I took this blurry pic (ripped off Jackie's facebook album) in the backyard of my first ever share-house, back in 1985. Walker Avenue, Teneriffe, Brisbane. I lived there with my best friends Jackie and Dwayne (they were a couple at that time - that's Dwayne on the left) and various others who passed through.....

The cool cat in the black beret with the bongo's and the fag hanging out out the corner of his mouth died last week.

His name was Id, and he and I and all our friends went to Griffith Uni together, back in the day when it was a hotbed of all things alternative and political. That place and those times set us all on the very distinctive paths were are all on now. We were all crazy about music, and spent all our free time going to see gigs, or - if you were musically inclined, playing in bands. Id was one of the founding members of the late, great Dementia 13 (myspace page) - go take a listen to hacksaw, admire Alex's almighty scream. Id was also in a zillion other musical projects, both here and in London when he, Jackie, Russell, Alex and Stewart lived there for a few years.

Id came out to us all a few years after this, and became the editor of Queenslands only gay and lesbian magazine, PRIDE back in 2001. He always astonishingly good with words. And he also has a great talent for photography. His Flickr page is full of great photography - some of them covers for the mag.

I haven't seen him that much over the past 10 - 15 years, but he came along to my 40th birthday party in Australia last year, and set up a little studio in my uncle's living room to take real portraits of people. Here is that facebook gallery (not sure if you'll be able to see these if you aren't his "friend").

Last week he collapsed and died at home, it was either a heart attack or a stroke, he was only 43. He was such a lovely man, a hugely creative force and a good friend. His funeral is this Wednesday, at the Mt Gravatt Crematorium. The same day that Neil Young plays Brisbane. Some of his friends are, of course, giving up their Neil Young tickets as they'd rather be at the wake. It is going to be an enormous event, no doubt oozing with debauchery as Id would have wanted it. I'll be there in spirit.

Id, I'll miss you dear boy.

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