Friday
Jun132008
Traci Michaelz of Peppermint Creeps Dead
Friday, June 13, 2008 at 07:17PM Traci Michaelz of the Peppermint Creeps has died while on tour in Texas. No other information is available at this time.
The Peppermint Creeps kept Glam going on the Sunset Strip throughout the 90s. Instead of just black eye liner and spandex, the Peppermint Creeps created an out-of-this-world persona, donning wild stage clothes to match an even bigger spectacle of a show.
Michaelz also performed with Heart Throb Mob, Candy Apple Queenz, and the Glamvestite Vampires. Traci Michaelz was just 34 years old.
Reader Comments (72)
RIP Traci
You are loved!!
End of discussion...your still a lifeless prick! The Creeps are fucking legends, who cares about the strip and being a big fish in a little pond, they took their band all over the world... Which you and your fucking piece of shit 80's throwback band will never do Eddie! NOW FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!! AND DIE! -LEE
PS. We can do this forever!=)
When I first wrote this, upon initial utter shock and disbelief, I had done so under obvious duress and hence I had simply "choked out" what I could... however now that the funeral has passed and I have had some time to reflect, gather my thoughts and memories, and also to collect a bit of further information, I thought it only appropriate to update and reword this letter... and I will update it again even further in due time.
At any rate, for those who still do not know for a fact, please allow me to dispel any notion that it is only a rumor regarding the death of my good friend Mr. Traci Michaelz, founder and drummer of Hollywood's legendary national and recently even international touring glam band The Peppermint Creeps, and one of my close and long-known friends.....
Though we had discussed many times over the years that should this type of day occur prematurely like this to one of us that neither of our hearts should be saddened for one another, nor should the hearts of our friends and loved one's, but rather that we should rejoice in each other's life and life accomplishments for one another and together with our friends and loved one's alike. However, though as stoic as I may seem and appear I am yet nonetheless inevitably deeply saddened of heart regardless... as is only a natural part of the human condition, but I am doing my best to "keep my head up", celebrate his life, and continue pushing forward as he had expressed that he would want me and the rest of us to do.
Traci was like a brother to me, or "my twin brother from another mother" as we had sometimes referred to each other, and as so many others had also refererred to us as well because we shared a kindred spirit in terms of having so many ridiculously similar personality traits in life in terms of our interests, goals, wants, needs... and in the way that we thought, felt, and even often actually physically spoke like one another.... and of course used that "usual Hollywood lingo"... hehehe.
As such, and also as the actual first live performing singer of the Peppermint Creeps and with whom they recorded their first demo tape, I was naturally one of the few first people to receive the misfortunate phone call regarding Traci's passing.... as I was contacted forthwith by one of our very closest friends, brother in common, and our shared band tech Erickk Pulley whom delivered this tragic news to me.
At this time all I am still able to share is that the rest of the band and their camp, relatives and friends are still awaiting news on the autopsy report, though Traci's body has since been transferred back to Los Angeles and the funeral procession and entombment has since commenced and concluded.
Though Traci was known for his unabashed and unapologetic use of alcohol and his love of partying, which he often wrote about in his songs, and he was indeed drinking alcohol on the night of his passing, it has not yet been concluded that this was a definitive cause or contribution to his death, although it is thought at this time that it may possibly have been an a contributing factor.
None of the band members or camp saw Traci consuming anything other than alcohol, and yes he was drinking a lot but not an unusual amount for him considering that anyone who knew him, hung out with him or drank with him knew his tolerance was high.
Traci passed out and the band members put him to bed at around 4am, and bassist Billy Blade heard him snoring some time in the early morning thereafter and looked at him and saw that he was breathing and appeared to be fine, just before he fell asleep himself. When they all woke up at around 9am Traci was not breathing anymore, and guitarist Macy Malone tried to revive him, but unfortunately he was gone. I am just thankful, as I'm sure many of us our, that he seemed to have went relatively peacefully in his sleep.
Though Traci had not mentioned this to me personally, he had in fact divulged to a few close individuals that he had been quietly suffering from on-again, off-again health issues since on or before the first of the year, and that in part those issues may have been due to purported liver complications, but this also has not yet been concluded to have been a definitive cause or contribution to his death either.
There is no indication of drug abuse or intentional suicide involved at this time, nor is there expected to be. Again, the specifics regarding the exact cause of death are pending the release of the autopsy report.
Sadly, Traci had also divulged to a few close individuals as well that he felt and knew that his time of death was coming soon, but then again he was not really the type to often burden people with his personal problems or issues.... and he often stated that he had no fear of death.
However, though I had not spoke to him in a few weeks as he was on tour, I actually understand that in those final weeks of his life he was supposedly very happy for the most part... more so than he had been in sometime. For this I am very grateful, even though I am sad that I was not directly there to witness and be a part of it because we were both "off just doing our own regular thing" as usual.
Though I do not recall the exact year, it may have been in Traci's first early arrival in Hollywood in the late '80's, or it may possibly have been in the very early '90's when I first met him, but I remember that he had not been in town for very long though... but then again those days are a bit of "a hazy fog" so to speak, so I don't recall precisely.
