by modchick65 » Fri Mar 19, 2004 11:07 am
Growing up in Central Pennsylvania in the late '80s, my two friends and I were the only alterna-types in a school full of Brats In The Frat and Right Wing Pigeons. Through bands like the Cure, The Smiths, the Banshees and the Bunnymen, we elevated our youthful romantic angst to a John Hughes-ian artform, but it was the Dead Milkmen who taught us how to wickedly laugh at all of the people, situations and boredom that had previously caused us so much unhappiness.
When I moved to Philly to attend Temple University, one of these friends came down to visit me one weekend. I still remember the two of us walking down South Street in front of Zipperhead, sometime in the spring of 1990, singing "Punk Rock Girl" at the top of our lungs. Surrounded by the places in the song, it finally seemed like we had ESCAPED. To this day, this remains my absolute favorite Dead Milkmen memory. It's for this reason that, even though I still live in Philly, I don't go to South Street very much anymore as it just makes me sad. All of those great places from the era are gone - the Philly Pizza Company, Blacks clothing, Trash and Vaudeville, Veem, that amazing two-story vintage clothing store, the postcard shop at Inferno, and now the Book Trader. But with the passing of Dave Blood, it just got a whole lot sadder.
This message board is truly a testament to the number of lives Dave touched - both directly and indirectly. My deepest condolences go out to Dave's family and the band. He will be deeply missed.
Thanks for everything, Dave.