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The timing of an episode about cancer research seemed oddly callous to me after Andy passed away on Thanksgiving. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed appropriate. The more we know, and the better we can understand just what exactly cancer is, the better our chances will be in defeating it. Thinking of how quickly it took over his life and altered his ability to be himself, it’s frustrating that there was virtually nothing that anyone could do or say that would have been a proven, time-tested solution. People change their diets; maybe they exercise a bit more. Andy went to seminars and was given progressive medicines that they thought might be on the cutting edge of cancer care. But in the end, they weren’t enough to save him.

Cancer, and especially brain cancer, seems particularly cruel for someone so nice. Andy was a fantastic comedian, and part of being a comedian — at least in my opinion — is having your brain switched on perhaps slightly more often than average. To look around at a world that takes our friends and has so many horrible things in it, and then find ways to make people laugh and brighten their spirits, that’s a pretty unique skill. And no one was better at that than Andy Ritchie. He was a great comedian, and not in a “He’s nice and he does comedy” way. He could have been a complete jerk, and people would have still said that he was funny. But he wasn’t a jerk. He was kind and gentle and hilarious. I’m glad I got to know him. Glad that he was my friend. And glad that he left some comedy behind for us. If you haven’t heard any of his material, listen to his album King Ding-a-Ling. It’s as good as they get. Hopefully it will live on a lot longer than cancer does.

Rob Crow (@rob5d4), who you may know from Pinback, Goblin Cock, Optiganally Yours, Thingy, Heavy Vegetable, and a slew of other bands, as well as the composer of the theme song for this podcast, and the music of One-Headed Beast, has a new band called ‘Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place’ which should resonate with Winnie the Pooh fans and particularly Eeyore. They have a new record, and they are taking it on the road. Here is an article about the new project, and there are also tour dates. Get your tickets while you can, and if they pass through your town, try to go see them. And stay tuned to the show. We’ll try to get some sneak peeks of some tracks before the official release. I have seen this new endeavor perform live, and they are great.