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Thursday, September 13, 2007
Jeff Wood Remembered
Posted by Wade Tatangelo on Thu, Sep 13, 2007 at 7:06 PM
Senior Editor Eric Snider wrote this post:
Woody’s dead. I’m not going to get maudlin on you, but, we all know, it sucks.
I didn’t know him as well as some, and I hadn’t seen him in quite awhile, but we were buds of a sort. I met him while he was the drummer in Joe Popp. I did a profile on the trio — Joe Popp, Martin Rice and Woody — early in my tenure as the Weekly Planet music critic. It was probably 1997 or ’98. We drank a lot during the interview. Then we walked around downtown St. Pete, and Popp and Marty started throwing each other into chain-link fences or something. I don’t remember if Woody got into the fracas or not. He and I might have strolled along while the other two did battle.
I went to a lot of Joe Popp shows. As far as I’m concerned, that was the last band around here that really brought a sense of concert-style excitement to local stages. Woody drove that band. Whatever I might remember about the dude, tops on the list is that he was a great fucking drummer.
He was a man of extremes. One day he was a hard-drinking sort; the next he had quit the sauce and replaced it with sit-ups. I figured his on-the-wagon stint would be short, but he stayed with it. I don’t know if he ever drank again.
One night, I ran into Woody at a bar after I’d written a follow-up piece on Joe Popp. I thought it was pretty flattering, but there was something about the story, or in the story, that rubbed him the wrong way. And he told me about it. I can’t remember what it was, but I recall thinking he was way off base. We exchanged not-so-pleasant words. But I also remember appreciating his candor. Woody would tell you what he thought. By the way, there was no bad aftermath to our only testy moment.
Woody had a stroke a few years ago, as most of you know, and he wasn’t around as much. I was there — at New World, I think — when he got behind the drum kit for the first time after his rehab. He had a long way to go to get back. But he never stopped thinking that he would, in fact, get back. I really admired his perseverance. Every time I saw him post-stroke — which, admittedly, wasn’t a lot — he seemed in good spirits. What a fucked up thing to happen to a guy, and yet he put out the vibe that he wasn’t going to let the setback do him in.
Woody never made it back, but he tried and tried and tried. He never lost his sense of humor. What’s left to say but — we’ll miss you, man.
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I just heard this news on WMNF, and I was really saddened. I, too, had not seen Jeff in a while. Wish I had made an effort to reconnect. Way back when, I had the good fortune of playing with Jeff on a couple of my best-forgotten band projects. As a player, he was solid, creative and very generous. Over the years, I watched him play in a zillion or so bands (and covered some of them for the Trib). He always brought incredible musical drive and the kind of personal spark that you couldn't help but notice. I enjoyed talking with him at Vinyl Fever, too. Great rock drummer, great guy. I thought, and hoped, that he would get his health back and get back out there on the scene. Wishful thinking, I know.
Jeff was a great guy, real salt of the earth; fighting for recovery from a brain tumor, working on his drumming, and doing 1000 situps! I had the pleasure to know him, and convinced him to play with the band BoneMoney. He said he wasn't good enough. I insisted he was and told him the music wasn't demanding anyway. Way below his talent level, I said. He worked hard to get the chops he wanted to exhibit in the band, and was his worst (only) critic. But he did get many of his skills back and it was inspiring to play with him. The humor, fantastic taste in music, and cut to the chase comments always made the time worthwhile. When he left, due to his growing disillusionment with the music industry he said, we asked him to stay, then wished him well and told him what a pleasure it had been. He would call to see how everyone was doing, because he was a gentleman of that sort. We will all miss him, and we feel privileged to have spent that time together. Cheers.
Thanks so much for the sincere words Eric. He was truly one of a kind. Jeff Wood lived to play drums. Jeff, Martin, and I shared 2 very intense years on stage. To be able to play with a guy that could keep up with you no matter how fast you played was a treat. He could even sing backing vocals at the same time! He had so many awesome quirks like a vast knowledge of rock, sports and 70's trivia. He also insisted on making the set list - that was his job. Few people knew that Wood was an incredible arranger as well. He could take a mediocre song and turn it into a rocker by adding a part - often humming out what the music should sound like. We never know what we have until it's gone, and the years I played with Jeff were certainly 2 of my best. Jeff Wood is dead - Long live Jeff Wood...
Michael Burger\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s and Joe Popp\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s comments serve Jeff Wood\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s spirit well. During the time I played with Michael Burger and Jeff Wood in BoneMoney, I saw how Jeff could really PUSH the music to even greater heights by a just simple shift in rhythmic perception! He was amazingly refreshing, funny as all hell and a very caring individual too. One horribly rainy August night Jeff led me up (and out) of a very flooded Hillsborough Avenue \\\\\\\\
Although " you can't put your arms around a memory" (so says Johnny Thunders) those good memories of Jeff will always be around to give us Love, Laughter and Hope. Jeff will be missed by many!
