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Wmcmanus

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RIP Keith Emerson

Saw ELP 4 times, including with the full orchestra they hired (until they ran out of money). First show of theirs I saw must have been after Trilogy came out, with Blue Oyster Cult opening. Emerson did one thing with the Hammond that sounded like a steam train starting up. He had it on its corner, was bouncing it up and down on the stage, and even using knives in the keyboard to hold notes down. Amazing show. The quad show for Welcome Back My Friends was amazing too.

I could have seen Carl Palmer a couple of months ago in a smaller venue but didn't make it.

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4 hours ago, Dusty Chalk said:

My first ELP album was Welcome Back, My Friends....  Keith Emerson was my first idol.

Was just coming back here to point out the possibility of suicide -- pure conjecture at this point, but:

http://www.tmz.com/2016/03/11/keith-emerson-death-suicide/

I disagree with suicide, so will shut up now.

investigated as such, unfortunately

He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Santa Monica police confirmed to the BBC.

His death was being investigated as a suicide, police added.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35787187

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7127455/keith-emerson-dead-emerson-lake-palmer

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7133074/keith-emerson-death-suicide-investigation

 

 

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Shit. Listening to "America" by The Nice from the Elegy album right now. I came to Keith Emerson through ELP probably via "Lucky Man", which connected back to Greg Lake and my early findings of King Crimson (yes, I am fucking ancient). But his stuff with The Nice, as Craig pointed out, was awesome, and broke the ground for what ELP would become.

To hear it was suicide is sad. But I do not pretend I know what his circumstances were. I just know I am glad to have his music to go back to.

A little West Side Story anyone?

 

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RIP Sylvia Anderson co-creator of Thunderbirds and voice of Lady Penelope.  I don't know if this made it across the pond, but it was watched by huge numbers of kids in the UK in the 60's.  Way ahead of its time, the soundtrack was used to trigger electronics in the puppets to perfectly lip sync to the dialogue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35818530

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Thunderbirds was one of the first TV series I ever followed (we only got the box in South Africa in 1976, as the Apartheid government correctly feared it would corrupt the morals of the populace by opening a window to the rest of the World). I had watch it dubbed into fucking Afrikaans as "Redding Internasionaal" ("International Rescue"). Still loved it. RIP Sylvia.

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9 hours ago, Wmcmanus said:

Thanks Wayne.  I was the first person contacted by the Washoe County Public Administrator. Here's his email to me:

 

Mr. Hertsens,
 
Our office is handling the final affairs of Pow Chu Moy who passed away here in Reno, Nevada, on February 12, 2016. We do not know a lot about Mr. Moy, but we have his ‘HeadWize’ business card and saw your posts on a Forum in 2002 regarding same.
 
I would be interested in any observations you might have regarding Mr. Moy. Was he retired? Did you have a current email address for Mr. Moy? I realize you may have no personal knowledge, but it never hurts to ask.
 
Thank you
 
Frank Patten 
Office Support Specialist 
Washoe County Public Administrator

 

It so saddened me to get it, it seems he left us as a lonely man. I forwarded the email to Kevin thinking he might have more info. 

Took me a week to realize he needed to be remembered out loud. I wrote the piece feeling mostly respect for his work.

Once I posted it and a few comments were in, I re-read the memorial holding the whole of our history in mind, and started crying.

I know it's the norm in the world, but it hurts so bad to feel we ended up with a broken community with such a mix of both good and bad. 

Fractured factions sniping at each other, and the many who've had to flee HF when it should be something much better. 

Chu probably hated what it had become. 

*sigh*

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I'd quite forgotten that he started HeadWize.  That was how I got my intro to headphone listening - via building KG's triode electrostatic phone amp (which I still have).  And let's not forget the the original Blue Hawaii got its first airing on Headwize too.  Which I built and still have.

He was a man who singlehandedly kicked the whole HeadWize, Head-fi and Head-Case thing off, when the web was young.  RIP Chu, a man with a vision.

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*sigh*     again.

 

So I decided to call Frank Patten  at the Washoe County Public Administrator office to see if he could tell me any more about Chu.

He was surprisingly forth coming. He said Chu was "traveling light", and had few if any possessions. He was renting a one-room apartment week-to-week. It was almost completely empty but for an unopened Amazon box with a Bissel vacuum sweeper inside. There was no bedding.  They could find no job or source of income. He did have a PayPal account but the only thing they found is a few contributions to political parties and disaster relief efforts. They found his deceased dad, and they think he had a sister but can't find her. He was born in New York. He evidently died suddenly and inexplicably. 

And yeah, being alone doesn't mean he was lonely...but boy, it was a little hard hearing that stuff.

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Damn, that does sound Spartan.  And it's almost like he was cleaning up before he went.  Eerie.

And yeah, you guys, when they discover my body partially eaten by cats or whatever, don't feel sorry for me, I've long since come to grips with the fact that I will die alone, but I am not lonely.

Oh, and hey, at least I remembered to feed my cats...

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3 hours ago, grawk said:

You're a good man Tyll.

 

Absolutely!  Well said, Dan.

Tyll, I know that wasn't your intention in either forwarding that heartbreaking email to Kevin in an effort to help, or in writing that beautiful tribute and posting it for everyone who loves the headphone hobby to see, or indeed in filling us in regarding this sad back story... it's not about you, and I get that.

Yet, Dan's comment is the only conclusion that we can possibly draw from that chain of events and from so many similar actions on your part that have illustrated time and time again that you are indeed a good man and a blessing to all of us.  Thanks for all that you do for the hobby.  Didn't want to wait around until you bite the dust to say so. :)

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