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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Drugs Sky Saxon also gone...

Posted by Mike Nipper on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 7:00 PM

For me, the loss of Sky "Sunlight" Saxon is the greatest loss of today. Farrah...um, I liked the other Angels. Wacko Jacko...I think once he went solo I was too old, or too rural to get his Pop. I was listening to '50s R&B as he ascended to his royal status...ANYWAYS...

Sky Saxon, AKA Richard Marsh, began in the late '50s as Little Ritchie Marsh w/a handful of teener/R&B sides that effectively went nowhere, but his forming of The Seeds in 1965, with Jan Savage (guitar), Daryl Hooper (bitchin' hair, keyboards) and Rick Andridge (drums) changed his fortunes, so to speak...and ours also as the Seeds' attitude and style of playing were one cornerstone of '70s punk. They were an American archetype '60s garage/punk band, full on...white middle class kids gone bad, growing their hair out, (maybe) taking drugs, chasing girls...and really digging that Super Fuzz pedal, kinda band. PERFECT for blowing summer of 1966 UP. And there was no other band that sounded quite like the Seeds. If you've ever heard 'em they obviously cannibalized their own riffs, but it doesn't serve as off-putting redundancy. Instead, like Bo Diddley's beat, it only reinforced their intent and presence.

As the '60s wore on they dipped into the sike side of 1967 (Saxon has been said to be first to use the term "Flower Power") and succeeded in producing a GENIUS sike LP, Future, that still sounded like the Seeds chugga-chug while getting quite dreamy and delicate. Their next LP, not officially a Seeds LP, is the only spoiler in their cannon is a "blues" LP...said to be a contract breaker...um, but the less said regarding THAT the better. Finally, in '68, a live LP was issued "Raw and Alive: Merlin's Music Box"...it's one of the few really good live LPs, ever. By '71 the teen scene had changed and new tracks dried up, so what was left of the band split. Sky moved to Hawaii, and eventually became, Sunlight, a member of the Source Family.

He recorded and performed randomly in the '80s and '90s, but swung back into reality in 2002 with a reformed Seeds...which until this morning were still going strong. In fact, they played in Texas just this past Saturday night...at the moment I've not heard what caused his death.

I think Sky was a bit over 70 years old...

Pushin Too Hard

Tripmaker

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Thanks for this, Nipper!
He died due to complications from an infection of his internal organs. He wasn't well when he took the stage at Antone's last Saturday in Austin and went to the hospital the following day where they kept him in ICU and started him on kidney dialysis. A close friend of his told me last night that he was doing better but he took a turn for the worst during the night.

Posted by vicTX

on June 25, 2009 at 7:14 PM

I wish Nipper was music editor!

Posted by Fnarf

on June 25, 2009 at 7:31 PM

Thanks, Nipper.

"Pushing Too Hard" is a serious jam.

Posted by J. Burns on June 25, 2009 at 7:41 PM

i feel incredably lucky to have been able to book sky & the seed @ the funhouse a few years back.
he was a total kook but damn did i like that guy.
he crashed at a friends house after the show & we went to the baranoff for breakfast the next day. we told him about thriftko & he pissed off his band by running off to go thrifting instead of hopping the in van to go to the next gig.

RIP sky

Posted by BrianMyFatAss

on June 25, 2009 at 10:19 PM

I believe Sky told Rolling Stone, "DId you ever realize that God spelled backwards is dog, man?"

Posted by TIm Appelo on June 25, 2009 at 10:54 PM

I remember Rolling Stone, in a collection of revues about thirty years ago, gave the best six-word summation of a band's career ever, referring to The Seeds. Dave Marsh may have written it, I'm not sure: "Two Great Chords! Five Great Albums!"

Posted by Timmytee on June 26, 2009 at 2:48 AM

I have difficulty describing the influence Sky had on me. And will continue to have on me.

In the few years I knew him he taught me a lifetime worth of lessons. Sky taught me to never give up. Sky showed me the way of forgiveness and true love for my fellow beings of all sorts.
Sky taught me patience. With his help he taught me how to make a great album (Pisces Rising was produced by him over the phone and on line!).

The musical legacy he left us will continue to enrich our lives and the lives of those yet unborn for ages to come!

Right now I just want to reflect on the loss of my friend and teacher...Perhaps at a later time I will get into more detail, but more than likely I won't.
So many people were always trying to ride his cosmic and very long coat tails.
For me just having him as a friend and being blessed with having worked with him for a brief time is enough...If Sky taught me anything it was that with my heart in the right place and my mind unpolluted, I don't need to be anybody's side man. I can shine on my own.

So in closing I would like to say thank you Sky. Thank you for seeing something in me that I did not. Thank you for your influence and helping to shape my music. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your love.

I love you and I will miss you my friend...

Jimmy Valentine

Posted by jimmyvalentine on July 1, 2009 at 12:08 PM