Brad Linaweaver
A Celebration of Life
by his Friends and Colleagues
R: Brad and me at a Forry Birthday. December 8, 2005.
I open this with a quote from Ron Garmon, to wit: "This has been a year of dreadful loss..." Ron was speaking of his own losses, of course, but it seems to me that it's an appropriate comment on 2019 in general.
I don't plan to list them all here. Between the cats and the scorched acres in California and loss of decorum on Capital Hill and the hurricanes, and the tornados and, and, and.... you get the idea.
When someone dies, whomever they are, they leave a hole. It's difficult to fathom the size of that hole. People who never heard of the person are affected by that passing. The first domino goes and until the last one falls, all kinds of things, small and large, happen along the way. And I notice, it's the little things that cause the most devastating moments in everyday life.
I was taking a break from writing this and decided it was the perfect time to dust the living room. (Anything to not write these words, thereby giving them appalling reality.) I moved a pile of magazines from a side table and realized I was holding in my hands, several copies of Cult Movies, with little notes on them, from Brad. The one on top made me smile and I reached for the phone to call him and say, "Hey! Remember this?" It took me another few days to be able to sit down and continue writing. These things keep happening which is why it's damned near 2 months since he left, and I'm finally determined to complete this tribute and upload it. Today.
Not many people knew just how ill Brad was. I did. We didn't talk about it. Not much. I really thought he had a bit more time. I thought he'd see Halloween. I thought he'd see his 2019 birthday and perhaps raise a sardonic glass... I thought I would have one more phone call, however brief.
But, I thought wrong. So did Brad. So did everyone involved. His long-time and close friends were with him at home when last he drew breath. These are extraordinary people who loved him like family and treated him as such. I had no fear that he wasn't in caring hands. Perhaps it's silly for me to say this, but I thank you. You made it just a little easier for all of us who loved Brad.
For myself, I've lost my best friend, my partner, my editor, my old lover and my teacher. I miss you Brad.
It's hard.
— Jessie Lilley, Santa Cruz, CA
Halloween, I felt, was an appropriate time to begin a last farewell.
And so, we began on October 31, 2019, with a gallery of some of Brad's art collection. The pieces in the Gallery were chosen by the artist from whom they were commissioned, L.J. Dopp. L.J. added his thoughts on the loss of his friend and patron to the gallery, as well as captioning the paintings. That Gallery can be viewed at The Horror Art of L.J. Dopp from the Brad Linaweaver Collection.
And leave us not forget Richard J. Schellbach (welcome home Rich!) and his delightful Grey Matters column, here at Mondo Cult. Our Richard has some stern words regarding the "C" word. You can read his thoughts on the matter HERE.
Friends and Colleagues Remember
There are many people who wish to remember Brad, and reminisce with like-minded folks. But we're all scattered across the globe and getting together at one place for an afternoon or evening is damned near impossible. In lieu of this, although I know there will be physical gatherings in various States at various conventions, we all thought this would be the place to write a little something about the man. This tribute will be added to as time goes by. Some folks are unable to put pen to paper (so to speak) right away for so very many reasons. So I'll just add their thoughts as they come in. In the meantime, some of these thoughts are fresh and some are from years gone by, but appropriate.
One of my favorite comments on Brad's passing is from L. Neil Smith, who notes: "Another of Heinlein's Children passes. In many ways, Brad was the most youthful of us. I never expected to outlive him. It was a good feeling knowing he was there, and I will miss it. N."
Finally, before we enter the longer pieces, another of Brad favorite artists wanted to add her thoughts. From Martina Pilcerova, who created the Silicon Assasin poster, comes the following: "Brad was an excellent and flexible writer. I will always remember him as a great friend, who was always helpful when I needed it most. We are all going to miss him greatly. Conventions will be never the same without him."
I know he'd be touched by this and all the other outpourings that I'm still sorting through.
So, pour a whiskey and raise a glass and come remember with us.
Martina Pilcerova
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