Archive for January, 2004
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Saxophone Man
Here’s a pic of Bill in another typical pose. This one playing his Sax at the 1999 Alaskan Folk Fest in Juneau, AK. Bill and Peabody’s Monster lugged their electric gear on stage for their 15-minute set and rocked the roof off the otherwise folk-infused centennial hall.
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Bud’s Letter to the Editor
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/011604/let_letter1.shtml
Tribute to Bill Kozlowski
Letter to the editorI’m sure most in Juneau have probably heard by now that Bill Kozlowski passed away on Tuesday. He was the influential force for Contra Public and the survivors of his band Peabody’s Monster are very distraught. Musicians all over this town have come together for support.
His music affected everyone so much. I’ve known him 14 years, and if I hadn’t had met him I would have never picked up a guitar and tried to figure it out, thus I wouldn’t be playing music today. That’s the kind of effect Bill had on so many. Not only was he influential, motivational and inspiring, but he was like a brother to me.
There is a great loss in Juneau and many days of mourning ahead. KBJZ, 94.1-LPFM, will be featuring a two-hour dedication show for Bill on Saturday night from 7-9 p.m. with the “Who’s It/What’s It” show, featuring music by Peabody’s Monster and some of Bill’s other favorite music. A get-together fun service is being planned at the Thane Ore House on Saturday as well, where family and friends can tell stories, watch Bill’s video work, listen to Bill’s music and mainly be together for support with each other.
Good bye Bill. We love you and we’ll miss you so much.
Bud Curtis
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Audience at his Celebration
This pic was taken from the stage during "story time" at Bill’s life celebration.
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Kadenski Christmas Card 2002
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Letter from Collette
Here is the letter written by Collette, who wasn’t able to make it to the celebration, but whose words were read during story time.
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 4:00 PM
To: Bud
Subject: collette here
hi bud,
i just read about bill. i’m in shock, and feel farther from home than i ever have before. if you get a chance at teh memorial, would you please read this for me. thanks.
i wish more than anything i could be in town right now. i’m so homesick as it is, and would want so much to be able to be there with everyone, to give some support to sierra and roxie and all of those other wonderful people who were all so fortunate to have been in bill’s space and time.
i miss you all so much, and i can hardly believe that i will not be able to see bill’s beautiful smile again. but i will never forget it. it is in the part of my memory reserved for perfect things, where it keeps great company along with alaskan sunsets, my grandma’s hands, and the taste of salmonberries.
we are all so lucky to have had the pleasure of mr. kozlowski’s company. is there anyone (except the chanting christians and occasional republican) he didn’t make smile, legally or otherwise? we can all take great solace in the fact that he left us a legacy of happy times and inspired music. it is greater than any fortune, and will last longer than gold.
there’s so much more i want to say, and–hard as it may be to believe–words fail me.
i’ll just say this, i loved that boy, and i love every one of you here today. we are all blest to be in a place where our friendships bind us like family, and my heart is with you.
i will be raising a scotch and beer tonight (or two or three, as you well know), for one of the kindest men i’ve ever met, my friend, bill kozlowski.
there in spirit,
collette -
Che Kozlowski
When not playing music or hanging with his wife, Che Kozlowski can be found on the beach in Mexico smoking only the finest.
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Political Plugs
(submitted by Sarah Bosma)
Our friend Billy K. had big dreams of kicking George Bush’s ass out of the White House and bettering the world (he was just slightly political about the world in general and the idiot president, to say the least).
