HumidCity

Longtime comics guru Kirby Gee passed away yesterday from apparent heart failure, which is a fucking joke since Kirby had one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever known. I cannot tell you how miserable I am, as are all those who knew him. We didn’t hang out like we used to, but it was always a comfort to know that he was just across town if you needed him.

If you need me, I’ll be at the bar.

Kirby’s the guy in the center of the last panel. This was at the high point of the Big Easy ComiCon in 1999. We had a fantastic dinner at Mulatte’s and hours of frolicking in the Quarter. We found a bar with a photo booth and Kirby screamed “PHOTO BOOTH!!” and dove in… and went right through to the other side and fell on his ass.

Cross posted at the Nation and Flickr.

New Orleans children’s author, professor emeritus and notable Carnival Character Colleen Salley passed away yesterday, after a battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).   She was of some age I am certain the Times-Picayune obituary writer will publish, but she was always such a southern lady I would never so much as venture a guess in public writing. 

She was many things to many people. To a generation of her students at the University of New Orleans, she was first a teacher. To a generation of children (and not just the children of New Orleans)  she was a story-teller and character in books of her own as well as books by her former pupils. And to those of us who treasure the Odd marching groups of Carnival, she was Queen Colleen, pushed through the French Quarter in a shopping cart with a supply of dry sherry, her adoring subjects making frequent stops to prostrate themselves before her.

To me she was also the mother of my friend George, his brother David and sister Genevieve. They lived just a couple of streets down in Lake Vista, in the upper of a duplex at the circle on Crane Street.  One of the big disappointments I had when living in Fargo, N.D. was to learn after she had come and gone she visited my children’s school, and I regret not having the opportunity to see her there and offer some proper New Orleans hospitality. The second to last time I saw her was when she came to the funeral of my brother, who was close to her youngest son. Thankfully the last time we met was Mardi Gras 2008 when she was still in her Carnival glory.

She was an amazing lady, and I will perhaps write about this some more on Toulouse Street after I have fully digested the news.

The funeral will be Saturday, September 27^th, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Jude’s on Rampant. While the formal announcment has not been made, I don’t think I’m reaching to suggest that if you knew her or enjoyed her books or story telling, a gift to the Colleen Salley - Bill Morris Literacy Foundation would certainly be considered a fine memorial.

Tonight in possum heaven Everette Maddox will have good company. Drink will be taken and stories will be told as only Colleen can, and the lambs at Jesus’ feet will be jealous not to be there.

 Mark Folse  Toulouse Street–Odd Bits of Life in New Orleans

I am behind the curve in hearing about this. To be honest I am pretty bereft of words. Bob’s humorous fiction in particular is close to my heart. He will be missed. Jon Donelly over at NOLA.com actually said it quite well:

In the far reaches of Ranke, in the sinister gloom of Sanctuary’s Vulgar Unicorn, Hell Hounds, cutpurses and street hustlers raise a flagon to a great mage. Elsewhere, Skeeve and Aahz feel the passing of the Myth Maker. And worlds away, a Phule and his creator are too soon parted.

On Thursday, May 22, fantasy/science-fiction author and editor Robert Asprin passed away in his French Quarter residence. The 61-year-old writer - known to many by his SCA name of “Yang the Nauseating” - was famous for a ground-breaking series known as “Thieves World,” in which a group of top sci-fi/fantasy luminaries contributed short stories in a shared universe, a new model that was part of the genesis of the modern fantasy genre. He co-edited and helped author the early books in this series, with then-wife Lynn Abbey. His career continued through Myth Adventures, a humorous fantasy series, which was still being written with co-author Jodie Lynn Nye. Their latest book, “Myth-Chief,” was published this year, and “Myth Fortune,” which was in progress, will be published at an unspecified date. Asprin also created the humorous adventures of Willard Phule and his space-going company.

According to family spokesman and longtime friend Bill Fawcett, the author was discovered in his New Orleans home on Thursday:

On May 22, 2008, Bob passed away quietly in his home in New Orleans, LA. He had been in good spirits and working on several new projects, and was set to be the Guest of Honor at a major science fiction convention that very weekend. He is survived by his mother, his sister, his daughter and his son, and his cat, Princess, not to mention countless friends and fans and numerous legendary fictional characters. He will be greatly missed. Bob, when this was discussed, requested there not be a formal funeral. A gathering at Fahy’s Pub on Dauphine in the Quarter has been organized, which fits Bob’s often-expressed desire that he be remembered by a series of great pub crawls. He also stated that should he die, any donations (should go) to the New Orleans Library for the purchase of science fiction books. Alternately Bob was a great cat lover concerned about the animals of New Orleans and donations to no kill animal shelters would also be a fitting memorial.The gathering at Fahy’s will be held Monday, May 26, from 9-11 pm.

He has much more including a letter from the lady who found him in Jon’s original post.

Legendary Singer James Brown Dies at 73 - Forbes.com
James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured “Godfather of Soul,” whose revolutionary rhythms, rough voice and flashing footwork influenced generations of musicians from rock to rap, died early Christmas morning. He was 73.

I am glad I met him before he passed on. During the Centenniel Olympics in Atlanta, the one in the 90’s when that bozo set off a pipe bomb, I got to work with Brwn and his staff at the House of Blues. He pulled up in a snow white stretch limo with a vanity plate that said “Godfather.” He hopped out, fizzing with energy, and immediately started shaking hands and kissing girls at the security perimeter. Yes, he really seems to be like that all the time.

When the pipebomb went off my friend Vaughan and I had to tell him that there would be no encore. ” What do you mean there will be no encore! I’m The Godfather! These people want to see The Godfather and I’m not going to disappoint them!.”

“Mr. Brown, someone just set off a bomb in Centennial Park about a block from here,” we said.

“Where’s my limo! Where my women at! Let’s get out of here….”

I’ll be raising toast today, to an extremely short and incredibly talented man who made me look mellow when he was still with us…