Goodnight, sweet metal prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. (Okay, maybe they can shred some guitar solos or something instead, if you prefer.)
Yes, it is sad I am to report that Jeff Hanneman, guitarist and songwriter for the kingpin metal band Slayer, died yesterday. He died from liver failure, possibly brought on by a spider bite that produced a condition called necrotizing fasciitis in 2011. (I remember thinking it so odd that he'd get a disease like that, because its name sounds like a Slayer song title he might have written.) I had really hoped he'd get all better. It's just not the same world without him. But luckily, he left a lot of great stuff behind so we'll never forget him.
Slayer is probably the band I have referenced more times on this blog than any other band. (Sorry, I haven't counted.) I've loved them for many years, most especially the songs and lyrics and guitar solos by Jeff Hanneman. I've never met him, and yet I have such a long history with this guy. Apart from listening to Slayer for years, I have been constantly surrounded by guitarists talking about Slayer for years back when I was playing in metal bands. When I was trying to get my own band together, I was constantly stymied by guitarists who only wanted to listen to Slayer and never actually play, write, rehearse, etc. (I mean, I love Slayer too, but I mean, really...) Then there were all the drummers who used to say that Slayer kicked Dave Lombardo out of the band because they were jealous he was getting so much attention when it was supposed to be a guitar band. (<A totally invented scenario, I'd guess. {Although Dave Lombardo is my favorite drummer.}) Also there was the rumor in the NYC metal scene that when Pantera was very hot after the release of Vulgar Display of Power, nobody was willing to tour with them because they always made the headlining act look bad by comparison. Well, nobody but Slayer, anyway. (I never saw these bands together, but it would be my guess that Slayer wouldn't be concerned with being outgunned by anyone.) And I always loved Slayer extra lots because they're the only major thrash band I followed who never went soft or "matured" into radio-friendly material: they always crushed it. Awesome!
Reign in Blood and South of Heaven were my favorite albums of theirs. We can always listen to them as long as we live, but now we can't see them again in that format, which sucks. Many of my favorites are gone now: The Ramones, Jeff Wolfe of Flower Leperds, Cliff Burton, Randy Rhodes, Ian Curtis, the list goes on. And so many great comedians too. But at least they lived, and they left great stuff behind, and the world is a way better place for their being here. Remember the line in Blade Runner about the light that burns twice as brightly burns out twice as fast? Surely this was true of Jeff Hanneman. Thank God he was alive! And we will miss him.
(BTW: Sorry about all the self-referential statements, but as I said before: I didn't know him. All I can do is relate my own experiences and show how important he was to my life and those around me. I wanted to honor him, but it's the only way I can really do so without simply pointing you to his work, which I think speaks for itself better than I could ever speak of it.)
Can you believe the Grammys didn't mention him in their remembrance section? After winning Grammys, too. So it's not like they'd never heard of him. Pretty low, I must say.
