Quotes from Vinnie Paul

Honestly, this country was built on freedom of speech and freedom of expression, and when you can no longer do that, then it is no longer based on that, you know.

I wouldn't want my funeral to be a sad, sappy thing.

I love cooking fajitas. I'm from Texas, and it's not a difficult thing to do, but a lot of people burn the chicken.

Let me tell you something... If you're anybody - not just me, but anybody - and you can put an oven that doesn't work at all on eBay and sign your name on it and sell it for 1200 bucks, and somebody will drive from Seattle to Dallas, Texas, to get it, that's pretty cool.

The history of Pantera speaks for itself.

My drum parts are a song within the song; that's the way I look at writing my drum parts. They follow patterns, and they're written to interact with the rest of the band. There's quite a bit of thought that goes into it.

I love to gamble!

My life has been one gigantic comic book, and on the other hand, it's been one gigantic book of laurels and amazing accomplishments, and on the other hand, it's been a book full of horror stories. It's a big book.

That was one thing I wanted to win because, my mom, she didn't really know much else in music, but the Grammys were special to her.

My playing is always just a little on top of the beat. I can't lay down the kind of groove that Brad Wilk can. I'd really have to lay back to do that; it just doesn't feel natural to me.

I had some proper training, but that was only on snare drum. Learning all the techniques in marching bands and realizing how important it is to play tight set a standard for me for when I did get into a band.

We are firm believers that the first time somebody hears a brand new song from the band, it shouldn't be on a cell phone camera with the distortion or anything where you can't make it out. We want to present it right.

If you take the riff from the song 'Cowboys From Hell' and really break it down, it's almost a hillbilly guitar riff: dekka dekka dekka dekka dekka dekka dekka dek.

'The Will To Survive' is a great track.

I did a lot of great things in the past, but I live for today and for the future.

A lot of people are really hung on the past - they can't get past that - but you've gotta get past that if you want any future.

I used to be a free-loving, free-caring person with no worries. We lived with no fear, you know?

I like to live for today and what's coming up tomorrow, and I love what we're doing with Hellyeah. And that's my focus, and that's my goal, man.

People ask me all the time, 'Why don't don't you ever do drum clinics?' And my reply is always that I like playing music; I want to play with a band.

Probably some of the most impressive drumming I've done is on the 'Far Beyond Driven' record.

You don't get anything easy when you come from a big band and you go and start another one. You learn real fast that, 'Wow! I went from the top of the mountain to all the way back to the bottom, and I've gotta start over.'

It's unfortunate that people go, 'Oh, wow, man, they can get Zakk Wylde to jump up there on stage, and it's Pantera again.' No, it's not, you know. It's not that simple.

I think that Chad Gray is one of the most honest, emotional, real vocalists there is; he really takes a lot of pride in writing the lyrics, takes a lot of time with them. He writes and re-writes more than just about anybody I've ever been around.

The relationship in Pantera and with Damageplan is the opposite of the traditional rhythm section. It's me and Dime, not the bass, locking in always. Dime's such a strong rhythm player that we just walk in, and we're good to go. We've been playing together forever, and when he goes somewhere, I instinctively know where he's going.