Suspect in nightclub shooting liked talking music, listening to Pantera before playing football

SF Gate ^ | 12-10-04 | ANITA CHANG

[swilhelm73]

The man who shot former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and three other men to death at a nightclub was obsessed with the popular heavy metal band and made bizarre accusations against it, a onetime friend said in reports published Friday.

Jeramie Brey said gunman Nathan Gale once showed up at a friend's house saying he wanted to share songs he had written. The pages of lyrics were copied from Pantera, but Gale claimed he had written them, Brey said.

"He was off his rocker," Brey told The Columbus Dispatch. "He said they were his songs, that Pantera stole them from him and that he was going to sue them."

He later told Brey that he planned to sue Pantera for stealing his identity. Brey and friend Dave Johnson said Gale's behavior frightened them and they distanced themselves from him several years ago. But other friends said they never considered Gale capable of violence.

[Angry Republican]

I pretty much expected the man that killed "Dimebag" would be a nutjob. This article is proof of that.

[Strategerist]

Yeah, I thought the odds the guy would turn out to be a paranoid Schizophrenic were about 99.99%.

Seeing a normal person in their early 20s become one is about the saddest thing there is.

[HenryLeeII]

"He was off his rocker," Brey told The Columbus Dispatch. "He said they were his songs, that Pantera stole them from him and that he was going to sue them." He later told Brey that he planned to sue Pantera for stealing his identity.

I hate to see newspapers using selective quotes to convict people in the court of public opinion before the facts are known. How are we to know that Pantera didn't really steal Mr. Brey's identity and lyrics? This sounds perfectly logical and plausible to me - those otherwise-lovable moptops from Liverpool stole many of my song ideas and made millions from them! If only the paper would seek out Mr. Brey's friends to offer their side of the story, I'm sure we could get to the bottom of this tragedy.

[spinestein]

" Gale had had minor run-ins with police since 1997 but wasn't considered a troublemaker,..."

Is he considered a troublemaker now?

[MahaMarty]

Something tells me, that this thread will soon by inundated with post saying, "I don't understand why everybody is making suck a big deal about this guy," or, "It probably wouldn't have happened to him if he would tout violence and destruction," or "he got what he deserved because he was a drugged out loser with freakish long hair or a pink gotee," or, "You reap what you sow." Just check out the tribute thread I set up, I couldn't believe some of the stuff I read. And some of these people even profess to be Christians. But, anyway, Godspeed, Darrell...good times.

[MahaMarty]

Something tells me, that this thread will soon by inundated with post saying, "I don't understand why everybody is making such a big deal about this guy," or, "It probably wouldn't have happened to him if he wouldn't tout violence and destruction," or "he got what he deserved because he was a drugged out loser with freakish long hair or a pink goatee," or, "You reap what you sow." Just check out the tribute thread I set up, I couldn't believe some of the stuff I read. And some of these people even profess to be Christians. But, anyway, Godspeed, Darrell...good times.

[Future Snake Eater]

He's considered a worm-feast now.

[elmer fudd]

They did the same thing to me. At least they did in a past life.

And when you tell people the truth they think you're crazy.

[sgtbono2002]

When you make music that appeals to sick people sooner or later one of those sicko's will get carried away.

Hip-hop- Rap, Hard Rock. Maybe its the way they turn up the sound till their brains wont work that does it.

[Rebelbase]

I hope I have as much good said about me when I die as has been said about Darrel at this link:

http://www.damageplan.com/

[MahaMarty]

Well, thank you for proving my point.

[MahaMarty]

I'll check the link out at home, they have it blocked here at work.

[Charles Martel]

If only the paper would seek out Mr. Brey's friends to offer their side of the story, I'm sure we could get to the bottom of this tragedy.

Friends? C'mon - really reach for the brass ring... suggest they find and interview Brey's girlfriends.

[Charles Martel]

Whoops! Substitute Gale for Brey. Sorry, dude!

[t_skoz]

10 posts to prove your point, not too bad. Here's what I posted on the tribute thread:

Let's pretend that you and your brother start a really great an innovative company. Whatever product/service you market, you are at the top of your game, known worldwide as a leader in your industry.

After releasing several revolutionary products over the course of a few years, you and your brother are having serious problems with the other guy you partnered up with, so you dissolve the company and start a new one, full of promise to do as well or better than your last company.

You employ dozens of people, and sell millions of dollars worth of your products and services every year.

One day, you're sitting at your desk making widgets, and some guy comes in your front door screaming about how your old company was so much better than your new one, and how you ruined his life.

Except that you can't really see or hear this guy because your desk has a loud machine operating on it and you're wearing earplugs, and the machining process requires bright lights to be shined at what you're doing and intense concentration on your part. So by the time the guy sticks a pistol in your face and puts 4 slugs through your head and torso, you have no idea what's going on.

Your brother, sitting at a desk 8 feet behind you, sees the back of your head get blown off right before the guy guy decides to turn his gun at him, and the 200+ customers browsing the products on your showroom floor.

When it's all done, you're dead, 2 of your employees, and one of your customers are also dead.

RIP Darrell Abbott

[Terabitten]

When you make music that appeals to sick people sooner or later one of those sicko's will get carried away.

In the middle ages, polyphonic music was thought to be satanic. In the '30s, blues and jazz was the music of the devil. By the '50s, it was rock and roll.

You'll have to come up with a better argument, my FRiend.

[Xenalyte]

Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson, one of the dead, was a buddy of mine. He worked at Scarborough Faire for years, and was in charge of Pantera's security and then Damageplan's. We Rennies are sad.

[Xenalyte]

Maybe if you listened to something that wasn't Lawrence Welk, you'd be able to acknowledge that while you might not like it, others might.

Saying you think something sucks is a shorthand way to explain that you lack the cultural tools to appreciate it.

[KingNo155]

Bump