not again...

March 11, 2004 9:09 AM

More bad news. A post this morning on the Dead Milkmen messageboard, coming from Dave Blood's sister, says that the bassist killed himself last night. It's not been a very good week for my high school heroes.
posted by jann (24 comments total)

No!

Dave was the one guy in the band with actual chops. He held them together.

I loved that band. Damn.
posted by chicobangs at 9:19 AM on March 11, 2004

I heard this on the radio this AM. That sucks. I loved that band.

In other words: .
posted by xmutex at 9:26 AM on March 11, 2004

(troutfishing thinks this post is about him, see, and he wants to demonstrate his coolness : )I still can't quite seem to part with my somewhat rare vinyl like such gems as "We're the Meatmen - and you suck!", the Dead Milkmen, the Dead Kennedys, The Misfits, Black Flag, yada yada ( and then there's that Iron Maiden limited edition record with the picture of the brain served up with mashed potatoes and corn, or something, printed on the record itself. This trick doesn't has the same impact on a CD. But, anyway - that's a different genre ) and I do have to say that there's nothing quite like some good hardcore once in a while. But there's a reason I don't listen to such fare as a general rule any more, and there's a reason I no longer have any Joy Division recordings in my collection (that I can find, anyway) - If I had been listening regularly to such stuff constantly since 1980, well - I would have been dead years ago.

I don't mind now, either, bitter social and political criticism set to music. I just prefer it with a slower tempo and with sweeter, more complex melodic lines and a mix between major and minor keys. Hip Hop and rap are generally sweeter than Hardcore too.

It's not exactly Hardcore (close though) but I still do really enjoy cranking up my specially built amp ( it goes up to 11 ! ) and blasting out Lungfish.

But - as regards this tragedy - I'd say that the occupational hazard, from suicide, suffered by hardcore band members is probably even higher than that suffered by dentists.

But, chicobangs - sad as it is, don't heroes need to die young? If they don't they often refuse to shed their old personas and wind up as ungracefully aging embarrassments. Or, to paraphrase the Buddha, in a fashion - mortality means that you will witness your Hardcore hero's death, or your Hardcore hero won't witness yours.

* wistfully recall stage dive at hardcore show *
posted by troutfishing at 9:39 AM on March 11, 2004

Blood, we hardly knew ye.

Take some retards to the zoo in heaven for me....
posted by jammer at 9:53 AM on March 11, 2004

I've gone through multiple vinyl, tape and cd copies of Big Lizard in My Backyard for the last 20 years and I still listen to it. "Serrated Edge" cracks me up every time I hear it and "Right Wing Pigeons" couldn't be more timeless.

So, what xmutex said: .
posted by eyeballkid at 9:57 AM on March 11, 2004

Goddamn. The Dead Milkmen were the very first concert I saw by myself, without my parents, when I was a freshman in high school many many years ago. There was something wonderful about their music, something intelligent and soulful, buried inside the dorky/campy nature of the songs. Even though I've moved on to vastly different music tastes since then, this still really tears me up to read this.

RIP, Dave.
posted by 40 Watt at 10:10 AM on March 11, 2004

This blows terribly. It does seem like it has been a rough coupla weeks for the cool guys...If I were Tom Waits, I'd make sure I was wearing my seatbelt...

On a side note, what does the "." mean? I have seen it, and tried to find an answer all over mefi, but have sadly, failed. Anyone?
posted by Richat at 10:13 AM on March 11, 2004

I have never broken a bone in my life, but I did twist the hell out of my leg once at a Dead Milkmen concert over a decade back... which, incidentally, was a pretty great show until it happened.

Never get upfront at a concert if people are slam dancing around you and you're wearing mod beatnik boots with high heels. Ow.
posted by insomnia_lj at 10:18 AM on March 11, 2004

Richat, it's a moment of silence.
posted by 40 Watt at 10:21 AM on March 11, 2004

VFW
posted by Fezboy! at 10:30 AM on March 11, 2004

You'll dance to anything.
posted by the fire you left me at 10:37 AM on March 11, 2004

OT. Richat, check here.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:46 AM on March 11, 2004

Ah, that sucks. What tour, insomnia? I saw them on the Beezlebubba tour.
posted by adampsyche at 10:55 AM on March 11, 2004

This is a sad day.

RIP Blood.
posted by Stynxno at 11:04 AM on March 11, 2004

And when my friend and I were done
we went to rest upon the sun
'cause life takes from us the things we love
and robs us of the special ones
and puts them where where we can't climb
and we only miss them all the time
and we sing...
posted by pzarquon at 12:36 PM on March 11, 2004

Beelzebubba was the very first CD I ever bought. I still play it more often than damn near any other one I've bought since.

And troutfishing (I bet you think this thread is about you, don't you? Don't you?), heroes die young all the time, and you're right about that meaning that they stay encased in beautiful amber in your mind, but for every 20 Hendrixes there's a Neil Young, who got old and every once in a while still manages to squeak something relevant out.

