Rick Froberg was a titan, a legend. A fierce tornado of alley cat wail with an unparalleled artistic sensibility. I got into Drive Like Jehu the year after they broke up. Yank Crime changed my world. I was way too late to see it in person, but I did get to see it in person years later, first at the crazy thing with the organ in San Diego and later on the reunion tour proper. I saw Hot Snakes many times, first time around and reunion, it was told to me as follows:
“Oh, the Jehu guys have a new band that sounds a bit like The Wipers!”
Cool. I was all in.
Turned out to be one of the best rock bands in the modern age, NBD!
His artistic sensibility blew me away, so much so that I hassled him for years to do album art for me, finally succeeding with one of my favorite album covers of anything i’ve done with the Art of Murder. I asked if I could make a sticker and t-shirt of it, and he said he’d rather make a unique design for it… well, that took 6 years, but we ended up with the t-shirt and sticker for The Commuter. Worth the wait.
He was just a one of a kind guy.
Despite all my personal interactions, the guy made a lot of music that was important to me and people I know, and that kind of connection matters a lot. It is important for us to remember these people. All the more so when they aren’t a household name. It is on us to remember them.
We lost a very certain kind of legend with Rick Froberg and we shall not see his like again.
I’m reposting the episode of Protonic we did together along with a short-ish intro.
It begins at 11m 54s
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Rick Froberg is a fantastic vocalist, rock ‘n roll front man and a HELL of a visual artist. Join in for a very free wheeling conversation while we talk about, well… all of his various bands, as well as bootleggers, Wire, Metallica, LUAU, Jehu reunions, Hot Snakes 1st and 2nd times, Obits and so many, many other things. Come on! Rick Froberg, people!
