Comments on: Manuel Bagier, R.I.P.

By: Cliff Cadaver

Cliff Cadaver — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:11:57 +0000

I heard about Manuel only last night. I spent the evening thinking endlessly about an old friend, a lost brother, and the fact we’d never get a chance to reunite. Been almost twenty years and I wish now I hadn’t waited. For a period of maybe five years, when we were in our early twenties, we were the best of bro’s. A time of my life that is filled with golden memories. Of course, I don’t know the struggles or changes that time surely brought upon Manuel (as it does with us all), but I know how special and unique a person he was when we were young. I’ve never met a person with such magnetism, such a zeal and zest for life, always absurdly drowned in offbeat humor. I think he was more perplexed (and eventually annoyed) at all the hero worship none of us could help lavishing on him. He was our leader. I think if he would have told us smoking was cool (none of us smoked), we all would have. He was the coolest man I’ve ever met. Suave, mischievous, funny, smart. We never had a real falling out, we just kind of went our own ways and never recrossed paths, a shame. I loved Manuel before anyone coined the horrid term “bromance”. Not in a gay way, we just dug each other deeply. I’ll miss him deeply. Following is a list of my memories of Memo.

He taught me to dance, said I’d be missing out on such a good part of life if I didn’t. He was right. I remember that flyer he drew, “please come,” he laughed when he showed it to me. I remember the cosi fan tutti frutti poster in his room at his folks house. I remember the horrible job I did piercing his ear with a safety pin, sorry! He had a GI Joe wolfpack tattoo that wasn’t much more than an outline of a woof head, when you turned it sideways it became a sheep. I remember his stop action film he made with barbies and Joes (and I will pay to have this transferred to digital if anyone has access to his old super 8 film, we need this). I remember leaving clubs at dawn. I remember the “land” in the desert. I remember spiked hair and punk rock, bowler hats and droogs, makeup and glamrock, pot and booze and speed and shrooms. Like Julie Bird, I remember his monkey, Minnie. And hey, I remember Julie Bird (she introduced Manuel and I), and Franco, and Thinmun, and Doc, and Blazing, and Mad Max, and Stevo, and mulatto Matt, and I can’t believe that an old life long stoner like me remembers this much. I know I won’t ever forget Manuel. And I can’t stop thinking about a pin he used to wear on his hat (that I incidentally coveted), it was an image of telephone towers with sparking lines, beneath, it said “maintain contact”. I wish I had. I love you all.

Cliff

By: Matt Accetta

Matt Accetta — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:24:46 +0000

I was trying to fix up my room the other day when this old VHS tape cough my eye. It was dated 11/171988. The tape was shot by Mike Ortega. The one I have is a copy of copy, It makes it granie. The tape consist of the band Population 3, which defunct after John Cassic’s passing. Other members Bill Ankwits(Please for give my spelling). Tony Balboa, Janus Williams and me were band members. We got play 3 more gigs before John had relapsed of leukemia and passed a within a couple months.
Well as you know Manuel And Jackie were there to support us. It was a debut show.
Well VHS tape has a few seconds of Manuel and Jackie. stopping by back stage of The Roxy.

I took from the VHS, some digital shot of them. The Pics are not as bad as I thought.
There is a total of 83mb and I use hotmail.com. Its to big to send through Hotmail. I can send a disk to close friend via snail mail. 36 pics in all. No charge just a self addrest envelope that a CD can fit into.

By: Ariella

Ariella — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:20:10 +0000

It was two years ago today that my dad passed away. I’ve wanted to write about him for two years but never could find the strength to do so. I wrote him a letter and decided to share….
Manuel,
We think about you every day. We miss you every day. I know we didn’t have the greatest relationship while you were here, somewhere along the road things went wrong with us, and we never could forgive you. I regret that now. Sadly enough, if you were still here, I wonder if we’d have forgiven you yet…it took you passing for us to realize we should have let go of our grudge. If I could talk to you one more time, I would tell you that I’m so deeply sorry.
I wonder all the time what things would be like if you were still here. I think about the things you’ve missed out on in all of our lives, and the many things to come. Your daughter’s high school graduation, careers, grandchildren, who will walk us down the isle?? Would I have let you if you were still here? It isn’t fair you had to leave us.
But I know, wherever you are, you’re watching over us, and always there for us. You brightened up others days and showed us all how fun life can be. Chach and I find a little bit more of you in us every day. You’re missed by many. Not a day goes by you aren’t in our thoughts. Especially Minnia’s. She misses you more than the rest of us can comprehend.
We miss and love you.
Always,
Ariella

By: Roy K.

