RIP Dave Cobb

You are probably wondering who DC is.

He died today from a heart attack brought on by years of meth abuse. But that's not the whole story, by far, and I'd hope this could be a thread for all of our lost friends.

I fist met DC in 1986, in my senior year of high school, in a class about real life(cashing checks and all that kinda stuff) of which I can't even remember the name of the class. We were paired up for the subject at hand and all the others immediately grouped into pairs and left me with the huge fat dude.

After a few minutes of being paired together it was obvious we both had a love of prog-metal, metal and hard rock and prog-metal didn't really even exist at that point.

But we went on, the both of us trying to find new and exciting music. We both were products of living in Vegas at the time, which shunned us younger folk, so we did drugs, alcohol, whatever we could to break up the boredom of living here. He just never stopped. I'm not a angel but I never took it to the level he did.

He was my music buddy, the best I ever had. I could argue with him who was better and why, like a PE debate because he knew what he was talking about. He may have been wrong at times as his mind wasn't always there but he really knew his stuff. I taught him well over the years when he wasn't paying attention to the music scene. He was, possibly, the most stupid person I've ever met but he knew his rock and roll.

There is something about the recorded medium that lets us all listen multiple times. Ain't like the olden days where one had to go see a concerto to experience it and the Cobbster listened a lot and even if he didn't have any musical experience or actual knowledge, he got it. He sat and watched old bands of mine come together and write songs and he listened and learned about the creative process. In this day and age, that's not unusual but back then, it was his introduction into how a song gets written and he had great respect for me and my bandmates for what we tried to accomplish.

He got it. Back then when prog-metal didn't even exist, he got what I was trying to do. Stupid as hell Dave Cobb, who could never get anything right in real life, he got what I was trying to do.

He understood the music, and he loved it to his dying day. He called me a few weeks ago with a rumor about Geddy Lee being dead and I hung up on him because of who he always was. Now he's dead and I can't even explain to him why I had to do what I did.

I've been missing the mother #er for a while now, but I had to do what I did. Makes it no easier to deal with now that I know he's gone. PE, for all it's faults, is a place of refuge for me, and the people I can talk to about this kind of stuff are also refugees from this crappy existence that is real life. I don't have anyone in real life I can talk to about music, the driving force in my life, yet Dave Cobb was always there until I had to finally ditch him.

I've been missing him since I had to ditch him. Now he's gone, forever. I'll never get to say anything to him ever again. I had to do what I had to do but I wish I hadn't. My music buddy of all music buddies is now gone forever and I'll never get to explain why, even though he probably understood, why I had to delete him from my life. He was still my friend and for all his faults I still loved that asshole.

RIP The Flounder. Frakking dumbass.

This was originally posted on Progressive Ears, so forgive me for not taking the reference out but I thought this is something worth sharing. ATS means a awful lot to me but it ain't the place for music discussions the likes of which the Flounder and I have had over the years. This is more enhanced than the PE version but nominally the same, just saying the same thing over and over. Cut and paste with some additions, IOW.

So sorry to hear that you lost your music buddy! We have a lot of ATS folks who have a passion for music and you can always share things with us here if you want to talk music. I LOVE Dio and have always loved your avatar! HUGS! You are never truly alone!

a reply to: Night Star

Thanks, friend.

I have this clip for you. Both Dave and I experienced this and if you want to know what a real rock and roll show is like, this is it. Dangerous as hell. The full show is up there on Youtube but the audio and video quality are hellishly bad.

Metallica, right before ...and Justice For All was released, at Van Halen's Monsters of Rock fest in 1987. We drove down from Vegas that day, got drunk and then walked into a hell of a spit storm. This clip is not the whole show, but it's there if you want to see it. The only historically significant show Dave Cobb ever saw, and I'm glad he did as he was so messed up he rarely saw shows and times, like the Rainbow show in '97, he was so sick he missed the show even though he was there.

a reply to: TheSpanishArcher


I have been to a couple of shows where people just freaked out and acted like complete morons, ruining it for others. It's especially scary being a woman. My friend and I were lucky enough to have some big strong guys being protective of us and making sure we weren't crushed.

I love metallica and have seen them live, but with a much better behaved audience thank God! I have also seen Dio live and was up in the front of the stage being banged into by idiots in some marsh pit. I wanted so badly to be up front that close to see them, but it wasn't worth it, so I backed up enough where I was safe and comfortable. People have to understand that there are also a lot of younger kids at these shows with parents and should be more considerate and act like human beings.

If you were in a safe space at that show, it must have been awesome though!

a reply to: Night Star

Found the song to be played for the larger than life Dave Cobb. One he loved. There is a lot to be said about Dave wasting his life. Much that can be learned from and much that cannot be explained. I could go on for hours with stories but I won't, as really this death is no different than many others and starting this thread was idiotic as everyone has lost a friend.

He deserved more from life but couldn't get out of his own way and died alone in some bushes. That's tragedy. Horn's Up, Dave Cobb.

a reply to: Night Star

NS, thanks for the words. You are far too kind.

I have a really hard time listening to music these days. Sitting here watching Rush R40 dvd and I'm in tears. Losing It - "The bell tolls for thee". How It Is - "That's how it is, and how it ought to be".

And that's the story of Dave Cobb, I guess. How it ought to be.

My one love in life has been rock and roll. Now it hurts. Remember the last episode of MASH, where Charles Winchester(the 3rd) views music as a crutch to bear after the musicians are killed on the road?

I'll never experience another death like this. The few people I do know these days aren't lost. There is no sense to made from this, no solace to be had. Those stages of grief they talk about are bullsnip. I'll never come to terms with this. His father built him a race car(his uncle is a local racing legend) and he never got to even try and drive it, even back then, as he was too messed up. He had chances, this wasn't some guy from the "other side of the tracks".

I am so not doing well these days.

a reply to: TheSpanishArcher

Your video didn't work in the post above.

Dave is at peace and probably rocking up a storm in heaven with Ronny James Dio and other music legends.

I believe that we are far more than just a physical body and that our soul/essence goes on to something better after this life.

Dave wouldn't want you to be so sad. He knows you care. Think of him as having a better life than he ever could have had here. We are made of stars, energy and energy does not die.
It's only natural to grieve for your loss, to be sad about the screwed up life he chose here on this earth, but he is beyond all that now, beyond the bad experiences he faced here. I'll give you hug here because you need one.