Sunday, May 16, 2010

Metal Moment Update


The news I'm about to give you shook every fiber of my being to the core, especially since I expressed such high hopes yesterday.  The unthinkable has happened.  Ronnie James Dio passed away this morning.

I first caught wind of this on his official Facebook page.  I couldn't believe it.  I didn't want to believe it.  But the update was written by his own wife.  How could I refute that?

The thing that pissed me off was the disrespectful handling of this information.  Some websites were already reporting his death before it even happened, which Wendy responded by stating, on his Twitter, that he wasn't dead, but was not doing good.  Of course, when she did announce his passing, a lot of people were still calling it a hoax.  Even "news" websites said that the announcements of his death were fake.  I spent about two hours wondering if it was true or not.  It wasn't until I went back to his website, which, for a while, was down, that I saw the same announcement that was on his Facebook page.  It seems that most sites have finally caught up with what happened, but the way these rumors muddled the truth is just fucking pathetic.

But enough about that bullshit.  I want to honor the man, his music, and what it meant to me.  Out of all the metal groups I listen to, his singing and lyrics were the most inspiring.  When I heard his songs, I connected with them, as if he understood what I was going through.  From the interviews I've seen him in, he seemed like an honest, down to earth person, someone you could relate to.  I said to myself, "When he gets better, I would love to meet the guy, just hang out with him, even for only a few minutes."  I wanted to experience his presence.  Sadly, that day will never come.

Putting this into perspective, I feel that my previous post was so cruelly timed.  I was riding high on the hopes of him making a triumphant return.  Everything seemed to be pointing to a bright future with Heaven and Hell still going strong and Dio's own band making a return to the studio - a future that was cut unfairly short.

First, it was Frank Frazetta, and now this.  This has got to be the worst fucking week I've had in a long time.  Though I didn't post anything about Frazetta's death (I felt that some of my fellow brothers in blogging, especially CROM!, said it better than I ever could), I felt as if a legend had passed from this mortal realm.  Now, another legend leaves to join him.  I would like to believe that, even if they've never met before, they share a table in the hallowed halls of the immortals.  For their work and inspiration, I feel that there is no one who does not lift them, with their steelclad hearts, to the heavens.  Therein, lies their true immortality.

Death may claim life, but it cannot conquer the true soul of men.

Rest in peace and know that your life made the world richer.

Kaiser out

5 comments:

  1. Aaaarggh! That really sucks. Ronnie's pipes are gonna sound better (if that's even possible) with all those angels as backup singers. Hard to believe he was 67, doesn't look like any grampa I've ever seen.

    Nice post Crowbar, I couldn't have said it better.

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  2. I posted a small " He will be missed " comment on my facebook and I saw dozens of others as well...not to mention the thousands of people who were friends of Dio's on Facebook. People were paying their repsects as is expected and honorable.
    On the Radio this morning I heard J.P. from WBAB Babylon NY bashing all those people who left Facebook messages and he made the comment " When was the last time you people who claim you're fans bought one of his albums?"
    You know what J.P.? To HELL with you. Do not denegrate an honorable and respectable intention with your pessimistic B.S.
    All I have to say is DIO was a giant in the Metal business and he kicked ass!
    My condolenses to Wendy and the rest of Ron's family. He was a great man who did great things.

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  3. The number of people leaving comments on Dio's official Facebook page is well over 34,000 and growing. This is from people around the world. I've seen comments from people in Mexico, South America, Poland, Russia... it's amazing to see so many people touched by his music.

    Though I can't speak for everyone else who commented on Facebook, when I enjoy the music of a band or individual, I support it with my wallet. I bought Sabbath's "The Dio Years" as well as "The Devil You Know." I own a few Rainbow albums and some Dio albums and I plan on getting more (I WANT "Master of the Moon").

    Not only that, but I post my impressions of these albums, such as Rainbow's "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" and Sabbath's "Dehumanizer" on this very same blog. So if this J.P. bitch wants to question my loyalty to Dio's music, he can fuck himself sideways.

    ...SIDEWAYS!!

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  4. I am not ashamed to say after reading your original post...I was touched. Then I recomposed myself, you clearly hit home.

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  5. @Mikeyboy: Thanks, man. That means a lot to me.

    @Cromsblood: If you recall my profile blurb at the top, that background choir... steel angels, man.

    Nothing but the best for a true god of metal.

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