I lost an old friend on Monday. Martin Streek and I had worked together when I was at CFNY from 1992 to 1995. All of us lived for that station, and the music that embodied it. Martin, even more so. He epitomized the station's spirit, identity and imagery and was adored by fans who would drop by the Edge Of Bloor and Bathurst during our Thursday 30 shows together, or at live broadcasts, from the Kingdom, Velvet Underground or Phoenix, where he, Paul Dhingra and Doctor I held their weekly tribal rituals. Those were halcyon days for alternative music, and those us who passed through the door of CFNY, took with us an indelible and extraordinary trove of memories. August, '92. Martin and I standing on the side of the stage at Molson Park in Barrie for Lollapalooza. It was THE year for that tour. Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, and Ministry. And there we were, in awe as Ministry's Barker and Jourgensen slammed sonic shock waves into the audience of 35,000 Martin and I reveled in the crowd's pulsated responses. July '93. New York, for the New Music Seminar. Nirvana at The Roseland Ballroom. A show plagued with stops and starts, but it was Nirvana. And we had no way of knowing Kurt would be gone 9 months later. A couple of years of Thursday 30s together, played out like the pic above, with Martin behind the console, and me, usually standing at the table. Too many other shows and moments to even begin listing them... Martin and I shared some incredible times, with music as the focal point of our friendship.
Above the shared experiences, what I most admired about Martin was his passion. Everything was 130% with him. Music above all else... especially NIN or Tool. When he got into snowboarding, he went deep, same with rollerblading, skydiving, cars and motorcycles. Martin was all in, all the time, locked and cranked, to his work, to his audience, to his love for music.
Rest well my friend.
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