on the follow-up to 2005's Lost and Found — or Nothingface's future. "The way that all of us talk about approaching this thing is being able to be in two bands and have 'em both function — kind of like Stone Sour and Slipknot," Abbott said. "This is a real band; it's no side project."

Hopping on the Hellyeah boat has been instrumental in helping Abbott heal and come to terms with his brother's death. It's also returned him to one of his first loves: making music.

"I didn't know if it was ever gonna be in the cards for me to do again," Abbott said. "It's a big step, and it's only been two years, but to me, it feels like a whole 'nother lifetime. And I just have to say, I give credit to these guys for making me feel comfortable and enjoying doing what we did and making it fun again. It's been a blast. So, I am glad I went ahead and did it. I knew I loved it, and I knew I missed it. I knew I wanted to get back to it, but it was just a matter of learning how to do it without Dime. It brings me back to what I love, and it's a new life, but it's something I'm going to embrace, and I'm going to go at it just as f---ing hard as I did with anything else.

"I'll never be the same, but I've kinda learned that this is my life now, and this is the way it is, and I've got to do the very best I can or Dime's gonna kick my ass one way or another sooner or later," he continued. "I've done my best to carry the torch, because he always used to say, 'You have to keep on keeping on.' So I am doing what I think he wants me to do and what I've got to do to stay sane."

Abbott said Hellyeah will tour extensively this year but that they're still mapping things out. Playing this summer's Ozzfest would make perfect sense for Hellyeah, considering all the bandmembers have taken the festival's stage before. And if Sharon Osbourne extended an offer, the band would gladly take her up on it, Abbott said.

"We will definitely be on tour all summer, and we're definitely looking forward to it," he said. "Ozzfest would be awesome. That's all I can say about that. I'm a veteran of Ozzfest. Everybody knows it's the premier summer tour, so if we were offered to be a part of that, that would just be super, man."

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Fight Songs: What Do The UFC's Baddest Fighters Play To Get Pumped?

14 Dec 2006 16:04:00 EST

Eminem, 50 Cent, Korn get UFC fighters in the mood to pummel.
By Robert Mancini

The sky drapes over the hills of California's wine country like an infant's pristine blue blanket. A trio of cats tumble through a patch of dry leaves and the sun beats down as if no one bothered to mention that it's now December. It's about as idyllic a scene as you could imagine.

Suddenly, the chop of Pantera's "Walk" tears the air like a rusty razor, surging over the surrounding hills and, not surprisingly, scattering the cats. The song is barking from an iPod docking station perched next to a mat surrounded on eight sides by chain-link fence (an Octagon, to those familiar with mixed martial arts) which has been plunked down, almost impossibly, on the side of a sloping, wooded hill.

Inside, one of the world's most dangerous men — Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell — is bouncing around the cage, spitting out Phil Anselmo's lyrics and shadowboxing in a way that makes you feel sorry for the air that surrounds him. He pushes hard, Pantera seemingly coursing through his veins and fueling his brutal dance. The song drives him — and frankly, he can use the help.

That's because some 300 miles away, the incongruous sounds of Kid Rock's "I Am the Bullgod" roar from a red barn that sits beyond the tony ski lodges and tourist traps of Big Bear, California. Inside, Tito Ortiz — a UFC legend and the man who intends to take Liddell's championship from him in just a few short weeks — is prowling his own Octagon, honing his craft against a constantly rotating cast of five different sparring partners. One man challenges Tito; they tangle and sprawl across the mat, trading fists, knees and elbows. Soon, without pause, another fresh fighter takes his place. The grueling pace goes on for 45 minutes — and this is just one slice of his eight-hour training session today. There will be more sparring, there will be weightlifting and, of course, there will be running ... miles and miles of running. Fortunately for Tito, he'll get energy boosts along the way from Kid, Korn and Eminem.

THE WORK

Most of us turn to music to help push us over our daily humps: Getting out of bed, getting to work, getting through spin class. It's no surprise then that the same strategy (and in many cases, the very same music) drives men who push themselves to the limit in a sport that demands knowledge of disciplines from kickboxing to jujitsu, and everything in between. Exactly how tough is this sport, you ask? Chuck and Tito's fight on December 30 will be the culmination of weeks of conditioning, months of training and years of study.

