bear down (a memorial)

hippies and tattoo folks and christians…

…oh my!

and all for a memorial service for this guy:

to say he will be missed is an understatement.

for almost twenty years he was the only person i’d let pierce me…or any close friend or family member. but he was more than that. he helped get me into this industry…and interested in it. he co-hosted one of my radio shows in 1996. we used to smoke cigars together at the yellow rose and on the steps of forbidden fruit. we’d hang out and people watch on sixth street. and, as one of the speakers at his service mentioned, he’d just pull you into his bubble. all the madness and craziness of the world around you seemed to disappear when he’d talk to you. he could organize chaos. he could make sense of the insane. and without trying to he could spiritually center you. and this was before he became a lot more religious (or at least outwardly and publicly so) post kidney issues.

life gets in the way and i hadn’t actually spoke to him face to face in almost a decade. the last time we hung out we had lunch right after i got my stomach tattooed, and that was 2010. we’d commented to each other on social media posts, and always talked about getting together, but schedules never meshed and now they never will. rest in peace, bear…to say you’ll just be “missed” would be quite the understatement.