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Saturday, March 13, 2010
News / RIP Slats, RIP
Posted by Eric Grandy on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 2:33 PM
Seattle icon Slats has reportedly passed away today. From a friend of Slats' Facebook:
Rip my dearest slats chris harvey he just passed today around 1
Slats was in the hospital back in December for a broken hip.
Rest in peace, Slats.
2
Please post anything about his hospital funds you might hear, there's no way that guy had money to cover everything he needed.
4
i love you chris. i had such a blast rockin out with you and i consider myself lucky to have actually gotten to know you. you will be missed by many.
9
mothefuckin slats, goddamn. how were you still loaded at every show? you blew me away man, too bad you wont be around to make jokes about your hat with us.
10
may he rest in peace with his male cat childhood buddy, "Rosie." he was a great man. his number will never be deleted from my phone.
12
this is indeed sad. he was such a fixture for so so long. my heart goes out to those close to him.
13
i'll miss you buddy and your sandwich thieving ways....i'm sad that no more adventures will be had.
15
slats WAS the the hill to me!
First taco bell now slats........the hill is changing for the worst!!!!
First taco bell now slats........the hill is changing for the worst!!!!
17
RIP Slats... punk shows won't be the same without you... my heart goes out to those closest to him. see ya on the other side man xo
_sickgirlangie
_sickgirlangie
20
Slats was a gentle soul. I'll never forget all the benefit shows he did for SSP's legal fund, as well as when I was in my coma. I always heard crazy rumours, but he never did anything In front of me to validate any of them. He was nothing but nice, never rude, and always extremely giving. R.I.mf'ing.P my friend.
22
Now I know why ....... That just two days ago, out of the blue I called your moms house, and her telling me that you were sleeping, and "VERY SICK", because since I've become a recluse, I don't see any of my old school friends anymore. I'm not happy that I've outlived you Dear Slats!!! I'll see ya soon though!!! Little Alex
23
Holy Shit. I just don't even know what to say. Slats, I'm sorry I'll never take another picture of you, or see your hat bobbing up and down the street. I'm sure you won't be lonely in heaven or wherever it is that guys in tight pants go. RIP dude.
27
Slats, I rode the bus so many times with you from the UW to the hill. You were always so sweet and polite. We are gonna miss seeing you around, buddy. RIP.
29
Slats- I miss having a studio next to you. You are already missed by the hoards you have touched in this town.
30
Slats! the times you have taken so much of my tequila..... I could never get mad because you made if looks so... well... 'Slats'. And yes... that hat should be placed in the EMP
31
This bums me out hard. I've since moved away from Seattle, but Slats was probably the most misunderstood, made fun of, yet all around cool neighborhood guy. I'll play a game of pool for you Slats.
32
Will miss seeing you around town. You always made me smile, and you were always so very kind. This is sad news. You will truly be missed... See you on the other side.
34
@19, 24, and 33, Yes.... Anything less would be an injustice. He really was "The Original Hipster". Cap Hill should respect it's roots.
35
to a man i never knew but always let me know i was home. may your legacy of awesomeness live on in the ever changing ethers of cap hill
37
rat's ass..
i didn't know him and only met him in passing..but i took it for granted he would always be around..i'm always wrong when i feel think that way. lesson: never take ANYone's life or presence for granted.
r.i.p. slats
i didn't know him and only met him in passing..but i took it for granted he would always be around..i'm always wrong when i feel think that way. lesson: never take ANYone's life or presence for granted.
r.i.p. slats
38
Oh how sad. I thought (hoped) the facebook page was maybe a stupid joke, but it's true. RIP Slats.
39
Slats it was fun playing next to you in Pain Cocktail so many years ago. Mario and I will miss you.
40
I knew Slats almost 30 years...hard to believe. I played my first show opening for Silly Killers (and Dayglo Abortions) because Slats was a bud and looked out for his friends. I can't count the times he and Carl Bootboy would show up on the Ave drunker than shit in the middle of the day often wearing pajamas and bathrobes! (Called themselves the "Robe Warriors") Good times...he will definitely be missed by many.
41
Who the hell IS (was) this person/icon/legend, anyway? The name sounds familiar, but I have no idea at all who the icon with the weird was. I got this email notice from Lee Lumsden yesterday, and heard a loving tribute to this ICON on KEXP yesterday, too. Will one of you hipsters PLEASE give me a little info on SLATS? I'd appreciate it.
Thankfully yours,
Thomas Murphy
Thankfully yours,
Thomas Murphy
44
I look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting to decide the new Mayor of Capitol Hill.
Could this mean the Age of Hipster comes to an end?
Could this mean the Age of Hipster comes to an end?
45
hey - if anyone could get me some recordings by Pain Cocktail i'd be happy to play some on next weeks Sonic Reducer. a CDr of the Silly Killers 7" would be rad too.
my email is Brian@kexp.org
my email is Brian@kexp.org
48
Oh shit! Another dead junkie. Well at least we won't have to deal with him anymore. But wait there are all his stupid side-kicks. Johnny thunders dead junkie Corey haim dead junkie Dee Dee ramone dead junkie. Ha ha the list goes on and on. Oh yeah please tell me if I'm wrong about this.
