Ministry and Rigor Mortis guitarist Mike Scaccia..R.I.P

[bat1]

Ministry and Rigor Mortis guitarist Mike Scaccia died on stage at the Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas early this morning. Wikipedia is reporting that Scaccia had a seizure "induced by strobe lights… Mike asked for them to be turned off, but it didn't happen in time."

A recovering heroin addict (see Ministry's "Just One Fix, featuring William S. Burroughs, below), had said about Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen, "We've had our ups and downs together. We've lived through a really very long and intense heroin addiction together. We've survived it; we got out of it."

I met Mike at Lollapolooza in 1992 in New York. Mike was content to smoke pot when we hung out. The next day, members of the bands went to CBGB. When I saw Mike and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready standing together, I went over and sparked up a joint and passed it around.

I was more into Pearl Jam and Soundgarden (also on the Lollapalooza bill), but after seeing Ministry and meeting Mike I took to their speed-metal sound.

Between fallings out with Jourgensen, Mike often returned to his original outfit, Rigor Mortis. Last night's show was a 50th birthday celebration for the band's singer Bruce Corbitt.

Scaccia was born in Babylon, NY. He was 47 years old.

[TempestTS]

Sad day - but going out on stage for a musician is like dying in battle to a Viking -

HAIL!

[speedking59]

i remember seeing Ministry way back in the day at a small club in Chicago called Club 950 Lucky Number when they sounded like Depeche Mode. the club was an interesting place. by day it was a Croatian working man's tavern but one of the owners persuaded his partner to start booking bands in the evenings. saw lots of bands there in their nascent stages. Wes (one of the owners) and his wife Theresa were two of the nicest people you could ever meet.

one afternoon i saw this poor soul almost get his ass kicked when he asked some guys drinking at the bar if they were Yugoslavian.

[hondarobot]

I saw Ministry at Lollapalooza 1992. I was near the front of the stage and remember seeing Al Jorgensons boots appear next to a microphone stand which appeared to be covered with bones. They opened with "Jesus Built My Hot Rod", and the crowd went completely bananas. Great show.

Strange that Scaccia died the way he did, since that couldn't have been the first time he was exposed to strobes. I thought that sort of thing only happened in Japan during Saturday morning cartoons.

Interesting that two of the only Minneapolis residents on this forum are among the few people who paid respects in this thread so far. That's why we Minnesotans are cooler than everyone else, because we're so goddamn fucking nice, ya rude pricks!

Good to see ya Tempest, but why did you skip my Halloween Chili Contest? I'm still mad.

;P

Oh, RIP Mike.

[gmercer]

RIP Mike.

Psalm 69 was one of my favorite albums of the 90's. I used to crank up that CD while playing NHL 94 most of my sophomore year of high school.

[Dino Velvet]

RIP Mike. 47 is way too young.

[danthepoetman]

RIP. Hope for him he made those 47 worthwhile.

[BiBoyinBeantown]

RIP. I got to see a lot of bands in my youth, but Ministry is one I always wanted to see and never got to. Always something happened--no money, friend who was giving me a ride bailed out, etc.

[SmithXXX]

AWE MAN THAT SUCKS! I LOVE Ministry too. Bob (from Bobs Tgirls), Me, DJ Asia and our friend Rael saw them in concert at House of Blues (Hollywood) a few years ago, and they were awesome. Granted they weren't really Bob's cup of tea musically. He said they gave him a head ache faster than getting shot in the head with a shot gun, and were more painful too. Regardless DJ & I really enjoyed the show...except the didn't play Stigmata or Jesus built my hotrod, but still a great show. He will be missed.

[crugh]

That is indeed a shame the Anti-Bush "Masterbatour" with Ministry & the Revolting Cocks was awesome! Paul Raven was also on that tour and died not long after. Sad day indeed.