A new interview with the Landry.audio podcast has surfaced revealing information on the late Dimebag Darrell. The two-hour podcast featured Dimebag’s close friend and longtime Pantera/Damageplan videographer Daryl “Bobby Tongs” Arnberger. Arnberger discussed Pantera’s story “from start to finish,” detailing nearly everything throughout the Texas groove metal outfit’s legacy from their glam days, Phil Anselmo’s arrival, addiction, breaking up, to Dimebag’s frustration with Damageplan. 

During the conversation, Arnberger recalled the last time he spoke to Dimebag was roughly one month before his untimely passing. Bobby Tongs expressed how the late guitarist was determined to complete the Damageplan tour just to get back home for the holidays and to do “whatever it takes” to reunite with frontman Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown.

Arnberger comments: 

“The last time I saw him was in November of 2004… I went over to his house. I was just talking to him briefly about everything. He was, like, ‘We’re gonna go out and do this [Damageplan] tour through December, and I’ll see you for Christmas and everything. After that, we’re gonna have some new shit going on. And it’s not gonna be this. Whatever it takes, we’re gonna get these guys back together and do it right.’

He was saying he was gonna do everything he could. He was pretty much done with what they [Damageplan] were doing at that point. He wanted to move on and go back to Pantera.”

 

He adds:

“He didn’t think the other guys were as into it. He obviously didn’t feel the magic as much as he did with the other two guys [Anslemo and Brown].”

 

Dimebag sadly never made it home for the holidays, he was tragically shot and killed onstage instead at the Alrosa Villa club in Columbus, Ohio on December 8th, 2004. His brother/Pantera drummer, Vinnie Paul died fourteen-years later in June 2018.  

 

Listen to the full discussion below:

 

Rita Haney, Dimebag’s longtime girlfriend, recently spoke to The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show on the red carpet of the Ronnie James Dio 10th Memorial Awards Gala this past Thursday (20th). Rita discussed how she doesn’t see there will ever be a Pantera reunion but definitely for seeing Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown reunite to embark on a special tour in celebration of the group and memory of Dimebag and Vinnie Paul.

 

Haney comments:

“I don’t think there could be a Pantera reunion, but I think that his two remaining brothers, Rex and Philip, if they wanted to honor Darrell and Vinnie, as far as where I’m coming from and what I believe Darrell would believe — because he was the most forgiving person that I know — I believe that he would be honored. It’s kind of a cliché to say, but he truly would be grateful that he meant that much to them. And I think if they wanna honor their fallen brothers with a tribute, I think that that’s great. But as far as trying to say put Pantera back together, Pantera tribute, this and that, no — that’s distasteful without those other guys. But I think as a tribute, it would be a really great thing. Because I know, from a fan’s point, if I hadn’t been able to see them play or hear those songs — the songs, they mean so much to me; I can imagine [they do to] other people as well. I think it’s great that they can at least see it performed, and by people that truly love ’em. So, yeah, I think it would be a really cool thing.”

 

author avatar
Zenae Zukowski