49
@48 - Please have some respect. I don't care what you think, somebody died, so this is not the place for you to express your opinions.
Slats, this place will never be the same without you.
My heart goes out to his friends and family.
Slats, this place will never be the same without you.
My heart goes out to his friends and family.
50
Celebrate St. Slats Day, Wednesday, March 17, 5-7 p.m. at Linda's Tavern...bring your Slats stories and photos and hoist a toast. Bring a candle: at 7 the party will move up the street in a bar crawl procession to The Comet and then the Cha Cha. We'll miss you Slats.
53
The fact that there were 47 comments before some asshole weighed in should prove how much Slats was loved.
54
Ya gotta give credit to a guy who stayed true to his style long enough for it to come back in, and stayed young enough to still make it look good.
55
Now i know why I was on a Johnny Thunders kick all weekend! 1111
*********RIP Slats!!!!!!
You were one of the first people I met when I moved here...
xoxo
Miss Oblivious
*********RIP Slats!!!!!!
You were one of the first people I met when I moved here...
xoxo
Miss Oblivious
57
It would help finalize a slat's memorial if the stranger's line out posted something about it. If you @50 are serious, I'd suggest maybe the day after st patrick's day? It's just as a cap hill bar lady I know that those bars will just be filled with chodes that slats would have hated. we need to organize. Just to collectively process the fact that he's gone. man, and whoever sells those slats beer cozies, I think we'd all like to place an order.
end of an era!
end of an era!
58
I remember the times we had hanging out in Hush studios hallways shootin shit and wasting time. there was this one time where he was in his room working out a solo with the band and he fell out of the door and into the hallway. He just kept playing while he lay there on the floor. We just fell about laughing. That was Slats.
RIP Slats!!!
RIP Slats!!!
59
@50 - what if it was Thrusday instead?
Then maybe I could announce it in the printed Stranger too?
Then maybe I could announce it in the printed Stranger too?
61
@ 50 - if you get this, can you email me?
kelly [at] thestranger dot com?
St Slats Day is pretty great too. Wanna confirm.
kelly [at] thestranger dot com?
St Slats Day is pretty great too. Wanna confirm.
62
I remember him as a fixture in the U-District during the '80s when I first started going to punk shows. Always hangin' out on Ave by Campus Food Mart. My friend bought his pyramid spiked belt for $2 when he needed cash for a fix circa 1986! He dressed exactly the same for 30 years... I never understood how he was still goin' given how much drugs he did, but Slats sure had stayin' power.
65
Hi Kelly O.: Okay, I think THURSDAY is a great idea instead of Wednesday for St. Slats Day...so yeah, 5-7 starting at Linda's Tavern...
69
I think Linda's from 5-7 on Thursday the 18th is a good start...but Slats was everywhere, so the celebration should continue everywhere afterwards as people see fit. Bring a candle, bring pictures and stories...Chris was a nice guy and deserves to be remembered as such. We'll move on up the street at 7 to The Comet and then the Cha Cha, then down to The Funhouse...and if we really got punk rock and ambitious we would declare every day after St. Patrick's Day on the hill to be St. Slats' Day.
70
Hey Dan, shut the fuck up about Slats. Your little chronology is all wrong. Plus I didn't see u on the Ave at all, liar. You are a poser and you admitted years ago that you were a little broadway goth queer in the late 80s. Quit pretending and name-dropping. I looked you up today because we were laughing at phoneys and your name came up. 100% faux punk. You should be silent. BTW, you're gay. Slats, RIP. Forgive the name droppers like Dan10things who was not there, bro. Johnny D and Maynard Twins, Whasssup oldschoolers??
71
R.I.P Slats - you and Purple Mark helped define Seattle for me when I moved here in the early 90's. It seems somehow impossible to imagine that I will never again see your lanky be-hatted figure.
73
Before "Slats" you were just Chris - kind, sweet, talented and funny as hell. I know you're having a great laugh in heaven with Gina, Steve, Tammy, Kelly, Cal...so many of our friends are waiting for you there. Life down here will not be nearly as interesting now that you've left us.
---Jenny
And hey, to Mike O. and Little Alex. Long time no see, old school Ave Rats.
---Jenny
And hey, to Mike O. and Little Alex. Long time no see, old school Ave Rats.
75
back in 2003 Slats practiced a few doors down from my band at Hush studios. we would be smoking in the hallway and he would walk by, we would get quiet and someone would always say "man, that guy has been around FOREVER"....he was always quiet and kept to himself. i thought it was cool that he practiced at the same place i did.
just like everyone else i saw him all over Seattle for years, but in the last few i actually had the pleasure of talking with him at shows or belltown bars...the times we spoke he was lucid, he was always kind and personable...very real, which is hard to find here.
the last time we spoke was at shortys, i was telling him how i was planning to move back to New Orleans, he told me that he liked to get out of Seattle for the winters, he said "if i have to spend one more winter here it will kill me".....that conversation has been on my mind the past few months, which is kind of weird.
my boyfriend and i always loved running into him at shows, it doesn't feel right knowing i wont ever be able to again.
just like everyone else i saw him all over Seattle for years, but in the last few i actually had the pleasure of talking with him at shows or belltown bars...the times we spoke he was lucid, he was always kind and personable...very real, which is hard to find here.
the last time we spoke was at shortys, i was telling him how i was planning to move back to New Orleans, he told me that he liked to get out of Seattle for the winters, he said "if i have to spend one more winter here it will kill me".....that conversation has been on my mind the past few months, which is kind of weird.
my boyfriend and i always loved running into him at shows, it doesn't feel right knowing i wont ever be able to again.
