Randy Jorgensen
By baci on Oct 7, 2009 in R.I.P.
Passed today. Sounds like some kind of memorial this weekend. I shall always admire Randy’s sense of aesthetic, form and balance. His ability to see form in the industrial landscape inspired me.
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Farewell, friend
Keine Schoenheit Ohne Gefahr….
Peace on Venus.
Goodbye Randy, Ill miss our late night video watching parties! Big hug to you big guy!!
“Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won’t help.”
Walk in Beauty,Randy.
Randy had a Goth aesthetic long before morose teenagers began wearing black trench coats, and, as Baci mentioned, he loved all things industrial. He toned down his interior decorating a few years ago, but until then his house was an absolute riot. He loved bones. He was enthralled by the “World’s Largest Pile of Bones” which he stumbled upon during a road trip to the South West. Though he was a scary looking guy in a spooky looking house, one of the neighbor girls saw through all the trappings and pretty much adopted Randy. She knew he was really a pussycat with a shaved head, in black clothes and leather. So, one summer day, the neighbor girl and her friend got permission from their parents for a sleep-over at “uncle” Randy’s house, to be followed by a day at the beach. The little girls brought along a beach-ball to play with the next day. Of course the girls stayed up late and got squirrelly, as kids do at pajama parties, and they ran around screaming in front of the open windows. The neighbors heard the screams of little girls emanating from the spooky house where the scary guy lived and called the cops. The cops arrived to behold Randy’s eccentric taste in decorating. There were animal skulls and bones, lots of bones. Religious iconography and plenty of rusty metal cast-offs from the railroad. The ceiling was painted metallic gold and every imaginable form of baroque/industrial kitsch was on display. The cops called the parents and found out everything was indeed A.O.K. As they turned to leave, one of the cops paused and took a last look around at the bizarre surroundings and asked, ” so, what’s with the beach ball?”
That’s hilarious, Dave! There was a similar incident with the police one early Saturday afternoon when the neighbor lady in the upstairs apartment in the duplex just to the north called in a noise complaint, but without the punch-line. I thought they were going to arrest him just for his aesthetic. I’m sure they watched our house for weeks after that.
Randy was one of the greatest, most honest, people I’ve met in my life. He will be missed, I’m going to miss his conversations, having a conversation with him was something special. He was a hell of a guy.
I have to say something, I don’t really know if it it’s apropos, but…
Purity is a negative state, and contrary to
Nature.
I always think of Randy as an avid Contrarian,
who couldn’t be fooled by reverse psychology.
Rare are his ilk.
I am so sad. I adored Randy. Once I had a date with him where he made New York Strip and had 3 1/2 doz roses for me all in chemistry beakers. He had pieces of pianos hung about the room like the bones hung there. And a full stringboard on wheels. I have always missed him and always will.
A long time ago, I saw an old picture of Randy at maybe 18 or so years old who looked more like the guy next door than anything dark or goth. I asked him why he changed. He told me the only reason he dressed and looked the way he did was to freak out co-workers on the railroad so they would leave him alone.
He also said he was just being more himself, and it was what he was most comfortable with. He said it also allowed him to easily weed out those who were too conservative, christian, right-wing, or (in his own words) had their own heads stuck too far up their own asses — all people he had no time for anyway.
Obviously, it worked, as this post and the other recent post have been receiving more comments than I recall any other RIP posts I’ve seen on PDD.
I know it goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway… they definitely broke the mold when they made Randy. I’ve been around the world, lived in far too many places, and traveled to or through nearly every state in the U.S, and I’ve never met anyone like him. I expect I never will. He was an original.
And his love of bones!!! He once helped me with show at the Norshor by being the bouncer. He showed up wearing a necklace he made….. of the cleaned bones from a chicken he had earlier for dinner.
So many stories… I’d better stop before I begin another. Which will lead to another, and another and…..
Randy will be missed by many.I know there are many stories Christian and you are a good one to tell them. Tell more. I remember a conversation we had at least 15 years ago about how he wanted to be stuffed and displayed in his livingroom after he died… Sitting in a chair or laying in a glass-fronted coffin. At least just to freak visitors out. He is one of my favorite people. Bye Randypants.
Any word on a memorial service?
There is a service for Randy on Monday, Oct. 12th at 3pm at the Cremation Society on Grand Ave in Duluth.
Travel well Randy…
I gave Randy an enormous light bulb. He gave me a memorable Halloween night of really great conversation at the Anchor Bar. Obviously, I got the better end of the deal.
I just found a copy of the Artbeats audio and burned a few CDs of Randy’s piece. Will bring to memorial service on Monday. If I can figure out my mp3 thingy, I’ll try posting it on the web.
That’s awesome, Tim. I for one, would really enjoy having a copy.
I stashed a piece of Randy music on my server. You can download it at
http://www.timkaiser.org/Randy.mp3
It’s just under 10 minutes long and well worth the listen. Let it roll over you. Do what Randy would have done: turn off the lights, light a candle or two and CRANK it.
Tim- Thanks so much for this.. It really set the tone. I hope we can hear more of this in the future! See you Monday.
I’m with Jessy. It was really great to hear this piece again after all these years. The one in my mind didn’t have enough delay.
Yeah, sing the song, Bro’
If the sun refused to shine
I don’t mind, I don’t mind
If the mountains fell into the sea,
let it be, it ain’t me.
Alright, cos I got my own world to look through,
And I ain’t gonna copy you.
Now if 6 turned out to be 9,
I don’t mind, I don’t mind,
Alright if all the hippies cut off all their hair,
I don’t care, I don’t care.
Dig, cos I got my own world to live through
And I ain’t gonna copy you.
White collared conservative flashing down the street,
Pointing their plastic finger at me.
They’re hoping soon my kind will drop and die,
But I’m gonna wave my freak flag high,high.
Wave on, wave on
Fall mountains, just don’t fall on me
Go ahead on Mr. Business man, you can’t dress like me.
Sing on Brother, play on drummer.
Jimi Hendrix
May you find peace my friend Randy!
Watch out where those huskies go, brother.
People come and go
And forget to close the door,
And leave their stains and cigarette butts trampled on the floor,
And when they do, remember me, remember me.
Some of them are old,
Some of them are new,
Some of them will turn up when you least expect them to,
And when they do, remember me, remember me.
I will remember you, friend.