Tom Peterson, R.I.P.

Sad sad news for Oregonians on Monday the 25th when it was announced by his family that iconic businessman Tom Peterson had passed away from complications from Parkinson's disease. The late night television ads that ran here for years imploring people to "wake up!" was the stuff that salesman dream of getting people's attention, and it was his folksy and personable interaction with the public that ingrained Tom deep into the psyche of Portland and Oregon. Director Gus Van Sant had cameos for Tom in 3 of his movies, and in a concert in Salem, OR, Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain sported a Tom Peterson t shirt onstage. I will also associate Tom with the popularity of Portland wresting and roller derby as well, back in the days when there were only the three major television networks as well as the various independent stations of the day (KPTV being the big one here in Oregon at the time ). R.I.P. Tom, you WILL be sorely missed :( Wake Up no more :( This pic is from PVS In Store Graphics in NW 23rd in Portland, Oregon, taken today at about 520 am.

Joe Garagiola, R.I.P

Thank you Joe for being a big part of my baseball life growing up :(.......and for the inspiration for Fred Willard's role in Best In Show R.I.P

Jerome Kersey, R.I.P.

Prayers and thoughts to the family, friends and fans of one of my all time fave Trail Blazers players, Jerome Kersey, who passed away on the 18th of February. His desire and hustle on the court caught our eyes , his efforts to better the community and our state has won our hearts. It's kind of difficult to explain who much his passing is hurting us, but we shall do our best to make sure every day is a rewarding one for the people we encounter every day. Rest in peace my brother.

Adam Yauch R.I.P.

Rest in peace brother, thank you so much for the great great music over the years and the wisdom you shared with us as you went through your journey in life....you will be sorely missed :(

R.I.P. Katie

Good bye to my mothers beloved 13 yr. old Pomeranian.......such a lovable character around the house and one of the best feel good pets I've come across. Happy to report that she died being loved and cuddled in the arms of my mother around 3 a.m. this morning...the exact same time I was getting up preparing to deal with snowy slushy road conditions in Portland. She is seen here eager to have a piece of the KFC whilst idling in the drive thru...R.I.P. Katie <3 <3

Peter Graves, R.I.P,

For your work in Mission: Impossible of course, but also for Airplane! and for his stellar work in b-films that provided some of the best grist for the MST3K mill. Here's a nice montage of the best bits of The Beginning Of The End.

John Hughes, R.I.P.

Goodbye to a man who wrote one of my favourite stories in National Lampoon ever, a story that went on to become a wonderful film. The story, VACATION 58, appearing in the September 1979 issue of the Lampoon, was of course the basis for National Lampoon's Vacation in 1983. I also much appreciated his story that became the basis for their Christmas Vacation movie, a case of which I liked the written version better, for me nothing could top the ending where the fighting family gathers in the freezing cold to find out what has happened to a stolen car. Looking up, the mother of the family, realizing the significance of the day and what the turmoil that the clan has experienced in this time of supposed joy, notices a bright light in evening sky. She fancies it to be a sign along the lines of the star of Bethlehem.......until a policeman dashes her faint hope with the reality that "it's an airplane."



Oh yes, he also directed some films that were wildly popular such as Sixteen Candles and Pretty In Pink but my introduction to the man via his stories where nothing ever seems to go right for a well-meaning man certainly struck a chord that I've always kept in my mind to this day. From the same issue of the Lampoon is Hughes and his son John III "discussing" the benefits of "growing up". Thanks for the laughs John, you will be missed.


BBC OBIT

Lux Interior, R.I.P.

Thank you so much for your great music Erick/Lux, it was always exciting back in the day to gauge the reactions from the uninitiated to your music from your classic clip in Urgh!, and it was an added bonus when your famous live video from the Napa State Mental Hospital came out via Target a bit later, it certainly was one of the most watched videos in our household for a long while. I always drew encouragement from The Cramps longevity, and it is sad to see a man of your taste and talent pass away.

Andrew Meinert, R.I.P.

Deepest sympathies to the Meinert family for their loss on the 30th of December during Oregon/Oklahoma State Holiday Bowl, a loss that is the passing of their youngest son Andrew from an especially aggressive form of cancer.