Below are some tools that you might find helpful to make Bill’s dream come true:
Stay informed, get involved, read *real* press:
Check out what the democratic national committee is up to: www.democrats.org
How to sign up to vote in your state:
www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elections/regapp.htm www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elections/homepage.html www.declareyourself.com
Want a good bush/bad bush shirt? Here it is: www.pinupgirlclothing.com/gobubadbufor.html
And here’s some more links Bill would find essential to any good American’s favorites:
www.hauntedmansion.info/bushin41point2.htm
www.robandhans.com/politics/polyhome.html
www.trashbush.com/bumper_stickers.html
www.gwbush.com/archive/index11-08-02.shtml
www.clarkschpiell.com/home/gwbcartoon062303.shtml
funny-posters.junglewalk.com/Poltical-Humor-Posters.asp
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Beautiful Picture of Bill
This is just another beautiful picture of beautiful Billy. For those of us that know him, the look on his face is quite familiar. (also, note the Che t-shirt)
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Bill Bio by Noah
A Life Well Lived
By Noah WaldenWhat is the measure of a life well lived? It is not in years, which are often wasted by those who receive many. Nor can it be measured by possessions, they are temporal and no guarantee of happiness. And certainly the money saved in a lifetime bears no relation to the grief expressed upon one’s departure.
The qualities which truly contribute to the greatness of a human’s life are less quantifiable yet evident nonetheless. The love and loyalty one shared, the laughter a person generated and enjoyed, the dreams brought to fruition, the passion to enjoy each day; these are the elements from which a successful life is wrought. And, by these measurements, one of the most successful lives ever lived came to an end on Tuesday, January 13th when William Kozlowski passed away.
“Bill was a warm, fuzzy, welcoming friend,” said close friend Jill Taylor. “Unimaginable things seemed to happen to him and being near him was amazing.”
Bill was raised in Washington State and attended the Evergreen State College, where he studied music and sound engineering. He was a longtime fixture in the Olympia music scene as the singer, songwriter, guitarist and saxophone player for such bands as Brave New World and Storming Rosetta.
The characteristics for which he will be remembered, the confidence, inner strength, humor, empathy and intelligence, were already clearly evident by his mid-twenties. By this time, too, it was obvious that Bill had the innate ability to bring people together. He collected a fantastic group of people with whom he could share his wisdom, philosophy and laughter. Physically he was remarkable for his sharp blue eyes which flashed with intelligence and wit, and a smile that was comforting and huge. He had a fantastic, nasal laugh and a bizarre, twisted sense of humor which he frequently displayed.
“He was the deepest person I ever knew,” said his mother-in-law, Bonnie Kaden. “But he was not only profound, he was profoundly silly.”
Bill was a big fish in the small pond of Juneau . A vibrant artist, musician, producer and businessman, he arrived there in 1996 and rapidly moved forward with a vision of what the town could be. With his band, Peabody ’s Monster, Bill invigorated the scene with what was at the time the only original rock music in town. He formed a label, Rock Alaska Records, with the intention of spurring not only the fledgling Juneau scene, but that of the rest of Alaska as well. From their offices on Franklin , Rock Alaska Records gave life to numerous bands and released compendiums of music from throughout the state.
In 1996 he married his longtime girlfriend, Sierra Kaden. Dozens of people trekked from Alaska and Washington to San Miguel De Allende, Mexico for the ceremony. The attendees’ ensuing journey thru central Mexico is the stuff of legends, and those who joined it were forever changed for the better by being there. Friend Nate Buck remembers it fondly as “images of hot spring fed rivers, castles in the jungle, buses to nowhere, and a group of friends whose lives are so inexplicably intertwined that it’s difficult to judge where one stops and another begins.”
Bill was many things to many people but there is no way to describe him without describing the disease with which he lived. Bill was born with Type III Von Willebrand’s Syndrome, a severe form of hemophilia. The resultant bleeds would sap his strength and often left him in severe pain. Cartilage deterioration in his ankles hobbled him in his early twenties and he endured 17 surgeries on them. Eventually the ankles were fused, which allowed him to live in less pain but severely restricted his mobility. Bill became a strident medical marijuana activist and testified before the state senate for this cause. His hemophilia led to numerous other complications and eventually resulted in the heart attack which took his life at age 32.
