This was a lost set that is so powerful and quite amazing
but ho they say Timing is Everything
enjoy
Remember Love is the message and MUSIC is the Answer
enjoy love, peace and music
Chris Rising Son Padilla
(Chris' last post on his podcast site, February 22, 2016)
A week or so ago I wrote an open letter on this blog to former P*rno Bingo DJ, Chris Padilla who was at the time, at a hospice in Fort Lauderdale in the wake of having dealt with cancer on and off for many years. I don't know that he ever read it, I don't know that I needed him to, but I believe that the sentiment reached him. Just as I believe that the thoughts, and prayers that his friends, fans, and colleagues sent to him reached him (somehow) and gave him at least a bit of an understanding how much we loved him.
Unfortunately, on Sunday, June 19, we lost Chris Padilla.
I posted the news on my Facebook page, and AB, our awesome photographer from Bingo, posted "Rest in Rhythm", which I found to be the best and most loving thing that we could say to him as he lived to make music and the thrill of the dance floor.
I won't go over the words and thoughts I had, you can click the link above and re-read it for yourself.... but it occurs to me that we so very rarely say all the nice things to our loved ones that we say about them when they've died. And that's a shame.
And yet, it doesn't of course, have to be this way. While you may not feel the need to write a blog post to your loved ones, dropping nice notes every so often to them might be something to start doing. Facebook makes this incredibly easy. And this is why, when friends complain about the site, I point out that it's really only as good as what you put into it. I don't know that I'd go so far as to say it's comparable to "the love you take is equal to the love you make", but it's close enough and that's good enough for me.
We have lost a few people from our Bingo family over the years - our first graphic designer, Tom (2007), our special volunteer - Princess aka Andrew (around 2010 or so?), and, of course, Chris (2016). There was also a 'friend of Bingo', Joe (or, Big Joe as he was referred to) who passed away earlier this year after complications from surgery.
For me, the last year has been filled with innumerable losses - porn stars Cole Tucker and Blue Blake, agent David Forest, director Gino Colbert, Black Party promoter Mike Peyton, and non industry friends, Chris who worked for years at Roscoe's in Boys Town in Chicago, Mark from Texas who was a FB friend and brother to my best friend in the 80s, Paul, a high school friend, and of course my friend Joe who passed away this spring after a very long illness.
When I go (well, when the guy I time share a life with goes, I guess is more accurate), i don't want sadness, I want everyone to find JOY in the life that I lived. No tears, no sadness, only dancing and stories of the funny and dumb things that I did. The dumb things alone should take up a lot of time. :)
So, with Chris, I've been asked to help plan a memorial service here in New York. Because of Pride, we won't even get to the starting place of it until next week, but I hope that we can focus on the JOY in Chris' life. Certainly, there will be dancing for what would a DJ's memorial service be without dancing?
And until then, dance for your loved ones who have left this place and dance for yourself - life is too short to stay in sadness for too long.
May Chris Padilla always, Rest in Rhythm.
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