Dude is hilarious, always. Reminds me of his video as “ambassador” of Record Store Day 2010: http://youtu.be/QniH-KV5PMs

THE PEOPLE WANT/NEED TO KNOW!

I still get a little blue when I think about him.

(Forgive the tangent I’m about to go on…)

Truth be told, I was a latecomer to the brilliant music of Jay Reatard. An ex-girlfriend of mine was a big fan of his circa 2006, but I never bothered to check him out. While we shared a lot of common tastes, she was into some pretty out-there music, as far as I was concerned—but then again, I’m a diehard extreme metal fan so take that for what it’s worth. I mistakenly lumped him into the same bin in which I filed all of her bizarre favorites.

Fast forward to 2010. Upon reading about the tragedy of his death and the rapturous praise garnered by his music, I decided to finally give him a listen. I was immediately floored. There was a pang of remorse in having never bothered to check out his music previously. There was the guilt in knowing I would’ve probably never given him a chance had it not been for the news of his death.

Then there was the wave of euphoria in realizing before the first song was even over that I had found another one of those artists—music that would stay with me, informing how I saw the world and my enjoyment thereof.

My roommate had just bought a scooter, and let me take it out for a spin. Having recently moved to Seattle, and then to a new neighborhood, I had some exploring to do. I put Blood Visions on and rode that scooter for three hours, the record on repeat. I can remember cresting the hill near my house as the chorus to “My Shadow” cascaded into my ears, the instant identification with the music causing me to smile so wide I teared up. I remember the yelling along with “Death is Forming” so loudly I might’ve been embarrassed—if I weren’t having so much fun. I remember being so excited by “It’s So Easy” that I lost my balance, falling off the scooter while it fell on me, bruising my leg badly but thankfully causing no serious damage—other than embarrassment in spite of the fun I was having.

I’ll never forget that warm summer evening, and I’ll never forget Jay Reatard.

I give a fuck about Chic…

Lil B accepts you. He loves you regardless of your negative attitude towards him.