Dimebag day: Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell on Dimebag and Pantera

Dimebag day: To mark the 15th anniversary of Dimebag Darrell’s passing, we’re revisiting classic interviews to celebrate his legacy

In this interview from 2014 Jerry Cantrell reflects on the friendship he forged with Dimebag in the early days of Pantera and Alice In Chains.

You knew Dimebag early on in your careers, how did you first meet?

"I graduated high school in 1984, and was in a band with a couple of guys from Tacoma, Washington, going to college. About halfway through the first semester we decided to quit college – or at least put it off for a year – and go try to put a band together. The drummer, his dad had an insulation company in Dallas, Texas, so we basically packed up our shit in a van and fuckin’ drove there! It was their idea, and I was actually the one that followed through with it.

"I picked up my books in the middle of the class and put them on the teacher’s desk he’s like ‘What are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘I’m outta here, I’m quitting’. I went back to the desk where my buddy was sitting and he’s looking at me kind of horrified and I’m like ‘Hey man, that was your idea, motherf***er. Let’s go!’

"So we ended up in Texas, and we got jobs working for the insulation company, and we’d go to the rock clubs and see bands play. We jammed a lot but we never really did a whole lot, as far as gigging, you know? It was kind of more like a year of taking it in and learning from other bands playing live, and one of the bands I saw was Pantera."

So how did you get to know Dimebag?

"There was a bar called Matleys Phase II that they used to play. I remember meeting those guys at the gigs and being completely blown away by how badass they were. We’re the same age, so would have been 18-19 years old, and I started hearing a lot about [Dimebag] while I was down there before I’d actually seen the band, about how amazing this guitar player was, and of course being a guitar player that’s really where my focus was.

"You know, he was like that then, he was a badass when I first met him. I’d hear s**t like they had these contests every year, he won a bunch of them in a row and they kind of started asking him, ‘Hey dude, can you let somebody else win this thing?’. There was nobody that could touch him."

Did you tour together?

"No, that's a common misconception. We did a few shows near to each other, but we never did a proper tour together. I wish we had, but they were always off and we were always off and we’d just kind of cross paths out there. Mostly I would see him on the road about twice a year. I’d normally fly into Dallas and drive up to Oklahoma for Christmas and New Years, and the first thing I’d do when I arrived in Texas would be to go and see Dime and Vinnie."

Did you ever jam with the guys?

"Sure, you know, I’d go and stay with them, we’d f*** around with some stuff . We’d mostly just go have a good time and hang out you know, set his kitchen on fire trying to cook food! We had a great time, he was really a very good friend.Another part of him – beyond being the amazing guitar virtuoso that he was – he was a f***ing great guy, a great dude and we had a lot of really good times."

What sort of stuff would you play?

"Oh, just messing around with ideas, I’d be playing something that he’d be interested in and he’d be like ‘What the f**k you playing there?’ or vice-versa. You know, he’d be f***ing around with something and I’d ask ‘F***ing play that again!’"

Is there any particular techniques you picked up from Dime?

"Not really, we’re two different players, you know? He’s far more skilled than I’ll ever be…I always admired that. That’s the cool thing about doing what we do, you’re an individual, and that really shines through when you play guitar, you can hear the dedication and the time and the soul of a person. It comes from the head and the heart and comes out the flesh and through the wood and metal. That stuff makes you who you are."

Even though your playing styles are different, you share a lot of the same influences...

"Yeah, we kind of had a similar arc. Our major label debuts came out the same year – Cowboys From Hell and Facelift. Dirt came out in 92, and so did Vulgar…So we rode the same arc at the same time. I’m glad I had the chance to spend as much time with him, and I’m still hearing him everywhere I go!"

Do you have a favourite Dimebag riff or solo?

"God! That’s so tough! I always liked the solo from Cemetery Gates, there’s a lot of vibe in there, but riffs? Jesus, I was obviously a fan of Walk, A New Level, the riff from Cowboys From Hell sounds like a f**king machine!I’m a fan of simple, I like all those shifts they did, but that one in particular really stuck with me."

There’s been a lot of talk about potential Pantera reunions and tribute shows. Is that something you’d be interested in being a part of?

"I don’t know, I don’t think I could play that fast! I’d go see it! I love all those guys, they’re an amazing band, and from my own experience I know it’s a tough ride sometimes. And it’s not really meant to last.

"That’s the beautiful thing about it existing in the first place, hitting so hard and making a mark and being remembered the way that it was – the way that it is. It’s their music, they have the right to do whatever the f**k they want with it. Nobody really has the right to say anything about it. It’s their s**t, if they want to go out and play it I’d go and see it!"

You’ve proved that it can be done

"Absolutely. We’re an example of you can go on and do it, and you can do it the way that you want to do it, for your reasons and not for anybody else’s. I’ve heard Zakk’s name mentioned probably more than anybody else, and also his relationship with Dime and the guys in Pantera, I think that would be great. That would be very cool. There’s a lot of bands that go through s**t, and f***ing get it back together, it’s nice to be a signpost for that, to give some hope on the otherside of some darkness."