Remember Him Well

I didn't know him but I knew of him.

Years ago, before I came to Richmond. when I was in high school in New York I read a review of his bands' album in Rolling Stone.

There was a line in there that stuck with me: "Tantilla, named for a defunkt dance-hall-cum-bowling-alley..." The image that a place, any place could at once inspire a name for someone's album, serve as a dancehall then inexplicably become a bowling alley made me want to seek this city out. Some may laugh, well those who know Richmond. And yes I laugh at most of my teenage notions now (apparently the internet wasn't a fad!) but my gut was right on this one. And the image that review put in my head was the tip of the iceberg. Richmond holds a mystery.

When I came to college in Richmond my freshman roommate got House of Freaks' "Cakewalk". We were pretty much losers so we stayed in and listened to that album nonstop. We were all impressed with someone we had met who had Bryan Harvey's brother as a teacher in high school.

So, I never met Bryan Harvey, and I don't believe I ever saw him perform live (there are a lot 'lost' years however so it's possible). But his death, long after the news reports' image of a friend last seeing his wife ashen-faced and disturbed greeting her at the door has left my head- will still mean a lot to me.