RIP Sylvain Sylvain

 

Sylvain has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 70. 

HIs book, There's No Bones in Ice Cream, tells his tale of a young immigrant coming to America and falling in love with rock'n'roll and fashion and he melded the two for the rest of his life.

While Johnny Thunders had the Keith Richards-ish buzzy flash, Sylvain furnished the tasty, melodic licks and co-wrote a number of the finest tunes.

Truthfully, I didn't know what to make of this band when the first hit and was a bit turned off by their lack of ability (although it was far, far superior to my own) and by Johansen's voice (which grew on me, and, of course, I loved his lyrics). I even missed my chance to see them in a small theater in the next town over, which I regret to this day. 

He left behind quite a legacy and an incredible fan base. Very sad news...

(BTW, I got this poster from a local guitar shop - and I had this guitar, as well - and signed it with Sylvain's name and gave to my then-girlfriend!)