Pitchfork

Dave Blood, former bassist for the Dead Milkmen, has died. A message posted at the band's official message board on Wednesday night brought the terrible news to fans. Blood's sister, identified only as Kathy F., posted: "This morning Dave Blood is no longer with us... My brother was a smart, clever, and talented person. Inner peace has seemed to elude him for the last many years. Sometime last night David chose to end his life. He left a note that-- I don't know all of what it said, he was not elaborate-- but he said he just could not stand to go on any longer." A few hours later, Kathy expressed her deep sadness at the loss, and elaborated briefly, stating, "David has 'been away' for a long time. Maybe he is happy now-- released from life which maybe only gave him conflict and turmoil inside. "

Former bandmate Dean Clean also posted a brief message thanking Kathy for letting fans know, then stated simply, "I'll miss Dave as a friend and a bandmate. He helped make lots of folks here very happy with the music we all made together. He will not be forgotten." Fans are encouraged to post their own message in memory of Blood, and many have done so. Contributors will now find their messages posted among hundreds more, all featuring similar themes such as "Thanks for elementary school through the present"; "Dave will be missed and leaves us with the tunes of the Dead Milkmen"; and "The music you made provided the soundtrack for my life and will continue to do so."

At the point of the band's demise, Dave Blood had begun suffering from severe tendonitis. The other three band members-- drummer Dean Clean (Dean Sabatino), guitarist/vocalist Joe Jack Talcum (Joe Gerano), and vocalist/keyboardist Rodney Anonymous (Rodney Linderman), were all able to go on to other musical projects. Due to the tendonitis, Blood (real surname Schulthise) was not so lucky. In an interview with journalist Mark Prindle in 2003, Blood commented on how the tendonitis had affected his attitude towards playing bass. When asked if he had the desire to play bass again, Blood remarked, "Every time I even start to consider picking up the four-stringed love axe again, I hear this voice in the back of my head asking me, 'Do you really want to have to take Darvocets in order to be able to tie your shoe laces or twist the lids off of juice bottles?'" As a result, Blood seemed at a loss in the post-Milkmen days. He became deeply interested in the area formerly known as Yugoslavia after formal study of the country at the University of Indiana, and even spent time there from 1998-1999, but, according to his sister, after the demise of the Milkmen he "never really found his niche in life."

The Dead Milkmen's final studio album, Stoney's Extra Stout (Pig) was released in 1995, and in its wake (or lack thereof), the band called it quits. Since then, a career retrospective (Death Rides a Pale Cow), a greatest hits record (Cream of the Crop: Best of the Dead Milkmen), and an expanded rarities comp (Now We Are 20) have been released. Unfortunately, all three of these releases, as well as 1994's live album, Chaos Rules! Live at the Trocadero, have a noticeable lack of material from the band's two major label records: 1992's highly-misunderstood Soul Rotation and 1993's Not Richard But Dick, thanks to Hollywood Record's lack of cooperation with allowing the material to be released. If any good can come of this, perhaps Hollywood will reissue this material, which has long been out of print.

The Dead Milkmen are an extremely important and memorable band for me for many reasons. In the wake of reunions by other so many other punk and post-punk staples like the Pixies and Mission of Burma, I had been hoping for a Dead Milkmen reunion for some time (I even mentioned it in the Pitchfork end-of-the-year feature in my list of predictions for 2004). It is with great sorrow and heartfelt regret that I now realize the painfully obvious truth that this will never happen. I was lucky enough to see the band twice over the years, and both times was impressed beyond words. I hate that there are younger fans who will never get that chance. Hopefully, news of Dave Blood's tragic death will spark interest from a new generation of fans who have yet to hear the band's amazing capacity for memorable pop songs and brilliantly juvenile lyrics. Dave Blood will be missed.

A memorial service, to be held in a few weeks in the Delaware County, Pennsylvania area, is being planned.