It is with great sadness that I tell you of the passing of Alan Wright, who died on June 12th at the age of 39. As you probably know, Alan wrote for Cosmik Debris for quite a long time. What you probably don't know is that he was there at the very beginning. He wrote every review for the first three months of our existence back in 1995, and he conducted our very first interview. He did that because he was already well entrenched in the "zine scene" and had plenty to review, while we hadn't built up the credibility to start receiving review copies yet. Cai Campbell, one of the original Cosmik gang, knew Alan and told him our situation. Alan, a good natured, helpful guy, was only too happy to lend a hand. Without him it would have been much more difficult to get Cosmik off the ground.

By issue # 4 we had CDs and records rolling in, and Alan rode off into the sunset. Now and then I'd hear from him, and you could always see his work in plenty of publications. Alan's reviews were everywhere, including his own magazine, Do The Pop. A few years ago he sent email asking if we could use another writer, and you can't imagine how fast I jumped at that one. It was wonderful having the original "voice" back in the review section.

In the time since he returned, I learned some things about Alan. First, the guy was a kickass drummer (one of at least three drummers who write for Cosmik). He sent me the debut CD by his band, The Earaches, and it flat out rocked. I hadn't intended to review it because it might seem like nepotism, but once I heard it I had no worries. If anyone wanted to comment, they could just listen to the CD first and they'd shut right up. Alan managed the band, too, and seemed to be doing a good job of it. Earaches gigs had been pretty common events in Seattle over the last several months. Then there was his caring nature, which led him to take a job at the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, and to be politically vocal, motivating friends and acquaintances to work for change in the upcoming elections. Alan and his wife, Lisa Lindstrom, recently sent out an email obituary for their beloved cat, Chester (named, of course, after Chester Burnett, better known as Howlin' Wolf), who died at the approximate age of 16. The obit was extremely detailed, telling the story of how they found Chester and their life with him, and by the end of the email it was clear that they were completely heartbroken. In later emails, big-hearted Alan still mentioned Chester from time to time, along with his wife, his bandmates, his friends, four still-thriving cats and one greatly outnumbered cockatiel named Buster. They all miss him badly. As do we.

A celebration of Alan’s life will be held in July, near what would have been his 40th birthday. Please contact theearaches@aol.com for more information. On Alan's behalf, Lisa Lindstrom requests that remembrances be sent to Lifelong AIDS Alliance (1002 E. Seneca St., Seattle, WA 98122); Purrfect Pals No-Kill Cat Shelter (230 McRae Rd. NE, Arlington, WA 98223); or any organization devoted to defeating George W. Bush in November.