Paul Hester: RIP

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I had to bring this over from ILE:

Paul Hester is dead and I am sad.

― peepee (peepee), Sunday, 27 March 2005 13:59 (twenty-one years ago)

This sucks.

― Kim (Kim), Sunday, 27 March 2005 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

His mental problems was kind of the reason why Crowded House broke up. Anyway, real sad news this :(

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 27 March 2005 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Btw. "Italian Plastic" was a lot better than rumour has it. Great song.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 27 March 2005 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

This really sucks.

(x-post Kim)

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Sunday, 27 March 2005 16:44 (twenty-one years ago)

:( :( :( :(
RIP

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 27 March 2005 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Please no. Not Paul. Please...this is too sad.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 27 March 2005 20:09 (twenty-one years ago)

So, on Saturday, while I'm buying two Paul Hester albums for the first time ever and taking then home and playing them and happily singing/bopping along to them, he's 1km from my flat taking his own life?? Fuck.

― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Sunday, 27 March 2005 20:28 (twenty-one years ago)

This is as shocking as it is sad. Crowded House shows were always a hoot thanks to the band's banter, but especially Hester's.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 27 March 2005 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

"Hester, 46, the father of two girls, was found dead at Elsternwick Park in Brighton yesterday. He was last seen walking his two dogs on Saturday night."

There is something uniquely sad about these circumstances. Can't help but imagine that last stroll now. A wretched sad state of affairs...

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Monday, 28 March 2005 00:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I went there this morning. It's a gorgeous park. Loads of people walking dogs, and a big lake in the centre full of ducks. Fortunately there were no throngs of devoted fans.

― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 28 March 2005 04:38 (twenty-one years ago)

...and I've just been told he hanged himself. This is awful.

― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 28 March 2005 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

oh fuck.. this is unreal. I just saw him two weeks ago, he seemed to be in such good spirits

his poor family

― Seuss, Monday, 28 March 2005 04:50 (twenty-one years ago)

tragic, very tragic...

― stevie (stevie), Monday, 28 March 2005 12:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't think much of him as a songwriter but he was a helluva drummer and looked cool as shit. A buddy and I were watching Classic VH-1 a few months ago and the "Something So Strong" video came on, in which Neil, Paul, and Nick Seymour fucked around on a farm. Paul's doing everything he can to distract Neil; you can tell it's all Neil can do to keep from cracking up on camera. My friend said, "These guys look like they really love each other."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 28 March 2005 13:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I, too, have always had the impression he was a great guy, which makes the loss even worse to those who were close to him.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 28 March 2005 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Whoa, did anyone see Hester on SBS's "Rockwiz" just now, as one of the secret musician contestants? Didn't see that coming! As bouncy as you'd imagine, in his final weeks...

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Saturday, 2 April 2005 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I just caught the last 10 mins or so & it gradually dawned on me what I was watching. The finale - the Jagger/Tosh duet Don't Look Back - was wonderful and eerily appropriate.

― jcartledge (jcartledge), Saturday, 2 April 2005 11:43 (twenty-one years ago)

God it was Sad. The way he did sort of a prolonged wave into the camera at the end...

― Seuss, Saturday, 2 April 2005 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah and the final line repeated, "We're gonna walk and not look back". Incredibly sad.

― kate/thank you friendly cloud (papa november), Saturday, 2 April 2005 12:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I still can't see him as ANYTHING other than the cheeky chap whose face revolved on a circular base while he made silly faces in the video for "Chocolate Cake". The thought that he committed suicide is so... devastating.

― edward o (edwardo), Saturday, 2 April 2005 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Can someone explain "Rockwiz" to we Americans?

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Saturday, 2 April 2005 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Er, "us Americans."

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Saturday, 2 April 2005 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Music-themed pub triv, savagely edited and shown on telly. Bizarrely scheduled on Saturday night when the target audience is out seeing bands.

― kit brash (kit brash), Sunday, 3 April 2005 00:08 (twenty-one years ago)

True. Importantly, the final member of each team is a musician, whose identity is only revealed via a "Who Am I...?" question at the very beginning (hence the surprise!). They get to play something both on arrival on stage (Hester provided assorted percussion for a version of "Wipeout") and the aforementioned duet at the end. Apparently it was recorded some 3 weeks before airtime.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Sunday, 3 April 2005 00:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I hope they repeat it during the week or something. No fear of looking gruesome with the ABC already beginning Hessie's Shed repeats on Tuesday!

― kit brash (kit brash), Sunday, 3 April 2005 06:28 (twenty-one years ago)

i have to admit i shed a tear at the end of rockwiz last night when it said 'paul hester 1959-2005'. too sad.

there was an episode of love is in the air dedicated to him on the abc last night too.

― gem (trisk), Sunday, 3 April 2005 06:37 (twenty-one years ago)

he was s o funny - "my telly's gone bung" mentions kylie and jason...
i want a release of the hester/finn written "love you til the day i die".
i also liekd "this is massive " from split enz.

― italian plastic, Sunday, 3 April 2005 09:49 (twenty-one years ago)

er Love You Till is on the first album and it's written by Neil Finn

― kit brash (kit brash), Monday, 4 April 2005 07:10 (twenty-one years ago)

He probably meant "That's What I Call Love"

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

but that's on the first album too!

I might put all the versions of Italian Plastic from the live albums on my iPod this weekend though

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 7 April 2005 08:55 (twenty-one years ago)

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