The first time I saw Terry Hall perform, it was on a movie screen at the UC Theater in Berkeley. Dance Craze was the movie, and I’m confident it changed the lives of most or all of the attendees. The Specials became one of my most favorite bands, the ones I can count on one hand, in the space of a few bars. Instant, total, lifelong fandom and a deep and genuine affection.
On the news that Terry Hall has passed, all this comes flooding back to me.
I had this great mythology, or narrative, about The Specials, when I was 15, based on vinyl records of their first two albums, and their Ghost Town EP. Their names. Their look, their presence, their message. It was so one thousand percent right, for me. I absolute love them. I missed their original run by a year, and when I finally got to see them live with most of their original lineup, at the Fox Oakland just a few years ago, they lived up to every bit of my imagined brilliance of them, about 40 years later. What a ridiculously great band. I still think their message is one of the most vital.
My thought for Terry Hall is gratitude. I am so grateful for you, and your bands, and the music you made. It will live forever.
And love. I don’t know if you know, how much you are loved, Terry Hall.
You’re a one-off. May your beautiful soul rest in peace. Condolences and love to your band and family. You live on in so many. Goodnight
