I'm sure some of you have already seen dozens of blog entries from other people on Peter Steele, who passed away on the 14th. Well, here's one more.
Like a lot of people, I first heard Type-O-Negative around 1993 with the album Bloody Kisses. Songs like "Black No. 1" and "Christian Woman" got a lot of airplay. I was a freshman in college and pledging a fraternity. I remember standing in the kitchen of the fraternity house while the radio was playing, huddled around the big wooden table. It was a common gathering point to hang out and talk for hours. One night as "Black No. 1" was playing, Jimmy halted the conversation to point out the ending witty refrain coming from the radio, "Loving you, was like loving the dead."
The thing I loved the most about Type-O-Negative was their sense of humor. Most other "goth" or "gothic rock" bands were pretty much defined on their own complete lack of humor. This band, on the other hand, had an even corny sense of humor. They didn't take themselves overly seriously.
Being both a singer and a bass player myself, I did enjoy Steele's role in the band. The guy was so enormous, he could (and did) play an upright bass over his knee. And of course his vocal range was so incredibly low and deep. When warming up my voice I've typically always tried singing a few of the choruses of "Christian Woman" to hit as low as I could go. I'm also glad I got a chance to see the band play live in concert a few times over the years. I remember the first show I went to in Providence, and it seemed like Steele was drinking bottles of red wine by the whole bottle, then tossing them out to the crowd when finished. "Anybody want a sip?" he asked. "Don't worry, I don't have AIDS. I do, however, have rabies."
In a way I'm not too surprised over his death. He's always struck me as self-abusive, not to mention self-loathing. That seems to be a common combination in rock stars. Though at least he left behind a lot of great music.
