Jimmy Reject R.I.P., Former drummer of the Boston band Dimestore Haloes Options

[deharr12]

Hi all,

This is Jim's family. We found out about this forum today and have been trying all day to post something!! We wanted to let you know how much it has meant to us that others saw Jimmy as we remember him. We always thought he had more friends than he realized. You will all never know what a gift your kind words have been for our mother who is so distraught over his passing. You will all be glad to know that we will be honoring his punk rock lifestyle at his services. He loved music more than anyone we have ever known. He struggled here on earth and we are glad he is at peace despite how much he will be missed. Keep on rocking on!
Diana & Emily (Jimmys little sisters)
PS We are loving the pictures and memories keep em coming.

[Vader]

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. I graduated with him. James was always a little diffirent, but always nice. He caught alot of shit(as did I) through school, and i always felt badly for him, as he wasn't as much of a smartass as I was.
Jesus christ. 3 classmates in two years. WTF.

[Vader]

I am so sorry.

[Jesse Vön Kenmöre]

I am so sorry to hear this. Joey, what you wrote was beautiful. I actually played wuth Chaz a couple of times last year and it was a very cool experience...Our condolances to Jimmy's family and friends- Mr. and Mrs. Von Kenmore

[Fat Togue]

35 is way to young. Didn't know the man, but saw him around. Lots of respect here obviously.

RIP

[Christóbal]

35 is way to young. Didn't know the man, but saw him around. Lots of respect here obviously.

RIP

You beat me to the punch. I didn't know Jimmy either, but I'm sorry to hear hear about his passing. My condolences to his family and friends.

[The Reunited Van Hagar]

Was Jimmy a registered user on this board? I am so sorry for his family and friends, and it saddens me we have lost a member of the Noise Board and music community.

[MrWhirly]

Was Jimmy a registered user on this board? I am so sorry for his family and friends, and it saddens me we have lost a member of the Noise Board and music community.

Yes, he posted as "jimmy reject". I don't think he spent much time here though. He was involved in the March 2005 mix trade.

March 2005 Mix Trade

[M0thra]

This is really sad. I talked to him a few times over the years at zine fests and shows. We have a bunch of his writing at the Papercut Zine Library if anyone wants to read it. Our sympathies to his friends and family.

[K 2]

Don't really know what to say that everyone else hasn't. This sucks..

[FrankD]

Hi all,

This is Jim's family. We found out about this forum today and have been trying all day to post something!! We wanted to let you know how much it has meant to us that others saw Jimmy as we remember him. We always thought he had more friends than he realized. You will all never know what a gift your kind words have been for our mother who is so distraught over his passing. You will all be glad to know that we will be honoring his punk rock lifestyle at his services. He loved music more than anyone we have ever known. He struggled here on earth and we are glad he is at peace despite how much he will be missed. Keep on rocking on!
Diana & Emily (Jimmys little sisters)
PS We are loving the pictures and memories keep em coming.

I've got a video of Jimmy doing a reading at MassArt, it's pretty intense language, I'll have to find it and post it....He read a part from his first book......

Jimmy showed up for the BeanTown Zine Town festival at MassArt earlier than I had, I was supposed to meet him and BMO (neither of whom I had met in person yet) and my friend Mike Faloon (GO METRIC! and ZISK 'zines.....I guess I'll have to send him an email about this) Jimmy was kind of shy at first, we figured out who was who and with BMO now coming later Jimmy was the "new kid" but he fit right in....Mike had heard of and liked the Dime Store Haloes and all three of us talked about music and writing all day in between talking to people who came by our table. Jimmy autographed his book for people and the day went along really well.....we all did get hungry because all they had was vegan food.....

we bought and traded our stuff, Jimmy was really supportive of the noise compilation that I had soem tracks on, we talked about book publishing and the whole way things worked getting a book done and out in the world.....he said his dad helped (i think)......

I really appreciate how he said everyone should support the scene.....

so BMO showed up but other friends/noise band mates all had various delays issues getting there.(we were going to perform a live noise soundtrack to the reading)..Jimmy helped me set up my amp though....we left it set up after Janucka Stuckey (the event organizer) realized that the audience would be too small to utilize the entire stage area.....so he had people group together in a semi circle and began the show by reading one of his poems.....

