Ex-DIO Bassist Comments On Vivian Campbell's Time With The Band

The Russian Black Sabbath Fan Club has just posted the following email from ex-Dio bassist Jimmy Bain regarding his view on the Dio vs. Vivian Campbell conflict back in 1985:
'Watching it first hand working with Dio on his tour it came down to money. Viv wanted to get paid like he was Dio himself. It did not help having people come up and tell him as a young man that he was a guitar god. He started to appear in more mags like Kerrang, Circus, etc and he started to believe his own press. Which started to effect his attitude and performance. On the Sacred Heart tour he became such a problem for everyone. He started to treat everyone like shit. In Dio's band you couldn't get away with that for long without hearing about it. His performance on stage and playing really started to go down. He would make fun of Ronnie's songs and kept demanding a bigger cut of the money. He wanted more money but would not want to take the risk either that Ronnie and the management took. The Sacred Heart tour as we called it "Dio Land" was very expensive to put on. He wanted the money in his pocket and had no problem voicing that opinion. Everyone tried to talk to him, but it was no use. I was really shocked that he lasted as long as he did on that tour. I think later in life he will understand Ronnie better and learn to understand that Dio's music made him who he was and showed him a glimpse of who he could have been. Like I told him a few nights before he was fired, "If it was not for Ronnie, his music, his fans, and his clout, you would be another talented guitarist that never made it".

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Tags:  Dio, Vivian Campbell, Jimmy Bain  

Jason Fisher    February 15, 2012