I will never forget the day, back in 1985 when Jeff answered our ad for ‘drummer wanted’ in the local paper. He drove into Tampa the next day from Brandon, sporting his “Stuart’s World Supreme Quality†drums. Needless to say they weren’t. In the following weeks of practice for the band that would become “The Mooncalves,†he sure made them sound like they were. Over the next five years and two bands Jeff and I became friends as well as what he liked to call “The Rhythm Section from Hellâ€. After forming “The Fugitive Kind†we played shows from Melbourne, Florida to Normal, Illinois mostly driving his red pickup, three across with Michael Goodrich snoring in the seat between us. During those trips Jeff would talk, argue and listen to the history of rock music. It was in his veins. I remember driving through southern Georgia heading for a gig in Atlanta. Hurricane Hugo was bearing down and we were listening to NRBQ. The song “Me and the Boys†came on the tape player and I commented that it was strange that they were doing an Ian Hunter cover. Jeff said “Dude, Terry Adams wrote thatâ€. We argued for a bit until he pulled the truck over on the median of I-75, got the liner notes out and made me read it. Of course he was right. I last saw Jeff here in New York City nearly two years ago. He had made the trip up to see Paul Weller. He was the only one I could see in the audience that sang along to every song whether it was an old “Jam†classic, a forgotten ‘Style Council†track or a brand new Weller original. I realized that night how much I missed his presence. I will always remember you Jeff.
Don't listen to Martin!!! Jeff showed up for Mooncalves practice with a can of Natural Light and shoes from Allbertsons and yes, Stewart's World Supreme Quality Drums. This was 1986, his first real band. Martin said "don't stop in the middle of a song, even if everyone else does"...I said hit 'em harder!"...and a star was born. Jeff took it from there, you all know the rest. We stayed close friends ever since. Flying to Tampa tomorrow, see you all there. -- Skullfucker
Great guy. My wife was a good friend of his and I got to know him. He'd come to my shows and we'd go to dinner and have drinks. He got a kick out of the fact that I would go onstage to a NutraJet tune. May he rest in peace.
Jeff Wood is one of my closest and dearest friends. Jeff and I first met while working in a mall-located record store. Despite the often discretionless clientele, I'll always remember Wood leaving each and every customer with some juicey nugget of wisdom regarding their personal purchase. I can hear it like it was yesterday; "Now this is hot" or "Yeah dude, I get this. Right on". And while I myself probably had an artificial snobbery at the time, Jeff's love of all things music was enviably broad and diverse beyond my comprehension. So if Jeff deemed it crap, you could rest easy and move on without the experiment. Likewise, if Jeff suggested something new or old, it always stood up. Needless to say music was his soul and spirit, his musical gifts only natural. I love this guy and everything he did, everything he played. After leaving Tampa for Dallas, Jeff and I usually missed each other during the visits, but we stayed in touch thanks to the miracle of cellular. And so we continued to talk Music, Bucs and Bubbles. Not always in that order. I truly regret not being able to make it back today to be with him. But I'll continue my talks with Wood from a distance. Jeff Wood Is Free
Just got back to Atlanta from the funeral, it was great seeing everyone in Tampa again be it under shitty circumstances. I loved reminiscing about things Jeff did while in the Forgotten Apostles, that I hadn't thought about in 10 years but still make me laugh my ass off. Like him giving his "as god as my witness, I will never play with you Mother Fucker's again" speech in Gainesville and driving off with all our equipment in the back of the red pickup truck only to have him come back 20 minutes later asking for directions to I-75. Or accidentally leaving a turd nugget on Paul's pillow only to be found when Paul woke up the next morning. Then not fessing up for a week while Paul accused and or beat the shit out of everyone who was at the party. Or pulling up next to his truck on the interstate and watching him pull out booger the size of a large steak fry. All these stories might make him sound barbaric, after all he was a drummer, but he was one of the kindest soles I ever met. He was a friend to all who knew him and it was a honor to not only play with him and party with him but to know him. Jeff I miss you man. Love John
Oh, Forgot to mention the reason he left his band mates in Gainesville was his toothbrush fell out of his overnight bag in the van (zipper not checked) and he was big on dental hygene. And the turd pillow was a fart gone bad.
It is so great to hear these stories about Jeff Wood from his friends and bandmates. I graduated high school with him like many also at the funeral but I knew him best in elementary and junior high. I am sure that all of us non-musician Brandon, FL locals would agree that the likeable, nutty, talented man you describe matches perfectly with the boy we knew. I feel most sad for his immediate family but because of the love shown in stories like these, at the funeral his father said he had never been so proud of his son.
woody was a great guy and awesome drummer. i always wanted to be in a band with him, we got that chance, just not at the same time. miss ya brother!
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