"In the beginning, the guys who used to fight were just jujitsu guys like Royce Gracie or punchers like Tank Abbott," Ortiz explained. "They didn't understand the whole Rubik's Cube of mixed martial arts, where you have to know jujitsu, you have to know kickboxing, you have to know wrestling. You need the cardio and the weight training. It's like a recipe. You have to put it together in the right ways and do the right things at the right time."

For Tito, fight preparation means sequestering himself in Big Bear (the thin mountain air enhances his conditioning) and pushing himself for eight hours of running, weightlifting, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling a day, six days a week. "To put a whole game plan together is really a physical challenge," Ortiz added. "The mental side of it, waking up every day, knowing what do I have to do ... To put my body through a grind session, it's painful — it's a mental torture."

Liddell, however, takes a "less is more" (yet still daunting) approach. "Honestly, I work out two to three times a day; each workout is about an hour and a half," he explained. "I've heard a lot of guys saying they train eight hours a day, but I've been with some of those guys and unless they count puttin' on their clothes and driving to the gym and talking to their friends afterward, they don't train eight hours a day. I think it's more about quality than quantity."

And for Ortiz and Liddell — two of the biggest names in a sport rapidly surging in popularity — the unique pressures are even greater. While their December 30 main event will undoubtedly be a battle, it is also expected to be the biggest mixed martial arts event in history, a new watershed for a sport that recently has been drawing more young viewers than the NBA or Major League Baseball. No pressure there, right?

"You can't really explain the energy at a place like the MGM [Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where the fight will be held] when it's sold out and it's a big fight night," Liddell said. "You can't transfer it to a TV."

"I guess it's like a cross between a boxing match and a rock concert. There's no energy like it," Ortiz agreed. "Some people do skydiving, other people get in bullrings and fight. Some people play in the World Series or the Super Bowl. I get in the Octagon and compete to see who is the toughest man in the world. Ultimate Fighting is what I do ... and I've been doing a very good job up to this point."

THE PLAYLIST

Until the moment when the crowd roars and the Octagon door swings shut, the key for both men is to remain focused and motivated. And for both, that means tucking in their headphones, picking a playlist and shutting out the world. Whether it's Liddell's morning sprints in the thick sands of Pismo Beach, Ortiz's afternoon runs through the hills of Big Bear, or either man's extended gym sessions, their music always close at hand. "There are times when I'm pushing myself and I don't think I can go harder, but then a good song comes on and I get a huge adrenaline rush and my endorphins kick in," Ortiz explained.

There's a good deal of overlap between Liddell and Ortiz's iPods, not surprising given that both deal in bold, naked aggression: You'll hear DMX and 50 Cent in both men's respective gyms. But the deeper you dig into their playlists, the more clear the distinction between the two becomes. Liddell — a soft-spoken and seemingly single-minded fighter — rocks a catalog that plays like a roadside jukejoint dream, where George Strait sits side-by-side with Suicidal Tendencies. There's the ballsy blues-rock of George Thorogood, the heartland rock of Staind, the unholy whirl of Slayer and the proud twang of Travis Tritt.

Liddell puts together a fresh playlist for each of his fights, and while the details may change, it's usually raw and aggressive. "It really helps when I'm training. It gets you fired up," he said. So as Liddell prepares to return to the Octagon, he loads his iPod with Slayer ("Angel of Death" is a favorite), Pantera (Vulgar Display of Power is in heavy rotation), Nickelback, Rancid and Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards (hang around Liddell long enough and eventually you'll hear "Skunx"). Then there's his love of country. "It's fun for me to put on a few country songs while we're training because I'm one of the few people [at the gym] who likes them," Liddell laughed.

Chances are, no one's going to challenge his monopoly of the sound system, no matter what he's playing. Much like the music on his playlist, Liddell is straight-shooting, hard-hitting and rock-solid. Unlike his music, however, he is also soft-spoken, a genial man but one who would seemingly rather be fighting than doing just about anything. His soundtrack — much like his focus — is all about the ring.

