Priceless moments are seared in memory

Friday, 14 November 1997

By Gene Armstrong

THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Last year I was sick.

Not that big a thing. A little cytomegalovirus - a mononucleosis-like bug

that brought with it anemia, hepatitis and an enlarged spleen - necessitated

a couple of months of playing hooky from The Arizona Daily Star while

stranded in bed.

After I gratefully returned to work and to writing, one of the first pieces of

mail that arrived at my house was a note from Rainer Ptácek, who wrote

that he was glad to see my bylines again, evidence of my recovery.

Rainer, as most friends and fans knew him, was at the time undergoing

intensive treatment for lymphoma and a brain tumor.

This talented and gracious man, while facing life-threatening challenges,

had taken time to wish me well.

It was a simple and moving gesture, a gift I never will forget.

About eight months later, in November 1996, Rainer was recovering

himself, and he made a surprise guest appearance at a friend's concert.

During intermission at that Temple of Music and Art concert by

singer-songwriter Greg Brown, I ran into Patti Keating, Rainer's wife.

She said, ``Look who's here,'' and pulled a bashful Rainer from behind a

pillar. ``Holy cannoli,'' he said, explaining that because of the tumor he still

had trouble remembering things, including people's names.

``So everyone I see is holy cannoli,'' he chuckled.

Rainer then narrowed his eyes at me and said, ``But you, you're Gene.''

My chest tightened and my vision blurred.

At the conclusion of the second half Rainer ambled on stage to accompany

Brown's tunes ``Further In'' and ``Poor Backslider,'' as well as Mississippi

Fred McDowell's redemptive blues tune ``You Gotta Move.''

Applause rained down on him in the historic theater. Rainer displayed

hope and courage, and a pure devotion to music for which many will

remember him.

How many priceless moments did Rainer leave with me, or with the

listeners touched by his music? They number too many to count.

There were the times he played guitar, or the occasional bass, for the early

'80s versions of Giant Sandworms and Naked Prey. Never limited by ego,

he always seemed willing to be a sideman.

Or the Warren Zevon concert he opened with modest brilliance - and

amid rude shouts of ``Zevon!'' - in the UA Senior Ballroom back in 1983.

Or when Rainer and Billy Sed sang an emotional duet on Richard and

Linda Thompson's devastating mea culpa, ``For Shame of Doing Wrong,''

at the original Wooden Ball in 1987 at Nino's Steakhouse.

Or when he gave the finest performance I'd ever seen him do. Undaunted

by the bustle of Coffee Etc., with rug rats scurrying about and servers

taking late-night breakfast orders, Rainer played with clarity and strength,

drawing from the deepest part of the blues.

Or the frequent times he sat in with the '80s garage-pop band River Roses,

trading piquant dobro or electric guitar licks with the Roses' Gene Ruley.

Or when he and singer Kris McKay played an evening of charming and

impassioned duets in 1994 at the Cushing Street Grill & Bar.

Or those sweet and intimate performances at the Epic Cafe on North

Fourth Avenue, where he often whimsically accompanied himself with

electronically sampled loops of his own guitar playing.

Or the explosive final gig of his electric group - Das Combo, then featuring

Nick Augustine on bass and Ralph Gilmore on drums - at the Green

Dolphin, a now-defunct UA-area dive.

With several other Rainer fans, I hung out that night about five years ago in

front of the dingy little nightclub well past closing time, not willing to let go

of the joy we'd just shared.

Once, before I really got to know him, I wrote that Rainer played as if he

were on fire, like an elemental force.

The title track on the multi-artist tribute album to Rainer's music is ``The

Inner Flame.'' He wrote the song while his cancer was in remission earlier

this year.

On the album, Rainer plays it with his old pals in the Giant Sand,

alternating verses with bandleader Howe Gelb. The song uses the imagery

of fire to illustrate the robust variety of human life, good and bad.

The opening lyrics ask: ``How is your inner flame? Does it still burn a lot?''

Anyone who met Rainer or heard him perform knows his flame is burning

still.

Quotes from friends

Rainer is one of the musicians I respect most who's playing guitar in the

States today.

Not only is he an honest player, but he's more than that. He's got a

delicacy to the way he plays; there's a sorrow in it. . . . (And) the way he

works a melody, there's something evocative about it. It paints pictures.

