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Tuesday, August 29, 2023

R.I.P John Klezdy

You probably never heard of John Klezdy, even if you live in Illinois. You probably never heard the band for which he was lead singer, the Effigies.

These things make me sad because the Effigies are, in my not-so-modest opinion, one of the greatest unsung bands of my lifetime.

What really saddens me, though, is that John Kezdy died Saturday at the age of 64.

His death doesn't just sadden me, though: it angers me. I'm not sure why. He died a few days after he crashed into a van while cycling and I think I'm pissed because accidents are mostly preventable. I'm probably also pissed that we live in a world where a kick-ass songwriter and singer can perish without his music having reached the millions of people who need to hear his music, even if they never knew they needed it.

But I think I'm mostly pissed because John Klezdy is dead while so many overrated, overblown, and overexposed mediocrities breathe on, churning out sonic manure, sometimes to great acclaim.

John Klezdy died too fucking early. Fuck this world.