Disturbed’s Dan Donegan Remembers Getting First Gibson for Christmas

’Tis the season to charm little ones with gifts of Christmas cheer, and Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan clearly remembers the most important Christmas gift of his life: his first guitar.

“My first electric guitar, it was like from Sears – it was a [Gibson] SG…” he told the Pulse of Radio. “My parents just didn’t really seem too supportive of it in the beginning, because they figured it’s either gonna sit in the closet and collect dust, or ‘he’s gonna play it and it’s gonna be loud and annoying.’ It was kind of a difficult thing to convince them that I was gonna be serious about it, and I wanted this…” He added that, yes, he still has that guitar!

Donegan earlier this year told Gibson.com that classic metal guitarists inspired him to delve into guitar playing in the first place: “I can’t really single out any player, but I liked going to concerts and the idea of being in a band where you see the impact four or five guys on stage have over thousands of people. So, that power and the scenario of the lead guitar just pummeling through the speakers were two things that caught my attention. Early on, I got into a lot of the classic metal players: Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath; the guitarists in Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensryche, Pantera. These bands all had great guitar players, so it definitely inspired me to go down that road.”

Read Gibson’s full interview with Donegan here.

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Anthrax’s Frank Bello Remembers Dimebag Darrell

Today is the seventh anniversary of the tragic death of Pantera and Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who was killed onstage during a show in Columbus, Ohio. The latest Anthrax album, Worship Music, features the track, “In the End,” which honors Darrell and the late Ronnie James Dio.

Looking back on his friendship with Darrell (born Darrell Abbott), Anthrax bass player Frank Bello says he remembers how tight the band was with the guitarist. “We were so close to him. He was one of us,” Bello told Revolver Magazine. “Dimebag was the sixth member of Anthrax, because he played on the last few records. I thought paying tribute to him in song was a great idea. I lost a brother 13 years ago. He was murdered. And then to have Dimebag go in such a bad, traumatic way – he’s one of our brothers. Dimebag was like a brother to me.”

Bello went on to reminisce about the Anthrax-Pantera tour in 1997. “We had a lot of good times… It’s a time in your life I’ll never forget. I love them and I miss them. Only the good die young.”

What’s your best memory of a Dimebag performance?

More Dimebag Darrell:

Sevendust Guitarist Clint Lowery Discusses Dimebag Darrell

Dave Mustaine Credits Dimebag Darrell for Big Four Shows

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Ringo Remembers When He was More Famous than The Beatles

As Ringo Starr prepares for another tour with his All Starr band, the Beatles drummer has been reminiscing a little with U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail.

Ringo explained why he still hits the road at 70 years of age. “I still love to play. I go down the front and sing ‘Photograph’ or whatever, then I get to go back to the drums and play with all these other musicians,” he said. “It’s a win-win situation. I get the chance to be both the entertainer and the musician. Everyone’s a star, but I’m the big star. The band gets to play 12 numbers between them and I do 12 numbers.”

Talking about the early days in Liverpool, Starr points out that The Beatles were lucky to have him. “It wasn’t just that I was a big shot; I was a cool drummer,” he said. “Brian Epstein asked if I would play lunchtime at the Cavern with them. That’s how I got started.”

He was, after all, a well-known local drummer when The Beatles were still finding their feet. “I was. Within Liverpool I was a lot more well known than them,” he said. “Rory and The Hurricanes were big shots in the city. We had suits. That was our claim to fame.”

As for his enduring friendship with Paul McCartney, Starr explained the nature of their relationship. “‘We are good friends. We don’t live in each other’s pockets, but if we’re in the same country, we get together,” he said. “He’s singing and playing on my latest album and I played on several of his. We’re just pals. We’re the only two who’ve experienced all this who are still here.”

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Heaven & Hell’s Vinnie Appice Remembers Meeting Dio, Sabs

One year ago this past week, Ronnie James Dio passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. Drummer Vinnie Appice had played with Dio, off and on, since the early 1980s, when Appice replaced Bill Ward in Black Sabbath. Most recently, Appice and Dio toured and recorded together with Heaven & Hell, a reformation of the early ’80s Sabs. Appice spoke with Noisecreep recently about his early days with the band and his memories of the legendary metal singer.

“Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ronnie Dio – you're talking about three legends right there,” Appice said. “Even though I played with them on and off since 1980, there was still something special about looking over and seeing them on stage with me. I felt lucky to have played with them.”

Appice recalled his first meeting with the band:

“I got a call from Paul Clark, Black Sabbath's tour manager, telling me that they were looking for a new drummer. I was in Los Angeles at the time, so I went over to the Sunset Marquis and met with him. We were in the middle of our conversation when Tony Iommi came into the room. We hit it off immediately and started joking around with each other. He then told me to meet him the next day at S.I.R. Studios to jam with him and the rest of the Sabbath guys.

"I remember walking in and seeing Geezer and Ronnie and feeling really intimidated. I was still pretty young at that point, and knowing that these guys I was about to play with already had done huge things definitely made me a bit nervous. But I didn't let it get in the way of what I was supposed to do, so I hopped on the drums and we kicked ass together. We clicked and they asked me to join shortly after that.”

Over time, the former Rick Derringer drummer felt at home with the band:

“It was obviously easier to get to know Ronnie easier since we were both New Yorkers. We also shared a lot of interests and sense of humor. At that point I hadn't had that much contact with British people, so it took a bit longer to get to know Tony and Geezer. It took a little bit of time to learn their humor and expressions, but I finally did [laughs]. Tony loves practical jokes and winding people up and he did that to me – but it broke the ice. Geezer isn't as out-going, but he's definitely got a dry sense of humor."

The Long Island native still finds it difficult to deal with the loss of his longtime friend.

“What hurts the most is when I think about the things we could be doing together if Ronnie was still with us. Like I said, we had a lot of things in common. We both loved building things. I don't know if people know this or not, but Ronnie loved going to Home Depot [laughs]. When Simon Wright [ex-drummer of Dio and AC/DC] lived at Ronnie's house, they would build all kinds of stuff together.

“Ronnie was a special person and all I can do for him is continue playing the songs to keep the music alive. I play in an all-star group with Joe Lynn Turner, Phil Soussan, and Carlos Cavazo called Big Noize and we just played the M3 Festival last weekend. We did 'The Last in Line' and some other Dio songs and the response was amazing. His music lives on and I miss him terribly.”

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Def Leppard’s Phil Collen Remembers His Late Partner Steve Clark

Twenty years ago this past January, Def Leppard guitarist and founding member Steve Clark died of a drug and alcohol overdose. He was 30 years old at the time of his death. By that time, Clark had shared the stage with guitarist Phil Collen for over eight years. Collen had joined the band following the departure of guitarist Pete Willis and partnered with Clark on the group’s popular Pyromania and Hysteria albums, becoming the best of friends along the way.

Collen recently sat down with MusicRadar and discussed his partnership with the late guitarist.

“Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that I saw him,” Collen said. “His style of playing and his personality… You know, Steve was just the loveliest guy in the world. He was like my best friend. We'd talk for hours and hours about everything under the sun.”

Collen said the two guitarists were different stylistically, though they shared a major influence.

"As guitarists, our styles were quite different,” he recalled. “Although some things would overlap, our influences weren't the same, really. Steve's favorite player was Jimmy Page, but not just because of the actual playing per se—he really dug Jimmy was a producer and writer and the guy who put together so much of Led Zeppelin's music. Here, Steve and I were in total agreement, because I think Jimmy Page is a genius. A lot of people just get the guitar stuff from Page, but Steve and I would really tune in to what he did as an arranger. The music was very complex, almost like classical arrangements in many ways.

"Steve absorbed a lot of that from Jimmy Page. The biggest thing he took was a complete sense of musicality. The song, the sound, the mood... the impact. It's not about just 'shredding' or doing all kinds of crazy guitar licks. It's more of an overall style and finesse thing. Steve definitely had all of that down.”

Even two decades removed from Clark’s death, Collen said he still thinks of his old friend.

“It is hard to believe that he's been gone for 20 years. My son, Rory, is 21 now, and I can still remember Steve meeting him for the first time – and only time, for that matter – when he was just one year old. Steve kind of rubbed Rory's little bald head and smiled. It was very sweet… a nice memory."

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