JC just called to bring us the sad news that Nikki Sudden died, last night, supposedly after a show at the Knitting Factory. Billboard reports this and says that no cause for his death was given. Lets hope it was painless for the 49 year old Swell Maps legend. For those who loved his music: He has just completed a last record, "The truth Doesn't Hurt". Nikki's my space is the right place to go to mourn with fellow fans. For me, going downstairs at the Knitting Factory three weeks ago, while upstairs the Loser's Lounge battled Blondie vs. The Pretenders, to get an earful of Nikki Sudden's sad performance before a handfull of people, followed by my off-hand comment about his show, comes back as a shock to me. I'll keep the romantic picture I treasure of walking through the snow in Rorschach past a secret girlfriends house with Nikki and the Jacobites on the walkman. RIP, Nikki Sudden, I hope you find Epic Soundtracks where you are now.
3 comments:
Roman,
thanks for giving Nikki a mention on your site.
Nikki was a very old friend of mine and when I saw him in London earlier this year, he was full of his new album.
Some of the songs he played were unusualy reflective on his time growing up in England and as I beleive the album was finished, we will all be able to hear them again in due course.
Nikki opened up an exciting new world to me in London.
Russian princesses (no, really), Australian heiresses and Bohemians of many kinds.
When Swell Maps split, Nikki asked me to fill in on Bass in his new solo band, alongside Mike Scott and Anton of the Waterboys.
We even supported "your" legend and one of Nikki's heroes, Johnny Thunders one time over here.
It's easy to romanticise at times like this, but it is in someways fitting that if death had to come calling, that it was in New York, on the road.
I won't go on, we all have our own memories . . . . thanks for yours.
Steev Burgess
Thanx very much, Steev. Have you played any shows with Nikki in the eighties in Switzerland? He was my hero back then. I hope there will be some Sudden Tribute in NYC at some point. Would love to go the show on the Wednesday in London, the one that Dave Kusworth plans to turn into some kind of Nikki Memorial. Are you going there?
Well done, Roman. RIP Nikki.
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