Rich Skare was a talented middlehorn player, soprano, contra, even the experimental “Meehaphone,” … sort of a hybrid French Horn/Fluegel bugle. It is this common love of drum corps that BROUGHT us together, but once we got to talking on treasure island ONE DAY ----- we became instant hetero-lifemates.
When I decided to march sr. corps (a graduation gift to myself), I booked a 2-night stay @ the Motel 6 on the Oakland side of the bridge (right on the water). Pretty, cheap …but also lonely.
The kindness and gratitude of The Renegades was immediately apparent to me @ my first camp. Betsy said I could bunk at her pad along w/ a few other “out-of-towners.” Which consisted of me and Pooh Bear. Mutual love of 5 octave baritone playing, jazz improv and achieving heights unheard of in solo/ens decibel lvls; PB n I were fast friends. Still I always felt like I was “mooching” when I quartered there and PB, God love him, those lungs of his move a LOT of air as we all know; hence his snoring could be akin to a skillsaw shredding pine.
By my 3rd camp, Skare said, “Tapper just crash at my pad.” I offered to compensate but he would Have none of that, “your presence is pymt enough.”
It’s a really special feeling when there’s someone who’s ALWAYS GLAD TO SEE YOU, ALWAYS CALLS WHEN APART, ALWAYS RETURNS PHONE CALLS AND IS SAD WHEN YOU LEAVE. That’s who Skare was to me. I’m the kind of guy that would rathr hav 3 really good friends than
1,000 “friends/aquaintances/associates….”
In 2009 it was just that…. Skare and Dominique – those were the only two ppl I could count on…. The only 2 I would drive to the airport, help move, spend my last NICKEL ON …. U GET THE IDEA. They were all I needed and all I wanted.
I drew charicTURES of corps members during downtime. Skare loved them and decorated the Skarivini Lounge, asked me to draw MORE and PROUDLY displayed his “Tapper Cartoon Gallery” to guests, …
Ah the heyday of the SkrVini Lng …. Skare (bedroom) Minervini (othr bedrm) Roland Garceau (couch) and me (other couch). Due its frequency of being 20mins or less from reh. site and the rising popularity of the 4 *ahem* humble brass plyrs … the SL became a
Party pad
①A place to sleep off a bender, providing a valueble public service to SC county
②Late-night highjinks involving sharpies and other blunt instruments
③A place to just “show up at” sans ph call, no invite…. Just ****hey I’m bored so I thought I’d just hang here for 3 to 36 hours.
④A major hub of BBS activity
⑤Occaisional visits from world-renowned Producers, Arrangers and Performers
(apologies…chronologically this post very jumbled)
After graduating from Poly that summer, w/ my lease up @end of August … it was time to leave SLO 4evr (have not been baCK not even a drive-by since 2004. I was working for Entrée Express (Restaurant Delivery). I told the Ass Manager a MONTH in advance … “I need a week off in July. I have multiple performances in Chicago – plz mark it!”
So there we are, in DeKalb, sharing a massive grass field and HS w/
The Blue Stars, Chops Inc. n I 4get who else. And I get a call from my BOSS.
BOSS: Where the fuck are you?
ME: Chicago.
BOSS: YOURE SUPPOSED 2B HERE NOW WTF ASSHOLE????
ME: Ummm….
……
……I requested this entire week off, the Ass Manager apprvd it.
BOSS: WELL HE SAYS HE NEVER APPRVD SHIT COME TO MY OFFICE(ed: his garage) AS SOON AS U GET BACK SHIT4BRAINS*CLICK!*
IT was my word against the Asshole licking AssMangr who had double my exp. My word against his. Feh … I was about to quit anyways….
So with about 6 weeks left on my lease. Tour 2.0 in full swing. And me no longer a student or a taxpayer in SLO. It was time to pack out that shithole and head greener cleaner pastures.
Skare invited me to move in w/o me even having to ask. He also refused to accept rent$. Roland and I worked odd jobs; landscaping, painting and professional brass gigs (thx to Nalls 4 the referral and Dave Landers for an “orchestral” trombone … large bore, F-attachment … my tbn is for lead/solo jazz performance).
Still … these odd jobs left me w/ days where I had $$ to burn … and days where I picked cigarettes out of ashtrays.
AGAIN – Skare to the rescue.
He got me a job as Office Mgr. @ CleanwayUSA Carpet Cleaning. The pay was low but he was letting me live rent-free. My only bill was my cellph.
I liv*d w/ Skare at the Lounge for just ovr 1 yr. Health problems forced my departure … but good ol’ Skare never let a month go by w/o a HELLO. He never judged me. He always lifted me up. I could never tell u how many x I was sad, lonely, panicking or suffering and “Nerrrr…” would popup on my phone.
If there was nothing to say, no news, gossip, changes or scandals …. We would just “Nerrr…” “Nyuuuuer…” *Wookie Noise* “I [something] them” and sign off with a “Well talk to ya l8r you stupid fat retard of indeterminate-race.”
“Ok Tapper, you inconsiderate ego-maniac big-nosed-loudmouthed Jew-bag son of a bitch!!!”
“Love ya Skare.”
“Love you too Tap.”
Miss you Skare.
Love,
Tapper 1/1/12
RIP Skare
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