This is the first thing I’m writing after my Mom died at 1 AM on Sept. 19th. Somewhere around 8 or 9 pm the night before, I put on Soft Kill‘s Premium Drifter. As I was listening to it, I knew my mom was going to leave the planet soon. As the song “True Lies,” played in the background, I could hear my mother’s voice speak to me and say goodbye.
I’m not surprised that she would communicate through music, because she was a HUGE music fan and a total weirdo. In 1975, she became the first Black waitress at Hollywood’s most famous nightclub, the Whiskey A Go Go on the Sunset Strip.
On nights when she couldn’t find a babysitter, she would take me to work at the Whiskey, where I would hold court with the who’s who of the era while drinking five-year-old me’s drink of choice, a Shirley Temple with extra cherries.
I told my wife on the night of the 18th that I knew my mother was going to pass away soon. I looked out of our window at the nighttime sky listening to Premium Drifter. My mother was like no other, and always wanted me to become who I wanted to become, not who she thought I should be. I have so many beautiful memories of my mother, Saundra Jean Leonard, and from today I make the promise to celebrate her in all that I do!
To everyone in Soft Kill, I want to say thank you for creating music that hits like no other. On the morning of the 19th, when I found out about my mom’s passing, the first record put on was Premium Drifter. It’s a record that’s going to get me through my grief.
Mom, your life was a movie, and I’m so happy I was a part of it. Thank you so so much for having the vision to move us to Venice Beach in 1976. I will always love you my OG Queen!
Photo by @alancortest