Meanwhile Ortiz — the brash character whose larger-than-life image is outsized only by his accomplishments — seems drawn to stirring and boastful anthems, hip-hop and otherwise. Where Liddell shuffles, Ortiz swaggers with the aid of Ludacris, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and his longtime friends in Korn. The soundtrack of Ortiz's youth came courtesy of the Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath his troubled parents gravitated toward, and the Cali punk that surrounded him in Huntington Beach, California. But he would eventually draw inspiration in the bold boasts and high living of hip-hop, fixating on the better life he dreamt of for himself.

He can vividly recall a college trip to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where a promise was made over Tupac's "Picture Me Rollin'." "I remember looking at [a friend] and saying, 'Watch, dude, I'm gonna make it and you're gonna listen to this song and remember me because you're going to close your eyes and picture me rolling,' " Ortiz recalled. "It's funny because it's just little things like that, like 'Rollin' in My 500 Benz' ... it's money, it's all material things. But when you come from a poor family and you don't have anything and you see everyone having all that stuff, you get really jealous of it. I had to pretty much put on an act in front of people because I didn't want them to know that I was poor. I couldn't bring them to the motel that we were staying at because my parents were drug addicts. I couldn't show them my parents because I was very embarrassed by it — I'd say, 'My parents aren't here today, they're out of town.' So I look at those kinds of things in music, and they kind of inspire me to be a better person."

For Tito, the drive he finds in his music is about more than the fight; it's about the life. He's a mogul in training, a man who can clearly see Jay-Z's blueprint ... and 50's and Eminem's. There's the fighting, but there's also the clothing line (Punishment Athletics), the lust-worthy girlfriend (Jenna Jameson) and the Hollywood aspirations (he's pondering his own reality show). "If you have the charisma to hold a camera, you're going to go far," Ortiz said. "If you're just going to fight for the rest of your life, all of a sudden you'll be 40 years old, teaching karate classes at your local dojo."

His first taste of stardom came early, courtesy of his friends in Korn as he watched them rise from backyard gigs to the multiplatinum lifestyle. "I envied them, because they had all the cars. The

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Vinnie Paul Ready To Release Dimebag's Rebel Music

03 Apr 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Rebel Meets Rebel side project and DVD of camcorder footage both due in May.
By Chris Harris

Launching his own record label and releasing an album's worth of material that had been in the can going on three years was imperative for former Pantera/ Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul.

Big Vin Records and the upcoming self-titled debut from Rebel Meets Rebel restored meaning to his life. The album is a dozen tracks of countrified metal featuring controversial country singer David Allan Coe and the guitar prowess of Paul's late brother, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

It has eased some of the pain Paul's been grappling with since his brother's onstage slaying at an Ohio nightclub in December 2004 (see "Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting").

"It's something that me and Dime really wanted to do a long time ago, but we were so busy with everything, we never could," Paul explained. "When Atlantic [Damageplan's label] passed on the Rebel Meets Rebel record because they didn't know what to do with it, I was like, 'I'm not gonna go shop this. This just fell right in my lap, and it's time for me to start this record label that I've been thinking about and, you know, put it all together.'

"It is a lot of work, trust me," he continued. "Getting on a tour bus and riding around the United States and playing for an hour and a half a night is a lot easier than this stuff. But it's fun to be able to learn both sides of the business."

There was also Dimebag's legacy to consider. His work on Rebel Meets Rebel isn't merely a footnote — it's yet another chapter in the life of one of the guitar's greatest advocates, Paul said.

"His guitar playing on this record is incredible," Paul said. "The cool thing about this record is, a lot of times when you're making metal, everything operates kind of like a machine. It's like chung, chung, chung — it's just power. And with this kind of record, it has a Rolling Stones vibe. Everybody can kind of cut loose, play what they want, and all the people really interact instead of it all kind of being one big gigantic tank moving in one direction.

"So [there was] a lot of freedom involved in making this record," Paul said. "And it gave me something to look forward to and to live for because I've never done anything without Dime. ... It's been a long road for me to get to this point where I feel I can move on in my life. And that's what I'm doing, man."

