Live-Metal.Net - Interviews: Chris A. - Author of Vulgar Display of Power

Capturing the courage and carnage:

An interview with Chris Arnold, author of
A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa

Following the tragic events of Dec. 8, 2004 at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, the worldwide media naturally focused on the murder of legendary Pantera/Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott. Chris A. saw another story. Three others lost their lives that night, heroes who went to Dimebag’s aid even as the gunman was still on stage. The result of the writer’s extensive research and countless interviews with friends and family of the deceased is A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa (released by MJS Music Publications), a moving tribute to the life and death of Jeff “Mayhem” Thompson, Erin Halk and Nathan Bray. He also delves into the troubled life of their killer, Nathan Gale, and the mental illness that fueled his murderous actions. Chris A. discussed the writing of his book with Live-Metal.net.

What was the biggest challenge in researching and writing A Vulgar Display of Power?

The biggest challenge was approaching the family members, friends, co-workers of Erin Halk, Jeff Thompson and Nathan Bray. I tried to be as honest and sensitive to their feelings as I possibly could be. The same thing goes for the folks who were witnesses at the Alrosa. Sadly, there are indeed people who churn out rubbish books or other “products” designed simply to generate income on the shoulders of the misfortune of others. I wanted no part of that. Consequently, it took time to craft an appropriate, thoughtful and respectful letter for each family and the witnesses to explain my intentions and ask for their input. Working with the mother of the killer was also a very complex, difficult and emotional situation.

In the introduction, you write about the criticism, angry emails and threats you received while researching the book. Did you ever feel that you were in danger?

I've never felt as if I’ve ever been in real peril. I was a policeman for nearly 15 years and I'm very “aware” of my surroundings. Most of the threats consisted of telephone calls in the middle of the night in addition to vicious e-mails or forum comments. Most have been anonymous written by illiterates or simply idiots, here’s an example of one: “is u da author of said book? if so, what about dime? what does he and or the family get from said book? what bout the families of said ‘fallen protectors’ of dime? who gets proceeds? cause I heard some total bullshit bout this book being a non authorized money making scheme by some asshole to make a quick buck off the passing of a legend. r u said asshole. god I hope not, for your sake.” While it’s hard for me to take threats like this seriously, I’d be a fool to simply brush them off. My friends and relatives are probably more concerned with my safety than I am. Since I do attend a lot of concerts (I do concert photography and review shows), I’m on my guard all the time. It’s taken a lot of the fun out of it. The idiots who spew this garbage aren’t fans, in fact as far as I'm concerned, they bear a striking resemblance to the guy who murdered Dime, Erin, Nate and Jeff. I’m not some evil, money-grubbing, insensitive jerk-off. I’m recounting an incredible story respectfully and with a great sense of admiration and compassion for those who were touched by it. All I ask is before you slam me or the book, read the darn thing. With that being said based on the grammar and spelling in the vast majority of the “threats” I doubt these losers can even read.

Since the book’s release, have you heard from any readers who were opposed to it? How did they react to the book?

No, the reaction to the book has been 100 percent positive. I can’t name a single person who has read it who hasn’t been moved by it. You see, it’s a very different sort of “true crime” book. Unlike books about serial killer such as Dahmer, Gacy or Bundy, this book doesn’t focus on, nor does it try to perpetuate any “myths” about the killer. I often ask people to give me the name of one person that Jeffrey Dahmer murdered. No one has been able to do it yet and I can’t either. I didn’t want that to happen to the heroes of the Alrosa Villa. The story is the heroism, courage and selflessness of Erin Halk, Jeff Thompson and Nathan Bray. People who actually read the book understand that, they admire it and the appreciate it. Does the book recount the background of the killer? Yes. Does the book examine the night of the murders? Yes, and it’s very graphic, but it’s not sensationalized nor did it need to be. I determined that if I “softened” or “dumbed down” the chapter on the murders all I would do would be to detract from the incredible heroism of the evening. That is what the book is about and I believe that anyone who reads it will be moved and thankful that there are men willing to put their lives on the line for others.

Describe your research process. Whose cooperation did you feel was the most important?

