Free Press Houston
note: There is a longer elegy for Al here.
According to folks at Notsuoh, Al aka The Plastic Clown, died by falling off a friend’s balcony near Minute Maid Park late last night. A beloved and hated open mic poetry reader and host at Notsuoh, Al’s last post on Facebook, a few hours before his death, serves as his epitaph:
i’m set free, i have raided the liquor store and heard tales of mounds of drugs awaiting me, i have a great thirst and a great need….i will roam the streets raping and pillaging at will, shiny objects and pussy juice to sate my monstrous desires
He then proceeded to get into a comment debate with a friend about his rape reference, saying:
i was going to to put a disclaimer about the rape, but i was distracted by the consumption of vast amounts of alcohol. i take no part in “rape culture” neither do i encourage or advance that type of thinking. if metaphor is beyond your capabilities, then i am sincere in my sorrow for your limited point of view. as a survivor of child abuse, i feel i have the right to say whatever the fuck i want. if you disagree, then go fucking die. i’ve paid my dues.
Al was always kind and supportive of me and my writing / poetry. He was one of the least fake people I’ve ever known. He was balls-out insane in the most wonderful way. I wish I had spent more time with him. I’m going to miss him a lot.
I crossed swords with the man on facebook for years. He respected those who believed in truth, freedom and well-told lies, but never human nature.
A rather pat memoriam for such a complicated man.
What a disgracefully one-dimensional portrayal of a complex man who was a dear friend to so many. He was polarizing, without a doubt, but he deserves a better last word than whatever ramblings he happened to post on facebook mere hours before an unexpected death. This is exactly the kind of snap-judgement, gotta-be-the-first-to-say-it, gossipy bullshit we all hate about 24 hour news. I am severely disappointed.
On a lighter note, I saw my friend a few hours before his passing, and his spirits were far from the impression given by abysmally dark quotation above. As usual, made me laugh and encouraged my work. I will miss him greatly.
Al was one of the best friends i ever had. he deserves cover page plus a 12 fucking page spread of his wonder and wise ways. he is legend amongst us, now he is legend above us.