Month: February 2009

Don’t Stop the Dance – Rickey Wright, 1960 – 2009

~ A.C. Rhodes ~ Leave a comment

rickey_wright
What’s more difficult than writing an obituary for one of your most admired musicians? Perhaps doing so for one of your own. News reverberated two weeks back about the sudden illness and almost as hastened passing of Rickey Wright, Seattle writer and blogger (as can be seen on the right-hand column of this esteemed site). Rickey passed away February 19th from complications after suffering a stroke. Those who have read anything about him over the past month, either through communication with his Aunt Deborah Ebel, or by updates on other news sites and blogs, know that Rickey was a natural born vinylophile.

He cut his critical teeth, like many his age, on the Beatles, but his love for the actual magic of the music is what walked him through the decades until he took pen to paper. After graduating Virginia Commonwealth University in 1987, Rickey wrote and edited for a regional ‘zine, area newspaper and hosted a local public radio show before traveling from his home of Norfolk, VA across country to Seattle, WA. Rickey’s employ found him writing for such papers as The Village Voice, Washington City Paper and The Seattle Weekly to being one of the first writers for Amazon.com.

Rickey’s expansive knowledge – one that garnered him the coveted title “Geekus Music Maximus” after winning a Rhino Records competition – impressed not only other writers, but musicians; two audiences that can be mutually disdainful. But this past month it was his other attributes that had family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances talking.

Friends spanning 20 years gathered to say their farewells to Rickey Wright, back in his hometown. The common theme was shared by all was said not to be strictly music but Rickey’s genuine and unassuming ways. His vulnerability and ability to make you feel like the most important person he’d ever talked to. It was said that the weather was lovely, 67 degrees and sunny, but memories expressed were much warmer and brighter. And as Rickey turned to go, “Let It Be” played in the background.
recent_rickey
Rickey’s aunt Deborah, who was family spokesperson during the week, keeping people from Rickey’s life in the loop shared this sentiment:
“In 1964, Rickey was barely a year old. I would hold him in my arms and we would dance all over the living room. Then I would start the records again and we would begin dancing again. One of my favorite songs at that time was the Beatles,’ ‘She Loves You.’ We would sing along with the record: She loves you… yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, eventually, even a teenage girl gets tired and I would stop dancing and give him a cue that maybe it was time for us to do something else. Rickey wasn’t always ready to stop dancing. He wasn’t always ready to stop the music. He would point frantically toward the record player, crying out yeah yeah on! yeah yeah on! He wanted the music to play on and on and on … and never stop.
Rickey, we weren’t ready to stop dancing. We weren’t ready to stop the music. We weren’t ready to lose you. But you had to go.
Rest in peace, Rickey. We love you. And rock on, Rickey. Rock on.”

In keeping with Rickey’s giving spirit, those wishing to put their grief and generosity to great use may make donations to the ASPCA or Animal Rescue League. The family also asks to request the organization to send notice of any gifts to the Wright Family, 2719 Overbrook Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23513, and to please stay in touch if you are so inclined.

Rickey Wright’s Seattle Service will be held Saturday, March 14, 2009, from 4 – 7 pm at The Sunset on Ballard.
The Sunset
5433 Ballard Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98107
(206) 784-4880
http://www.sunsettavern.com/

Blogwatch: 10 Things Zine

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dan_han_c-lodan_10_things

The most logical way to kick off Blogwatch is to take it from the top, and who is to be found there, but Dan Halligan of 10_Things_Zine, which is a good thing considering that he is one of the e-zine and blog pioneers. To say Halligan has been a pretty active guy around Seattle would be an understatement. Starting in the ’80s by contributing to Maximum Rock ‘N’ Roll he went on to publish 10 Things Jesus Wants You to Know (est. 1991 going to the net in ’95), and then on to edit Tablet, Seattle’s late, award-winning arts magazine.

As of late, aside from blogging, he still occasionally freelances and is a University library manager in Seattle – not such a far cry from maintaning ‘zine collections, which he does at alt.zines. Halligan has also conducting readings from an upcoming book about, you guessed it, ‘zining in the ’90s, to favorable audience response. fallofautumn.com/podcasts2

Recent blog entries have included an exhaustive roundup of businesses who have downsized and layed workers off Year-to-date-job-layoffs and how the net is overtaking the printed word in news In-2008-internet-overtook-newspapers, to his near-catastrophic ‘zine cleaning: zinewiki-returns, his Danny on the spot street art watch, seattle-street-art, and wishes for the new year an entertaining read as well, spotlighting a sharp wit,
few-wishes-for-new-year.

Blakesberg’s Babies – The Jay Blakesberg Interview

~ A.C. Rhodes ~ 1 Comment

theotherblakesberg
Jay Blakesberg is not one of the original classic rock photographers. He was too young for that wave, but perhaps that is what contributes to his distinction; casting him as a sort of Cam Crowe of photography. Starting out as an unabashed Deadhead in Northern California, he departed only in that his musical tastes were more eclectic.
As a teen there was his typical basement den involved in a typical ’70s daydream, with hippies milling about, and as for the club and theater music scene he took advantage of everything that vital part of America had to offer in those pivotal times. It wasn’t soon after that his hobby of taking concert snaps grew into a career with more personal alliances, taking stills of artists like John Lee Hooker and Taj Mahal to Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits.
This past December, Blakesberg celebrated 30 years of photography by releasing a book (his third from Rock House Books) of his chosen photos and memories, Traveling on a High Frequency: Jay Blakesberg – Photographs 1978–2008. His photographs have appeared in all the usual periodical suspects; Rolling Stone, Guitar Player and Harp Magazines and have also been printed onto canvas with poster artist Richard Biffle painting them onto the canvases. The biggest seller? Jerry Garcia.

AR: What got you interested in photography? Who were some of your favorite photographers?

JB: I started bringing a camera to concerts in late 1977. I used my dad’s camera. I would develop the film in my mom’s basement where I had a small darkroom. At the time, I was aware of Jim Marshall, a San Francisco photographer from the ’60s. He did a lot of jazz in NY, but by the early ’60 was back in San Francisco. He did shots of all the SF bands and at Woodstock and Monterey Pop. Herbie Greene was another photographer. These were the shots I was seeing in some magazines and books.

AR: It’s clear that you loved music, but interesting that you chose something visual over literary.

JB: I think I have always been drawn to the visual. It was an easier way for me to communicate and make sense of what was around me. I saw Trouser Press and Creem, but I wasn’t a regular subscriber. If you’re a writer, you need to find a more tangible place to for that kind of work. Photos could be just for me and my friends. They did not have to be published to be shared.

AR: Did you recognize your strengths right away or were they a little more hard won?

JB: No, I did not. I think if you’re that young, you don’t immediately recognize things like that. It’s not really part of the thought process at 16 or 17. If you like what you do, that’s enough to go on. I mean, a lot of what I did looked okay, and I guess that was inspiring enough to keep trying.

AR: Did you start out with only concerts or some stills?

JB: Mostly shows at first. I grew up in New Jersey so it was mostly indoor shows, but there were some outdoor free concerts at some local colleges. There was no access to bands for posed shots, so it was just live concerts.

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