Pantera’s Phil Anselmo: ‘It’s a Shame’ Vinnie Paul Never Reached Out to Me
The rift between longtime Pantera bandmates Phil Anselmo and Vinnie Paul has been well documented, but that hasn't kept Anselmo from offering olive branches to open communication in the media over the years.
The former Pantera frontman once again opened up about his onetime band and their disintegrated relationships in Revolver magazine's latest issue, which recently hit newsstands.
"I feel bad for Vince," explained Anselmo in the interview (excerpted by Blabbermouth). "People should pity the guy. I wasn’t there when Dimebag [Darrell] was murdered, but he sure as f--- was. That's his flesh and blood, murdered right in front of him. It's a shame that Vince never reached out to [bassist] Rex [Brown] and I. I think the healing process would have been beneficial to him, instead of his knee-jerk reaction to fear and his therapy through tit bars and whiskey."
The vocalist added that while he will admit his role through a fair share of mistakes that led to the downfall of Pantera, he wasn't alone. "One guy can't break up a band," says Anselmo. "You have to understand, it goes all four ways when a band breaks up. Yes, I made mistakes. Yes, there was a lack of communication on both sides and some of it is my fault -- a lot of it is my fault."
Anselmo also insists that he would have repaired his relationship with Dimebag had the guitar legend not been slain. "We would have made amends. I would like to think he would be proud of me for pulling myself out of the muck, the abyss," says the frontman. "I just choose to remember the positive things. He was almost like the perfect counterpoint to me. We may have clashed to a certain extent, but we would always find a happy medium. It was a vital relationship that I miss greatiy."