However, Traci had always loved telling people the story of how we met... which I would like to share with those of you who do not know........
At the time we met both of us were down on our luck. With myself recently unemployed and with he being new in town and without work, I hence met Traci and his friend Trash in line at the Social Services office in the Rampart District of L.A., where we were all attempting to sign up to receive general relief checks.
I was "dressed down" and I approached the two of them, and they thought that I was a member of the Suicidal Tendencies gang or something... which was not true, but very close to base as it is well known that I am an old school So. Cal. punk rocker that hung out with that crowd growing up... and also an understandable assumption considering I was wearing my flipped up ball cap, bandana, flannel, t-shirt, jeans and combat boots. This notion was somewhat dispelled though once I started telling Traci who I was, what music I liked, who I knew in the scene and in local and national bands, that I wrote reviews as "Captain Anarchy" for Rock City News, and that I was wondering if he and his friend would be interested in starting a glam band with me called "Revlon Red" (which at the time I was just forming).
Traci used to love to embellish the story by saying that I asked them overwhelmingly "if they wanted to start a glam, metal, glitter rock, junkie rock, power pop, pop punk, old school punk, new wave, nu romantic, goth, death rock, death metal, speed metal, thrash, classic rock, funk, soul, rhythm and blues, swing, jazz fusion band"... and how they thought I was some kind of crazy person at first.... and it always got a good laugh out of everyone when he told them so !!!
Over the years we grew to be very close friends, we hung out and partied together at glam and metal shows, at goth clubs, at the Rainbow, at after parties, and at various apartments and houses that we occupied or crashed... and in the times when we were single we cruised for girls all that we could and shared many wildly illicit nights together, and dated or fooled around with some of the same girls too... to say the least...... hehehe. We always thought it was kinda funny how we didn't really look like one another or have the same height or build but yet for some reason a lot of the same girls dug us both.
And we also did all the other things together that guys like us that are good friends do.... we went to theme parks, County faires and the Renaissance Faire, we hung out at the beach and cruised the boardwalk and we went camping in the mountains, we threw weekend-long horror movie marathons, we hung out and watched sci-fi, medieval fantasy and animated movies and tv shows, and of course we cranked the tunes and partied all we could, and on the weekends and holidays... to name just a few things....... and Traci and I even lived together here and there for days or weeks at a time.
Also, when Traci's then-girlfriend was pregnant with his second baby daughter my then-girlfriend was pregnant with my son and we went through that time together with them and each other. When he met the girl that was to become his wife I was the third wheel on their first real date, and later I even flew to Vegas to be there for their wedding. And even in the end he was still introducing me to girls that he thought I would like to date.
I also remember that in the beginning of our friendship in the early '90's there was a period of time at the tail end of the second wave of the glam scene (in other words the '80's scene, not the original first wave in the '70's...), when a large majority of the national and local glam acts were throwing in the towel and/or were cutting their hair and going grunge rock, and that it almost seemed like it was virtually just Traci and myself alone that waved the glam flag high; keeping what little was left of the scene in Hollywood alive, and seemingly almost singlehandedly spearheading the "next wave" of glam rock and hence the return of interest by the fans and bands that later hence reformed and the new wave of bands that ushered in behind us. We did so by forming our own bands, uniting musicians, booking shows, releasing demos, mass flyering, making hundreds of endless phone calls per show, placing ads in the papers, writing reviews, spreading the word every way possible, and strutting the Sunset Strip together or separately with our teased-up mile high hair, full face makeup and stilletto heeled boots... and meeting up or cruising together for what seemed like almost nightly to the Rainbow to drink his favorite specialty cocktail called "red death" and to hob nob with people and promote the cause.
Though Traci had played in Shampagne Suicide before I knew him and was at the tail end of his run with Tradgedy when we first met, it was in the early stage of our friendship when my band Revlon Red played our very first show with his then-current new band Heart Throb Mob, along with our pals Chuck "Legend" Bernal and his band mates in the band The Fizzy Bangers and with Sammy Serious and the guys from The Zeros at The Whisky A Go-Go's "No Bozo Jam". And one person that we all had undeniably connecting us together was Gerry Gittelson, who was well known in the scene and hung out with all of the bands of the time, who was a senior staff writer for Rock City News and whom was the man responsible for introducing me to Ruben Blue and getting me my job writing for the paper, and whom had initially introduced me to my eventual band mates in the first place and to people and other bands in the scene in general.
