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Re: “Antiseen guitarist, founding member Joe Young dead at 54 (updated)”
I am profoundly sad to share the terrible news that my friend Joe Young, guitarist and founding member of ANTiSEEN has passed away.
I am deeply grateful that I was blessed with the opportunity to know Joe, to work with him and release his music on my label, and to call him a friend.
I know that any attempt by me to eulogize this man will be woefully inadequate, but my love and respect for Joe demand that I try nonetheless.
So with tears in my eyes and a tremor in my voice here goes....
Joe was a true original, an iconoclast in every sense of the word.
With his lifelong friend Jeff Clayton, Joe Young founded ANTiSEEN in 1983 in Charlotte, NC. In the decades that followed, with ANTiSEEN Joe recorded a relentless barrage of releases, and toured North America, Europe and beyond playing countless gigs. And I do mean countless- Joe was on stage in Pittsburgh five days ago.
In ANTiSEEN Joe pioneered a brutal, ugly, vicious, buzz saw guitar tone that has been countlessly aped by generations of musicians, but NEVER MATCHED. There will only ever be one JOE YOUNG.
But despite these and the many other reasons that unquestionably qualified Joe Young as an uncompromising bad ass, there was much more to the man.
Joe was always a quintessential Southern Gentleman to a tee, even when he was pointing a loaded firearm at folks that he was having a disagreement with. The one exception this rule was when he was on stage with a guitar in his hand. On stage, Joe was downright menacing, and nothing short of dangerous......
And yes, It is often pointed out that Joe recorded and performed with the notorious GG Allin...
HOWEVER this damming piece of evidence did not prevent Joe for running for the office of Mayor of the City Lenoir, NC as a Libertarian candidate... and he only lost by the most narrow of margins. Joe's comment at the time was "Now I know how Al Gore feels...."
Yes, there was much more to Joe than the surface image of a Punk Rock guitarist would have you believe. Joe was a diehard music fan to the bone, loving music across many genres....Just check the broad selection of artists that ANTiSEEN cites as influences and the songs that they have covered on their records. Joe had an intellectual depth that was reflected in his deep interest in history, politics and culture. I knew the man for 15 years, and yet with every conversation I was lucky enough to have with him, I always learned something new about his personality.
When you consider the things that I've written about Joe Young, it would be easy to mistake him for a fictional character from film or literature, but make no mistake, the man was 100% real.
I don't know where Joe is right now, but I am sure that wherever he may be, he is hanging out with Johnny Ramone, Thee Cosmic Commander of Wrestling, Commander PP Urino and Bruce Roehrs. No doubt they are having a great time arguing about music and politics. I am tempted to go and murder Jerry Lee Lewis right now so he can join the party......
Joe Young was my friend, and my life is better from knowing him.
Joe Young is and will always be a legend.
Endless love and respect, Joe.
REST IN POWER
-Mark Raine- TKO Records - Huntington Beach, CA
