"Live that when you die, you alone are happy, and everyone else is crying." - Unknown Quote

I'm sitting here, listening to some old Pantera songs, at a loss as to what to say. For a time I wanted to express my views over the hundreds of things I've seen in the media about Darrell's murder. Then, reading a small paragraph at the end of a long article made me realize what I wanted to focus on.

Last night, the evening after his killing, fans held a candlelight vigil in the parkinglot outside the club where Darrell had been murdered. This is a night in the midwest in December. It was 40 degrees (Fahrenheit) and raining. Over 200 people showed up.

There was a rock where people were leaving flowers, beer, and one guy left a six pack with a marijauna bud tucked in the package. One fan brought his acoustic guitar, and played old Pantera songs, while other fans gathered around him and sang.



Its images like this that I want people to remember. This is a community that I myself belong to. The music of bands like Pantera has helped me through a lot of hard times. The style reaches me in a way I can't explain.

There are groups of people, metalheads, goths, punk rockers, hip hop, and many others that get a bad rep from the actions of a few. It isn't our music that causes problems. Our style of clothes aren't a threat. Its a form of expression, as valid and real as any other persons. Maybe if we payed a little more attention to the real social issues behind the problems, instead of pointing fingers at something we deem different, the world would be a better place.

...goes back to hugging his tree.