The Metal Files

Happy Birthday, Dave!  By 1999, I’d seen Slayer only once, the Seasons In The Abyss Tour.   But it wasn’t until he was touring with Testament on The Gathering Tour in 1999 that I got to meet him.  My buddy Chris E. and I went up to Jaxx in Springfield, VA and got in free thanks to his connection with Steve DiGiorgio.  We arrived early and got to meet Dave and his son outside the bus.  I had Dave sign a few CDs and had him sign The Book.  When he signed my River’s Edge soundtrack CD, he said, “We were on this?”  It made me laugh.  I then opened the book to the photo of Slayer and handed it to him.  He lowered it down to his son and said, “Which one’s daddy?”  He son looked for a second and pointed out Dave.  That was pretty cool.  It was a great meeting with one of metal’s most powerful and influential drummers.

I’ll be 43 in a few weeks and it doesn’t seem like Dave would only be 48.  I guess as a kid when you’re listening to Reign in Blood, you think that the bands you love are so much older.

Dave. 1999