Remembering Razzle, 22 Years On
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Razzle (Nicholas Dingley) was killed 22 years ago while riding in Vince Neil's Ford Pantera. Razzle drummed for Hanoi Rocks, one of my absolute favorite bands. And one of the kewlest rock bands of all time, IMO. Actually, not just IMO. Their fans include members of Mötley Crüe, Metallica, Faster Pussycat and Guns N' Roses. Check them out if you haven't already. But I digress...
Late in the afternoon on December 8th 1984, Razzle was visiting at his friend Vince Neil's house in Redondo Beach. Vince had just bought a cherry red Ford Pantera. Razzle wanted to see what it was like to ride in. Vince was out of alcohol so they decided to make a run to a neighborhood liquor store. On the way back Vince topped a hill doing 65mph (in a 25mph zone), hit a wet spot in the street and lost control. His Pantera slid into a Volkswagen coming in the opposite direction. |
Minutes later Vince blew .17, was bandaged up and promptly arrested. Razzle was rushed unconscious to an ER where he died on the operating room table. Tommy Lee later wrote:
After two and a half hours of waiting in complete silence, a doctor finally came into the waiting room. His gloves were bloody and his mask was pulled down around his neck. My eyes filled with water before he even spoke. The tears just hung there suspended, covering my eyes like contact lenses, until the dreaded doctor spoke those dreaded words: "Your buddy Razzle didn't make it".
News got out quickly (though not as instantly as today). On December 9th, 1984. I was in Mr. Holgate's photography class at Apollo High School. We were listening to 98 KUPD and the DJ came on and was talking about how Vince Neil had been involved in a car accident and that Razzle was dead. Dude! I was 15. Mötley Crüe were my idols. I thought life as I knew it had just ended. Geeze.
Well, we all know Mötley Crüe went on to conquer the world -- many times over. The woman in the Volkswagen? I read later that she had to learn how to brush her teeth again. And Vince got a few months in jail and years of probation. I'm not sure how much the settlement was for but suffices to say her attorneys needed him on stage so they could collect. Unfortunately, for Hanoi Rocks, the surviving members went their separate ways after the accident.
Altogether, there are three news events that occurred during my teenage years where I can remember exactly where I was when news of the event reached me. Though these dates and events did not involved me personally, I can vividly recall my surroundings. Word of Vince's accident is the first one.
The second was March 30th, 1981, when John Hinckley shot President Reagan. I totally remember I was in Mr. Wilson's class. I can't remember if we were studying history or math. That I do forget. Nor did I remember the date was "March 30th". I had to look that up.
The third news event I remember clear as yesterday is the space shuttle Challenger disaster. I was sitting in Mr. Rogers algebra class, also at Apollo High School. His classroom had a phone in it. That sticks with me because teachers at my high school never used phones in class. Heck we never even saw phones on campus! But Mr. Rogers classroom had one in a small back office. It never rang though and he never used it.
Well that phone rang January 28th, 1986. I remember Mr. Rogers going to the back to answer it. And when he returned, he looked like he was going to cry. He muttered something like "My wife just called, the space shuttle just blew up". That was heavy. Class dismissed.
What news events bring you back to a specific moment in time?