In this world full of injustices, it's not right that innocent people suffer from horrible maladies, and the fact that this scourge has been unleashed on a couple of the finest people it has been my pleasure to meet and chat with over the years (Andrew's parents sit directly in front of me at Autzen for Duck football games, I've been in this section for over a decade and I must emphatically state that they're among the reasons I have no desire to improve my seat location.)



With every passing calendar year, it's become an assumption that those of us in our section will see each other next fall, when football resumes and we can continue our silly obessions. Andrew's passing is a stark reminder that we should all not automatically assume that these things will come to pass, Andrew sometimes sat in those seats in front of me when his mother or father could not make the games for various reasons, and whatever collective enjoyment we got from rooting the Ducks on to victory on those days doesn't even begin to address the sorrow that the Meinert family is feeling on such a sorrowful occasion.



George Schroeder of the Eugene Register-Guard has written a couple of articles concerning Andrew and his brief encounter with his favourite Duck player, Walter Thurmond III, who made a surprise visit to Newbert to visit the stricken kid, along with Patrick Chung, the first of which is HERE and recounts the events surrounding that visit. The second story is from TODAY and tells of Andrew's passing away during the Holiday Bowl; it was good to know that at least Andrew got to hear about Walter Thurmond III's momentum changing kick-off return to start the second half for the Ducks.



All I know for sure is that when the 2009 Oregon football season rolls around, it's going to be a little tough to acknowledge the loss of a loved one, but as Mark and Anne already know, the people in our section care about them very, very much. God bless you Meinerts, see you soon...............and Let's Go Ducks!!!!

Dock Ellis, R.I.P.

A remembrance of former major league pitcher Dock Ellis, who passed away from liver disease today at age 63. Of course, one of the first items people associated with Ellis is his claim that he pitched a no-hitter in the major leagues whilst under the influence of LSD. Reading the ESPN bio just now, I'd forgotten that he was the pitcher who gave up the monster home run to Reggie Jackson in the 1971 All-Star game in Detroit, a blast to right field that hit the lights. It's one of my earliest baseball memories. And while I have always been a Mets fan, I'd always had a healthy respect for the Pirates teams back then, easy to do with players like Willie Stargell, Manny Sanguillen and Roberto Clemente on the team.



ESPN STORY

Beverly Garland, R.I.P.

Farewell to an actress who best dominated a cheesy sci-fi flick as best she could: the role Beverly Garland played in the film of It Conquered The World was a splendid bit of going against the grain of depending on a man for resolvement of problems. While the character Beverly played may not have actually killed the creature from the film herself, she clearly was the catalyst for getting it killed in the end. The episode guide of Mystery Science Theater 3000 puts it best.



Married to an idiot, she realizes it and takes matters into her own hand. She finds the Venusian pickle and delivers a dressing down that had to leave the poor creature more than a little abashed. Unfortunately she's then eaten, but she goes down shooting, probably praying she'll get stuck in the bastard's throat and choke him.

In certain respects it's a ridiculous scene. Yet she delivers her lecture with the strongest commitment you could ever hope for. In that moment she is a woman enraged at a pickle.


Can't say that I recall her work on My Three Sons, but her stellar work on the film that provided the fodder for one of the greatest MST3K episodes of all time should not be unacknowledged.



LA TIMES OBIT

Richard Wright R.I.P.

The death from cancer of Pink Floyd's keyboardist Richard Wright came as a bit of a shock to most fans around the world today. Many, many thanks are due to him for his contributions to Pink Floyd, count me as one of those fans grateful enough for the four members to have put aside their personal grievances enough to have a successful reunion show at Live 8 back in 2005. See you at the great gig in the sky, Richard! :(



BBC OBIT

Kevin Duckworth, R.I.P.

Sad news today with the REPORT of the passing of former Portland Trail Blazer center Kevin Duckworth at the Oregon coast Monday night.




Duckworth came to Portland from the San Antonio Spurs in December of 1986, in perhaps one of the greatest trades in Blazer history, a trade in which the Blazers sent the very disgruntled rookie Walter Berry in return. (The subject of Berry in Portland is worthy of a post in its own).


