Last week in the news was an upcoming eclipse visible to the western United States. This flicked a memory of mine, watching an eclipse with my friend "The Grabo" back before he moved out west. A quick email to him wanting to catch up lead to a devestating reply from his wife: "he succumbed to his illness in October". I did get to visit with him for a day last year, where we experienced southern Indian dining for the first time, and he wasn't looking very robust - but I had no idea that he was on chemotherapy at the time.
We met at a very stodgy company after I had been there for two years and had been actively looking for a job. The Cure were touring at the outdoor arenas and Robert Smith decided to pull a fast one on the rabid fans imitating his look: he shaved his head bald. Now I was too snobbish to go see them on that tour ("not in a club, in front of thousands of people...") but The Grabo went. And come the next workday, he personalized his process name on VAX/VMS ($ set proc/id="xxx" allowed for 15 characters of personalization). I think he set the process id to something like "Cure4RobertsHair". I spotted this, then sent him an email and the friendship began...
He loaned me a few things from his exhaustive record collection, I think it is/was at least 10X the size of mine. Most notably were "2x45" by Cabaret Voltaire - which started a 25+ year love affair with them and Richard H. Kirk (although The Grabo was quick to point out that there was plenty of better techno...I wasn't detered). The Three Johns, Test Department, Red Lorry/Yellow Lorry, there are probably twenty or more bands who he steered me to. Not to mention that seemingly every time he traveled he brought be me a double single or fanzine.
The Grabo had an incredible stereo system at home (Bang and Olufsen components, etc) I recall one time asking him what he listened to in the car? His reply: "National Public Radio" - which began a 25+ year love affair with them.
We saw many shows together, 20, 30, 50, more? Who can count. I do remember one show at the long-gone Channel Nightclub when he was quick to point out George Thorogood leaving just as we were entering. Not my cup of tea, but of course he struck up a long conversation. The Grabo was seen biking around the Boston area day and night. But he had a passion for art in just about any form. He could go to the Institute of Contemporary Art, an Opera opening and a punk show all in the same night.
Possibly the highlight show was seeing Lush at Nightstage in Cambridge. As usual he was ten steps ahead of me, and boy, was he prepared this night. As Miki came down the stairs he approached her and handed her a CD cover (convenient, why couldn't I think of something like this?) and she signed it "From one Berenyi to another". How cool was that? I'm sure more memories will come pouring out but this was definitely a highlight.
Pop Will Eat Itself christened their fans Grebo's, and at one show or another Stuart christened my late friend The Grabo. How fitting. You will be seriously missed my friend!
