KING'S X Frontman: 'DIMEBAG Was One Of The Nicest, Kindest, Most Giving People I Ever Knew'

Dave's On Tour recently conducted an interview with KING'S X vocalist Doug Pinnick. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Dave's On Tour: Historically, a lot has been written about the influence of religion in your songwriting and on your band, KING'S X. Looking at your religious background from a different viewpoint, how did your participation in your church's choir and your exposure to gospel music influence and shape you as a vocalist?

Pinnick: Those things changed my whole life. I grew up with my great-grandmother, and she was into gospel music but we didn't go to a church that had a big choir until I moved in with my mother when I was 14. I lived with her for six years, and I went to her church. It had one of the best choirs in the world as far as I'm concerned. That choir had five soloists who were just amazing. It was in the era of Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. Singers emulated those people. One lady sounded just like Mavis Staples. I learned so much. I was in the choir for a little while, but I couldn't get a solo like those people because I wasn't good enough. I learned to push myself vocally. Those people could get up, do one solo, and get the whole church so emotional. One time, half the church was out in the street screaming and yelling because the solo was so moving. That taught me how to sing emotionally and to let it all out. The emotional side of what I do has been my trademark ever since. I don't even try or realize that I'm doing it. It was a learned behavior, and it's a very important thing for me. The Motown era was also influential at a point in my life where I was honing in on my singing as a teenager.

Dave's On Tour: You filled in for Corey Glover as the vocalist on LIVING COLOUR's 2006 European tour. Just vocals or did you and Doug Wimbush do any songs with double bass guitars?

Pinnick: No, just vocals. It was me and a microphone and that was so much fun. As a bass guitarist and a singer, I have to do double duty and give both the same amount of attention. Whenever I get the chance to just sing or just play bass, I feel so much freer. I had a wonderful time running around on stage and getting into people's faces without worrying about playing bass. I thought about bringing a guitar and playing rhythm, but after rehearsals I knew that it wasn't necessary.

Dave's On Tour: So many established musicians knock today's music industry. Yet, for upcoming bands and independent artists, computer technology lets musicians express themselves freer than any point in time since the '60s.

Pinnick: It's a new world. Ten years ago, I would say that someday we're going to take it all back. Corporations at that time had such control over everything. Then the Internet and downloading came around, and it leveled the playing ground. Musicians are back in charge again. The problem is that we're musicians, not businessmen. We'll have a good time making music for a while and being free but eventually the corporations will come back and regain control. Until then, there's going to be some great music coming out. Kids today have so much choice in what they like and what they don't like. It's no longer cookie-cutter bullshit.

Dave's On Tour: At my personal website, I have a six-question interview section called "5 and Dime," that I use as a forum to introduce new bands. I close that interview with a sixth question that I hope will keep the memory alive of a bad-ass guitarist from Texas named Dime. Since you guys were friends, please share a personal story about the late, great guitarist Dimebag Darrell.

Pinnick: Dimebag was one of the nicest, kindest, and most giving people that I ever knew. When you hung out with him, everybody was his equal. He never acted better than anybody else. One Christmas, I went to his party and he always had a house full of presents for his friends. Dime knew that I was a health freak and that I make my own juices out of vegetables. He had thirty pounds of carrots as my present, but he was unsure when I would get there, He bought them a week earlier. When I left Dallas I put them in the trunk of my car. By the time I got back to Houston, half of them were molded. It was funny but bless his heart, he meant well. He was like that, always concerned about you and how you felt about things. He got me drunker than anybody ever did. Once, with a drum machine and Darrell playing both bass and guitar with me singing, we recorded CREAM's "Born Under a Bad Sign". I have it on cassette, and I hope to release it someday. He was a KING'S X fan. I'd love it when he'd come to a show, stand down in front, and yell out for "Summerland". Vinnie and Dime came to one of our shows in a limo. I hung out with them in the limo afterwards, and Dime pulled out a tape of "Out of the Silent Planet". After five songs, he explained what every line of those songs meant to him. It was awesome.

Read the entire interview at Dave's On Tour.