Nikki Sudden has passed away

In a particularly rude display of time having its way with all of us, my arrival at WFMU this morning was met with the sad news that Nikki Sudden, founding member of pre-punk greats the Swell Maps, Dylanesque duo the Jacobites, (click band names for Real Audio) and solo artist extraordinaire passed away less than one week after performing live on my radio show.

A week ago at this time, I was plenty nervous about meeting Nikki after so many years of being a fan of his music and live performances. When he showed up at the station, I was immediately taken aback by his disarmingly friendly demeanor, the incredible performance he wheeled out, and the amused patience he exhibited while dealing with me in my moment of total fanboy dorkiness. For a guy who could easily get away with pulling a pretentious, rock-god entitlement trip, I'm proud to report that Nikki Sudden was nothing if not a sweetheart, a gentleman, and a true class act. He is sure to be missed.

Anyone who'd seen Nikki perform in recent years was rewarded with an intimate engagement that felt more like catching up with an old friend than a mere rock show. Truth be told, he'd rarely get a great turnout in NYC and I think he'd be the first one to admit it. But he also made it abundantly clear that he had too much style to be phased by small crowds or being stuck on lousy bills with far lesser acts. He'd always mingle with everyone beforehand, share cigarettes with friends outside the club, and exhibit the kind of genuine excitement that's rarely seen in newcomers, let alone those who've played a strong hand in sculpting the underground rock world (and who never aspired to leave it behind for something more professionally validating.) Nikki Sudden made it clear that he was in love with what he was doing as much now as he was when the Swell Maps exploded out of the gates in 1972. The above photo was taken by my friend Rob Watts during Nikki's live set on my show last Monday evening. You are hereby invited to stream the entire performance right now in Real Audio, and hopefully latch on to another piece of what made him so special.
 

Comments

[angelo palma/skullys music diner/columbus,ohio]

nikki played here[skullys music diner,columbus,ohio] on march 23rd.i booked the show w/him in feb.i picked him up in my mr-2 toyota sports car[two seater-mind you!]and he informed me that he had a lady friend that we needed to take w/us in this very small car w/us.it was snowing like crazy and he spoke of being out in nyc the night before with sam yaffa who is now playing bass w/the reformed n.y.dolls.the girl was from chicago and a very lovely girl who seemed very loving and caring to to him.i had not seen him for about 3-4 years and he seemed very tired and i mentioned to him that i dont see how he can still be flying back and forth around the globe at his age ect..he said he still loved it ect..after a brief soundck.we went back to my house and his lady friend was quite taken with my margaret keane prints and nikki wanted to play me his not yet to be released cd.my cd player was broke so i left him and the girl alone and took a short rest.he played about a hour acoustic set and then i mentioned that i had a doctors appointment the next day and he took off to spend the night w/some friends of mine.i called them at 11am the next morning and they said he was already gone.he had left at 8am to go eat at bob evans.i really was not in the mood to be around people so i kinda backed off wanting to hang w/anybody after his performance.i also had a bad feeling about the whole evening like something was not right or i felt i did not want to be around nikki ect...i got the phone call the morning after his death and i was not suprised at all.something just did not seem the same w/him as the two previous meetings i had w/him in the past.i also will say i do not know why all the obits mention the living hell about ''the swell maps when his solo work and work w/kusworth is more mature and i think will stand the test of time better.he left a pack of matches and a solo cd for me[one i did not have,that i mentioned] on my kitchen table when i arrived back home after the gig.very thoughtful and caring about others to the end.everyone looking to play the blame game here also should look at themselves first.i spent a few hours w/evan dando a few years ago and he's not the devil i have been reading about.you can lead a horse to water,but you cant make him drink!bless his mother and father and i hope he is in a better place...angelo palma/columbus ohio

[Alan Merrill]

For the record, and I want to make this very clear, I do not and did not blame Evan Dando for what happened to Nikki that last night of his life in any way, shape, or form. Please don't take the things I wrote out of context.
Evan and Nikki obviously had a close and friendly relationship.
My reference was more musical, in that Evan took the stage mid set and had problems getting his guitar to work. He then got off stage mid-song after performing a couple of numbers with us, which surprised me. He finally left without saying goodbye to any of us. I thought it was rude. What happened on stage is all on film, and is documented.
Then a few days after the show I did a little research on Evan and found out that being quirky was part of his legacy. So I understood his persona better after doing a bit of reading.
What offended me on the night, being the old fashioned rock pro that I am, was Evan leaving the stage mid song, and leaving the club and not saying goodnight to the band after we'd done the set. That's all!
When I heard that Nikki had died I wrote what I wrote on this board in haste and wasn't as clear and specific as I usually am. I suppose what I wrote also left lots of room for creative imagination without my being absolutely specific. It left room for speculation.
The bottom line is this. Nikki had a wonderful fun night his last night in this life, surrounded by friends, making music, and enjoying himself.
It was the kind of night Nikki loved.

[dianekamikaze]

I had the opportunity to meet Nikki as well, when engineering a session he did at WFMU for Terre T's Cherry Blossom Clinic that aired in 2002. Check that show out here: http://www.wfmu.org/listen.ram?show=2163 We were both impressed and charmed by him - I still have the pic of myself & Nikki on my fridge at home. For more pix from that session, check out Terre's "guests" page: http://www.wfmu.org/tt/guests.html and scroll down to the 2002 section. A loss to the world of music; but at least we still have his records & live sessions!

dianekamikaze

[easy bake dutch oven]

Nikki was a wonderful person. However, Evan Dando can go to hell...he backslided Epic and it is ironic that he somehow was part of this awful tragedy.
RIP NIKKI
Thank you...