I had my video camera on and ready to tape Jimmy and BMO, and Januck said it was okay to tape him too....

BMO read two of my favorite poems from his chap book and Jimmy got up there and read his peice.....

afterwards Jimmy and I went to the 99? and both of us were straight edge among the suburban/urban crowd.....we talked about our lives and stuff that we were dealing with.....he was a good listener, and I hope that I was able to hear his stuff....he was flat out in trouble previously in his life and i REALLY thought that his writing was bringing him up to a new level of ENJOYING life......we spent about 12 hours, most of which we were talking to each other or people all day.....which is pretty hard to do when you are PROMOTING yourself.....Jimmy was kind of shy in general, but the kid had a lot of heart......

I set him soem email this past spring, I forget if he wrote me back or not.....I regret not calling him beause I HATE that when someone is trouble and you KNOW it but on a more subtle level, but I WISH I could have helped

[K 2]

[Brian McCaffrey]

unfortunately i never met Jimmy, but i was in awe of the honesty of his writing. it sticks out in my memory enough that i feel i kinda knew the guy. so good for him for being effective as a writer. it was obviously important to him and i believe he was a success, in that measure.

not many writers about punk rock are memorable. i guess he wasn't a "good" writer in a commercial sense, but when i read his stuff i always felt awe and admiration for a guy who seemed able to say things that maybe you gotta be troubled to be able to say. people like this are courageous and special and while they're here we should treasure them.

i've lost several friends who were more talented and morally courageous than me, that people criticized and said were "messed up", and who died way too young. it really hurts. my sincerest condolences to all Jimmy's family and friends.

[mark lind]

Wow. That's very very sad. I can't say I knew him well but we knew of each other. Back in the late 90's there was a little feud between Dimestore Haloes (Jimmy's band) and Ducky Boys (my band) that was brought on mostly by Chaz's love to tick people off and my amazing ability to over react. Around 2002 or 2003 I was at Bickford's in Braintree when Jimmy approached me and wanted to make sure everything was cool. I was as uncomfortable as hell because that's just the way I am but I thought it was really nice of him.... really big of him to be so mature and kind. He also mentioned writing a book which floored me because I never met anyone to do that before.

Everyone is saying his writing was awesome. What sort of thing did he do?

You never know what someone is going through in their personal lives and in their minds. It's sad to think that he was tormented by life enough to call an end to it. It makes me appreciate every person I see every day a little bit more because you only have so much time with people and who knows if a small act of kindness or a small gesture could be the difference that keeps someone going another day. Hopefully now he has found the peace that he was unable to find in life.

[deharr12]

Hi to all who have posted here. I am Jim's mom, and you will never know the healing power of your postings. I know you will all carry Jim's memory with you and think about his gentle soul and kindness. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[bmo]

Everyone is saying his writing was awesome. What sort of thing did he do?

He wrote about himself, one way or another. Changed the names, changed the insignificant details, but always about his experiences - both in the world and inside his own mind. He wrote about mental illness, punk rock, drug use, alcoholism, sexual frustration, lust, love, death, hatred, messianic delusions, being an outcast. Here's a snippet:

I Was A Teenage Antisocial Misanthrope
the Ballad of Richie Wretch


1
They say that whenever you light a cigarette alone and it’s only half lit, that means that someone, somewhere is thinking especially of you. My cigarettes are always fully lit. I’m filled with hate; so much so that it consumes me like a raging riptide of power and bursts me open, creating a gash that no one else can really see. It scared me how different I was from most people. They’re so interested in college, a job, a wife and kids and all this simplicity in their lives when I wanted so much fucking more. And I always got so much less. Around fourteen I start dressing real nice and asking out all these girls at highschool. At first I was interested in blowjobs, by fifteen I was interested in anal sex, by sixteen I learned how to masturbate, so forget about all these girls. I always knew I was too good for this conformist, please-like-me-spread-your-legs kind of thing. It never worked. I can proudly say it’s masturbation that truly made me who I am today. Self sufficient. I listen to punk rock now and my favorite band is the Lipstick Molesters, led by my all time hero, Kev Crash. “Kev” being short for Kevin and “Crash”, of course being street slang for heroin, which my idol Kev often shot up on stage. It was 1994, and all the dolts at school were moshing to Green Day at the high school dances, while I held on to the weather beaten traditions of scum fucking decadence.

