One of the ‘Spill traditions is of course to note the passing of great musicians, and others, in the last twelve months – normally, with the effect of shocking us all at (a) how many, and (b) what amazing, people have died. It does feel as if 2012 has been a particularly active year for the grim reaper; I’ve gone with just two who meant a lot to me, and I’m sure there are loads I’ve forgotten. Which of this year’s sadly missed touched your life the most?
Really touching obit of/tribute to Maurice Sendak (by Tony Kushner) on the Graun’s site today. Agree – it seems like we’ve lost a lot of folk this year.
Christopher Hitchens very sadly missed. Amy Winehouse – a tragedy. Both late Dec last year, so may not have made last year’s lists. And yes, RIP Donna Summer too. Whitney Houston was another sad one.
Jason Noble, multiinstrumentalist with, among other, Rachel’s and Shipping News, died of cancer in August this year, aged forty.
Donna Summer natch. Jon Lord, Adam Yauch, Davy Jones and Robin Gibb.
Yeah, MCA was a real shock, one of the good guys and a huge part of my youth…very sadly missed indeed.
I’m currently reading Hobsbawm’s history of the left in UK 30′s – 2000, brings back memories.
Brubeck. The first jazz I liked when I was very very wee.
I had to do some looking up, but there really have been too many. Hal David and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn on lyrics and bass respectively, joined the heavenly hosts of musical greatness.
Jim Marshall of Marshall Amp fame….pretty much all rock’n'roll and especially heavy metal wouldn’t have been the same without him!
Andy Griffith – Stand up comic, gospel and country singer, film and TV star. “What It Was, Was Football” is still the funniest introduction to gridiron football around.
Dick Clark and Don Cornelius, both legendary DJ’s and TV producers died within weeks of one another.
Turner Classic Movies annual “Remembers”- filmed at a crumbling but still active drive-in theatre in Atlanta – and set to “Wait” by M83 is a beautiful tribute.
Maybe not as famous as some, but a man whose work meant a lot to me was Tad Burness, who published the “Car Spotters Guides” for American and imported cars and trucks from the 1920s through 1990s.
Tad covered them in obsessive detail even marques few people had ever heard of. If you wanted to know the differences between a ’72 and ’73 Impala, Tad already knew and had illustrated it.
I wrote to him thanking him for his work back in the 1990s and he wrote back thanking me. He said even then that his eyesight was fading and that modern vehicles didn’t interest him as much.
We had a tribute to Dory Previn on The ‘Spill; we didn’t have one to Terry Callier, an amazing voice who I don’t know as well as I should.
Not a member of the great and good, but my saddest loss this year was my friend “M”. He was a lovely bloke and I’d known him as a work colleague and friend for 25 years.
At the beginning of 2011 he went to Egypt on holiday and when he came back he was suffering with dysentery. He was pooing blood and it was only later, after the dysentery had cleared up that he was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
They operated and he was on chemo, but it was no good. He ended up with inoperable secondary tumours in his stomach, liver, spine and heart. He and his wife chose to not continue with treatment, which was only ever going to give him a few months or maybe weeks, and he died in March this year.
He was a lovely, lovely bloke and a good friend. He was only 50 and I miss him a lot.
Yup, I’ll back up llamalpaca with love and respect for Jon Lord especially. There must be more but can’t think at the moment. He was missed at the Thunder gig the other night (see Darceysdad’s post elsewhere on t’spill) when they played ‘Might Just Take Your Life’. I was amazed at the time at how many news outlets reported his death and played some Deep Purple stuff. Respect.
A couple not yet mentioned:
Ex-LFC footballer Gary Ablett, all the way back on New Year’s Day. Never a “great”, but a committed, genuine man who was one of those who seemed to be liked by everyone. A bit like with Adam Yauch, I get freaked out by the ‘natural’ death of someone younger than I am.
Guitarist Ronnie Montrose. Maybe not a big enough part of my life to normally merit a mention, but I was strangely moved by the manner of his death. And that debut Montrose LP, with Sammy Hagar, is an all-time rock classic, with a very distinctive guitar sound from Ronnie.
If I get time I will be back later to this. It does appear to have been another horrible year for losses . . . though I suppose we say that every year.
Carole prompts me to add my very close friend Alan Trachtenberg, he died this year. After WW2 Alan wanted to become a lawyer and to work in the union movement in Pittsburgh, instead he wound up becoming the vice president of sales for one of the countries leading men’s clothing manufacturers. His job didn’t interfere with his passion for labor and he was actively involved in the migrant farm workers grape boycott of the 60′s with Cesar Chavez plus he was the one who organised Pete Seeger concerts in reaction to HUAC. I met Alan and his 5 lovely kids in 1970 and we became instant friends, we were in regular contact right up ’til the end. The memorial service, held in Berkeley, drew participants from all over the world and the US, there were hundreds present to acknowledge the contributions of a wonderful man.
If anyone is curious there’s a touching tribute at youtube.
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I’ll try again:
If anyone is curious there’s a touching tribute at youtube.
Etta James and Johnny Otis died within days of each other back in January.
Both sadly missed. Both enormously talented. Etta was my favourite singer ever.
Oh, Nora Ephron. Love the things what she wrote.
Dave Brubeck – remarkably innovative musician who could swing like fuck, if you need proof listen to Jazz at Oberlin
Eric Sykes – brilliant writer and comic and truly decent man
Eric Hobsbawm – a great thinker and teacher
Mickey Baker, guitarist of The Coasters and ‘Mickey and Sylvia’ fame. A nice roll-call here. Condolences especially for Carole and GF, and others losing nearest and dearest.