Because laughing at someone else is fun…
Name a Ronnie James Dio Song?
Famous heavy metal frontman Ronnie James Dio died on May 16th, 2010 after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. As I sat down to write something about his death, I realized that I knew very little about Ronnie James Dio. I knew he had crazy long black curly hair and was the “devil horns” guy. I’ve heard countless Dio references (I’ve even made Dio jokes in the past), but I couldn’t tell you anything he’s done musically.
When I mentioned this fact to a colleague, someone standing nearby said.
“You gonna write something bad about Dio?” in a shocked, disappointed manner.
I replied, “No, but can you name a Ronnie James Dio song?”
Silence.
My point was proven!
Somewhere along the line Ronnie James Dio became more important as a cultural reference than musician. He became the representation of heavy metal, both good and bad. The love of evil and darkness, the look, and that amazing voice. Please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying, this is not a slam against Dio. In fact, its a compliment that he has somehow became larger and more important than his music. People remember “the horns,” people remember “Dio,” people just don’t remember “Dio’s songs.”
To prove my point, I challenge everyone reading this to come up with a Ronnie James Dio song (without looking it up on the internet) and see how many you can come up with.
RIP Dio!!
