Vin Diesel’s Emotional Tribute & Keanu’s Dolly Connection

Just when you thought Vin Diesel’s greatest contribution to emotional storytelling involved family, fast cars, and staring intensely into the middle distance, he goes and surprises everybody with a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton.

Welcome back to The Rizzuto Show, the funny podcast where we apparently begin with Vin Diesel singing “I Will Always Love You” and somehow get MORE unpredictable from there.

The crew tries to identify the mystery celebrity behind the surprisingly vulnerable performance before learning it’s Vin Diesel—and, against all reasonable expectations, everybody is impressed. His deep voice and emotional delivery lead to the obvious conclusion that somebody should probably get this man “Ol’ Man River” immediately.

Then comes another Dolly Parton connection we absolutely did not have on the bingo card: Keanu Reeves.

Keanu’s mother, Patricia Taylor, worked as a costume designer for Dolly, including creating the famous black bunny outfit Dolly wore for her 1978 Playboy cover. That outfit eventually made its way into the Reeves household, where teenage Keanu reportedly wore it for Halloween—bunny ears, bustier, fishnets, bow tie, sneakers and all. Somehow, this only strengthens the crew’s argument that Keanu Reeves may be next in line for the title of universally beloved celebrity.

From there, Crap on Celebrities gets moving with Miley Cyrus seemingly entering her one-name era, discussion surrounding Kelly Osbourne and public speculation about her appearance, and Bad Wolves releasing their metal version of “Jolene.” The crew also gets into the Sphere making The Wizard of Oz even more ridiculous, chart talk, Lionel Richie’s health scare following his St. Louis performance, ZZ Top continuing forward, Kelly Clarkson wrapping her talk show, Jamie Pressley’s reported hotel drama, and Mel Gibson apologizing after an awkward moment involving a sign-language interpreter.

You know. Normal morning activities.

Then Chad Gray joins the show ahead of his 30 Years of Madness stop at Delmar Hall, and the conversation turns into a trip through three decades of heavy music.

Chad talks about building a set from roughly 12 albums of material across Mudvayne and HELLYEAH, including deep cuts that force him to keep lyric sheets nearby because apparently even the guy who wrote the songs occasionally needs the musical equivalent of checking his notes.

He explains how he’s kept his voice intact after decades of screaming and singing, what he learned from vocal coach Melissa Cross, and how his approach has evolved from essentially hitting every note “like a linebacker” to using more technique and finesse.

The conversation gets deeper as Chad remembers being an outcast kid in Illinois and discovering heavy metal as both an identity and a tribe. That eventually leads into the incredible story of how HELLYEAH came together and Chad’s first nerve-racking phone call with Vinnie Paul. Chad remembers going to Texas, entering the studio connected to Dimebag Darrell, and seeing firsthand how emotional returning to music was for Vinnie.

Playing those HELLYEAH songs today remains emotional for Chad because, as he explains, performing them is one way of keeping Vinnie’s memory alive.

Chad also opens up about reaching five years of sobriety and how dramatically his life has changed. Rafe shares his own experience with 15 years without drinking, giving this funny podcast one of those rare moments where everybody stops roasting each other long enough to have an unexpectedly meaningful conversation.

Don’t worry. It doesn’t become responsible for too long.

The crew and Chad also revisit Mudvayne’s unforgettable early-2000s rise, including their MTV appearance, winning the inaugural MTV2 award, meeting major stars backstage, and the absolutely stacked Ozzfest era. Chad reflects on what Ozzy Osbourne did for generations of metal bands by putting younger artists in front of enormous audiences and helping create opportunities that changed careers.

There’s talk of Peoria, Decatur, Illinois metal culture, touring, Mudvayne’s future, Chad’s current band, the legacy of HELLYEAH, and why sitting around waiting for something to happen simply isn’t in his DNA.

So yes, this episode begins with Vin Diesel singing Dolly Parton and eventually arrives at Vinnie Paul, Ozzfest, sobriety, Mudvayne history and Keanu Reeves wearing fishnets.

We'd explain how those things belong together, but that would suggest this show has a plan.

It does not.

That’s why you listen to this funny podcast in the first place.

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