fishbone and eddy

so a few weeks ago i went to see Fishbone. i'm not a huge fan, in that i don't own any of their albums, but that did not stop me from loving them. do you know Fishbone? they're... they're incredible. how to describe their music? in my scrawled scribbles from the night, i wrote "they're like the lovechild of Frank Zappa and Motorhead - though i probably say that because the image of Zappa's stache melding with Lemmy's chops pleases me greatly."

in truth, Fishbone is... well... people might be tempted to harken to Rage Against the Machine or Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they'd be right though they'd be reversing the influence flow. Fishbone's more primordial than them bands. they're like Zappa and Sabbath and Sun Ra and Slayer lovingly nurtured in Parliament Funk's ferocious grip.

favourite moments of the night include my friend Jessica mouthing/acting out that charming date-rape-to-anal-rape-in-prison ditty, with the lyric "that's when things got out of control!" i watched in wide-smiled glee as she did what we all do in our bathrooms or living rooms: she *became* the star of a rock video. it was brilliant!

i was also deeply impressed by the fact that, although there were.. what.. 60 souls in the place when we showed up, Fishbone were rocking as though there were thousands. no half-way for these motherfuckers, they were full-out, full-on, and i fully respect and admire them for that.

it was not my first time seeing Fishbone. i will sport always a dented scar on my knee from the last time i saw them. that was... 6 years ago? 5? i was with my punker-lover Eddy Kolasinski. sweet Eddy... we dropped acid and drank rivers of hooch and stumbled through the Commodore and stumbled through the streets of Vancouver, pulverized by Fishbone funk. it was a beautiful night.

i was remembering that night, watching Fishbone strut their stuff once again. i was not with Eddy, nor did i search the crowd in hopes to see him. not that i wouldn't have loved to see him - though romantic love didn't work out for us, i'll always love him. (i'll always smile when i remember how Eddy felt guilty for being heterosexual, worrying our boy/girl relationship was inherently patriarchal. ah, sweet Eddy!) but last summer, Eddy died of heat exhaustion. i knew always he was a tender and fragile soul, but who knew a 30-something year-old man could die of heat exhaustion in Edmonton? and yet, it seems fitting.

last december, i found myself sitting at a calgary table, sharing drinks with one of Eddy's heroes, Ford Pier. Ford remembered Eddy fondly, and we raised a glass to him.

hey Eddy, Fishbone was great. sorry you couldn't be there...