Local TV stations have been replaying one of Duck's greatest moments, returning to play with a broken hand in game seven of a 1990 playoff series with the Spurs ( it was sad to see Drazen Petrovic in those highlights as well), and the local radio shows have been filled with callers retelling stories of their encounters with the big man, the conclusion easily being drawn that we will all miss him not only for being a key cog in those great Blazer teams around the turn of the 90's but for his role in the community, qualities that were sorely lacking just a few short years later with the rise of the Jail Blazers.


Thanks for the great memories Kevin, you will certainly never be forgotten in these parts and, as I'm sure is being done all over the Northwest, one of your Dairy Queen glasses will be used to toast your memory.



KATU STORY



TRUE HOOP MEMORY

Bobby Murcer, R.I.P.

Sad news today in that former Yankee great Bobby Murcer passed away after his fight with brain cancer at the age of 62. He had a tough gig in replacing Mickey Mantle, but did a damn good job in doing so, and his mid-career stints with the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs did nothing to replace the feeling that he would always be a Yankee no matter what. I also liked him as an announcer in the time that I've had the ExtraInnings baseball package. Thanks for your efforts Bobby, you will certainly be missed. The card is from the 1970 Topps set, and one of the first cards I ever owned.



ESPN STORY

Say Man..............

.......we're really gonna miss ya Bo. R.I.P. to a legend.

Mikey Dread, R.I.P.

Less than a month after the passing of Joe Gibbs, old school reggae fans were treated to some more bad news as the passing of Mikey Dread was announced on Saturday, from a brain tumor at the age of 54. STORY ON ROOTS ARCHIVES.


Thanks for your great music Mikey, you will be missed.



Some Dread At The Controls, with a variation on Barbara Lynn's You'll Lose A Good Thing.

Joe Gibbs, R.I.P.

Reading the excellent ROOTS ARCHIVES site tonight, I came across the notice that legendary reggae producer Joe Gibbs had passed away on Thursday from a heart attack. Thanks for your work on many classic records from the likes of Culture and Dennis Brown, along with one of my favourite singles of all-time, Althea and Donna's Uptown Top Ranking, it will never be forgotten.





RADIOJAMAICA NEWS

Lucky Dube, R.I.P.

Shocking to tune into WORLD HAVE YOUR SAY today and hear about the senseless shooting, in front of his own kids, of South African reggae star Lucky Dube in a bungled carjacking attempt. Hard to say if this will further confirm the world's attitude about how crime-ridden South Africa is, especially with preparations for the 2010 World Cup proceeding as planned. The sad truth, also, is that it once again took a "name" victim to highlight social conditions that have gone on for too long and claimed countless other people who deserved more than the moment's notice we tend to give them when skimming over world reports in the media. That being said, this is still a huge loss for the music world and South Africa.







AFRICAN REPORT

Hilly Kristal, R.I.P. (From An Uplifting Gourmandizer)

Thanks for making my life, starting back in high school, a whole lot better by having all of those bands back, whether or not the great unwashed public was ready for them. Heckuva legacy, Hilly.



NY TIMES ARTBEAT

Tony Wilson, R.I.P.

Honestly don't know where my musical tastes might've gone if, back in 1979, a friend of mine hadn't played me a new import single he'd bought entitled "Transmission" by a group called Joy Division. To say I was similarly stunned and enthralled is a fair description. At any rate, one of the men responsible for that record, and quite a collection of other top tunes, passed away today from a heart attack, at the age of 57.


Most music fans know his (and the Factory) story....television presenter, Factory Records, Russel Club, suicide, New Order, Hacienda, Happy Mondays, drugs, guns, bankruptcy, 24 Hour Party People, etc. so I won't bother with all of that, but this is sad news to take after hearing how his battle with his kidney cancer had been going (not well).



Not everything his record companies released was wonderful, in fact there was a fair amount of dross mixed in with the gems, but the best of the catalog is an excellent testimony to a certain place and time that won't be repeated. Thank you for the music Tony, R.I.P.






M.E.N. STORY