Bill was long aware of his physical fragility and he compensated for it with an inexorable mental tenacity. Realizing that his days might be numbered, Bill went after each one with a drive and passion few have. He pushed those around him to succeed, often using a quick wit and occasionally acrid tongue to lash others into action. He believed in his own greatness, and demanded the same from his friends. He taught all those around him that life is fleeting without ever having to say the words.
It was his disability, too, which led to his greatest triumph. In the past two years, with the help of partner Bret Connell , Bill developed a system by which people with disabilities could communicate with their employers and care givers. These products have the potential to change the lives of millions of people in America and beyond.
There are no words to describe the life Bill Kozlowski lived as vividly as the ones that follow. They are from a letter to Bill written by his widow in the days following his passing:
Billy,
I have spent the last three days since you left us laughing (and crying) but mostly my cheeks hurt from smiling, thinking of you, Billy. You have taught us all so much. You left with no regrets. You told everybody that you loved them. You let everybody know what you were thinking. You are truly the only person that I have ever known that did exactly what he said he was going to do (no matter how f***** up an idea it was). Not many people leave this world having said everything they needed to.
When I was 18 I saw you and you looked a little different from the rest.
When I was 19 you convinced me to take off all my clothes and walk with you naked down a 1/ 4 mile dock. We got caught… and it was funny.
When I was 19 you convinced me to sing with you and you never told me how truly lousy my voice is.
When I was 20 you picked me up after class on Friday and we drove 2,000 miles before classes started on Monday.
When I was 21 you asked me to marry you and I said no because you loved too much and too deeply. How silly is that, Billy?
But when I was 22, you offered my father two pigs and a goat. (It’s true!)
When I was 23 we spent the night in a whore house because you didn’t know what else to do…. One week later I married you.
I can’t really recall what has happened since. But now it has been 11 years. Not a single day has gone by without laughter. -
Hi Howya Doin’
High Howya Doin’
by Bill Kozlowski
hi howya doin whacha thinking about
you know you can’t think when you think out loud
you don’t know anything you don’t know anyone
everying is crazy when you’re on the run
once upon a time not so long ago
when i was walkin and i did not know
which way was up which way was down
all i knew that i was coming down
crashing down to earth in a ball of flames
well i was riding that old peace train
when i arrived what did i find?
two thugs-a-waiting just to take me for a ride.
smoking bowls and drinking wine
two shots of vodka and i feel fine
and if i thought that it’d make me sick
well i dropped some acid that’ll do the trick
drivin my car and tripping balls
ran a stop sign, at the mall
howdy k-mart shoppers did you find the blue light?
spinning around in a cop’s delight
out of the car and into the air
well the cop’s all freakin but i don’t care
if he wants to bust me well that’s his trip
mine’s been ruined by this blue suited prick
is it ok?
it’s ok
is it ok?
it’s ok!
is it OK.
hi howya doin whacha thinking about
well i called old mom to bail me out
she laughed at me on the phone
she called me stupid, and said no
i stood there tripping, in the cell
all the walls barred and a shitter from hell
when all of a sudden this dude came up
he asked for my name i was really fucked up
he said hi, howdy, little boy,
want to come and be my toy?
i looked at him and started to freak
this is way too much for the middle of my week
i said no thank you i respectfully declined
and tried to change the subject saying what’s your crime?
he looked at me and smiled and said
killed twelve people shot ‘em in the head
i said oh isn’t this swell i am living in a personal hell
hi howya doin whacha thinking about
well its almost time to get loud
the stories over it was all a lie
i never really trip and i hardly get high
at least if i do i don’t get caught
knock on wood, don’t tell my mom
if she knew she’d call the cops
and heaven know’s then i’d really be fucked
if your bored just call out loud
we’ll smoke a bowl and tip some cows
nothing left to say
is it ok?
it’s ok
is it ok?
it’s ok!
is it OK. -
Frosty Humper
