Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've no doubt heard that Rob "Acidman" Smith passed away a month ago.
That said, I promised I would post about him from my point of view.
If you don't know who I am talking about, stop here.
If you do, drop down at your own risk.
I've been blogging for almost 3 years. Bogie got me interested in it with her blog. When I took the plunge, she helped out a lot. From there, a Goddess helped some more.
I think Gut Rumbles was the third site I hit on. He may not have been my "Blog-Father" as a lot of people called him. But, he had me from the first time I read him. And that started my reading of "Acidman", a daily happening.
The A-man was not for the casual reader or the faint of heart. Nor was he loved by those easily offended by abrasive language. He told it like it was and how he wanted, language and all.
He had people that loved him, and those that hated him. Few ever fell in between. And though there are as many opinions of him as there were readers, my experience was, he treated my with respect.
I left numerous comments on his posts, and even received e-mail concerning things I said. Our relationship was not a close one, as friendships go, but he answered any e-mails I sent his way. For as much traffic and as many readers he had, I was amazed and surprised when he did that. Sometimes he initiated the e-mail, even more amazing.
Though I didn't always read his posts on things political, most of his posts were stories. Not that they were meant to be stories, they were meant to be posts. But to me, they read like stories. Simple, captivating, humorous, and well written.
He always claimed not to be a "word-smith" in the way Hemingway might be described. But, whether or not he realized it, he had a flavor closer to "simple people" writers like Mark Twain or Will Rogers. Writers that used common language and stories to say what they had on their minds. And as such, humor played a large part of what he had to say. Agree with his point or not, he said his piece with captivating prose.
His comments were always open. Agree or not, he let you say your piece. As long as it was well thought out and coherent. If not, well, he dealt with the comment in his own way. And that could be fun as well.
In all, I enjoyed reading his posts. I got a lot of laughs from them. Some made me think about things I never paid much attention to before. And any time a post started out with "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE...", it was worth reading. Agree with his view or not, it was worth reading.
In all the time I've been reading him, I watched his hit counter go crazy. His readership grew like crazy. He used this following to to do things like give other bloggers and "Acid-lanche", or an "Acid Bath". (If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand) And it was an honor to be on his "Good Stuff" list, and even more of an honor to get on the "Tall Dogs" list. Somehow, I made his "Good Stuff" list. Don't ask, I couldn't tell you how.
I, along with many other people, am going to miss him. We lost a great voice from the blogosphere.
Sam, my condolences. Blogging lost a voice. But you lost a dad. I'll keep in touch.
*Rob "Acidman" Smith: 1952 - 2006*
Sad Things Happen.
thats a lovely post dude. i didnt know him but it makes me want to read his blog.
Posted by: bod | July 31, 2006 at 12:50 PM
Well said. Lovely tribute.
He loved Twain, btw.
Posted by: LilToni | August 01, 2006 at 01:04 AM
Well said. He was a wonderful writer, a helluva musician, and a great guy. I miss him like crazy.
Posted by: Jim - PRS | August 01, 2006 at 03:45 AM
Word.
(Rob would've hated that)
Nice post.
Posted by: Pedro the Ignorant | August 01, 2006 at 07:46 AM
That was a great post, thanks for the memories.
Posted by: Lisa W. | August 02, 2006 at 06:53 AM
Great post. Thanks for the memories....
Posted by: Raggedy | August 02, 2006 at 05:44 PM
Nice post. It's funny how we're all still thinking about him. I still find myself reading something and thinking, gee Rob would love this and then I remember.... Hard to believe he's really gone.
Posted by: Libby | August 06, 2006 at 12:38 PM
Nice post. It's funny how we're all still thinking about him. I still find myself reading something and thinking, gee Rob would love this and then I remember.... Hard to believe he's really gone.
Posted by: Libby | August 06, 2006 at 12:39 PM