Guitarist Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan has paid an emotional tribute to his former bandmate and friend, Brent Hinds, who passed away this week at age 51 in a motorcycle accident. The two musicians played together in the supergroup Giraffe Tongue Orchestra in 2016, and Weinman‘s heartfelt post on Instagram reflects on their 25-year friendship and Hinds‘ larger-than-life presence.
In his post, Weinman said he was having a difficult time accepting the news of Hinds‘ death, especially because he had a premonition that he needed to see his friend soon. He also addressed the online trolls who were speaking negatively about Hinds after his departure from Mastodon, expressing his disgust with how quickly people can turn. “[Hinds] was born a rockstar. Loved not just for his talent, but for being a wild, untamable free spirit, bigger than life itself,” Weinman wrote. “The flood of tributes from people we never heard of to legends we never could imagine even being in the same room with is proof of that.”
Weinman recalled that whenever Hinds walked into a room, the entire atmosphere shifted, with even the most famous celebrities fading into the background. “When [Hinds] walked into a room, the whole place shifted. Even the most ‘larger than life’ celebrities melted into the background when his presence took over,” he said.
He also shared a personal story about a time when he considered doing dr**s backstage and Hinds stopped him, saying, “No… that’s not you. I love you as you are.” Weinman said that this moment exemplified Hinds‘ character. He also noted that Hinds made everyone feel like a close friend. “When [Hinds] called so many of us his best friend, you believed it because it was true,” Weinman said.
Weinman‘s full statement is below:
“I had to wait a day to write this because even accepting the news of Brent’s death has been really hard. Just a few days ago I told my bandmates I felt [Hinds] didn’t have long. I knew I needed to see him when I got home from Australia. I didn’t get that chance.
Here’s the truth: I saw lots of trolls talking s**t online about [Hinds] after he departed Mastodon, and it made me sick. How quickly people turn. [Hinds] was born a rockstar. Loved not just for his talent, but for being a wild, untamable free spirit, bigger than life itself. The flood of tributes from people we never heard of to legends we never could imagine even being in the same room with is proof of that.
When [Hinds] walked into a room, the whole place shifted. Even the most “larger than life” celebrities melted into the background when his presence took over.
I was friends with [Hinds] for 25 years. People used to wonder how a guy like me was so close to a guy like him. I always tell them this story: one day we were backstage, and dr**s were going around. I thought maybe I should just let go and join in. [Hinds] stopped me. He said, “No… that’s not you. I love you as you are.” That was him. When [Hinds] called so many of us his best friend, you believed it because it was true.
I love you, [Hinds]. I’ll always hold on to the memories, the music, the [Hinds] signature guitar you left at my house so we’d always have a reason to jam, the tiki statue you started carving for me out of a backyard log, and all the little pieces of you that are still here. I woke up to a flood of messages asking if I was okay because everyone knew how much I loved you, brother.
And Dirty B… AJ asked me to reunite GTO and do a big tour of Australia. Of course, the second GTO tour gets canceled because of your motorcycle bulls**t. But honestly, I wouldn’t expect the mighty Brent Hinds to travel any other way. I get it, buddy. I really do.”
