Joey Seeman was an old friend of Gein's back in the day in So. FloriDUH. He tells his story remembering Gidget Gein, his friend.
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| Roger Deering of Smash Fashion, Joey Seeman in the middle and Gidget Gein |
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It's with a sad heart that I found out about the passing of my old So FL friend Gidget Gein (Brad Stewart). Brad was someone I met back in 1988 at the legendary Miami goth club Fire and Ice. We bonded over Kiss, Hanoi Rocks and collecting toys. He was also a huge Drills fan (The Drills were an amazing heavy rock band from MIA fronted by Roger Deering) We lost touch for a while, and I ran into him again at a friend's wedding. He had cut his hair short, was apparently clean and sober and had changed. I saw him later that weekend at one of my art shows on South Beach. Fast forward to 2004, and he had managed to track me down on the internet. He was painting now he said, and he remembered seeing a CD cover I had done for a local Miami band, The Holy Terrors. So he decided to find me. He also had his eye on one of my paintings The Last Supper of the Puf n Christ, but after searching around and coming up with nothing, I realized I had already given it to a close friend of mine (also an early-era Manson fan) Jason.
So I found a couple of other related paintings and sent them out to him. I think he was still in FL at the time doing his stint as a "bag boy" (picking up dead bodies) and writing stories about it. In return, I received a pair of his watercolors, one a large piece of a hot dog running from a hungry kid, and a smaller portrait of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, one of his faves. We talked of doing an art show together, but never found the right space. Fortunately, we were able to show together in a group show called 'Scream Queens' at the Dapper Cadaver Gallery in L.A. thanks to the one and only Ms. Heidi Blue Girl. Seeman and Heidi Blue Girl at the Scream Queens opening L.A. 2006
To be honest, it was Brad's interest in that old painting that made me re-evaluate and take another stab at the series. We had talked at length about Sid & Marty Krofft, the McDonald's rip-off and how it all tied together. It really struck a chord and I got off my ass and started making paintings. Brad really dug them, and with that encouragement, I kept going. I finally pulled it all together and had a one man show in March of 2008 at Canvas Gallery in Dallas called Art for the Masses. After the show, I wrote him a long thank you note but never heard back. If you knew Brad, you know that wasn't uncommon. He was probably going through one of his phases. The last time I talked to him, he was telling me about how he had just returned from NY and was working on his book, which was about to be published. Hopefully it will still see the light of day and be put out. I think his is an interesting story that should be heard. After all..he was the creativity, the ideas. A lot of people made money of his work. Maybe one day he'll get the credit he deserves. And me, I'll miss my friend who was one of the only people who I could bounce ideas off of and his were usually better. Take care Gidget.
-J
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