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.
This week's Social Circle question, "What's your all-time favorite Milwaukee band?," received an overwhelming response, from the Violent Femmes to The Lovelies and Big Bang Theory to Paul Cebar.
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