He's not suffering anymore. Safe travels, Mr. Smith!
He's not suffering anymore. Safe travels, Mr. Smith!
my obit on my fb page. sadly to be expected but heartbreaking nonetheless:
Tim Smith has died. Twelve years after suffering a multiple stroke and (ironically) cardiac arrest (and being severely impaired) he has now left this world. He has also left a musical legacy of bravery and brashness that is second to none. He has left his world ... and it‘s an endlessly beautiful one.
If – in retrospect – there was one band that I had probably been searching to discover throughout my conscious life as a listener and appreciator of original music it must have been Cardiacs, with Tim Smith‘s genial songwriting at its centre. Although an early default setting of mine would have been metalhead or headbanger, I was long drawn to the exuberant delusions of grandeur as well as the sheer audacity of prog rock, while also liking the grass-roots ethos and the iconoclasm of the best in punk rock – and its abrasive wit that prog‘s earnestness never really allowed to the surface. Cardiacs were the first band to combine both and make it accessible in a highly idiosynchratic and quintessentially english way, as far as rendering obvious comparisons such as Zappa, Beefheart and some RiO/Canterbury futile. If one searches remnants of Genesis, The Sex Pistols, The Specials, Gentle Giant, early Paul Weller and The Kinks in a giddy moshpit-type romp (otherwise known as "the pond" for those in the know) they are the place to seek out. Prog and Punk were never as separated and incompatible as many post-1977 pop cognoscenti would like you to believe and Cardiacs, under the aegis of Tim‘s madcap genius, are living loving proof to that.
They could move from two minute punk blowouts to celebrating 10 minute symphonies with the blink of an eye and did so whenever the whim took them. This was often and frequently the case. At the heart of this sat Smith‘s genius for melodies. However we are not talking about feeble campfire singsong melodicism, we are dealing with multiple melodies, often at odds with each other, often chasing themselves around and ascending through multiple key changes – and then coming back crashing down to leave an imprint so grand and all-engulfing that only the strongest of emotions will suffice to describe the experience one can have with them – and i did several times. All of this will usually happen within the span of one pop song for this, by Tim Smith‘s own accounts, is what they had been producing in their time, no more or less. They were one of the best (pop) groups that no-one had ever heard of. Those who did often led a happier and more determined life.
What a privilege to be alive at the same time. The expansion of participative internet services during the naughties had augmented the availability of their otherworldly material and thus I was able to make this late but none more unwelcome discovery to my life. The array of name artists – think Damon Albarn, Mike Patton, Radiohead, Biffy Clyro, Marillion and Napalm Death to name a few – to lay testimony to Tim Smith‘s influence speaks volumes. His compositorial style is now the estate of musicologial research and the honourary doctorate awarded to him by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2018 represents a bold and ultimately important laureate to the fringes, creaks and crevices of the music business which often – deal-less and nonexposed – houses the best and most challenging stuff. I discovered it at exactly the right time in my life and this lunatic catalogue of assorted wonderments will prevail livelier than ever.
This is an uncomfortable obituary to post. Only two days ago we lost one of our dearest and closest friends to a brave but unfaltering and often domineering battle against cancer. That is a private matter and as such it will remain private. Tim Smith, to his credit and the joy of many few, has of late attained an entirely grass-roots propelled publicity with his artistic heritage and thus I take liberty of going public with this here. RiP you legends. Thanks, Timmy.
Written on a big ship after a day on land and in the sea, with both often occuring at the same time. Just like the best of Cardiacs.
This is a sad day for shure!
Descanse en paz Maestro!
My condolences to Tim's family, friends and of course, to Kavus!
Rest in Peace and thanks for the music!.
Pura Vida!.
There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
Duke Ellington.
So sorry to hear this. Condolences to his friends and family.
And the code is a play, a play is a song, a song is a film, a film is a dance...
gathered a few thoughts here
https://critterjams.wordpress.com/20...-starry-skies/
there have been a few moments in my life where music just seemed too good to be true. Cardiacs made up most of them. I had so much fun introducing them to my friends. one reaction I got a few times was "this is amazing, I hate it"
Critter Jams "album of the week" blog: http://critterjams.wordpress.com
What a shame. What a shame.
But he left some great music.
And somewhere in the Great Beyond, an old man with a heavy Italian accent is asking him, "I just got here too, and I'm putting together an orchestra. Would you like to play the fuzz guitar for me?"
Fucking hell.
I guess some small part of me had great problems accepting that he never would be able to make music anymore. This (His death) is what the rational part of me have been sort of waiting for since I understood the vastness of the damage made to him. I will forever miss him but also forever be able to enjoy his masterful works.
