Ronnie James: allowing brothers to like each other.

so it's 1984, and a precocious ten-year old is eating chicken mcnuggets in front of the MTV after school. and wouldnt you know it: in comes the older brother. this dude is the classic 80s stoner-teen. long hair, ripped jeans, Priest Jersey-T, smelling of the green stuff.

being seven years apart in age, we never really had those genius bonding moments siblings closer to age may have had. but we always had music. and on one day we had a video premier:

the last in line.

of course, there was that lovely opening scene of a kid on a bike getting into an elevator to hell, you know: off to the witch, man.

there were the post-apocalyptic torture scenes.

there was vivian fucking campbell shredding pre-leppard (another blog for another time).

there was ronnie james dio playing dungeons & dragons with a damn lightsaber.

and of course, there was brother and brother, quiet in the shared radness that is DIO.

I put that video on my brother's facebook page not long ago, the sucker I am for remembrance. and why that day stands out in my brain, I'm not sure. of course, it's probably the lightsaber.

but it's there, friends. an indelible memory of me and my brother vibing together in the glory of metal.

thanks for that RJD: and rest in peace, sir.