The research process was painstaking and included reviews of the investigation report, crime scene photos and video, coroner’s reports, medical records, military records, correspondence with dozens of people in writing, by phone and in person. News footage, media reports, you name it, I tried to analyze it and assign a value to its contents to telling a factual recount of the event. Every person I spoke with, wrote to and heard from was vastly important to the process. However, if I had to pick a few “essential” people they would be Kerri Bray (the wife of Nathan Bray), Margie Carvour (the mother of Erin Halk) and Frank Thompson (the father of Jeff Thompson). The participation and cooperation of these generous folks added an aspect of credibility that simply can’t be overstated. Each of these people is a direct, legal next of kin to one of the heroes. The cooperation of the families of the victims adds an essential “human” element to the story that is often left out in true crime books. They understood that my intentions were to help preserve the legacy of their relative. I met them and interviewed them all face to face. I wanted them to be able to look into my eyes and feel my passion for accurately and respectfully telling the story. The Columbus Police Department, especially Officer James Niggemeyer and Detective William Gillette, were also very helpful and constructive to the process. The same goes for Rick Cautella and the folks at the Alrosa Villa.

What is the one thing (person who wouldn’t contribute, piece of evidence/document you weren’t able to see, etc.) that would have added the most to the book that you were unable to get?

I would have appreciated the opportunity to speak with Aaron Barnes, John Brooks, John Graham and Chris Paluska, who were all a part of the Damageplan road crew that night at the Alrosa Villa. I did attempt to contact them, but they either declined or simply never responded to my requests. Consequently, I never pursued or pushed them out of respect for their privacy.

How has Mary Clark [the mother of Nathan Gale] coped with her son’s actions?

She is doing okay, but she has been shattered by the actions of her son and has continued to second guess and micro-manage her actions and perceived inactions. I know she feels incredible guilt for what her son did, and knowing her as I do, I don’t expect that to ever change. Her cooperation in the book was very important and due to it there is a chance that other people will recognize the traits and characteristic of paranoid schizophrenia in a friend or relative and seek help for them.

What did you find was the biggest misconception about the Alrosa Villa shooting?

Almost every aspect of the shooting was misrepresented in the major media. From the behavior of the shooter before the killings to how he entered the venue, it was all a garbled mish-mosh of rumor, conjecture and ill-fitting puzzle pieces. It’s important to remember that news people, both papers, magazines and TV, have very short deadlines. Because of that they use whatever they have available and of course “pitch” it as being true and reliable. The fact is those reliable truths are only valid until they are superseded by more credible information. That’s why I'm not a journalist. I had the time, resources and cooperation to tell the story truthfully with no spin, no agenda and objectively.

Frankly, the distortions, mistruths and outright lies about what my book was about. Somehow it was tagged as an “Unauthorized Dimebag Darrell Biography” and that is absolutely not factual. Sadly that distortion has been used and is still being used by ignorant parties who have either never read the book or simply have an agenda to slam or defame me or the book. In addition, there are a couple people who have used the deaths of these men as a vehicle to enhance their own image by preying on the sympathy of others. Let me make this crystal clear: I am not speaking about anyone I interviewed in the book nor am I speaking of Dimebag’s friends, relatives, bandmates or crew members, past or present.

Zakk Wylde gave you a set of Black Label Society colors. How did you meet Zakk? Given his close friendship with Dimebag Darrell, did you approach him about contributing to the book?

I met Zakk for the first time in 2004 at the Gibson Custom Shop. In August 2005, I interviewed Zakk for Guitar Digest and we got into a very heavy conversation about the U.S. military. Zakk’s father was in WWII and Zakk is extremely proud of that fact. It’s clear when one speaks with the man that his father was a huge influence on his life and the passion he demonstrates for his music, his family and his country. Despite Zakk’s hard-drinking, obscenity laced lexicon, I believe he’s a deeply spiritual man with a big heart. Heck, he just pledged a donation of one million dollars to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. In any case, I think Zakk just liked me and respected the fact that I served 20 years in the Armed Forces of the United States. When he presented me with the colors, it was completely unexpected and at the time I wasn’t certain I really deserved them, at least from a “rock n’ roll” perspective. I hope that the words and effort I put into A Vulgar Display of Power makes up for any short-coming I may have had as far as “earning” my colors.

Doing my best to promote the book and doing benefit signings for the Anthony Bray College Fund. Nathan Bray was the only victim murdered at the Alrosa who had a child. Consequently, a portion of the proceeds for every book sold goes to Anthony’s college fund. In addition, I’m putting together a two-hour presentation for a police department’s crisis intervention team training about identification and referral of paranoid schizophrenics based on the story of the murders at the Alrosa. Because of what I’ve learned while writing the book, I’ve become an advocate for identifying and addressing the problems of potentially violent, mentally ill people. How does one discreetly, compassionately and safely defuse ticking human time bombs like the Alrosa Villa killer or the Virginia Tech mass-murderer? It’s an issue we must address and education is the key. Besides that, I’m going to do a few CD reviews, take some concert photos, play my guitars and ride my Harley. I invite anyone with questions or comments about my book to drop me a line at chrisa@core.com.