The first track I'm going to play is Dirty Boy, but it may take me a day or two. I am too much of an emotional wreck right now. Ennio and Dr Tim within a few weeks. Two absolute giants we have lost.
"Stoneage Dinosaurs" is playing on repeat right now...
Understandable. We all grieve differently, and I know both of these guys meant a lot to you.Originally Posted by chalkpie
I hope Kavus is holding up as well as can be expected. Can't imagine what this must feel like to the folks who knew Tim closely and worked with him.
It was probably naive, but I kept holding out hope that Tim would improve and might see a better quality of life one day soon. I hate that he's gone, but I find a tiny bit of solace in knowing that he's not suffering.
Can't believe… RIP
Heartbroken...
It's been Cardiacs all day. This one hurts so much.
I'm not lazy. I just work so fast I'm always done.
REST IN PEACE MY MAN TIM SMITH. THE CARDIACS WERE A HUGE INFLUENCE ON ME AS WELL AS MY BAND MR.BUNGLE. THEY DID IT RIGHT, INDEPENDENTLY AND WITH NO APOLOGIES. TONS OF RESPECT AND LOVE.
Mike Patton on Facebook
I was able to play one song by Tim tonight...Dergo. Not sure why I chose that but it was all I could do today. Hopefully tomorrow I can do a bunch more. Tim's passing was covered by a bunch of online publications - even Fox News 'fer christsakes! I still can't get over the fact that he is no longer with us. I know he was in great hands and the care was the best under the given circumstances. I managed to score vinyl LP's of Sing to God and Heaven Born at the Cardiacs site today....I can't believe that those were still available. I am going to play Loveless by My Bloody Valentine in a few minutes after I finish up Tanz der Lemminge.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
________________________________
np:
Sing to God.
Pura Vida!.
There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
Duke Ellington.
I just played 'Savour' and was not able to keep it dry. I still feel pretty shaken up. Now is 'Swimming with the snake' up; does not really make it better.
But what can we do? we MUST honor the man by playing his music.
Archive is up now. Its been too long since I've heared the piffol stuff.
Dreadfully sad news.
A talented and lovely fella.
Leaves a tremendous body of work.
You're doing better than me. Won't be able to listen to any of this stuff for a good while i think. Been listening to Stereolab and The Gasman very loudly instead, with Ennio Morricone for afters
It's impossible to speak about Tim Smith, and avoid using the word "genius" - and this comes from a person who is not a die-hard fan. The uniqueness of his vision has no parallel in the music world as far as I can tell. This is like music not made for human beings, but for some other, still undiscovered species.
Maybe we become this species when listening to Tim's music: a playful, festive, life-affirming species. Maybe Tim has found relief abandoning his hurt body. I really hope so.
So true on the genius label. I remember seeing a Steve Vai interview talking about FZ and one of the reasons he saw him as a total genius was his ability to create inventive art on a whim, and in a very natural manner, almost with the perception of not even trying (I am very much paraphrasing here, and of course we know the immense amount of work that was involved). Tim and Masetro Morricone were two composers that fit this criteria wholly as well. There weren't *some* things that were great and some that were good/ok - to my ears ALL of it was spectacular and always inspired. The Garage Concerts are proof that even as "Kids", Tim was a composer that was unlike anybody before him, he had the gift all along from the very beginning. Even if the Jon Poole era of Cardiacs (for example) wasn't some of the earlier fans favorite era, there is no denying that the three 90's studio albums (plus Tim's solo album and Spratley's Japs and The Sea Nymphs) were all on equal footing with anything he ever did. All of those albums are amazingly inventive, inspired, unique, and just downright beautiful in their own way. So yeah, genius gets thrown around too may times perhaps, but in Tim's case I think it's just one of many words to describe Tim's amazing abilities. He was also a major motherfucker on guitar, vocals, and studio wizardry in both musical and visual terms.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
RIP Tim - Thanks so much for the music.
The saddest news, RIP Tim Smith. We will praise him!
Music means more to me than I can put into words, but Tim's goes so much further, someplace beyond sacred; truly precious. I never knew the man personally, but his music transformed my life for so much the better. I can honestly say with no exaggeration that I would not be the person I am today without having discovered that musical world. I will mourn his loss and celebrate his life to the fullest of my ability over the days to come.
"Foundling" is my favorite song of all time, I've never been able to listen to it without crying, and I'm certainly not about to stop now.
The synthesizer on that track is the voice of God.
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
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