Sad news Day...

Dan O'Bannon Screenwriter of Alien and Writer/Director of Return of the living Dead Passed away yesterday. I didn't know him personally but all of us who take the modern weird tale seriously will mourn the loss.

Yet another old Bloomington friend passed away this last summer and in part because I lost contact with her I somehow didn't find out until my buddy Austin comfirmed it. Samantha Jane Dorsett passed away after extensive injuries in a fall. I worked with Sam at the secret sailor bookstore that s/he spent every dime of a family inheritance to start.

Cari lived with him for a year. s/he was indeed to smart for this world. Sam hhad made me a character in a puppet show once, It was pretty funny. Here is the tribute from Chris Johnson of Plan-it-x records the label he helped start.

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The 4th of July.

It's taken me a while to admit this to myself. It's been about two weeks. I still feel blank. I don't know what to say. Samantha Jane Dorsett is gone. She is no longer among us living people. It still feels like a joke to me, like she will pop up soon and say, gotcha. Sam was my best friend.

In case your new to the plan-it-x world, Samantha founded this record label in 1994. She named it and released the first release, my bands tape. She insisted that we sell stuff cheap. She said, "if it ain't cheap, it ain't punk".

She did a lot of other great things in her life too. Oh, yeah, to clear up any confusion, Sam was born a boy but later figured out that she would be happier as a girl. So she became one.

I feel strange writting this stuff to share with the Internet but, I feel like the plan-it-x community has some right to know. Sam has shaped all of our lives for better. She is important.

Without her I would be a nobody. Really. She taught me so many things. She was the smartest person I know. Maybe too smart to live in this world. If I ever had a question about science, history, math, middle earth or anything, I'd ask and she always knew.

She started Secret Sailor books in Bloomington, which changed into Boxcar Books (still going strong). She wrote 'zines. She organized protests. She fought this world so hard. She scammed. She shoplifted. She dumpstered. She was passionate and loving.

Together Sam and I took on the evils of the world. We plotted and planned. We took action. We vowed to never work for anyone else. No bosses over us. We had so many plans. So many that I still hoped we could do.

I really don't know what to say. My best friend is gone. Today is her birthday. Sam, born on the 4th of July. I'm not kidding.

The world is worse than it was.

There was talk of people sending money. It won't help. It won't change anything. If you want to honor Samantha today, on her birthday, burn a flag. Burn it and say, this is for Samantha.

If you want to memorialize her in some way, spend your life fighting against the evil white business men who control our world. Fight homophobia. Fight sexism, racism and all forms of stupidy. Read more books. Write more books. Live as free as you can with out hurting anyone else. Tell your friends you love them.

I have a million things I'd like to say but I can't really get it straight in my head.

I want to thank everyone who helped Sam out last time. I want to thank Ada for always being there for Sam.

Happy birthday Sam. - chris