Slouching Towards Oblivion

Showing posts with label dead celebrities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dead celebrities. Show all posts

Monday, August 01, 2022

Today's Birthday

Jerry Garcia was an American musician, best known for being a principal songwriter, the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, of which he was a founding member and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 1960s. Although he disavowed the role, Garcia was viewed by many as the leader of the band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a member of the Grateful Dead.

As one of its founders, Garcia performed with the Grateful Dead for their entire 30-year career (1965–1995). Garcia also founded and participated in a variety of side projects, including the Saunders–Garcia Band (with longtime friend Merl Saunders), the Jerry Garcia Band, Old & In the Way, the Garcia/Grisman and Garcia/Kahn acoustic duos, Legion of Mary, and New Riders of the Purple Sage (which he co-founded with John Dawson and David Nelson). He also released several solo albums, and contributed to a number of albums by other artists over the years as a session musician. He was well known for his distinctive guitar playing, and was ranked 13th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" cover story in 2003. In the 2015 version of the list he was ranked at #46.

Garcia was also renowned for his musical and technical ability, particularly his ability to play a variety of instruments and sustain long improvisations with the Grateful Dead. Garcia believed that improvisation took stress away from his playing and allowed him to make spur of the moment decisions that he would not have made intentionally. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Garcia noted that "my own preferences are for improvisation, for making it up as I go along. The idea of picking, of eliminating possibilities by deciding, that's difficult for me". Originating from the days of the "acid tests", these improvisations were a form of exploration rather than playing a song already written.

Later in life, Garcia struggled with diabetes and in 1986, went into a diabetic coma that nearly cost him his life. Although his overall health improved somewhat after that, he continued to struggle with obesity, smoking, and longstanding heroin and cocaine addictions. He was staying in a California drug rehabilitation facility when he died of a heart attack on August 9, 1995, at the age of 53.



Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Today's Today

A few hours after this picture was taken, he'd be dead

James Dean's death is one of those odd cultural milestones that mark both the ending of something and the beginning of something, both of which are all balled up together.

I don't know how to articulate it properly, but it seemed like we started to wake up a little in the mid-50s, thinking we should be aspiring to something more and better than what we had - that we should put an end to the weirdly rosy attitude that everything's fine as long as we all smile and chit-chat and pretend that nothing could possibly go wrong with this charmed life we're all living just ten years after a 35 year period that saw two World Wars sandwiched around almost 20 years of economic depression.

We were on top of the world, but it just didn't feel right - we needed it to change.

America can be a very strange place.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Bye Now

I make it a point never to celebrate the destruction of any of our fellow human beings.

That said, I won't even do the usual and customary "sorry not sorry" on this one.


David Koch is dead.

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my brother David. Anyone who worked with David surely experienced his giant personality and passion for life. Twenty-seven years ago, David was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and given a grim prognosis of a few years to live. David liked to say that a combination of brilliant doctors, state-of-the-art medications and his own stubbornness kept the cancer at bay. We can all be grateful that it did, because he was able to touch so many more lives as a result.

"In those bountiful years, he married the lovely Julia Flesher, had three exceptional children, while remaining dedicated to the long-term success of Koch Industries. David also made institution changing philanthropic commitments to hospitals, cancer research, education and the arts. The significance of David's generosity is best captured in the words of Adam Smith, who wrote, 'to indulge our benevolent affections, constitutes the perfection of human nature.'

"While this is a very sad day for us all, I want you to know that David was proud of the extraordinary work you all have done to make Koch Industries the successful company that it is today. He will be greatly missed, but never forgotten."

David retired as executive vice president of Koch Industries in 2018. He leaves behind his wife, Julia Koch, and three beloved children. David's family released this statement on his passing:

"While we mourn the loss of our hero, we remember his iconic laughter, insatiable curiosity, and gentle heart. His stories of childhood adventures enlivened our family dinners; his endless knowledge rendered him our 'walking Google.' His sensitive heart had him shed a tear at the beauty of his daughter's ballet, and beam with pride when his son beat him at chess. We will miss the fifth link in our family.

"Yet, we wish for all to celebrate the life and impact of this most generous and kind man. He believed he had a responsibility to a world that had given him so many opportunities to succeed. David's philanthropic dedication to education, the arts and cancer research will have a lasting impact on innumerable lives - and that we will cherish forever."




Saturday, August 17, 2019

RIP

Peter Fonda: February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019


I stole $10 from the money I'd raised for student council selling lapel buttons and window decals to take my girlfriend to see Easy Rider in 1969.

That was the beginning of my thankfully short career as a crooked politician.

And it's not for nothing - when I bitch about official corruption and Coin-Operated politicians, I know what the fuck I'm talkin' about, kids.



Monday, December 26, 2016

Lost Another Good One

I was never a big fan - except for Kissing A Fool (that's one of the all-time great tunes) - but George Michael died yesterday and there just has to be a place on the short list for this one great album from way back in 1990.


PS) The Boomer Death Wave is underway now - we can expect 2 million of us to die every year for the next 10-20 years.

Fuck your bucket list - get out there and do shit.