I came home from tour a few days ago to the sad news that a friend who'd been battling brain cancer (yeah, I know - a different friend) for the last while passed away. Yesterday was his service, and he sat there as unimposing and unassuming as ever while many of his friends from generations of the punk world, his world and ours, filled up a room and reconnected with each other over it. It was very fitting.
Imants was just shy of 60 years old, and I can't even begin to explain how down to earth he was for someone who had seen everything, and I mean everything. He'd been into punk since before it had a name, but in a scene characterized by hierarchal bickering by anyone who's put in more than 2 years, he was the complete opposite, still just too enthralled by this thing he loved to pay any attention to the bullshit, much less partake in it. And in a culture full of flashy eccentrics, he was a testament to just being yourself. I had to smile seeing all the old photographs from his adolescence on, to see that he looked like the exact same pleasant, bespectacled Imants that I knew him as for the last 15 years or so.
A mild mannered banker by day, he spent all his energy, money and vacation days travelling extensively to seek out obscure scenes and records worldwide, perpetually adding to what must be one of the top most complete punk record collections anywhere (hopefully it gets turned into some kind of archive). A friend and I had a short-lived record store in Hamilton in the mid-90s and he was one of few regulars who kept it afloat. He would show up standing happily at the back of some of the most unattended shows, having come in by car or bus from out of town. You sure as hell can't say any of the above for many, if any other, 59 year olds. And on top of all this, he was as much of a fixture in the indy wrestling and roller derby stands as well. I saw him at a game just a few months ago, well after all the surgery and treatment had begun and taken a lot out of him. Just smiling, doing his thing.
One of my first memories of Imants was of him having had one or two pints too many, at a Demolition Doll Rods show in the back of a restaurant in Hamilton in the mid-90's, drunkenly heckling and yelling out "Endless Blockades For The Pussyfooters!" at this poor, confused garage band. I wouldn't even know what that meant for another few years and by the time I did, it would make even less sense in that context, but who cares? You know, you just hope that there are people half this interesting somewhere around you, inconspicuous, people that you'd never suspect. And Imants was proof of that. So thank you, and condolences to his family and friends far and wide.
There are a few really nice things written about him...
...I can't say it any better than Simon Harvey did here, so I'll leave you with this:
Imants Krumins has passed on after a lengthy battle with cancer. He’d spent the last while in palliative care, surrounded by friends and people who cared about him. Out of respect for Imants’ wishes, this had been kept discreet– he didn’t want a lot of fuss and drama, and I have it on good authority that he wanted to talk chiefly about music and records until the end.
I literally know of not one person with the amount of knowledge, passion and ongoing enthusiasm for punk rock, show-going and record collecting as Imants, and the stories are endless and true. He drove the Ramones on their first dates outside NY/Boston in 1976, he traveled to the UK to catch the 1977 punk explosion as it happened. He had incredible stories – seeing the Ramones over a hundred times, the record release show for the first SLF record, Bad Brains circ ROIR, Discharge and Rudimentary Peni in the UK super early– yet rather than get jaded or mellowing out, he was only ever seeking out harsher and more underground sounds, and his frequent buying trips to Europe and especially Japan are well known. No matter what was happening, Imants was there early and his tastes were spot-on – I was impressed when I picked up the Touch & Go book last year to find a letter from Imants looking to trade live tapes of the the then-new hardcore bands circa ’81, but then shortly after found letters from him in Bomp mag ten years earlier than that, taking Greg Shaw to task for some erroneous info regarding the Kinks. A true lifer.
More importantly, Imants was a truly friendly, generous and genuine man, inspiring to those around him and always up for a pint and a chat. He’s left behind countless good memories and he will be missed a great deal.
...Limited Edition, 1 of 1.
On Gold.
2 comments:
i just found out about imants' passing today and even though i'd only met him a few times at shows over the years it was sad to hear. i may have slowed down in recent years, but i always hoped i would be like him as i grew older, still going to shows and checking out new and interesting music. from all the accolades and memorials, he was somebody who lived life as he saw fit and to it's fullest. RIP
I can't find your email anywhere, so apologies for not emailing!
Anyways, thanks for using my little eulogy for our friend, it's much appreciated.
I'll swing by the store tomorrow to get the TO/Mtl LP, see you then!
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