Dio And Me!

It may seem to many of you that I have always loved Dio. But, no, this is not true! It took me many years of personal and professional growth to be able to truly appreciate the greatness that is Dio! I once lamented the fact that I have not always realized how great he truly is, but a man said to me, "Now was the right time for you to appreciate Dio!" Or something like that.

So, what made me go from wincing whenever a Dio video or song came on to anticipating such an event? While the answer is really a heroic journey since my youth, one special piece of the puzzle is Tenacious D.

Now, I love me some Tenacious D. I find their music good, and their humor, well, humorous. (This is not really a post about Tenacious D, but I find them mocking just about everything on every level with their humor). On their first album, they have a song entitled Dio, which is about Dio passing on his musical greatness to The D, now that he's old and can't rock anymore. I hated this song, and would often pass over it on the cd. I didn't like the lyrics, the music, or the joke. And Dio sucked! (or so I then thought).

Since that time, I would often see Dio videos on VH1 Classic (the only place to see videos on tv), and slowly grow to appreciate his dramatic flair. But, still, I did not care for the man or his music.

Tenacious D then released an album soundtrack to their movie The Pick Of Destiny. On the first track, Meatloaf, the supposedly great, bombastic singer sings a verse or two and he absolutely bites! He sounds like an old, tired man who couldn't sing without several hits of oxygen. Then, a verse or two later on comes RJ himself, playing, as only he could, himself! The lyrics are tricky, and the song is good, and Dio sings fantastically! The lyrics are well understood, but fast and with high quality. I was overwhelmed with just how good this man could still sing. It was amazing especially compared to the waste that was Meatloaf! I listened to this verse several times to really get a feel for the man's talent.

And ever since, I've know that Ronnie James Dio is the only true Rock God!