earthdog70 wrote:Very sad. I think it is being incorrectly reported that he was homeless however, Apparently he just went to that park almost daily.
No - he has been homeless for quite some time. I saw him about 6 years ago and he was 'living' on the public bus system. Basically sleeping on the buses at night - showering at the Y - using the public library for internet access. He would occasionally get lodging from friends. And he had his bands and the occasional job. But he has been living al fresco, off and on, for at least 7 years. The odd thing is, he seemed quite happy with his lifestyle choice. He could have come back east at any time - but had cut ties with his family. That said, I'm guessing Delores sent him money periodically. I gave him some when I was out there (Santa Monica). If you are going to be homeless (somewhat by choice) then there are worse places to be. Santa Monica, like Seattle and other cities on the west coast, have a large population of young homeless punx. But the thing with Fred is you never knew just how bad or good his situation was - because he was the consummate...er...story teller. He would often contradict himself on his accounts in the same stream-off-consciousness diatribe. But that is part of what made him endearing. Or infuriating. I remember going through the ordeal of putting together a concert at Black Cat that was based around a party for Fred a few years ago. Somehow, he managed to raise enough money to fly back here and make a go of it. More or less.
Anyway - he definitely deserved a better fate. I loved Fred, warts n all.