Greg Shaw
This is the first anniversary of the week that was. It was a horrible thing to have known - that my life-long friend, Greg Shaw had been admitted to a hospital and was doing rather badly. I could not talk to anyone about it. It was even sadder to know that he passed away (October 19, 2004) and still I could not talk with anyone about it. Greg had left behind not just a son, but a company, with bands that had just been signed, and a former wife or two - they all had to learn of his untimely passing before anyone could talk publicly about it.
So, I mourned in silence, while spending time in Cleveland right after the Dead Boys reunion with the likes of Jimmy Zero and Bomp's latest signing at the time, The Dreadful Yawns.
Greg Shaw and Bomp gave me a leg up on this photo thing. I photographed more than a few record covers and promo shots for them:
But it was because of Stiv that Greg and I really bonded. Back then, Stiv was indeed quite popular on a certain level - for his on-stage antics, for his success with the ladies, and for his celebrity status among other celebrities (Brooke Shields and John Belushi were his friends) - but Greg and I shared the belief that Stiv possessed a certain musical genius that we figured most people weren't seeing even though they flocked to his shows and bought his records.
So, throughout 2004, when "Disconnected" was turning 25, Greg prepared a reissue, complete with comprehensive liner notes from Frank Secich, one of Stiv's childhood pals and life-long collaborators. He is pictured here with Stiv and Greg.
Greg knew that the Dead Boys Reunion show to benefit Stiv's folks went well and that people were excited to buy the "Disconnected" reissue at the gig. I was so pleased to be able to tell him just how much fans liked the package. We began to talk about doing a Stiv tribute album. But that never got off the ground - we even had a wish list of bands and tracks.
A few months later, I was thrilled to be reunited with my "Disconnected" brothers at the recording session where they did vocals for their track on the Greg Shaw Tribute record.
back in the day
2005
When you have a moment, take the time to read about Greg's life on the Bomp website. It will remind you why you're here.
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