That headline may seem a bit tongue-in-cheek. And certainly, while typing the words "Richard LaValliere, role model," I couldn't help but smile and shake my head; this is, after all, the man who wrote and performed both "City of Cleavage" and "Naked-on-the-Internet Polka." Yet for those of us who were privileged to know both Richard and his work, and who found in him a shining example of how to follow one's own path, the "role model" designation is accurate.
Last week, Peter Jest called to say I oughta talk to Milwaukee ex-pat Kevn Kinney, who comes home to play this weekend. He was right. Then, soon after, news emerged that Kinney's fellow traveler Richard LaValliere had died in Brooklyn - where Kinney now lives, too - and Peter called again. There was now a sadder reason to reconnect with Kevn. He was right again. So, of course, I did.
A dull beat-up van slowly pulled into the driveway and an interesting looking skinny man wearing a beret and walking with a distinctive bounce in his step approached the front door. Richard politely introduced himself to me and my parents. My mind began to race.
Award-winning filmmaker and a published novelist and short story writer Paul McComas -- who lives in Evanston, Ill. -- is a native Milwaukeean. When he comes home tonight to read from his latest book at 7 p.m. at Boswell Book Company, 2559 N. Downer Ave., expect to hear a lot about his hometown.
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