- Singer/songwriter Jonathan Richman, speaking last year

Rainer was a presence who makes you check your pretensions at the

door. He was not a man lightly befriended because he was a friend for life.

The first wave of Rainer's playing was the sheer force of the notes

shimmering off the strings, but after the storm there were clear pools

wherein the secrets of the ancient desert sea beds were revealed.

Even in the last month, as this malignant blossom overgrew the garden of

him memory, Rainer's eyes had the same penetrating luminosity they

always had: He seemed to see through the obvious appearance of things to

a deeper essence. I think that essence, that truth, is what he strove to

express in his music and in his life, as he lived - as we all should - from

moment to moment, fully here in the now.

Rainer was an everyday hero: A regular guy who worked hard, loved his

family, was loyal to his friends, and who just happened to be a genius.

I had the great good fortune to play drums with Rainer & Das Combo

during the Barefoot Rock years, and the music was like sonic peyote. I

have never been the same since. I like to think that my own small flame

burns a bit more bluely of a dark night thanks to Rainer's light.

- Will Clipman, local musician and poet, and former member of

Rainer's band, Das Combo

Rainer Ptácek was a bluesman in the truest sense of the word. The ability

to translate life's ups and downs into words and music that, in turn, brought

joy and happiness to so many others was truly a special gift. The bluesman

opens his soul and bares his innermost feelings for all to hear. His music is

frank and honest, with an indomitable spirit.

Rainer's music inspires love and beauty. It speaks to people in a truly

intimate and moving way. It draws us in and soon, even if you never met

the man, you feel as if you know him. That's the purest form of the the

blues. There are many talented musicians around, but very few as rare and

genuine as Rainer Ptácek, Bluesman.

- Marty Kool, ``Blues Review'' host, KXCI-FM

What I loved about Rainer is what I love about Tucson. He was a hidden

treasure, eclectic and eccentric like a hidden Mexican shrine. When you

saw him you were in awe: It was always mystical and always inspiring.

- Jeb Schoonover, Tucson promoter and manager, who worked with

Rainer professionally for over 10 years

Rainer was one of the sweetest people I have met. He seemed to view the

world through the eyes of a child and I think that contributed to his

inspiration. He never lost sight of the music.

I receive e-mail for Rainer, and though we've always known how special

he was, it's evident from the fan mail that's come in from around the world

that we shared him with many people who were also moved deeply by the

music. The letters have been overwhelming. He was a lucky man to have

touched so many lives and I am proud to have been a part of his life.

- English Cathy Dunlop, Tucson manager and promoter

I'm angry that someone so creative, committed and giving, someone sorely

needed by his family and community as Rainer, should fall so ill. I'm

furious, but I don't think he would have approved of that emotion, and I

have never known him to possess a speck of dishonesty or insincerity. I

can only say that I am honored and eternally grateful to have known him as

a great musician and an extraordinary human being.

From the first time I heard him play in a tavern on Stone Avenue 20 years

ago, his integrity, sensitivity and originality totally astounded and inspired

me.

Sometimes the words ``Thank you and we love you'' don't seem big

enough.

- Stefan George, Tucson blues guitarist and singer-songwriter

He was one of the most powerful and beautiful souls I ever got to know. I

thought that all that power and beauty came out in the music he did.

When I think of Rainer I also think of the fist we met. It was at party in

Tucson, I don't remember what year it was, maybe about eight or nine

years ago.

We sat down in the living room and just played a G chord for about 45

minutes. We just sat there in during the party. We fully explored the chord

of G.

I can't think of anybody I've found more inspiring to listen to than Rainer.

Another amazing thing about Rainer was the strength and acceptance and

even the feeling of blessedness that he spoke of at the end of his life. It was

a lesson to me. He such an unusual and powerful soul, in his music and his

life and the way faced his own mortality.

- Greg Brown, singer-songwriter and friend who often performed

with Rainer, calling from a hotel on tour

Every time I saw him play over the last 10 or 12 years, it was always the

same: he was giving it his all. When he played you were in the presence of

someone who actually loved music. You knew it was music as it should be

expressed.

His spirit was just pure. He played music not because it made money or

for his ego, but only because he loved it.