Putting Two and Two Together: R.I.P. Beau Velasco

All week long, I’ve been scanning the papers for any news about this item from the weekend: The body of a young man found in the basement of the former show space Bodega in Bushwick, one door down from my old residence above Goodbye Blue Monday. Of course, I forgot that it’s always easier to find these things if the person is mildly famous.

You have to understand one thing about the former Bodega’s basement space: I wouldn’t wish that sort of end on my worst enemy. It was dark, dank, and reminiscent of the torture rooms in Hostel. It was, for all intents and purposes, a meat locker. When somebody pointed out that a kid from the semi-local band The Death Set recently passed away, I was able to put friend’s description of “the tall, blond fro shaggy kid with the tattoos” together with that of the recently departed.

What made this connection harder is the fact that there is no police record of the death. All the news about a body being found at 1089 Broadway has come from friends and second-hand sources, not official word. And while this may be due to multiple reasons, it’s disconcerting to think that someone you knew, however tangentially, could die without anyone being forced to officially inform you. RIP Beau.