Customer Reviews

Black Tooth Grin: The High Life, Good Times, and Tragic End of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This biography by Crain is an unauthorized one, because of this there are a lot of details left out, it's still a worthy read for the hardcore Dimebag enthusiast. Much of the books content is taken from magazines, interviews, and the few friends of Dime who were willing to share their experiences. Nobody from the Abbot/Pantera camp makes any statements in the book, outside of quotes taken from different interviews. Due to this approach there are a lot of details left out, however most of the core details are intact. The book feels to at times skate over periods where there is little documentation of Dime or Pantera's history. It also feels as though it's content is stretched extremely thin at times. The author constantly reminds the reader how great a guitarist Dime was, or how much he liked to drink and party. While both of these statements are true, it feels as though the book reverts back to these reminders for the sole purpose of filling a few more pages. While the book does have many flaws, one must remember that it is an unauthorized biography, and with what Crain had to work with he did a fairly decent job. For a hardcore Dime or Pantera fan, it is definitely worth reading, however you will not get the full story from this, just an in depth overview.

This book is a great synopsis of the life of Dimebag and it really shows who he was as a person ans as a guitar god. Crain gives many insightful facts beginning with Dime and Vinnie's childhood and goes till the tragic and unwarranted death of Dimebag Darrell Abbott. I would highly reccomend this to any metal fan or anyone just interested about who Dimebag was and how he will always be remembered.

In his first book and the first unauthorized biography of metal rocker, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, author Zac Crain provides us a fast, yet detailed account of the life and death of the larger-than-life musician. It is an easy read because it is a joy to read.

An accomplished writer about the music scene, Crain knows the lingo and understands what is important to his readers, those devoted to "Dimebag," his band Pantera and the final iteration of that band, Damageplan. Fans who clamor for information on Abbott the man, his character, musical influences (though, of course devotees know about his affinity for KISS and Van Halen) and his associations with other musicians will find a wealth of information in these pages. Crain has talked with former band members and those in the media, such as Juliya Chernetsky, host of the FUSE network's metal show to provide a full picture of "Dimebag" the generous guy, the partier, the musician.

Black Tooth Grin, named after the whisky and cola shot drink "Dimebag" loved to down, and pour for others, gives the reader a thoughtful look at Abbott's beginnings in Arlington, Texas, a suburb of Dallas and his development as a skilled guitarist with an instantly recognizable sound to his morphing into a business person of sorts. Crain never merely chronicles "Dimebag's" life and career.

Perhaps more importantly and impressively, Crain draws conclusions and suggests causes and effects but never at the expense of the facts. In other words, Crain does not marshal or manipulate mention of incidents in Abbott's life to support his own theories of the whats and whys of "Dimebag's" success, failure, even of his murder. That is exactly what we want in a biographer. As Crain writes, "No one can predict the butterfly effect of the countless--and usually innocuous--coin flips that happen every second of every day." But Crain's volume is not fluffy. In the pages following that observation, he details the circumstances that caused Atco Records scout Mark Ross, stuck in Texas when Hurricane Hugo struck North Carolina, to check out the band.

Crain continues the story by explaining that a self-conscious Pantera gives what band members consider a constrained performance in the presence of Ross and think they've blown it. As they see him walk out the door, (as it turns out, only to return from a visit to his car and a phone call confirming his intent to sign the group), they kick into high gear and play with their signature abandon. This kind of fully fleshed out information makes the book a compelling read.

Black Tooth Grin tells the story of a man whose end we know. But Crain frames the story nicely by beginning with references to that ending. When, in the chapter titled "Slaughtered" Crain recounts the murder in detail, it is the most illuminating description of the tragedy that ended Abbott's life that has been written. On December 9, 2004, MTV.com published a story about the murder. At the time, the available sources were the 911 call transcripts and the words of eyewitnesses. The article references "amateur video footage" that investigators have yet to study. For his 2009 book, Crain studied the "video of the incident, unwittingly captured by the band's own camera" and poured through hundreds of eyewitness accounts. His account is thoughtful, thorough and chilling.

Black Tooth Grin: The High Life, Good Times and Tragic End of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by Zac Crain, 2009 Da Capo Press is a must read for metal fans.

Great book to learn how easy going Dime was. I hate the ending but you have to look at the book as a whole.

I'm a serial rock bio reader - just can't get enough of'em! I've read a lot of them, and let me just say: this one is right there at the top. I've read other reviews that complain about Crain's using other sources for his quotes, and there being no new material, and all I can say is, "COME ON!" This book combines it all into a comprehensive source that I just haven't been able to put down. I'm a fairly slow reader - excuse me, I like to "read for detail" - but I've been wizzing through this thing and telling myself to slow down so it won't be over so soon! Seriously, even if you weren't a huge Dime fan, I think you'll love this book. It's a great, easy, enjoyable read that I just can't get enough of. Check it out!

This certainly covers the life and rise of the great Dimebag Darrell Abbott and his climb to stardom. Very interesting. Written in a way that makes you feel like your there. Hard to put down once you start it. Great Book !!! Sad ending !! RIP DIMEBAG !! ROCK ON !!

I purchased this book and the same was delivered well before the anticipated date. This is true value for money and an excellent book for all Dime fans. Hell yeah

I give the guy one star for "effort"...but I'm sorry, this book does not hold a candle to "A Vulgar Display Of Power" by Chris A. If you want the best book about the tragic events that occurred in 2004...get A Vulgar Display Of Power instead.