Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Charles Gocher, RIP







It would be difficult for me to describe the unique personality and force that was Charles Gocher, who passed on peacefully last night after battling cancer for the past 3 years. That he landed in and helped form one of, if not, the most enduring and uncompromising "underground" bands is no accident... he lived hard, played hard, told a great story and lived one too.

Since John Schuller has said it better than I could, I'll borrow some of his words to convey something of Charlie's playing... "He did everything from scare the shit out of me to make me just about piss my pants with laughter. I understand some people might say Charlie had the beat of a cop – that is as far away from the truth as you can get. No one could touch the drums like Charlie. He could do everything from playing full on straight ahead no filler slabs of lean drums, insane bursts of improv fury on a level that I have seen no one else do, to pure time bending and time melting pulses – is he behind the beat? in front of it? speeding it up? dragging it?– wait – he’s doing it all at once!!!! Once, I saw his entire drum set fall apart about 20 times during a set. Somehow, he made that his sound that night. And he fucking destroyed."

There is no question that no drummer could have taken Charlie's place in a band that continually challenged the boundaries of on stage (and elsewhere) performance and musicianship, and there's a lot to show for it... 25 years worth.


The above fotos are from a show at The Triple Door (Seattle), November, 2004

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4 comments:

Unknown said...

very very awful news... RIP Gocher

Amanda T. said...

It is nice to see these photos at such a melancholy time. They show so well Charlie's monumental energy and that's what I'll always remember. Thanks Mark.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Mark.

Anonymous said...

I knew charlie back in the phoenix days: played some noise bass (and perfidious 6 string) with him and SCGs at Chuys, swilled cheap booze, cruised Tempe for cheap floozies, listened to a few beefheart records, or phoenix cats imitate Dolphy, etc.

Hail and farewell, man