DIMEVISION – Vol 1: That’s The Fun I Have

For all the Pantera and Damageplan fans out there, this DVD probably needs no introduction. For those who are not sure of who “Dimebag” Darrell was and are curious, this DVD is a tribute to him and is basically about him. It shows many facets of his brilliant but short-lived life, doing what he loved to do more than anything: play Metal on his wonderful collection of 6-strings.

He was born Darrell Lance Abbott on 8/20/66 in Dallas, Texas, and was brutally taken from the world on 12/8/04 by a deranged, mentally unstable individual while performing onstage at a club in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He was buried in Arlington, Texas at the age of 38. Indeed a tragic loss for the music world and his fans around the world, not to mention his family and close personal friends.

People from all walks of life have had nothing but the nicest things to say about Darrell Abbott whenever he came up in conversation. That has always been the case. He was a truly giving person with a kind heart, someone who lit up the room when he got there. He enjoyed life to the fullest in everything he did. He never looked down on anyone. Being famous and knowing that he was a phenomenal guitarist didn’t go to his head like some people in the industry. He was down to earth with everyone he ever met. His best friend in the world was his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott, and the two were inseparable. If one brother was in a band, the other had to be too. There was a time once when another famous Metal band asked “Dimebag” to join them. He accepted with the stipulation that his brother Vinnie Paul be the drummer. Unfortunately, the other band had hired a drummer already. Once Darrell heard this news he declined the offer. That is how tight they were.

This DVD shows all of these things and then some. It is 73 minutes in length and the time goes rather quickly since you are really drawn into it when watching. There are no songs or music one would expect. It is more of a collage of pictures and film, some of it resembling a MS PowerPoint presentation. Knowing that this is Vol. 1 is refreshing since that can only mean Vol. 2 or even more is not that far behind. His friends and fans will want them all.

The DVD itself has 33 scene selections that one can choose from, including the closing credits. There are 4 Photo Galleries, 4 Solo Segments (names 5 segments but the 3rd is missing from the list), and 1 Magazine Collage right at the end that shows many, if not all, of the magazine covers that “Dimebag” was on over the course of his career. These are self-explanatory for the most part.

The rest of the DVD is pretty much full of all kinds of spoofs, gags, and hilarious antics, mostly by “Dimebag” on others, or him imitating others. He had seemed to enjoy fireworks quite a bit, especially firing them off indoors, and on friends while they were asleep. “Dimebag” would love to wake people up this way.

Here is a short description of some of the scenes that are found in the DVD.

-There is an indoor signing that fans will enjoy.

-A spoof on 20/20 was made and called 20/40 News. An interview is done with an Indian man who works at a gas station regarding a fire-damaged car that is ready for the scrap yard at best. The car, a piece of junk at this point, was left in his lot. Funny as hell.

-A redneck-landscaping scene done on Dec 5, 2003 (shown on the camcorder) has Jeff “Outlaw” Thull in a Ford 4×4 spinning the tires and burning rubber in a circular driveway eventually moving to the lawn, then back on pavement until he hits a curb and damages the rim and blows the tire. He then continues to spin the tire and rim until the tire comes off the rim. It is just hilarious the way things unfold.

-“Dimebag” and his brother Vinnie getting interviewed on CNNfn.

-“Dimebag” imitates David Allan Coe and Jack Russell. More hilarious stuff.

-“Dimebag” does a Gene Simmons impression by breathing fire. Not bad at all.

-“Dimebag” tries tattooing on some guys bicep.

-“Dimebag” is shown pouring beer from a can into the mouths of people walking by on the sidewalk about two or three stories below him. He is doing this from the window above and having fun. The young guys getting the beer also didn’t seem to mind.

-A scene with Damageplan on Headbangers Ball being interviewed by Jamie Jasta.

-There’s a funny segment that has “Dimebag” standing outside on the sidewalks somewhere with a lot of traffic. He’s holding an acoustic guitar and he is playing and singing his own made up lyrics on the spot regarding his new Escalade (which apparently has just been or recently been in an accident). A definite listen.

-There’s another funny segment called “Mayhem Ham Dancing.” It shows Jeffrey “Mayhem” Thompson, their security/bodyguard for many years, dressed up as Elvis in Scottish garb, wearing a kilt and playing a guitar next to “Dimebag” on stage. He is shown goofing around by lifting his kilt up and showing off a long-hanging fake penis. He is called “Pelvis.” Another must watch / hilarious as hell segment.

-There is an early circa 1984 scene showing the boys (Dime, Vinnie, Rex) on stage doing a rendition of “Seek & Destroy” by Metallica. “Dimebag” does the singing, Rex on bass, and Vinnie on sticks.

-Another segment shows “Dimebag” on stage doing an Eddie Van Halen “Eruption” solo, followed by some other parts of various solos.

-In one segment, “Dimebag” is being interviewed and he shows how he and Zakk Wylde ran over a stop sign one night. There it was on his wall for a souvenir for everyone to see. He liked to tell stories about his escapades. There are a few scenes with “Dimebag” and Zakk playing on stage together.

-For some reason that he goes into, “Dimebag” had a strong distaste for Pro Tools. He is shown holding a camcorder, recording his own statement on the subject while looking into a mirror.

There are still a bunch more scenes and segments here and there. This was just a quick once over to give the fans an idea of what was in store for them and what can be expected. Since this is Vol. 1 apparently, there should be more coming down the road. If you have Pantera, Damageplan or any other segments that YOU think should be considered for a future release on BigVin Records, send an e-mail to info@dimevision.com.