Remembering Lance Loud

Lance Loud, June 26, 1951 - December 22, 2001
If you want to see the obituary that ran in the Los Angeles Times, you can click here.

Lance Loud was many things to me. I always referred to him as the Mercutio of Rock n Roll. He jests at scars that never felt a wound... and then! "I'm hurt... Call for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man." That's the beginning part of Mercutio's famous monologue that ends with him admonishing both Capulets and Montagues with "a plague on both your houses!" (HEY - I was going to be an English teacher til I started working at the Whisky... you can't really lose this Shakespeare thing; I find him everywhere.) Ironic that Lance as Mercutio was felled by the plague of the late 20th century: AIDS.

Lance and his family were famously from Santa Barbara, CA, as am I. They were local icons, especially after the film crew for "An American Family" followed everyone around town and put our lovely little seaside resort on the PBS map. But Lance, and his friend Kristian Hoffman inspired me to move to New York. They did, and carried on fabulous lives and careers...more bon vivant than profitable...but it was all the lure I needed.

Lance and Mumps spent a great deal of time in Los Angeles in the late 70s, recording and looking for a record deal that just didn't come. They played their hearts out in wildly energetic and sweaty live shows, won over fans and friends and quietly moved on to other things. Lance returned to journalism, Kristian kept making music, and still does today.

Sympathy for the Record Industy released HOW I SAVED THE WORLD this year, a beautiful Mumps compilation complete with DVD, all lovingly put together by Kristian. You can see more of my Mumps pix in it, as well as a load of memoriabilia that Kristian has archived over the years.

Lance...my Santa Barbara home-boy, sorta big brother, match-maker, inspiration and friend...you are neither gone nor forgotten.


p.s. December 22, 2002 was the day Joe Strummer shuffled off this mortal coil. His website is a good place to visit.