Friday, January 15, 2010

R.I.P. Jay Reatard.

I have been a fan of his music for many years, and thanks to my wife, I was able to meet him and hang out on different times during our trips to Memphis. I didn't know Jay well by any means, but he was always cool to me. We shared an occasional beer and funny story sitting at different bars around Memphis. About a year ago, he and I exchanged some emails about him possibly playing guitar at a Chinese Millionaires reunion show. He was too busy for it in 2009, but he said "maybe next year". I never really expected it to pan out either way, but it was really nice of him to humor me. I last talked to him in Detroit in June, and he welcomed Windy and I backstage to hang out. Thinking about the fact that he'll never release another record makes me sick to my stomach. He achieved so much in his short life, but had so much more to give.


He recorded this in May 2009 for a Nirvana tribute album: