ORGANIST IN NEED OF ORGAN

The first time I saw Jerry Williams he took the stage of 8BC, in the old L.E.S., as a mummy. An ancient white Gibson SG strapped to his chicken neck, he joined Workdogs- Jarvis and Kennedy as part of a night I put together at the club. Richard Kern had hooked me up with the band. "They do blues that punks like." RK said with a stamp of approval. I can't remember if they were any good or not. But a year later Jerry "Willie" Williams formed the guitar god nucleus of my band Purple Geezus and was the venerable organist at The Church of the Little Green Man. Willie was the go to guy or deciphering my idea of arrangement and melody. I wrote the words. Willie put down the licks. Jarvis and Kennedy held down the beat. We didn't suck. And when Chuck and I decided to form the church, Willie sat the Casio across his lap and conjured the LGM. He was the musical soul

Well, in the midst of my recent organist difficulties (we are seeking applications), I got word that Jerry Williams was in need of his own organ. And this time it's not funds for John Dillinger's organ we are seeking. Even though Willie doesn't drink, eats twigs and sprouts mixed with some sort of macro-biotic jizz and lives the healthy life of a desert rat in Yucca Valley, Ca., an old bout with Hep. C has brought his liver to a not unexpected brink. And I'm pretty sure you only have one of those. Willie is in the hospital waiting for a good liver to show up. Figuring he hasn't had a job in the 25 years I've known him, I can only imagine he's not on the fast track to transplantville.

I talked to him yesterday and he sounded resigned and weak. I asked if there was anything I could do from this end? He said to keep the love coming and the fingers crossed. So with my little soap box I hope all my readers do the same. I haven't seen it but I hear Willie is in the movie American Hardcore. His every word accompanied by a howling wind. Ony seems appropriate. Now here's some namedropping:

After hobnobbing with Carlo McCormick, Jim Jarmusch, Iggy, Kim and Thurston, Holly, Amanda, Ace, and Luc Sante at ATP Shewho and I went to a barbecue at David and Brigitte's. Richard Hell just happened to be there. We didn't really know one another, but had crossed paths a couple of times. I reminded him of the time the Workdogs and I had MC'd the coming home party for Carlo (when he got out of that Mexican prison) back in the 80s. I had introduced him as "Mr and Mrs. Hell's son Richard..." He didn't laugh. I mentioned Jarvis, Kennedy and Williams. He knew them all. He asked what the studio used to be called where Willie and Jarvis recorded the first Beastie Boys stuff as well as a shit load of Bad Brains? "A7A" I said. Then we dug into the venison I had cooked and left it at that.

I know Steve Blush bought Willie a computer but I'll bet anything it's not even plugged in. He had a big MySpace site set up by R. Kennedy I think he saw once. So I don't think he'll see this. But just in case he does......Jerry Williams was the best organist the church ever had. He could be incredibly frustrating to deal with as a bandmate. He took all the Purple Geezus 4 inch masters when he left NY and they burnt up in a fire in California. But it only seems fitting. On the hole the guy is one of the most solid, soulful individuals I've ever had the pleasure to know. And if any of the Doctors at Joshua Tree Hospital read my blog- take care of the oldest tree in the forest and find him a liver.