Monday, November 5, 2012
RIP Reese Pursell...
I still cannot believe it is true. I have lost so many friends to the same old causes, over half of the characters from my book are now gone. RIP Reese....I just still cannot believe it. I keep thinking about you, and I keep thinking about all the time we spent together in New Orleans. I keep thinking about you, sitting in the big, blue chair at Big daddy's as we lamented over Jenny. I see the pain on your face like a photographic memory. Please tell Jenny hello for me. I keep thinking about all the talks we have had since those times, and I still cannot believe it. You know, when you told me you were honored by your character in my book it meant so much to me. I wish I would have better expressed that to you. I am honored that you memory will live on forever through all of us, Reese, and I am honored that you loved the Reese in my book, the Reese that you were, that we all knew you to be. God damn, man...I fucking love you. If I have anything to do about it, your memory, along with the memory of Junkie Johnny (which you and I talked about...) will live infinitely as my words will. Remember when we talked about my finally naming that chapter in my book 'Junkie Johnny,' after I found out he was gone? I wish I could name one after you now...I guess you will be featured in the next story...RIP dear friend. I just cannot believe it.
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I remember Reese from Portland over 20 years ago. This guy had the best sense of humor and hipped me to some of the best music happening at the time. (Skooly D, De la Soul, Ministry, Acid House, House, Manchester grooves etc) When he moved to New York all of us who knew him spoke of him as legend. I went to visit him in New York and danced at the clubs he DJ'd. (namely the Limelight) He was one of those guys that if you knew him he would be in your memory forever. I have not seen Reese for exactly 20 years. And now I find out about his passing made me realize how precious good friends are. I do hope if there is an after life that I can bump into this guy again. I love you man no matter where you are and I will never forget you.
ReplyDeleteRandall
Agreed Randall.
DeleteI will never forget him, his work or those days for the rest of mine.
Keith
Yes, Randall...he was amazing. I knew him from New Orleans, and I was so shocked and saddened by his passing. We kept in touch over the years, and he is even mentioned in my book. I have been looking at his pictures all the time since I found out about his passing. Seems like I miss him even more now. Thank you so much for your comment! Reese was definitely loved!
ReplyDeleteEliza,
ReplyDeleteI think he may have moved to New Orleans because I often spoke to him about N.O. (I was born there) Reese moved alot and we did not keep in touch. (but every year I wondered what happened to him) It has been 20 years almost to the day that I last saw him and found out about his passing. I also just called Timeless Tattoo and spoke to an apprentice of his about his passing. I will end up buying your book because I would like to see how he was in New Orleans.
Yes, the last time I actually saw Reese was the night before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. He had a tattoo shop there on Canal at the time, and we often ran in the same circles. I did not hear anything from him for a number of years, but I am so thankful we got back in touch...through MySpace, actually! LOL! In my book, Reese is actually a bit of a moral center, a father figure, someone I respected and trusted in a world where there was not a lot of that. We also shared a very dear friend, who spent a number of years in New Orleans, as well. The morning she left the city, Reese and I saw her off with tears in both our eyes, as we both loved her so much. She died about 2 months later, in her sleep, from taking too much of her medication and drinking. Reese and I always shared a special bond through our love of her, Jenny. He always, always held a place for her in his heart, for nearly nine years. I can rest assured, knowing they are together again. I am really glad you commented here...thank you!
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled upon this but I was tattoed by Reese on October 7th. Sat and talked with him for 4 straight hours. He was a great guy and surely will be missed. When we talked he said he was living in Kansas City Missouri.
ReplyDeleteI tried to find Reese for years--what you may not know about him he was GIFTED DJ, truly exceptional.
ReplyDeleteI believe he came from Nebraska to Portland. Afterwards, he moved from Portland Oregon and played in New York City at a club called the Limelight (which is also in London) for about seven years. He was a very skilled turntablist, with a very sharp ear. He played things that you would find in Portland NOWHERE especially in one place. In addition to being a technically superior vinyl slinger, he chopped it up and threw it together seamlessly-- hip-hop with industrial, indy rock with funk, pop with punk and the list went on and on.
When you heard it, It was like that's how it was meant to be played, like it would be wrong otherwise.
Another really cool thing about his music is it brought in a crowd that was as varied as what he played, people that would hang out there and then leave back to whatever "scene" they usually went and hung out--he was that good and the clientele was that much more interesting for it.
He bent genres and made them better. His exceptional underground selections completely trounced other club's music, when I moved back from NY to Portland. I couldn't believe I had found such a great place. Besides the occasional well crafted pop hook, there was rarely if ever, the crap that was on the radio that people went to the Dakota NOT to hear. He set the standard for DJ's, period.
The Dakota Cafe was located (partially as it was larger and went south to the end of the block) at 225 SW Broadway in Portland, Oregon. The dance floor was where pool table now sit. Although it's just a divy little pizza joint and bar--when I'm there, it's IMPOSSIBLE to not recall what a great place this was when Reese ran the show--frankly, it's hard to explain.
I will never forget the days that Reese played at the Dakota Cafe, as "DJ Dakota." His music made for some of the best days of my life.
You will be missed Reese. I will never forget you and your work--rest in peace sir.
