Never knew Brad but feel like i did through reading his posts over the years. A huge presence.

Kind of speechless.

So sorry to those that knew him.

<moved to the other thread>

I got to know BRW after the first bbq, helping facilitate his ridiculous (in a good way) karaoke idea, and think I 'earned' his approval for life after that. His enthusiasm and generosity towards the things he liked was almost manic, and he seemed especially energized around that time. We didn't know each other super well, and the one or two personal things I may have asked him were met with almost curt answers, which is fine. It was cool just having someone like that in your corner.

I haven't seen or talked to him in at least 5 years. He had kind of soured on the PRF thing in recent years, and frankly he did and said some things to some friends that I wasn't crazy about, but he was always 100% kind to me. I doubt sending him the occasional message would have made a difference*, but I wish I would have known to try.

*I don't have specifics but I'm mentally preparing for the worst.. (edit: confirmed. Fuck.....)

I'm just going to re-post what I said on Facebook over here for posterity.

Also: it's snowing in Milwaukee today. It was 54 degrees yesterday. I can only explain this by assuming that Bradley is waving hello from wherever he is, as he always loved to poke my disdain for winter by reminding me of his deep love for it.

---

I was so intimidated by Bradley at first.

Back in those early EA Forum days, when I was posting nonstop like a loudmouth and making friends with the people on the forum that had real life mutuals with me, Bradley was, like, a MAIN DUDE of that place. It feels ridiculous now, but he seemed to be part of an inner circle of confidently cool people steering the conversation. The adults in the room. I think it was Beth King who eventually introduced us at a bar...was it Cactus Club? Was it Quenchers? Shit, maybe it was the Mutiny. OUCHO Fest? I don't remember. But i remember that he was reserved, but warm. We made small talk and that was it.

A million text messages, collaborations, baseball games, and rock shows later, i have no idea why i was so intimidated by the guy. I mean, we're talking about the dude who dressed up as a pirate and sang "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" at the first PRFBBQ; the guy who ran around shirtless with a Horse head, hurricane-style, at Auktoberfyst at Klas.

He was the first person to find out that Dixie and I were dating. His exuberant "AMAZING!" after seeing Body Futures for the first time (our third show, at the first Thundersnow) meant the world to me and convinced me that we were on to something. God, I respected his opinion so much.

When we did the UNINTIMIDATED project, he messaged me to let me know that he and Jon and Jason had a band and that they wanted in. No, they didn't have a name yet. But they had an anti-Scott Walker song and they wanted in. Of course I had to say yes.

Fuck, you guys. Scott Walker outlived Bradley and it's NOT RIGHT.

Bradley missed our wedding in *hilarious* fashion. We had the proper ceremony and party, you see, and then we had a karaoke party at Cactus Club the weekend after. He was absolutely HONORED that we had invited him - sent me a message thanking me profusely for the invite, that being invited to the wedding of two such wonderful people made him feel like he was doing something right with his life. He was so excited to be at our ceremony. And then he promptly mixed up the dates. He thought the ceremony was the weekend of the karaoke party. He texted the next day PROFUSELY apologizing, using the words "abject, pants-shitting terror" to describe the feeling he had when he saw the photos start coming in on social media. We laughed and told him we loved him and that he should come to the karaoke party, which he did, of course.

We constantly texted about the Brewers and Packers and occasionally about whatever fucked-up bullshit nonsense was happening in Wisconsin politics. He loved Wisconsin so much -- all of the Midwest, really. He loved Iowa and Illinois and Michigan and gave them all his attention.

Last summer we went to see the Brewers face the White Sox at Miller Park (fuck you, American Family). Dixie and i were super nervous about attending a baseball game even with vaccines in us, but we wanted to spend time with Brad, and dammit, it was his favorite two teams, and we wanted to feel fucking normal, so we absolutely gutted it out. He was super chill and understanding of the situation the whole time, noting to me a few times that we could bounce any time it became too much. It never became too much. We felt right at home in the upper decks with our friend Brad. And i am impossibly grateful that we schemed to surprise Michelle Spack-Krutke with him that night, as she was celebrating her 50th birthday and had no idea he was in town.

He deleted his Facebook profile apparently, so i didn't realize until earlier this evening that the photo he took and posted of the three of us at the game may be lost now. I'm pretty upset about that.

My current profile picture is courtesy Brad. We were at the PRF Campout and i had joked with him in a text about how i wished there were photos of Robin Vos on the archery targets. The next morning he arrived with Guppy. "Meet me at the archery range. We have work to do."

Jesus, i'm broken over this.

Bradley, if the Brewers win the World Fucking Series or the Packers take the Super Bowl this year, i will raise a High Life in your name. You always made it damn clear how happy you were to have us in your life. I hope you understood how much you enriched ours. Goddammit.

Goddammit.

^ As a newbie to PRF, I didn't know Brad but saw many of his posts when I lurked on the old forum (I specifically recall his posts on R.E.M., one of my favorite bands as well), and also remember his bits on the Silkworm documentary. I'm sure we would have had quite a bit to talk about if I ever did have a chance to meet him.

I'm so sorry for all of you who knew him.

RIP

I'm not on Facebook, what happened to Brad?

cakes wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 9:18 am I'm not on Facebook, what happened to Brad?

hopefully it's ok to just put it out there... suicide.

penningtron wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 9:21 am

cakes wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 9:18 am I'm not on Facebook, what happened to Brad?

hopefully it's ok to just put it out there... suicide.

I haven't talked to Brad in a few years. He has two daughters, they were close. One of the last times I saw him, he was at my place with them. What a terrible loss.

He was the first person to formally introduce himself to me at the first PRF BBQ. It was fairly empty at that point and he walked right up to me for no particular reason and introduced himself. First and last name. Asked me where I was from. How was the music there?

Don't think i quite made the connection between the face and the PRF Forum member. So many new names and real names being thrown at me so fast but he made me feel a bit less nervous about being there.

I remember being a little bummed I didn't get to talk to him that much at the last PRF Camp out and thought "we'll catch up in Chicago"

For whatever reason the memory that keeps popping up is one of the last PRF BBQs where he was telling me about his neighbors. An older retired couple who he became friendly with and were almost like another set of grandparents to his kids and how they were coming through to Chicago. He was very happy about that relationship and that they were coming. He introduced me to them when they arrived and it was all smiles and lots of Guppy and Kiki talk.

of all the funny and ridiculous memories...that one is stuck in my brain

I don't know what else to say. I'm in shock.

More then anyone else BRW personified what was so great about this place and what could make it infuriating as well. I can't find anything to say cuz he was bigger & lesser then words to me. I loved him.

Requiescat, BRW.

Tree trunk. Made up number.