On the Passing of Jon Brookes

It's no secret that I'm a huge Charlatans fan. They're one of my all time favorite bands. The passing of Jon Brookes just hits me in the gut. Nobody made me dance harder at a gig than Jon Brookes... period. Following his passing, I went through the entire Charlatans catalogue, b-sides and all, and was constantly drawn into to his subtlety. The drum work on "Up To Our Hips" still blows me away. It's one of my favorite albums by the band, and the one of the big reasons why is there is a drum roll right as "Inside - Looking Out" starts fading out. Almost twenty years after its release, that drum roll still gives me the same feeling in the pit of my stomach that I get when I go through a quick, short dip on a roller coaster. You know that feeling? When it feels like the ground drops out beneath you and your stomach goes up into your throat, but then it evens out and your whole body jerks back up? That's what the drum roll at the end of "Inside - Looking Out" does to me. It's as though the whole song just hangs in the air for a moment, then crashes back down; it's an absolutely brilliant piece of music.

I've seen The Charlatans live 17 times live since the first time I saw them, (Hollywood Palladium, August 2, 1992 with very special guests Catherine Wheel, for those keeping score) and have had tickets to see them on three different tours whose shows were canceled. I met my wife at a Charlatans show. They always delivered live, the only complaint I've ever had with their live show is that it just wasn't long enough. Seriously, the epic songbook this band has compiled deserves much more than a 90 show, and much more song rotation as well! One thing is for certain, though, every time I saw The Charlatans, I danced my ass off, and that was largely because when Jon Brookes goes absolutely primal, like he does at the end of "Tellin' Stories," for example, it moved me unlike few other drummers. 

I'm glad to see that The Charlatans have already taken the stage again, and hope they are able to continue, being the only band of their time and place never to stop, and if it means a steady gig for Peter Sallisbury, then fantastic, he too is a phenominal drummer and I can't think of too many drummers I'd rather see play with the band, but like many, I will always miss the rhythmic bombast that Jon Brookes brought to every album and every stage he took. Thank you, Mr. Brookes, for being one of the biggest parts of the soundtrack of my life.