My name was John Donaldson. I changed it to Richie Wretch. Indeed the hormone fest going on at highschool wasn’t for me. For me a hollow existence prevailed, like a nihilistic gulf of emptiness, like a dark night that compels you to walk alone. I had my after school job at a gas station, (thankfully) inattentive parents, and the bottles of Jim Beam my older brother would get for me. It seems from reading this that I think myself below most, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I was so much fucking more than these people around me. I could feel the complexities swelling within me, as though I was a multi dimensional pastiche of dark patterns, glowing livid amidst the benign light that enveloped the earth. I was all about richness of personality. Sometimes I sensed there was so much to be discovered within me, that I actually wished one of the busy eyes around me would focus on me, and try to fathom the darkness and depth that lurked beneath my pallid flesh. I guess I’m narcissistic. It’s the best way to be. Look, you’re either driven by your insecurities or your ego. If you’re driven by your ego, you’re better off.

[MrWhirly]

Hi all,

This is Jim's family. We found out about this forum today and have been trying all day to post something!! We wanted to let you know how much it has meant to us that others saw Jimmy as we remember him. We always thought he had more friends than he realized. You will all never know what a gift your kind words have been for our mother who is so distraught over his passing. You will all be glad to know that we will be honoring his punk rock lifestyle at his services. He loved music more than anyone we have ever known. He struggled here on earth and we are glad he is at peace despite how much he will be missed. Keep on rocking on!
Diana & Emily (Jimmys little sisters)
PS We are loving the pictures and memories keep em coming.

Hi to all who have posted here. I am Jim's mom, and you will never know the healing power of your postings. I know you will all carry Jim's memory with you and think about his gentle soul and kindness. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I'm so happy that Jimmy's family could see the affect Jimmy had on us. I don't have any pictures so I will keep this thread going by telling a little something of Jimmy. I think about a year ago or maybe it was two now Jimmy was in a really good place. He was working on his novel and for the first time since I had met him he seemed to be happy and comfortable with himself. I would meet him at the open mic nights in a little coffee shop in Plymouth. I get the impression that if he wasn't feeling so up he would have never gotten the nerve to recite some of his prose in front of the crowd. I enjoyed hearing him put a voice to some of the words I had read before. I think the kids at the coffee shop really dug his stuff as well. One night I brought my daughter with me and she got to meet "the" Jimmy Reject. Since I play the Haloes stuff a lot she was also a big fan. Knowing Jimmy would be there she wore her Ramones t-shirt to show that although she was only 8 or 9 she was a punk. You should have seen Jimmy's face light up when I introduced her to him. He could be rather shy and I think some read that as him being aloof but really he was one of the kindest, gentlest souls I've ever met and at that moment you could see that in him. I don't think Jimmy read that night but I do think we all went home with a smile.

[matadordesevilla]

WMBR LRC. Nice couple of Dimestore songs just finished in tribute.

[bmo]

WMBR LRC. Nice couple of Dimestore songs just finished in tribute.

sweet

[mark lind]

Wow. Those samples of his writing are great. Where can you get the books?

[bmo]

Wow. Those samples of his writing are great. Where can you get the books?

Interpunk

and maybe: Pelado Records

If neither of those work out, let me know. I know he had copies laying around. I'm not sure what his family is going to do with that stuff.

[mark lind]

Ordered. Thank you.

[Joey Boy]

As bummed as I am, this thread is making me really happy. If you think about it, this is all he ever wanted. People chatting about him, his writing, his music, and his unique personality. Somewhere Jimmy is blushing.

[Joey Boy]

Chaz contacted me about possible doing a memorial show for him in the future. If anyone thinks this a cool idea and would want to be a part of it, let me know. Maybe every band covers a Haloes song. He fucking LOVED The Abbey, so maybe it should be there.

[mark lind]

Chaz contacted me about possible doing a memorial show for him in the future. If anyone thinks this a cool idea and would want to be a part of it, let me know. Maybe every band covers a Haloes song. He fucking LOVED The Abbey, so maybe it should be there.

I'd be down to do that with Ducky Boys but only if Chaz gets up and sings "I've Got My Friends" with us