Would Dave Blood been that kind of artist? Probably not. But we'll never know now. Which is what sucks.
posted by chicobangs at 1:03 PM on March 11, 2004

It's a sad day for Philly.

.
posted by item at 1:15 PM on March 11, 2004

I don't wanna be on the beach! No fun! No!

.
posted by freebird at 1:52 PM on March 11, 2004

Even though it's not Saturday and my reason for doing so was unfortunately not to meet a punk rock girl, I just took a walk down to Zipperhead (I live 2 blocks away). I was hoping for some kind of makeshift memorial; a sign, a candle, anything. Instead I found it to be business as usual, the clothing side shilling bad 3rd generation cheap punk crap and the music side selling, well, music. Oh well.

The Milkmen were the most important band in my life as an early teen, and Blood was responsible for inspiring me to pick up a bass. I still find myself unconsciously playing the part from 'Serrated Edge' from time to time. I was obsessed and I've been sad all day over this. His passing has affected me more than either Ramone, more than any other distant-yet-important person's death in recent history. The fact that he took his own life because he just couldn't adjust to life after the band does nothing but upset me even more.
posted by item at 2:20 PM on March 11, 2004

Damn. Life is shit. :(
posted by LouReedsSon at 5:56 PM on March 11, 2004

Thanks eyeball kid and 40 Watt...That metatalk thread is pretty good, snarky reading.

Good to finally (sorta) understand the dot-post.
posted by Richat at 6:14 PM on March 11, 2004

"What tour, insomnia? I saw them on the Beezlebubba tour."

I saw the Dead Milkmen in early 1989 at the Cactus Club in downtown San Jose, which was probably the Beelzebubba tour. They seemed to play that place every six months though, so it's hard to tell. At the time I was doing promotions for KSJS, San Jose State's radio station, and handled the promotions we did with the Cactus Club and several other clubs, such as One Step Beyond, Marsugi's, and Bill Graham Presents.

I probably would have forgotten the rough date if it weren't for this interview with Andy Partridge of XTC which mentions the show. You see, Andy Partridge, although he doesn't like to play live, was in town for the Gavin Music Convention, a big radio industry shindig. I was at the Gavin that year, and it was great. I actually met and hung out with Andy that same night... he ignored all the big label people, while savagely, wittily ripping on "Big Rick" Stewart of Live 105. That was an awesome party in itself, and possibly the most fun I had working in college radio. I got drunk with a young Vernon Reid, met Gene Simmons, and shared an elevator with a really spaced-out looking Tiffany and her security guards. Surreal...

1987-1990 were really interesting years for me. I was piss poor -- a slave to the radio station -- but it was a ton of fun and I got to see and meet a lot of musicians along the way who later became really big. Downtown San Jose had some real characters back then, too, including Rob Brezsny and Louis Theroux. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, and other Northwestern bands would drive down regularly to play legendary gigs for sometimes as few as 50 people.

Sort of a shame it all had to end, really... but most of us got jobs with the big dotcoms, so really there wasn't a lot to complain about.
posted by insomnia_lj at 9:44 PM on March 11, 2004

The first pick-up line I ever remebering being subjected to:

"Do you know what the queers are doing to the soil?"

I still remember being bummed out about losing my Beelzebubba tape when I moved from Virginia back to Philadelphia, my first home.

How truly sad.
posted by precocious at 10:23 PM on March 11, 2004

I got a very cool email today...!
----------------------------

Mark,
This is Dean from the Dead Milkmen. I was reading the thread on Mefi regarding Dave's suicide and saw your post about the Gavin convention way back when, and had to laugh for several reasons. (Laughing at a time like this is a good thing - Dave would too)

We were at that convention as well, and we were somehow invited to one of the big industry parties. They didn't know what they were in for. We made a loop around the room and tried to spot as many "stars" as we could. We met some nice folks like Victor and Gordon from the Violent Femmes, and I remember Dave enjoyed talking with Bob Mould. We got to see the hilarious triumverate of Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper, and Barry Manalow all talking together (I think it was Barry...). Weird - I guess they're all Jewish?

And Tiffany.

On this particular tour Rodney had taken to carrying around pockets full of rubber worms. Rod and our roadie Matt where cruising around and walked up to Tiff and her security guards. Rodney reached out to shake her hand. She did and was horrified to feel a handful of worms. She shrieked and Rod and Matt took off before the guards could do anything. Later that night, the guests might have found a rubber worms in the sour cream dip or the fruit punch....

The other thing you mentioned is the Andy Partridge interview. I'm a huge Andy and XTC fan and it was thrilling in a silly way to know he uttered our band name. It would have been fun to meet him and hang out at the convention.

Anyway - the post brought back memories. Thanks.

-- Dean
posted by insomnia_lj at 6:54 PM on March 13, 2004