Saying goodbye to Dave Brockie this year was surprisingly one of the toughest goodbyes Ive said in my life. Having lost many friends and family members over the years, I shouldve been a bit too jaded to be as hurt as I was. But this guy was one of those oddities that ANYONE was lucky to have been around (and if you think differently, youre either full of yourself or just plain dumb). He found a focal point and brought people together. I may have had good days this year, but losing him affected my close friends...and I cant even describe what Richmond was like the last week of March. He truly made a difference. And as a guy that was lucky to get close to this rare creature for a moment, I admire the fact that he was generous, self-centered, intellectually superior, oblivious, loving, resistant, genuine, political, stubborn, driven, lazy and horrible at Nazi Zombies on Xbox. He was more capable than anyone Id ever met at lifting someone up and helping their potential. He was just as capable at tearing you down if he felt it necessary. He was a king of people, while being the Peter Pan that couldnt stop playing. Id dealt with his loss as best as I could this year, but Id never addressed a different issue. Dave and I became friends in the late 90s, but I have looked up to Oderus Urungus since 1990. While it was just a character, it was a part of him that was making a much more honest point of his personality. It was an illuminator of the flaws of humanity. Nothing was sacred with Oderus. Many people have viewed this character differently, but in my case, it challenged my perspective. What was important? Do you remain chained by the things you didnt choose? Should you remain silent when you object to something? Is self-indulgence what we should be looking for? Should we have idols that want us to have better than realistic standards? I doubt it. Thats why Oderus destroyed the celebrity. And thats why Ive had a hard time watching people turn Dave into something unrealistic. He was an amazing person...but he was a person. As I watched Oderus sent away in his Viking funeral, all I could hear was him making fun of Dave. Making fun of this entire situation. I imagined him saying... Good job, Dave. Youve been sober for 145 days now! Do you know why Brockie loved the movie Alien so much? Well, he actually loved any movie with a good heroine. I heard about this new GWAR tribute band playing tomorrow. Theyre called GWAR. ...and so on and so on. Go ahead and get a sore ass if you want, but Ill see you at the Q. And Im pretty sure Dave would want us all to be laughing at the most awful shit.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 08:07:03 +0000
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