This is shocking, and I still can't quite believe it. I've heard of many Bluelighters dying over the years, but Dave is the first one I've actually
known, and
met, and
befriended,
in real life. Fuck.
I don't know what to say. So this will be random and shit; forgive me, it's my first time doing this for real, I literally don't know what to say.
The first time I met him before a huge BL meetup, in Newcastle Railway Station in... 2005? ... I wish I'd said something a bit nicer than "fucking hell! you're TINY!" But I expected someone
completely different. He did have an impressive beard though.
I'm guessing people who only know him through BL have an inaccurate image of him. He very often seemed rather gruff and didn't suffer fools gladly and might have been a bit intimidating to some. He liked to foster that image, I think. But the reality is that he was a lovely, shy, thoughtful, intelligent, sensitive and introverted person.
Did you know why he had such a ridiculous avatar?
He made a dancing 'clowncore' avatar to demonstrate his love of his latest favourite genre of 'difficult' music. One night I abused my smod powers by repeatedly changing it to Samuel L Jackson's face, just to fuck with him. Instead of getting annoyed by it, he just photoshopped them together and kept it like that, as a 'fuck you' to me. That is a completely unimportant & dull story, but it's unlikely to be ever told again. The point is, he could take it as well as dish it out, which is something I always admired about him. He always did pisstaking in an expert fashion. His sense of humour may even have been sicker than mine.
His tireless contributions to the 'elfstep' and 'flutecore' movements will never be forgotten:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXUJIYINDMQ
He is the person I've clocked up the longest mileage with on MSN by far, talking nonsense, exchanging sick jokes, and gossiping about BL for hours on end into the next day. I'm gonna miss those chats. We didn't have many since I left the staff, but now I can't have one last one? Fuck.
At least I know that he wouldn't be offended by anything I've written here.
Obviously, he's done more work behind the scenes for EADD and BL than almost anyone will know, which kinda seems unimportant right now, but this is a huge loss to EADD especially. I always appreciated his devotion to the cause.
I've got a heavy weight in the pit of my stomach. God knows how you're doing effie, but we're thinking about you and Dave's family right now. *HUGS*
GUTTED.
Much love an ting
A xxx
