I knew him a little bit. He usta hang out in Santa Fe sometimes in the mid-’70s. Met him the first time at a party, in tesuque. Met him again, 10-15 years later, in Baton Rouge, and he placed me from our first meeting. A funny guy, an acute observer and an acerbic commentator; all of which he did in three or four chords, rhymed, with all the soul a white boy could have…I liked him.
Me? A Quick Study, But A Slow Learner

is my fave, I can listen to “Desperados Under The Eaves” over and over and over again. Still difficult to believe that “Werewolves” was his only big hit but there you go, funny business, commercial music.

I have read that he was capable of being bloody awful and arbitrary, mean, petty, etc.: all the goodies that seem to accompany true genius, but he was an all day long alcoholic for many years—such abuse can do funny things to your head. He had 17 good sober years from ’86 on, during which time he made some amends to his children and those friends he had behaved poorly towards when boozed and dopey. He fell hard off of his little wagon that last year of his life, but who could blame him?

My wife and I saw him at the El Rey in Los Angeles in July of 2002 (a terrific concert in a semi-intimate venue)—he was preparing for a tour that was scheduled to take him places north…it was soon after this concert when he began to not feel all that well. The rest is obituary. My wife and I are big fans and always will be.

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