on a Mansion World

A long time ago there was this band Deadsy. My friend Russ got me into them back in 2000 when he took me to one of their first public shows. Actually it was before that, we were going to the Orgy "Vapor Transmissions" signing and he told me about this band he found searching Orgy on Limewire or Napster or whatever thing that isn't around any more. We went to see Deadsy about 3 months later at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood. It was the only show I ever got to see where Craig "the Beast" Riker played because unlike a lot of the old school "Legions" I didn't live in Los Angeles.

You wouldn't think so, but this band ended up actually changing my life. Like on a very real level. During the eight years I ran around in their circles I met some people who are still my family, my heart to this day. I've met Legions from all over the country, either that have flown in for a show or just flown to California to meet friends from the band's message board.

There are stories.... They are epic. For instance I met my former roommate and my best friend Jennifer through this band. My closest neighbor here in Chico, the amazing Casey Bowden up in Redding? Met him through this band. Susan, my gorgeous girlfriend who I've spent many a lost weekend with? Definitely through the Deadsy experience.

At first it was about the music. Getting what we thought was this crazy amazing band some exposure. Then honestly it became about the people. The boys in the band (well most of them) were down to Earth and more than happy to hang out with their fans. The fans were all dedicated and maybe we were not the coolest kids on the block at home but we made our own little world. There was message board royalty. Seriously. There were the people you always wanted to meet when you went to shows, either because of their pictures or posts or how rad they were in the weekly Deadsy chats and later because of their Myspace pages or whatever...

A few days ago one of the former board members, Stillbirth was one of his more popular handles, started a group on Facebook called "Deadbook," and we've all been meeting up on there and talking and sharing pictures and stories from the old days and it's almost like no time has passed at all. For some of these people this is like their high school reunion. For me it's like a family reunion. I can absolutely say that these kids saved my sanity when I went through a really shitty break up back in 2007. I was running the West Coast street team when "Phantasmagore" came out and I had to watch the board, mail posters, go to shows, meet people and make phone calls. When I wasn't working at the radio station I was doing Deadsy shit. And it was the only way I didn't go absolutely crazy. Because even if I was sad or depressed about my situation, these kids wanted to talk to me on the phone or chat online. We shared each other's lives. I knew what was going on in each and every one of their lives and they knew mine, even people I've never met. We bonded over this band and then took each other in.

By the time the ride was over, it wasn't even about the amazing music anymore. It was about the amazing people, the great times, and the feeling that at least for awhile, we all had each other. Most of these people are still my friends. Even people that haven't listened to a Deadsy record in years, I still talk to them. Actually it's funny Carlton, one of the guys in the band plays with Berlin part time now, and I saw him back in SLO before I moved and I hadn't seen him for more than five minutes in probably four years and it was like no time at all had passed. He's one of the great ones. I am grateful I got to spend a little bit with him before I moved up here.

And I'm grateful to L for bringing this group online again. I missed the constant interaction and I'm glad that at least for a little while, we're all together again.

This was filmed at the first show I ever went to.