so, i was thinking about this while i was listening to Fiction by Avenged Sevenfold. so here it is:
James "Jimmy" Owen Sullivan, often called The Rev, or sometimes even, The Reverend Tholomew Plague, was born on February 9th, 1981 in Huntington Beach, California. He grew up in Huntington Beach with fellow Avenged Sevenfold band members. He got his first drum sticks at the age of four, but didn't get his first drum set until he was eleven. When Jimmy was in high school, he actually started playing drums in bands. When he was 18, he recorded drums for Avenged Sevenfold's first album,
Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. He didn't just offer the backbone of A7X's songs, he also wrote and even sang in some of them such as
A Little Piece of Heaven, Brompton Cocktail, Critical Acclaim, Crossroads, Gunslinger, Lost, Afterlife, and Fiction. You can even hear him playing the piano on tracks such as
Fiction, Warmness of The Soul, and
Save Me. When Revolver did their second Golden God Awards, The Rev won best drummer. He beat drummers such as Chris Adler from Lamb of God, Brann Dailor of Mastodon, Dave Grohl from Them Crooked Vultures, and even Dave Lombardo of Slayer. But, because of his death, he could not receive the award personally, so the other members of his band took the award on his behalf.
Jimmy was a trouble maker for most of this life. He attended a Catholic school with his friend and the singer of A7X, M. Shadows, or Matt Sanders, but was kicked out in the second grade. Jimmy became close to the guitarist and his best friend Synyster Gates, or Brain Haner.
The Rev had a girlfriend named Leana Silver, and she was usually found of the Avenged Sevenfold music video sets. Not much is known about their relationship, but she was a lucky girl to date him.
Jimmy has many tattoos covering his body. He has "Fiction" tattooed down his stomach, stopping just above his belly button. He has a pair of handcuffs tattooed on his neck, which is usually visible.
A little fact about The Rev is that he hates spiders, but in the Afterlife video you can see him covered in them. He said he was "doing it for the fans, doing it for the kids."
Sadly, on December 28th, 2009, his body was found in his home. He was dead. They say that his death was due to "natural causes" but he was only 28, that doesn't happened. The Rev had admitted that in 2006, he was addicted to cocaine. However, on June 9, 2010, it was released that he had died of an acute polydrug intoxication from oxycodone, oxymorphone, diazepam, nordiazepam, and alcohol. In other words, drug overdose. A funeral was held on January 5, 2010.
so why am i writing about this? well, simply because The Rev is one of my idols. he is/was (i didn't like to say was) such a great person, and is missed everyday. i can't imagine how Syn, M., Zacky, and Johnny must have felt about this.
who is The Rev to me? well, to me, The Rev is a kind-hearted teddy bear. he is hilarious, and anyone can see that. it's obvious. he is also one of the most legit people i have ever seen in an interview. there is some sort of reason for his insanity, but only The Rev would know the answer to that.
i remember the first time i watched the Avenged Sevenfold: All Access DVD i bought on itunes. it's only about an hour long, but you learn sooooo much about the band. there was one scene, when they were in this park and it was The Rev, Johnny, and Syn and they were by this pond. here's how the conversation went:
The Rev: "look at the size of that firetrucking duck!"
Syn: "whoooooahhhh!"
The Rev: "look at that duck! come here firetrucking stallion duck! he's not afraid at all!"
Syn: "he's bigger than you"
The Rev: "he's not afraid at all! he's not afraid at allll!"
Syn: "the only bird with a longer neck"
The Rev: "that's the biggest firetrucking duck i've ever seen in my life"
you can youtube that whole scene, and it'll put a smile on your face. it's so funny and so random.
