Capt. Mondo's World o' Mondo-ness

Alan Wright, 1964-2004
I got a phone call from Bryce last night, followed up with the following email:

From: Bryce and Agatha McBride
Sent: June 14, 2004 10:53 PM
Subject: Fwd: Alan Wright, 1964-2004
Gentlemen,

I received this message this morning. I still can't really believe it.

Bryce

lisa <[email_address]> wrote:
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 21:10:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: lisa
Subject: Alan Wright, 1964-2004
Alan John Wright
Alan was born July 11, 1964, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and died June 12, 2004, in Seattle. He was a graduate of St. Lawrence College in Kingston, where he studied ceramics and graphic design. Alan was a proud employee of the Lifelong AIDS Alliance in Seattle and was the drummer for the Earaches, Seattle's premier hi-octane rock & roll band. Alan is survived by his wife Lisa Lindstrom and her parents Arne and Carol Lindstrom of Seattle. He is also survived by his parents John and Sherrill Wright of North Fort Myers, Florida, and his sister Chandra of Kingston. Alan also leaves to grieve his dear friends and bandmates, August Henrich, Joe Kilbourne and Zachary Schneider, and his many friends in the Seattle music scene. Alan will be greatly missed by his beloved cats Tiffany, Hepburn, Winky and Papa, and by his cockatiel Buster. Alan was predeceased in January by his beloved cat Chester. A celebration of Alan's life will be held in July, near what would have been his 40th birthday. Please contact [email]@aol.com for more information. Remembrances to Lifelong AIDS Alliance, 1002 E. Seneca St., Seattle, WA 98122; Purrfect Pals No-Kill Cat Shelter, 230 McRae Rd. NE, Arlington, WA 98223; or any organization devoted to defeating George W. Bush in November.

Are you taking over
or are you taking orders?
Are you going backwards
Or are you going forwards?
- The Clash

"Peace is not an absence of war; it is a virtue, state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice." ~ Benedict Spinoza

Another friend and associate from my University days is dead. And unfortably close to my own age - I always thought that Alan was much older than me, and was surprised to find out he was only a couple of years older than me.

I haven't been in touch with Alan for ages. I can't say I ever new him that well - he was more a friend of Sinister Pete, and he stepped into the role of the drummer for Miscellanous 'S' when I graduated from Queens with my first Bachelor's degree. He played with the band for about a year, and I think he may have even played with the band live on a few occasions -- so he was also clearly a brave man. ;-)

He had a passion for music, particularly straight-ahead rock and roll. I believe he was instrumental in bringing bands like The Gruesomes and a big fan of Deja Voodoo -- in fact I think I first met Alan at a Deja Voodoo concert. He also put out a musical fanzine or two -- somewhere I probably still have the cassette that contains a couple of Miscellanous 'S' tracks along with more prominent local Kingston bands, including the one that Alan played with all of the time. I lost touch with him after leaving Kingston a second time with my Master's degree, though I received the occasional email from him whenever the "S" had gotten back together to do another recording of wonderfully horrible music. I understand he married and became a music critic in Seattle in the 90s -- proving that he had a good instinct as to where things were happening in the alternative music world.

At this point it would be easy to just say something pithy like "Bye Alan -- you'll be missed", which, while true, doesn't reflect how I feel about it. When someone I know dies -- my Father, Mary Melenca, my Uncle John, my Mother, and now Alan -- I feel as though a part of me is now gone as well. Each death puts a hole in those still living, chipping away at the foundations of one's self. I never knew Alan that well, and contact with him since graduating from Queens was sporadic at best, but another person who played a part during my formative University days is now gone.