Dear Jeff,
Thanks for coming to my high school band’s shows. Thanks for dancing to our music. It’s still cool that you brought Big Star to Columbia. I had no idea who they were at the time, though I was in attendance. Thanks for Red Krayola and all the Jim O’Rourke stuff. Thanks for the “secret” ice cream spot on campus. Thanks for introducing me to Elf Girl. Thanks for the soccer matches at The Ranch. Thanks for High Fidelity. Thanks for Whizz.
Thanks for raucous KCOU shows, especially the ones with live bands. Like Lovers of Dismal Swamp live from Chad’s basement that you transmitted through the land line. Thanks for making those zines. Thanks for kariki showdowns. Thanks for listening to my first solo tape. Thanks for the alley shows. Thanks for the weed. Thanks for being a champion in a town of cynics. Thanks for finding the studio apartment on Hubbell that I would eventually take over. Thanks for starting Holy Victrola.
Thanks for letting me and my girlfriend crash with you after the Times New Viking show, especially since they were crashing with you too. Thanks for Commitment. Thanks for playing my songs on Pipeline! WMBR. Thanks for supporting the local scene. Thanks for passing on your eternal musical knowledge to the younger generations. Thanks for the Wendy Eisenberg live set. There’s probably a million things I’m forgetting. Thanks for all those too.
Most of all, thanks for being true to your school.
Your friend,
Tom
Amen
All of this