- You, me, all day.
Most weeks, Bill Peters’ Metal on Metal program on WJCU-FM 88.7 runs from 6:30-9:30 and features a variety of independent metal from around the world. Tonight, however, Peters’ program will run for thirteen hours — starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 8 a.m. — and feature exclusively the music of superstar metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died Sunday, May 16. All week, Peters has been asking fans to e-mail him their three favorite Dio tracks, and it looks like he’ll have time to play most of them. In addition to requests, he promises to “empty out my extensive personal archives” for rare and unreleased recordings by the singer’s various band — Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell.
While Peters is paying tribute to a man he calls “one of my favorite vocalists,” a certain pastor from Kansas will be doing the opposite. Yes, Fred “God Hates Fags” Phelps and his “church” plan to picket Dio’s funeral in Los Angeles.
Says Phelps’ website, which you DON’T want to visit, “Satan-worshiping (or at least one of their enablers) Ronnie James Dio (of showing his devil horns to the world each time he goes in public) BLACK SABBATH fame is dead, right? We’ll be there! Just because the chances of any of God’s elect being amongst this group of heavy metal sycophants is slim to none does not mean they should not get some good words.”
Somewhere (heaven or hell, you decide), Ronnie James is undoubtedly amused. — Anastasia Pantsios