Roy K. — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:02:04 +0000

Hi all,

Just reminded of Manuel agfain today as I play drums and was playing to ZZTOP on Youtube.
Mano was the one who turned me on to ZZTOP.. nights in the desert moonlight on the backroads.. blazing blues and rock on the tape deck and Billy’s soulful guitar. So many awesome times.
I may get out there for a visit this time in a week or two.Anyone wish to join me?
Here’s recording I made today,tribute to Manuel, ZZ, and the desert land!
http://webspace.webring.com/people/kr/raf_roy/roy-zztop-bluejeansblues-live-2-2009-7-15.mp3

By: roy king

roy king — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:59:30 +0000

Hey Matt, good to hear from you! I’m playing some drums myself these days.
Wow I had no idea you two had the cosmic twin birthdate that is really amazing!

The .mp3 I prevoius posted is now permanantly available or download here:
http://www.users.on.net/pam_biddell/ROYStore/EndoftheLand-RiseoftheGreatAncientMothSutra.wma

right click, save as to download

p.s. Still need Sean contact or Bill and find the whereabouts of the songs manuel and bill made, especially the ‘Psycho Vato / Please Mr. Kessler” era Those can’t be left on the shelf forever!

Also recently I thought about how to sum up Mano’s singing and groove and wide range and how it was he heard and produced genres years before they ever were done by top bands, still it is impossible, I heard myself essence later found in lead singers of bands such as:
Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), and even sometimes Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), to name a short list
To me he often sounded the most like the first two depending on his mood, my favorite singer of the genre is Billy Corgan now since his singing the most reminds me of Manuel often, although Eddie Vedder songs are also hauntingly familiar reminders.
Peace.

By: Julie B

Julie B — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:34:40 +0000

I had tried Googling many of my old friends that I lost contact with. Manuel being one of them. I never found much. Then several months ago I got in contact with John Blazing. I asked about Manuel. John told me the sad news. I feel like I lost a brother. Manuel was a very dear friend during our teens. I remember him as an artist, a musician, and a friend. I also remember him as the only person I have ever known that had a pet monkey — Minnie the Monkey.

Thank you for creating this site. It’s great to be able to remember an old friend and share memories with others that knew him.

PS – Your daughters are gorgeous!

By: matt accetta

matt accetta — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:48:53 +0000

Manuel and I are cosmic twins. We were born on the same month, day and year (9/3/1963). I met Manuel through mutual friends of ours, Mike Ortega and the late great John Cassic , in the early 1980’s. They had a unique way of communicating and interpreting life around them. I’m sure you “existences” know what I talking about. After Johns untimely passing I got to know Manuel a little better. We both played the drums and occasionally he borrowed my equipment. He invited me and some other friends of ours to Rachita where I met his parents and Jackie. We went on one of his infamous midnight, full moon “magic desert hikes”. It was incredible. I can truly say it was one of those defining moments that change my life. It had a huge “impact” on me. I fell in love with nature and wanted to move out, away from the crowds of people. By the next time I had talked to him, he told me that Jackie was pregnant. I was happy for them. Unfortunately we fell out of contact with each other. Not to long afterwards I met a nature loving girl and moved to Sanoma county(Monte Rio), in northern California, were I lived for 10+ years. I didn’t find out he was ill, until the day before his passing. To say the least I was shocked. I regret not keeping in contact with him. He was truly a charismatic person. I loved the way he used terms to described something like, impact, the hate, existence, etc… I will miss him dearly.

By: roy king

roy king — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 02:58:22 +0000

ps.- yes that is real-time electricity on the recording, not a sound effect- when manuel starts the ‘klingon opera’ he almost was electrocuted by the mic.. it was so classic and typical that when he got on stage above and beyond the call things like that would happen!

By: roy king

roy king — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 01:54:06 +0000

here is the song we last played.Mano all vocals, keys, and kazoo sax. Me on guitar.I named the song.
it should remain 90 days from this link;
http://www.filefactory.com/file/a048f1f/n/EndoftheLand-RiseoftheGreatAncientMothSutra_wma

choose 2nd option “Try FileFactory’s Basic service” Download with FileFactory Basic.
the volume very low due to conversion issues from tape.

Sean Kane send me your email, Please!

I have some pics I will post next time.

By: m_mx ( louie m )

m_mx ( louie m ) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:30:04 +0000

Blasing told me the bad news bout Manny a couple of months ago. It’s still hard to believe that he’s gone. He was a fellow friend, musician and droog. Last night I hung out with Bink and Shawn and told our stories bout Manny. RIP brother
m_mx