David Thomas, the live wire leader of the experimental rockers Pere Ubu, has died. He was 71 years old.
The band published news of Thomas's death on his official Facebook page, where the cause of death was “a long disease.”
Thomas “died in his hometown of Brighton & Hove, with his younger wife and stepson next to him,” the statement continued. “MC5 was playing on the radio. They will finally return him to his house, the farm in Pennsylvania, where he insisted that he was going to be” thrown into the barn. “
Thomas, born in Miami, was a fundamental figure in the experimental of Cleveland Underground (a regional scene that would continue performance of dead, devote and Nine Inch Nails). Thomas stood out for the first time in the group rocket of the tombs, which, despite never recording an album, became an influential act locally in his brief mandate. Known for his high voice close to Falsetos and his opposite hobby for the teacher's suits on stage, Thomas cut a figure as different on stage as his music did in the recording.
David Thomas, center, with Pere Ubu in Vaartkapoen, Brussels, in 1993.
(Gie Knaeps / Getty Images)
Several Rocket from the Tombs Members Split Off to Form Pere Ubu – Named After by play by French Writer Alfred Jarry – In 1975. The Band Wildly Panderous Rhythms, Affection for B-Movie Soundtracks and Thomas' Idiosyncratic, Sung-Spoken literary allusions and bruise poetry.
The LP of the 1978 group, “The Modern Dance”, was a milestone of the post-pitch and New Wave ambition that came just like the punk itself in the United States, while it was never a commercial success during its initial career from 1975 to 1982, Pere Ubu would inspire generations of experimental rockers and producers, and are reord over the years with a revolutionary alignment around Thomas. The group recorded 19 studio albums, including its very considered LP of 1978, “Dub Housing” and “New Picnic Time” of 1979, a stressful and abrasive album that helped inspire acts such as Sonic Youth.
Thomas's solo career included collaborations with singer and songwriter Richard Thompson and music producer “Saturday Night Live” Hal Willner.
The new Pere Ubu music can come posthumously. “David Thomas and his band have been recording a new album. He knew it would be the last,” Pere Ubu wrote on Facebook. “We will strive to continue mixing and finishing the new album so that your last music is available to all … your autobiography was almost complete and we will end it for it.
“We will leave you with his own words, which summarizes who was better than us,” the band's statement continued. “'My name is David F— Thomas … and I am the main singer of the best world rock band in the world'”.