Once Heart Throb Mob disbanded Traci moved on to joining, helping form and forming new groups such as The Guttersluts, Candy Apple Queens, The Glamvestite Vampires, and The Bathroom Mafia (the latter two whom I sang backup for) to name just a few, including him filling in for my band Revlon Red on the drums occasionally, and our bands all shared the stage together many, many times. And since after some time Traci and I had began playing music together in each others bands it eventually resulted in me joining him for a period of time to help launch his final "dream band" The Peppermint Creeps and to play many shows and to record the band's first demo tape together, and also in him continuing to play many shows as the "fifth Beatle" so to speak in my band Revlon Red whenever our drummer couldn't do a show due to scheduling problems or whatever. And at one point when my band was in-between bass players the 'Creeps guitarist Macy Malone was even our fill-in bassist for a few really big shows, and my guitarist Richie Dagger even filled in on guitar for the Candy Apple Queens prior to that too. And eventually my band's bass player Billy Blade joined the 'Creeps as a permanent member, pulling a double duty with both bands as I had once done. And over the years there were also many other people, too numerous to name here, that had filled-in or played in both bands either separately or at the same time too. But in the end it can be said that our two bands and their seemingly interchangeable members alike had lots of great times sharing the stage together many, many times at most of L.A.'s seediest and also most prestigious venues... probably more so than we had with just about any other bands.
Like many friends there were naturally occassional times when Traci and I didn't necessarily see eye-to-eye on some issues, and there were even a few occassions when Traci had to physically wrestle some sense in to me when I was flipping out over some horrible act that whatever girl I was currently dating had inflicted upon me and had hence caused me to snap, or restrain me from getting in to a fist fight with some guy that was antagonizing me or that I was having some issue with for whatever reason . From time to time this caused our friendship to be slightly estranged here and there, and was also a contributing factor in the parting of ways for me as a member of his band, but in the end we always remained close friends and with the greatest respect and admiration for each other, and he still played with my band whenever we invited him to, thanked me and my band on the j-cards of his releases and sighted us publicly as one of his influences .... and we both always knew and discussed that all he was ever trying to do was to help me out and to keep me out of trouble and danger.... as Traci was indeed a good friend that could usually be counted on in a pinch. And I watched out for him too by doing things like helping Macy carry him to the hospital when he was having cluster migraines, and staying on top of him about his health as much as I could, and always letting him know that if he ever needed a friend to lean on, money to borrow or a place to live that he would always get that kind of support from me.
And another thing that touched me was that out of Traci's many friends he always used to tell me that I was one of the one's that his mother had really liked a lot, and she always treated me as such... and my mom always really liked him too... which really meant a lot to me... and hence I grieve immensely for his mother for the loss of her beloved and magical son, and for his family members, children, band mates and those even more close to him than myself.
I guess what I'm saying is that I suppose Traci considered me to be a close enough friend to have included me in a large part of his life and some of it's more significant times... for which I am honored and grateful.
Though Traci often pronounced that he didn't necessarily believe in a higher power persay, in my heart I know that we will feast together in the Halls of Our Ancestors when we meet on the other side.
And until then I will continue to rejoice in his life, as he often stated that he wanted me and all of us to do for him, and in the honor that I had to share this lifetime with him... as he definetly touched and affected my life immensely.
Our Beloved Traci Michaelz - R.I.P.
He was a good person and he believed that it was never okay to be mean to anyone....
He was a great friend and he befriended everyone that he met....
He was a loving son, brother, boyfriend, husband and father....
He was an icon of the glam rock scene and the Sunset Strip....
He was a shining star among his fellow human kind....
You will be sorely missed.... I love you bro.
Sincerely,
Marky DeSade
- REVLON RED.
I THINK OF TRACI EVERY FUCKIN' DAY!!!
His friends? He had falling outs with some of them every so often (who DOESN'T?). I can say even myself and Traci had it out once. We talked later and the conclusion was that we were family and that was MORE important than anything. He had falling outs with Marky, but guess what? They were FAMILY. They still remained friends through all the years. Traci put HIGH VALUE on his FRIENDSHIPS. Something others on here seem to have yet to learn.
His fans? The man KNEW who his fans were and was GRATEFUL to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. He LOVED all his fans very much and that is the TRUE nature of Traci.
Anyone who dares say differently, were never close to Traci in the first place.
and to the person who brought up the whole Maci/Crystal thing? Guess what? That was Traci's business to deal with and he chose to deal with it in his OWN WAY. He never, EVER gave anyone else to right to an opinion on that so keep it to yourself. Bringing up ugly shit like that, at times like this, is only done by UGLY people.
Crystal and Traci and Maci had a lot of things to work out between them all and I honor all of Traci's decisions in regards to that. They remain FAMILY to me even to this day. It was what Traci WANTED for all of us. He did not believe in being mean and disrespectful or hurting others or even "revenge". He believed in forgiveness, Family, Friendship and his fans.
That was the TRUE Traci (or to those of you who knew him or "claim to have know him" as I did, "Mike").
It's unbelievable how EVERYONE thinks they knew the REAL Traci Michaelz, all about HIS life, more than ANYONE else did.
Get a fuckin life people.
Peace
Thank You!
To all the fucktards who have the lack of class to disrespect the recently deceased, you're not worth the rant. Go fuck yourselves with a chainsaw,
To all of Traci's friends, band-mates & loved ones, my thoughts & prayers are with you. RIP, Traci. ♥♥♥