Here are my thoughts about Tom . . .
Like all of Tom’s friends JoAnne and I were stunned to hear of his death. If Tom signified anything, it was life. He embodied living and encouraged us all to do the same. The real gift Tom gave was time. Tom would stop what he was doing, and focus on you. He would devote himself to you fully, doling himself out to all of us one at a time.
Which is why taking away Tom’s time is so wrong.
I have so many memories of Tom. Houston, Burning Man, ArtCar Fest, San Francisco . . . My earliest one is seeing Tom firing oranges out of a cannon in the Houston Art parade in the early 1990s. The gun was mounted on the top of his Our Lady of What We Have in Common Art Bus, and he was firing one orange after another at the Houston skyscrapers – splat, splat, splat. I remember thinking, “I hope he keeps aiming high.”
He kept aiming high all right, but through decidedly subversive means. At Burning Man ’95 JoAnne and I rode with Reverend Linville’s Disgruntled Postal Service on the top of Tom’s Max the Daredevil Fin Mobile to the drive-by-shooting range. After dispatching a bunch of stuffed animals we took our guns with us (unloaded, thank you) to deliver junk mail to surprised playa dwellers, barely clothed in polyester postal uniforms.
It seems like Burning Man was populated with dozens of Kennedy ArtCars over the years. JoAnne featured Tom in her ArtCars at Burning Man and Beyond essay in the AfterBurn book. Tom spent a lot of time helping JoAnne on the essay, generous as always. His most amazing playa vehicle was the enormous White Whale. It was a magical ride, despite the fact that Flash’s braking didn’t really have any connection to Tom’s steering. Tom embodied the true cooperative, experimental, pirate spirit of the playa. Recently he worked hard with Harrod, Danny Mac and Susan Jette to get Burning Man’s DMV back on track with respect to ArtCars.
We saw Tom and Haideen on the playa again in 2006 and they helped us deliver the late Slim Sirnes’ jacket to the Burning Man funeral pyre.
JoAnne worked with Tom again when the San Jose Museum of Art commissioned Brian Goggin’s Desire for the Other, a 40 foot monster couch devouring furniture like a crazed, domestic centipede.
Back in San Francisco, Tom wasn’t finished with fire. He lit up our entire neighborhood at midnight with a 4 foot flame shooting out the back of hisNashional Crisis ArtCar. Tom wanted to emulate the Batmobile’s propulsion system, so he lit an entire 5 foot tank of propane – all at once – while hitting the gas and zooming off. Every single neighbor on my block came out of their house to see Tom ride up the hill.
Ever restless, Tom grew tired of fire, and started to focus on collision. His ArtCar Demolition Derby was the highlight of ArtCar Fest’s 10th anniversary. I didn’t know what Tom was planning – he just said “a surprise.” It was great to see he and Flash ram into each other at 30 mph with their Viking ship-like ArtCars with steel exoskeletons. BAM. They’d back up 100 yards, shift into drive and come at each other again. CRASH. BAM. Very exciting.
Then I started to get nervous.
Tom’s articulated steel brontosaurus tail on narrowly missed the ladybug trailer. Flash was driving way too fast. Then it happened, a festival producer’s nightmare, Flash hit a civilian, plowing into a hapless Honda Civic. “We’re doomed,” I thought. When angry men emerged from the Civic and started to chase Flash with a crowbar, I thought “well, this is our last ArtCar Fest.”
I was being punked – the “angry men” were Brian Goggin and Cyber Sam. A perfectly planned and executed performance piece. One of many.
JoAnne and I remember drinking tequila with Tom and Haideen at Art Car World in Douglas after showing the ArtCars to kids and nuns at a local school. It was so obvious that Tom and Haideen made a great couple – wonderful company as we caravanned and camped through Arizona. We were sure they would be teammates and co-conspirators for a long life of adventure; decades of bringing joy to others while exploring all life has to offer. Ripper and the Missile Dick Chick. Perfect.
And so begat Dr. Strange McCain, an ArtCar, a political force to reckon with, and a moving stage. ArtCar Fest 2008’s most memorable moment was seeing Rick McKinney (nude except for a George Bush Mask) riding the missile as the hydraulics raised it to launch position.
We last saw Tom at Harrod’s premiere of Automorphosis in Berkeley. Thank you Harrod for featuring him in your movie.
The shock of his passing is turning to sadness. I guess anger is next. Anger that out of all the people to be ripped out of our lives, Tom is on we can’t spare. We need Tom. He profoundly touched so many and we all feel an urge to claim him.
Tom did more in 48 years than most of us will ever do. A playful, rich life cut short. The spirit of carpe diem, yet he left us a lasting legacy.
Thank you Tom
Philo & JoAnne Northrup