About six months ago, I pleaded with fellow bloggers and journalists to please stop asking drummer Vinnie Paul about a potential Pantera reunion. For the most part, nobody asked Vinnie. But then somebody had to go and ask frontman Phil Anselmo about it, and he said something about talking to Zakk Wylde, which he then denied, and then everybody got their panties in a bunch.
Now, a new interview has surfaced where Vinnie is once again asked about the potential for a reunion, but Paul couldn't make it more clear… he's not into it:
"It's easy, man. I don't live in the past, man. I wanna look forward, I wanna keep moving forward. I understand [fans] wanting to see it, especially people who've never had an opportunity to see PANTERA, but without my brother being part of it, it just doesn't make any sense. I'm not gonna trample on his legacy to make some people happy. We had 14 amazing years together and we sold nearly 40 million records around the world. That's some pretty amazing stuff. And the band is, actually, to me, bigger today than it was then. I mean, it really is; it's really grown and grown and grown. There's plenty of DVDs and videos out there for them to watch. And I would highly suggest you come and see me play with Hellyeah, 'cause that's what I do."
He added, "[It's just] rumors, man. That's all I got to say. And you heard that Aerosmith song, [singing] 'Dream on, dream on.' It ain't gonna happen, man. I have no interest in playing with those guys. I love [HELLYEAH]; I'm really into it. And I really believe if I stick with it long enough, it will see the same kind of success eventually."
There you have it, people. Stop asking Vinnie, 'cause all Vinnie wants to do is Hellyeah. Everybody's moved on. Phil has Down. Rex has Kill Devil Hill. They're all at a different place in their lives.
Here's the one thing people aren't asking: Even if everybody magically puts all their differences aside, who's to say such a reunion would even be good? What if it's terrible and it tarnishes everything the band built up until now? As Vinnie said, it's best to leave some things in the past.
