Ronfest, plus Chris Crud onstage: one for the man in orange

So there was this guy at the Residents Faceless Forever 50th anniversary show, see, dressed in an orange jumpsuit or something (I don't know my clothing names: maybe it was coveralls? A one-piece, in any case. It made him look like he was working at an airport, or perhaps a lost member of a European new wave band, all of whose other members would be in orange, as well). I did not know the man to look at him, but he looked like someone possibly attached to the band or the venue, and he was at the tour bus outside the Hollywood Theatre, not seeming a fan, but rather someone who had been working that night in some capacity or other. I was milling around waiting to chat briefly with the band, which conversation, weirdly, would end up paparazzi'd by kids with a cellphone and put online; that conversation was, in fact, when I set up the above-linked interview --  but at that point, they hadn't come out, and while I was waiting, I began a conversation with the man in orange. Seemed friendly enough. I think I showed him a photo I had snapped. 

Later, when I clued in -- probably thanks to Bob Hanham -- who he was, I approached him: "You're Chris Crud?!"  (I knew him by reputation; he's been working sound in Vancouver for decades, both for local acts and touring bands). 

The sound that night had been exceptional, I thought. I told him so. Turns out the sound guy for the tour had gotten stopped at the border, that night, and Crud had been the promoter's emergency go-to, called in at the last minute. They had made an exceptionally good call! 

I had cause to chat with Chris a few more times after that. When Mike Jung of Alice Donut turned up on the first leg of Dead Bob shows here, just as an audience member and friend to the band, I figured Chris -- who, again, was wearing orange, and easy to spot -- would want to know, so I pointed him out. Of course Chris knew him: he'd done sound for Alice Donut, when they'd played here. 

Once you know who Chris Crud is, you won't miss him. It doesn't hurt that he's almost always in the same colour (I haven't asked). I've seen him often, now, become Facebook friends, etc. He was selling or giving away an item of furniture the other day; it too was orange.

I am aware that, in my writing on the Vancouver music scene, especially the punk scene, my never having mentioned Chris counts as a deficit. So sitting in I, Braineater's studio, taking notes for the article on Ronfest -- the Friday benefit for Ron and Dianne Reyes, taking place at the Fox -- I perked up to hear that Chris Crud had actually been in I, Braineater with Ron, as I mention in the story; with Jim and Ron and the late Steve Laviolette, they had opened for Nina Hagen at the Commodore. Bev Davies had dug up photos. I asked her if she had any other photos of the guy operating the drum machine, but either she doesn't, or didn't know what "a guy operating a drum machine" might look like. Isn't the point of a drum machine that there is no guy? Ask Bev if she has a photo of the bassist, she knows what to look for, but it might have been a tall ask. 

Chris was still excited to see Bev's photos. I did tell him (on Facebook) that sadly, there were no pics of him (or at least none that Bev had turned up). It's always thus, apparently. He's never mentioned, never photographed, but always present behind the scenes -- David M., who chastened me in the same thread for never mentioning Crud in my articles on NO FUN, described him as "the Zelig of the Vancouver music scene."

Then Chris looked closely at Bev's photo and commented: 

Wait! There I am… fuzzy though.

Have never seen this… 

 He put an orange heart in his message and wrote his name in orange on the photo: 

Ron Reyes, Chris Crud, and I, Braineater, opening for Nina Hagen at the Commodore, Jan. 23, 1984, by bev davies, not to be reused without permission

What Chris looks like now, with the late Jon Card (not sure who took this). He's the one in orange: 

Cheers to Chris Crud for his tireless work to make the music sound good at show after show, here in Vancouver. Maybe we'll see him at Ronfest? Thanks are also due to Bev for finding this photo, and to Montecristo for running the article. *I will not be blogging further about Ronfest* (but I do plan to be there, health permitting, and will have more to come, at some point, on I, Braineater...!).