Rebel Meets Rebel, which also includes Paul behind the kit and erstwhile Pantera member Rex Brown on bass, will hit stores May 2, as will "Dimevision, Volume 1," a DVD culled from footage Dimebag had shot with a camcorder over several years on the road and at home. Paul said there will be other "Dimevision" releases down the road — it's just a matter of sifting through the tapes and organizing the material.

"It's in the total spirit of the Pantera videos," Paul said. "I mean, he's the dude that pretty much — in my opinion, a lot of people's opinions — created 'Jackass.' He never got any credit for it, but it's him, his stellar guitar playing and just being the clown that he is."

Rebel Meets Rebel and "Dimevision, Volume 1" are only the beginning for Big Vin Records. Paul said he has about 5,000 demo tapes to listen to. "I haven't really heard what I'm looking for yet," he said. "I want something that's out there. I want something that's different."

For now, though, he's focused on Rebel Meets Rebel, the closest fans are going to get to another Pantera record.

"This record, when you put it on, there's a lot of fun there. And with Rex, it has our trademark [Pantera] sound. When the three of us get together and play, there's no other band that sounds that way. It's just us performing with a different singer, especially not only a different singer but a different genre totally," he said. "It's out there, but it's cool. I don't think hard-core country fans are going to like it. I don't think hard-core metal fans are going to like it. But I think anybody that listens to a wide variety of music will totally dig it. ... I think all of our Southern roots really came together on it."

Even without Dime around to play guitar, Paul said there's a chance Rebel Meets Rebel could tour — so long as he can tap someone gifted enough to tackle the riffs. "I have a couple of people in mind that were really close to Dime and would be perfect for it," he said. "But we're just going to put out the record first and see how that goes. And then if the fan response was really, really good, I think it'd be fun to go play those songs live because they'd be killer songs live."

At the time of Dimebag's death, Paul said Damageplan had finished recording the band's sophomore disc — it sits in his house, mixed, but still needs vocals. The drummer said he has no intention of letting the songs collect dust. He's just not sure what to do with the tracks next.

"What we recorded was really, really kick-ass," Paul said. "With every band, their first record is kind of them getting settled, and their second record becomes the one that really blows up. Me and Dime just recorded all those songs ourselves. He played bass on them and guitar, and I played drums. We produced them together. They're really kick-ass. I really haven't decided what I want to do with them. I've thought about having a bunch of Dime's favorite singers sing on all the songs, which would be really cool. Or have Pat Lachman sing on them and have them be the [second] Damageplan record."

Paul said he's also looking forward to "Six-String Masterpiece: The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute," which is being sponsored by Dean Guitars, "the kind of guitar my brother made famous."

More than 50 musicians and artists — including Marilyn Manson, Derek Hess, the Deftones, Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, Dave Grohl, Slayer's Kerry King, Moby, James Hetfield of Metallica, Billy Corgan, Audioslave's Tom Morello, Zakk Wylde, Rob Zombie, Tommy Lee, Ted Nugent, Sum 41, and various members of Korn and Slipknot — were presented with a Dean Guitar and asked to paint it. The finished guitars will go on tour as a mobile exhibit, and next year they'll be auctioned off, with the proceeds earmarked for charity. One of the guitars even features the artwork of Kelly Clarkson.

"A lot of people went, 'How does she fit into this picture?' " Paul said. "True story: She used to wait on me and Dime at a comedy club in Fort Worth, Texas, back in the day before she made it on 'American Idol' and all that. So we didn't really know her, but we had met each other, and it was really cool that she did a tribute."

For more on the life of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, check out the feature "Remembering Dimebag."

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03 Jan 2006 16:54:00 EST

Pimp C a free man; Vinnie Paul and Rex Brown reunite onstage; White models for Marc Jacobs.
By MTV News staff report

Pimp C, one half of the influential Houston rap duo UGK, has been released from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Terrell Unit, where he'd been serving an eight-year prison term since 2002 on an aggravated assault charge. According to The Associated Press, Pimp C (real name Chad Butler) served half the time, and became a free man on Friday. C's partner in UGK, Bun B, told the wire service he's anxious to hit the studio with his comrade. "The album is probably going to be one of the most anticipated projects in rap," he said of the next UGK LP. ...

