smoe.org mailing lists
ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Mark London <mrl@psfc.mit.edu> |
| Subject | Full Bill Asp obituary |
| Date | Thu, 26 Aug 2004 14:59:07 -0400 |
[Part 1 text/plain us-ascii (4.5 kilobytes)]
(View Text in a separate window)
Punk, New Wave Music Promoter Bill Asp, 53, Dies
By Matt Schudel
Bill Asp, 53, who managed several prominent bands and owned an
independent record label during the heyday of Washington's new wave music
movement of the late 1970s and early '80s, died Aug. 5 at his daughter's
home in Phoenix. According to the Maricopa County medical examiner's
office, he committed suicide by stabbing.
Three weeks earlier, his depression and bipolar disorder had been
diagnosed. He had moved to Phoenix in May, after living in Arlington for 30
years.
A talented and tireless promoter, Mr. Asp helped engineer the
regional, and sometimes national, success of such bands as the Insect Surfers,
Tru Fax & the Insaniacs, Tiny Desk Unit, Beex, the Young Caucasians and
the Beatnik Flies. They recorded for his label, Wasp (named after his
name, William Asp), played at clubs locally and across the country and
developed a fervent following. Washington was one of the leading cities
of what became known as the alternative music movement, and Mr. Asp,
though not a musician himself, was one of its chief proponents.
"He was the first one who said this music scene should be bigger than
it is," said David Arnson, a founding member of the Insect Surfers,
who keeps the band alive in Los Angeles. "He had us playing all over the
United States."
"Bill was kind of a visionary," said David Petersen, who was a teenage
guitarist and singer for the Insect Surfers when Mr. Asp began to
manage the band in 1979. "He believed in the music we were doing. He
provided an inspiration for us."
From 1976 to 1985, Mr. Asp and his wife, Debbie, ran an independent
record store in Fairfax and later in Arlington called the Record and Tape
Exchange of Virginia. Known as RTX, it became a meeting place for young
people captivated by the burgeoning punk and new wave music scene. At
the Arlington location, Mr. Asp and his family lived above the store,
which was decorated with record covers from underground bands and, for a
while, with a Russian flag.
"He was fascinated by communism," Arnson said. "He was very
idealistic. He really did believe in true equality among people."
He kept few of the profits of his record label and energetically
promoted his bands to college radio stations and nightclubs. He made posters
for his bands and drew the artwork for the album covers. In 1981, he
helped propel the Insect Surfers' first album, "Wavelength," to No. 25 on
the college radio charts.
"He was a brilliant promoter," Arnson said. "He had us opening for the
B-52s, the Psychedelic Furs, the Stranglers and Iggy Pop."
Petersen, who lives in New York and is an Academy Award-nominated
documentary filmmaker, added: "He was sort of a father figure who said,
'Follow your independent voice.' It was really like someone saying, 'You
can be an artist' -- but he wasn't that pretentious."
William Robert Asp was born in Washington and grew up in Falls Church.
He graduated from George C. Marshall High School in Fairfax County and
attended George Mason University, leaving after two years, he said,
because he knew more than his professors.
He was a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service from the early
1970s until 1977. While operating his record store, he also had a music
management firm, Endless Weekend, as well as his record label. In 1985,
after the early bloom of the new wave movement had faded, Mr. Asp
closed his shop and withdrew from the music business.
In 1987, he went to work as a fundraiser for Environmental Action
Inc., a now-defunct advocacy group in Washington.
From 1993 to 1997, and again from 1999 until March of this year, he
was a strategic analyst for Craver, Mathews, Smith and Co., an Arlington
direct-mail consultant for nonprofit organizations. He analyzed
demographic data for fundraising efforts for such groups as Amnesty
International, Habitat for Humanity and the American Civil Liberties
Union. From
1997 to 1999, he worked for O'Brien, McConnell, Pearson, a fundraising
consulting firm in Washington.
In addition to his encyclopedic knowledge of modern music, Mr. Asp was
widely read on many subjects and was known as a superior cook,
particularly of desserts. His family said he could re-create a restaurant meal
from scratch in his kitchen at home.
Survivors include his wife of 29 years, Debbie Asp of Phoenix; two
daughters, Melanie Asp Alvarez and Mercedes Odessa Asp, both of Phoenix;
his mother, Mary Elizabeth Asp of Alexandria; and two sisters, Judith
Bowman of Stanardsville, Va., and Marcia Ober of Vernon Hills, Ill.
For assistance, please contact
the smoe.org administrators.