An outsider's obit for Brad Kent

I didn't know Brad Kent. I never saw him play live. I don't believe he's on any of the DOA recordings I have, and I don't own any Avengers (except maybe one live song on Rat Music for Rat People), so the only thing I have that I know for sure he's on is Randy Rampage's solo album, where any and all of his guitar contributions (and pretty much anything anyone else on that album does, including Rampage himself) is overshadowed by Benny Doro's momentous solo on "Livin' on Borrowed Time." I don't have a "top ten favourite guitar solos" list that I carry around in my head, but if I tried to write one, that solo of Doro's would be the first that came to mind...

...but I digress. That I know of, Brad Kent and I were briefly in the same room only once, when Scott Beadle gave a presentation on the history of Vancouver punk. I may have been introduced, honestly can't remember. I was happy to hear that he and Mary of the Modernettes were an item and playing music together; I gave serious consideration to seeing Monster Baby, their band, when they were scheduled to play last week at Funky's, though I didn't end up going out that night at all.

And then I heard that Monster Baby had cancelled, because he was seriously ill; and now I learn through Facebook that he has died.

My condolences and sympathies to those who knew him better than I did, which is pretty much everyone on the first generation Vancouver punk scene, I imagine... but especially Mary, who, after Bloodied But Unbowed, was someone you really wanted to see have nothin' but good things come to; I was very happy to hear she was making music again, and now...

But I'm an outsider, and I won't intrude on her. It seemed wrong not to write something, though.