Former AltDaily IYRTP Monday Columnist (and animal rights & green living activist, former Rolling Stone editor, and much more) Bob Chorush

passed away Sunday. This was about 3 1/2 months after he announced to his readers his diagnosis, which he separately shared with his many Facebook friends with a simple status update. “Bob Chorus: has terminal cancer.” I know writers are supposed to cut the fat, but, whoa.

That small sentence reflects an approach to the news that would terrify many of us: head on and no bullshit. Feeling the core of what “acceptance” means was one of the most honest emotions I’ve ever had and, curiously, one of the scariest. I don’t know if I’m as resolved as Bob Chorush, and am still dumbstruck by how straightforward and clean his reaction appeared.

Satisfied Mind. RIP Bob.

Stronger than the sadness, inspiration came pouring in from the way he was choosing to share this news and spend his remaining days on Earth. I sent him an email entitled “papers cancers bobs.” I told him I enjoyed being virtual colleagues, that it was inspirational to work with someone who’d written for publications I idolize, places full of independent music journalism at inception and during its first major waves.

(Fun Fact: Google this man’s name and his audiotapes of conversations with The Doors’ Jim Morrison is the first thing to show up).

I asked his friend Tom Robotham to share a few words on him, and Tom, too, mentions The Door’s and expands on Bob’s outlook on life. Those Door’s tapes were lost… and they were Morrison’s last recorded interview before his 1971 death. Most music writers would freak at what kind of loss that encompasses. Bob (the first time they met) told Robotham the story while laughing.

“Bob didn’t cling to things,” Robotham says. “Indeed, about a year later, when I spent a lovely afternoon with him at a farmhouse he was renting in Wakefield, he told me that several times in his life he had given away most of his possessions.

“As it turned out, Bob’s ability to avoid clinging extended to life itself. The last one-on-one conversation we had was a few weeks after his diagnosis. He was completely at ease as he talked about dying. ‘I’ve lived a good life,’ he told me. ‘In fact I’ve done more than I ever thought I would.’ The only hint of sorrow in his voice was when he talked about his girlfriend, Pat. ‘It’s harder on her,” he said, ‘than it is on me.’”

An animal rights forum he worked with shared a pretty funny story too. Bob and friends got hunting licenses and went out on a lake filled with duck hunters in wait. They shot in the air randomly, to the dismay of the real hunters, who got the game warden involved. Bob had a license and said he was testing his “shoot and they will come” theory. There’s no law against this, so the warden had to allow their group to stay and “hunt.” No ducks were killed that day. Mischievous and hilarious.

The Bob I’m writing about is coming just from my limited impressions, baby thumbprints on play-dough in comparison to the cemented and bronzed connections he has with others in Norfolk, and in the world. To them, I’d like to say how sorry I am for your loss, and how I’m humbled and compelled to write these elementary words when he surely deserves PhD level accolades.

I ended that first-day email to Bob with this, “I leave you with a link to the lyrics to “Satisfied Mind,” something you’ve encouraged me to continuously pursue.

He replied in part, “There is no need for me to look up the lyrics since I know them by heart. I had the original recording of the song by Hamilton Camp in the early 70s, and it was one of my favorites.”

Good words, good music.

He had me at Goodbye.

Helping  Our Neighbors

The Dwelling Place stops this. | pic: wikimedia commons

As keeping with my IYRTP New Year’s Resolution, I’m hoping to keep drawing attention to Park Place this year. Yesterday, the Pilot (and BC) reported Park Place’s homeless shelter, The Dwelling Place, sent out a fundraising letter last Thursday. The Hampton Roads Community Foundation will match their money up to $75,000. That’s $150,000 towards the homeless for the mere price of $75,000. You’d hop on it if it was real estate.

The median age of the residents there is nine years old. Lots of homeless children are being helped by a place whose “expenses are far exceeding [its] income right now.”

I hope they raise this money and I hope any of you able to help will do so. I also hope (sorry Dwelling Place) that Pilot and AltDaily may show you the power of the interwebs and encourage you to try something beyond mailing letters next time, as I (in the age of e-mail) would probably receive one and think it junk mail and never know of this opportunity to help cold, underprivileged neighbors.

Rotten in Denmark?

A third major player in Norfolk’s light rail development is now retiring. So soon after the audit and promise of more audits?

Shows That Come and Shows That Don’t

Rashod Ollison takes a closer look at the major acts playing, and not playing, in Hampton Roads. He starts by telling us four major 757 tour stops that were abruptly canceled in 2010. The whys are legit. The explanations of local promoters like Rick Mercel of The NorVa and John Rhamstine of Seven Venues as to why no major touring act would book a city or skip a date without good reason are also informative.

I agree with them, in theory. Promoters and management would determine a market’s potential (read: profit) before trying to set a date in it. Acts that are booked then renege are the one’s really losing the money. All the artists mentioned here are big time (Usher & Tyler Perry among them).

What about the little-to-mid guys? Commentors are likening us to a dead end, wondering why a smaller touring band would come to Hampton Roads when they can hit Richmond on their way? Because there are music fans here too! That’s why! We just have to get the knack of how to actually show up and buy tickets. No big thing.

Bikers Do It Better

Commute, that is.

Shots of Shots

A Philippine politician was shooting a picture of his family on New Year’s Day when he was suddenly assassinated. The gunman was captured on his camera (in the act) and later captured to face punishment. This gives me freakin’ chills.

Sad But True

A little girl’s murder is being investigated in North Carolina. The article contains the following quote:

“Their virtual family [was] ‘doing a murder with chainsaws,’according to the warrant, ‘although it isn’t clear from the document what ‘chainsaw massacre roleplaying’ entailed.”

I have no words.

Honors and Demerits

Captain Owen Honors was relieved of duties as Captain of the Enterprise for showing inappropriate videos to subordinates. Unfortunately, this is not Star Wars, as Captain Kirk would have gotten away with this no prob-lem-o.

Bad Words in History

Will you read the p.c. version?

Due to its use of the racist lexicon of its time, schoolchildren will now read an edited version of Mark Twain’s staple, Huckleberry Finn, with derogatory words towards blacks and Native Americans replaced with more “appropriate” terms. For instance, the n-word will be replaced with “slave.”

This edition is being published by NewSouth books. I refrain from commenting on our Governor at this time, other than to say “NewSouth” and “Old South” don’t really mean the same thing.

I’m curious what others feel about this one.

DIY Advice

One of my favorite businesses with DIY origins, Modcloth, just interviewed another of my faves, Etsy, on how to be a crafter in the electronic age, and on how much Etsy has grown since its 2005 inception. I had an Etsy account in 2005 and didn’t realize it was brand new then. Then I read this and realize the insane power of art, commerce, and the internet. We have many local artist friends who sell on Etsy, by the way, check them out if you’re in need of a gift.