Keith
Keith, so beautifully written. Yes, I did know that Reese was a great DJ, although I never heard him spin. My ex-husband was also a DJ in New Orleans, but he grew up in the Jersey area and often frequented the clubs in NYC. I remember him and Reese talking about those days at the Limelight, as both their eyes lit up with the passion for those times that were, at that time, long past. We actually met Reese sometime after my husband no longer had any more DJ gigs. All three of us existed in a world that was quite far removed from those days of the pulsating house beats full of lights and glitter and shining hope, but we often looked back fondly on those days many evenings, as we sat, slightly sick from our lack, waiting for the evening's arrivals. It was one connection that the three of us had, that was quite different from the gutterpunk bars we hung out in on Lower Decatur.
DeleteReese always had his shit together more than the rest of us in those days, and he certainly was the first one to be able to break free from the dark, dank bars and the whiskey laden streets of the French Quarter. When I first met Reese, I was just beginning my descent into the hell of heroin addiction. Those days to me were still dreamy, and not yet desperate, as I fell harder and harder in love with the substance. Reese walked alongside many of us in that journey, and it did not surprise me that he got his shit together much sooner than many of the rest of us could have.
In the first few years I hung with Reese, he dated a dear friend of mine, and we all lurked through the darkened streets of Lower Decatur, haunting the bars at all hours of the night sometimes. I believe that Reese even married Shannon back then. She had a kid, and Reese was always so good to that little boy, even if their lives were starting to spiral further and further out of control. Shannon had a habit that made mine look like the minor leagues, and it was in those years that she really began her descent into those depths that only addiction can bring. Shannon ended up losing Reese, losing custody of her son, and it would be many years before she would finally get clean. When Reese died, Shannon was the first person I called, and we both have mourned his death since that day. She had been back in touch with Reese in recent years, as we all had, as we trusted him to always give good advice. He was trusted, like a brother, like a father figure.
When I finally finished my book, I contacted Reese about it, wanting him to read it. He actually became one of the most mentioned peripheral characters of the book, and he most certainly knew every single person in the book. I wanted him to read it, so he could let me know if I could use his name, or if he would like it changed. Immediately, he expressed that he would probably like it changed. I emailed him a copy of the book, and he responded in 2 days. I read this email just last week when searching for some old stuff, and it brought tears to my eyes now. He raved about the book, and applauded me for my work. He also said that he wanted me to keep his name, and he was honored by his character. He told me he had worried that he might be depicted in a negative light, because, as he put it, he was a real piece of shit back then. And while I did see the shitty side of him at times, he still remained a father figure of sorts, and he was always a good person, with a courageous attitude and an amazing heart. He came across as one of the few characters in the book whose advice I heeded, whose opinion I respected, and who was a strong fucking character.
Reese and I actually remained quite close for a number of years...until Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the game changed for all of us. A number of years before the storm hit the city, Reese fell in love with a dear friend of mine. I will always remember sitting on the bed with the two of them, the morning before she left New Orleans. And I will never forget the look of Reese's face when we learned of her death some time later. Reese mourned her until the end of his days. We often spoke of her, and I know we both thought of her all the time. She has actually been circling through my mind in the last few days.
DeleteReese bailed me out of jail, as he was a bail bondsman at the time, just 2 weeks before Katrina, and I feel quite sure I saw him the night before the storm hit the city. Reese defended his tattoo shop on Canal Street. I actually have a picture of that! He eventually made it out of the city, as did I. I was still struggling with my addictions, and it would be years before I would reconnect with Reese, or really anyone from those days in New Orleans.
By the time we reconnected, he was traveling the country for tattoo conventions, and I was learning how to care for an infant, while shuffling through information about going back to school. Reese and I kept in regular communication, always checking in when we thought of our dear friend, Jenny. I actually emailed him a story I wrote about her for a Day of the Dead series for my website, and I wondered why I had not heard back from him. I asked him how many years it had been since she died, and he normally responded to my emails quickly. I published the story on November 1st, and shared it to his Facebook. When someone I did not know responded that the story was so perfect, I just automatically assumed that she must have also known Jenny, so I clicked on her page, and the first post was the time of Reese's funeral. I remember, I was eating a sandwich, while I thumbed through my computer, and my mouth dropped open, and my hand released the sandwich uncontrollably, as it fell to the floor. I was shocked.
It had been over a week since his death when I found out, and none of us from New Orleans knew yet. Reese was a ninja, as he had connections and people all over, in various pockets of the globe, each knowing different aspects of Reese, and none of us hardly knowing one another...unless we all hung out together at some point. Reese was mysterious, and yet an open book at times. He was all heart, even if he sometimes tried to hide it behind a scowl. And his advice was always spot on. I often have the reflections of him, sitting in a chair in the club, lecturing me about something. I can still hear the whispers of his stern and scolding voice sometimes, and I know that is will surely reach out and give me a sign if I need advice in the future.
Yes, my memories of Reese also come from some of the best times of my life. Granted, we were all covered in dirt and whiskey, struggling to feel our way through the world, only to be ravaged by the most damaging hurricane in history...but those were definitely some great times, of carefree abandon and intimate friendships...some things I miss very much in the world of parenting and responsibilities. Those friendships I forged in New Orleans, in those years before the storm have remained some of the strongest bonds I have ever had. I think being in New Orleans those days following Katrina really made us all value our lives, and also our friends from those times. After the storm, it took years to get back in touch with some people, and I wondered for years who had actually survived the disaster. I think that is why those of us who were there kept each other close once we found one another again. And now, another one of the crew is gone. Reese crosses my mind almost daily, still, and he will most certainly be dearly missed.