Former Pantera/ Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul performed with his band Gasoline in Arlington, Texas, on New Year's Eve, and was joined onstage by former Pantera bassist Rex Brown. The band, with Brown, performed two Pantera cuts: "Walk" and "Cowboys From Hell." The gig marked the first time the two former bandmates had shared the same stage in five years. ... White Stripes drummer Meg White will be the face of an upcoming ad campaign for fashion designer Marc Jacobs. The ads will be shot by famed photographer Juergen Teller. It's not the first time Jacobs has dipped into the musical well to find models: Past campaigns have featured artists like Sonic Youth and Stephen Malkmus. ...

Kevin Federline clearly isn't going to be stopped by the universal disdain heaped on his first leaked song, "Ya'll Ain't Ready." Britney Spears' husband has begun offering his first official single, the rump-shaker "PopoZao," for download on music.yahoo.com. The song, built on a whining keyboard and spare drum-machine beats, has K-Fed rapping the song's title repeatedly, followed by the verse "In Portuguese it means bring your ass/ On the floor and move real fast/ I want to see your kitty and a little bit of t---y/ Wanna know where I go when I'm in your city/ Girl, don't you worry about all the dough." Clearly those trips to the strip clubs were not in vain. ... Madonna's not the only one saying "Sorry" — now the Pet Shop Boys are joining in on Madge's second single from Confessions on a Dance Floor. Neil Tennant added some vocals to the track when the Pet Shop Boys had their way with it in December, remixing it for a maxi single due in February. The remix was premiered last week at Beige in Los Angeles. ...

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Shady Records rapper Obie Trice was shot and wounded early Saturday morning while driving on a Detroit highway. He was taken to a hospital where he was treated for his wound and released, according to The Associated Press. State police in Michigan say Trice was driving with his girlfriend in Southfield when a shot was fired at them from another car. There are no suspects in the shooting at this time. ...

Sure, she's not one of the winningest coaches in college football history, but FedEx Orange Bowl organizers are still stoked that Ciara will be sharing the field with Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions and Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles. The "1, 2 Step" singer has been confirmed to headline the Orange Bowl halftime festivities, which promise to be the biggest ever for a college sports event. To stage the performance Bowl bigwigs have recruited ACT Productions, which has organized a number of Miami-based events in the past, including Kanye West's 2005 VMA party. The game airs live on ABC on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. (Our money's on Joe Pa.) ...

Blink-182's Travis Barker and wife Shanna Moakler welcomed their second child, Alabama Luella, into the world at 12:22 p.m. on December 24. The Barkers have a 2-year-old son, Landon, together; Moakler also has a 6-year-old daughter, Atiana, with former fiance Oscar De La Hoya. "It's been amazing," Barker said. "I've been staying at the hospital and hanging out with her, and then coming back home and putting my son to sleep every night. It's so crazy having a little girl — everything from the way she cries to the way she looks at you is so different." The second season of the couple's reality series, "Meet the Barkers," premieres Tuesday on MTV and chronicles the nine months leading up to Alabama's birth. ... Hawthorne Heights, the All-American Rejects, Thursday, Every Time I Die, From First to Last, Say Anything, It Dies Today, the Bled, Circa Survive, Senses Fail, Mae, Armor for Sleep and Streetlight Manifesto have all been added to the lineup for Bamboozle 2006, which already included headliners Fall Out Boy and Taking Back Sunday. The festival's booked for May 6-7 at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ...

The man who stole Will Smith's identity and ran up fraudulent charges of more than $32,000 has been sent back to prison for two years for violating his probation. According to The Associated Press, Carlos Lomax, 45, who in 2002 was sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to opening 14 bogus credit-card accounts in Smith's name, was released from a halfway house in June, but failed to rehabilitate himself and make restitution to his victims. ... William Orbit, best known for producing Madonna's Ray of Light album, has a new album of his own on the way. Hello Waveforms, due February 7, features guests Sugababes, Kenna and Finley Quaye. Song titles include "Humming Chorus," "Who Owns the Octopus?," "You Know Too Much About Flying Saucers," "Bubble Universe," "Spiral" and "Sea Green." ...

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