76
Yes Mike, I was a goth kid that hung out on Broadway 26 years ago, that must make me gay and means I didn't live in the U-District from 1986 through the 1990s. Is being called gay still considered an insult?
77
Slats lived in Montlake most of his life, he was not an "Ave Rat". Contrary to what most people believe, Slats wasn't on heroin most the time. He had physical difficulties later in life because of his life long drug use. He was clear in the mind but couldn't walk around very well. He relied on anti-seizure meds that made him look over-medicated and unable to walk well. Yes, he once was a junkie - a lot of people were. It was a different time in the 80s and drug use was a part of the music scene. Some people never got clean, it isn't an easy thing to do. But he was so much more than just that. He was a great guitarist. He was funny and had a great sense of humor. He laughed at himself. He never bragged about "back in the day"...
The thing that pisses me off Dan, is the way you always name-drop and "date-drop" ("Back in the 80's on the Ave, I did this and that...") to promote yourself. I have never called you out on your self-given status as an early Seattle punk, but I could. You have infringed. Dan, you came along later - the 1990s. Nothing wrong with that, but don't talk about "back in the day" when you are talking to people who know who was there because the scene was that small. I read your whole article on Slats on your personal website and it is a piece of crap, full of self-promotion. Ridiculous.
To Dan: Personally, I popped up in 1983. Thats it. I wasn't a pioneer like Slats, but I found myself admiring him and a whole lot of others who had paved the way for a scene that was very small and very exciting. Now decades later, I don't go around and talk about "back in '77" because I am honest about what I did and DID NOT do. You should do the same. Since you actually never knew Slats, Dan, I think you should remove that ridiculous story you faked on your tenthings website. Its bullshit. It is insulting that you explain to us who Slats was when we are the ones who knew him and you didn't.
Now, to Jenny g: thanks for the shout-out, hun. I respect you very much.
More...
The thing that pisses me off Dan, is the way you always name-drop and "date-drop" ("Back in the 80's on the Ave, I did this and that...") to promote yourself. I have never called you out on your self-given status as an early Seattle punk, but I could. You have infringed. Dan, you came along later - the 1990s. Nothing wrong with that, but don't talk about "back in the day" when you are talking to people who know who was there because the scene was that small. I read your whole article on Slats on your personal website and it is a piece of crap, full of self-promotion. Ridiculous.
To Dan: Personally, I popped up in 1983. Thats it. I wasn't a pioneer like Slats, but I found myself admiring him and a whole lot of others who had paved the way for a scene that was very small and very exciting. Now decades later, I don't go around and talk about "back in '77" because I am honest about what I did and DID NOT do. You should do the same. Since you actually never knew Slats, Dan, I think you should remove that ridiculous story you faked on your tenthings website. Its bullshit. It is insulting that you explain to us who Slats was when we are the ones who knew him and you didn't.
Now, to Jenny g: thanks for the shout-out, hun. I respect you very much.
78
Mike, I think you don't really understand me and are making assumptions. I'm old, have nothing to promote, and have nothing to prove. My music blog is my own personal archive of bands, people, music and photos, I don't know why you would think it's not honest. I know your breadth of knowledge goes back many years further than mine and you have different recollections and insight of people and events. I'd totally encourage you to write them down so those memories aren't lost forever. But I'm long past needing to prove how punk I am, and these days I'm not so punk anymore anyway.
79
Little Alex, I didn't realize you had posted and I wanted to say everyone still respects you (including these younger dudes like Stu and crew). Slats was your old friend and what you wrote here touched me, seriously. Best wishes to you from a friend, Mike.
81
I really love this picture taken of Slats at CHBP last year:
http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogim…
http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogim…
82
See ya dude..Slats represented Old seattle to me..crossed paths with him the first time in 1982. Didn't know him well, but he was an oddly comforting presence to me. Things fall apart.
83
I'm not sure if any of you people actually knew Chris, but he was a real person with a real mother who just so happens to be a friend of mine. She is a sweet lady who struggled to love her son, despite the tribulations that addiction can cause. And Chris was a sweet guy, despite the horrors that he continually inflicted upon himself. So, before you post something like "another dead junkie", think about how that might feel if it were someone you knew and loved. I hope that Chris's mom never reads any of this garbage. She's already suffered enough.
84
SLATS, living proof that heroin is the fountain of youth? Just kidding, never knew the guy, wish I had tried to talk to him sometime i musta passed him 200* on the street.
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