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28, March 2013

Paul Williams Died Last Night (Updated With More Media Links)

I just heard the news that Paul Williams has died last night, March 27, 2013. I knew Paul through his association with promoting the works of Philip K. Dick. Even though I never talked with him in person or met him, I feel a sort of kinship with him. I am very sorry to hear of his passing and offer my condolences to Cindy Lee Berryhill (http://cindyleeberryhill.blogspot.com/) and the others close to him.

I first heard of Paul when he was the executor of the Philip K. Dick Estate and when the Philip K. Dick Newsletter was being published. I mailed him my scraped together $75 (I was a college student at the time with little spare money.) and I received all the back issues of the newsletter just a few months (newsletter issues) before he decided to stop publishing it. Those issues have been unstapled and archived in a binder in Mylar plastic pages. The cassette tape has been transferred to a digital copy because I no longer have a cassette player but I still have kept that tape. Those newsletters are one of my most prized possessions especially since that they are essentially out of print right now. I have also carefully digitized every page to insure that I will always be able to read them.

Even more prized is my signed copy of “Only Apparently Real: The World of Philip K. Dick” that I also scratched the money to mail Paul, himself, and he mailed me a copy that he had beautifully signed. That book was my first reference work on the life and writings of Philip K. Dick and the first one I read. I still keep it in a special location on my bookshelf.

After many years of thinking of Paul Williams as mainly the Philip K. Dick Estate’s executor, I looked into what he had also accomplished in his life and I was amazed at what he had started, especially in Rock journalism (Crawdaddy!) and where he had been and what he’d seen. Things that I’d read about and he was there in person. I also saw that he wrote many books and after reading about his most famous ones on his site http://www.paulwilliams.com/, I purchased from ebay a used copy of Das Energi and read it in a few short hours but I was enthralled with the simplicity and the genius in that book about how to live a more happy and fulfilled life.

Hearing of his passing, I was disappointed with myself that I didn’t post the invitation to his celebratory party in a timely manner. I have been chronically behind on posted news and updates to the Philip K. Dick Fan Site and the Philip K. Dick Festival page (The festival was created in his honor and helps/hopes to raise money on his behalf.) So I will post the beautiful email invite that I received eleven days ago that I wish I had posted before the event.

There are also pictures from the event posted here:

http://cindyleeberryhill.blogspot.com/2013/03/paul-williamscrawdaddy-day-boo-hooray.html

I know that there are many more people who were closer to Paul Williams and I know that their grief can’t compare to mine but I am saddened at the loss of such a great mind, probably more saddened than when I read about his accident several years ago. I will work to keep his spirit and passion in the things that I do and I hope I can continue at least a tiny bit of his accomplishments by promoting the work and scholarship of Philip K. Dick.

Here are some media links to the news of Paul William’s passing that are just coming online:

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/global/1554929/paul-williams-crawdaddy-founder-a-godfather-of-rock-criticism-and

http://io9.com/r-i-p-paul-williams-pioneering-music-journalist-and-p-461838276

http://totaldickhead.blogspot.com/2013/03/paul-williams-1948-2013.html

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/paul-williams-rock-criticism-pioneer-dead-at-64-20130328

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/28/paul-williams-dies/

http://www.tinymixtapes.com/news/rip-paul-williams-founder-of-influential-rock-crit-magazine-crawdaddy

http://www.locusmag.com/News/2013/03/paul-williams-1948-2013/

http://www.spin.com/articles/paul-williams-crawdaddy-rock-journalist-dead-obituary

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rock-journalist-paul-s-williams-crawdaddy-431624

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-rt-us-media-paulwilliams-obitbre92r158-20130328,0,3056893.story

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/28/showbiz/paul-williams-obit/

http://hisvorpal.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/paul-williams-is-dead-at-64/

10 Comments

  1. AUTHORTessa B. Dick

    on March 28, 2013 at 6:23 pm - Reply

    Sorry to hear of Paul’s passing. You might have given me photo credit for the photo of Phil, my son and Paul.

  2. AUTHORTessa B. Dick

    on March 28, 2013 at 6:24 pm - Reply

    just adding this so I will get email notices of further comments (forgot to check the boxes)

  3. AUTHORmrfisher

    on March 29, 2013 at 11:12 am - Reply

    I’m sorry that there is no photo credit for you. I copied that entire image from an invitation I received for the event. Hopefully, those reading the comments will see that you took the picture of the three of them.

  4. AUTHORTessa B. Dick

    on March 29, 2013 at 11:23 am - Reply

    thank you, mrfisher — I am more than a little miffed that they are using my work without even bothering to invite me to the PKD Festival. On the one hand, they dismiss me as worthless, and on the other hand, they steal my work. No reflection on you.

  5. AUTHORDr. Barry Spatz

    on March 29, 2013 at 12:09 pm - Reply

    Tessa. get a life, or a grip!!! So you snapped a picture, DUH!!!
    Takes one finger tip and the ability use a view finder. some
    big deal.

    • AUTHORTessa B. Dick

      on March 30, 2013 at 12:32 am - Reply

      As I recall, you are the therapist who told Phil not to have any contact with me, which of course would have meant that he would never see our son. In addition, you ordered him to “get in your little car and drive to my office” when he was suffering a serious medical condition. Therefore,I do not value your opinion about anything.

    • AUTHORMary

      on May 23, 2013 at 5:08 pm - Reply

      Mother’s baby pictures are very sacred and personal. Do not dismiss that, please Mr.. a little reverence. Have you given birth lately? You seem to have a huge chip on your shoulder…just sayin.’

  6. AUTHORDr. Barry Spatz

    on May 25, 2013 at 4:00 pm - Reply

    Unfortunately Phil’s life was overflowing with sick women who exploited him, and some continue to do so after his demise. I think Tessa proves my point. I personally resent anyone who exploits the dead, for no matter the amount, or the circumstance, it is a slur on the memory of the person now gone, who can not reply. I remember when Phil was my patient and Tessa was literally waging war on him, and using their child as a weapon. Almost 40 years later and some folks can
    not drop the anger and the war, and the need to be important. alas…
    spatz

  7. AUTHORTessa B. Dick

    on May 25, 2013 at 9:27 pm - Reply

    I believe that I see a bit of projection, Barry. You do not know me, and I do not know you, even though we both know what Phil told us. However, I do know that you have been promoting yourself as an expert on a man whom you barely knew, and that only in a professional capacity. In fact, I wonder whether you have been violating professional ethics, as well as the confidentiality of things that your client told you. Ask my child about how he was “used as a weapon”, Barry! You know nothing. I am not angry with Phil; he was the love of my life. I am angry with you for using and abusing him.

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