I wanted to spend tonight looking back on all the shows and bands I saw during the 30th anniversary Noise Pop event. And I hope to get to that soon. But at the final show on my itinerary, I found out that the legendary O, famous — to me — from his work in Olive Lawn and fluf, died suddenly last week. So, tonight, I want to talk a little bit about him, his music, and why I never got to see him play live.
I don’t really remember how I discovered fluf. I assume it was through working at V-89; it’s where I first heard most of what I still hold dear today. There was just something special about both the growl and melodicism that Otis Barthoulameu could ring out of a Fender. I was hooked immediately. And I added fluf, and later, O’s earlier band, Olive Lawn, to a growing list of San Diego bands I was becoming devoted to. But how was I ever going to see him play in a city which was 2,200 miles from San Diego? Thank gawd for the Warped Tour (that may be the only time that sentence has ever been created).
At the end of the 1996 edition, the Warped Tour featured my then-girlfriend’s favorite band, Rocket From the Crypt, and was hitting Panama City Beach just two days before her birthday. What could make a better gift than using my radio station connections to get us tickets and backstage passes? The only problem: We left way later than intended to make the 100-plus mile trip from Tallahassee to Club LaVila. Which meant I basically ignored every speed limit sign along US 98. Just outside of Mexico Beach, however, that ignorance resulted in flashing red and blue lights in my rearview mirror. I’ll spare you the negotiating and begging recap, but rest assured, even after explaining the birthday trip circumstances, we got back on the road another 30 minutes later with the most expensive speeding ticket I’ve ever received in my back pocket.
I screamed into the venue parking lot and we sprinted to the will call window. Rushing toward the stage from the backstage area, I spotted him. O was bigger than life, and carrying a gorgeous candy apple red Fender Mustang with the racing stripe, heading right for us. I frantically asked, “Are you about to go on?” “Nah, we just finished,” he said as he headed past. Crushing.
Years and years later, I met designer Josh Higgins after an Aaron Draplin talk. Besides helping to shape the look of the 2012 Obama campaign, Josh also played bass for a time in fluf. When I found that out, I told him the 1996 story I just shared with you. He laughed and said O would love it, promising to tell him the next time they were together. I have no idea if that ever happened, but I hope if it did, it put a smile on O’s face. If it’s even half as big as the one I get every time I listen to “Kim Thayil's Paw,” then that’s good enough for me.
Karaoke
27 February 2023
O, no.
I wanted to spend tonight looking back on all the shows and bands I saw during the 30th anniversary Noise Pop event. And I hope to get to that soon. But at the final show on my itinerary, I found out that the legendary O, famous — to me — from his work in Olive Lawn and fluf, died suddenly last week. So, tonight, I want to talk a little bit about him, his music, and why I never got to see him play live.
I don’t really remember how I discovered fluf. I assume it was through working at V-89; it’s where I first heard most of what I still hold dear today. There was just something special about both the growl and melodicism that Otis Barthoulameu could ring out of a Fender. I was hooked immediately. And I added fluf, and later, O’s earlier band, Olive Lawn, to a growing list of San Diego bands I was becoming devoted to. But how was I ever going to see him play in a city which was 2,200 miles from San Diego? Thank gawd for the Warped Tour (that may be the only time that sentence has ever been created).
At the end of the 1996 edition, the Warped Tour featured my then-girlfriend’s favorite band, Rocket From the Crypt, and was hitting Panama City Beach just two days before her birthday. What could make a better gift than using my radio station connections to get us tickets and backstage passes? The only problem: We left way later than intended to make the 100-plus mile trip from Tallahassee to Club LaVila. Which meant I basically ignored every speed limit sign along US 98. Just outside of Mexico Beach, however, that ignorance resulted in flashing red and blue lights in my rearview mirror. I’ll spare you the negotiating and begging recap, but rest assured, even after explaining the birthday trip circumstances, we got back on the road another 30 minutes later with the most expensive speeding ticket I’ve ever received in my back pocket.
I screamed into the venue parking lot and we sprinted to the will call window. Rushing toward the stage from the backstage area, I spotted him. O was bigger than life, and carrying a gorgeous candy apple red Fender Mustang with the racing stripe, heading right for us. I frantically asked, “Are you about to go on?” “Nah, we just finished,” he said as he headed past. Crushing.
Years and years later, I met designer Josh Higgins after an Aaron Draplin talk. Besides helping to shape the look of the 2012 Obama campaign, Josh also played bass for a time in fluf. When I found that out, I told him the 1996 story I just shared with you. He laughed and said O would love it, promising to tell him the next time they were together. I have no idea if that ever happened, but I hope if it did, it put a smile on O’s face. If it’s even half as big as the one I get every time I listen to “Kim Thayil's Paw,” then that’s good enough for me.
See you tomorrow?