Frizz vs. the Hounds of Hell, Part II…

Writer Wayne Wilson remembers his friend Frizz Fuller:

Rolph was a good dog—one of those rare, sweet-tempered German Shepherds that rarely barks, never bites.

Let us fly, brothers and sisters, on the wings of poesy to the early ’80s and the back yard of a craftsman cottage in Southern California. There, on the yellowed crabgrass Rolph lies snoozing before his own miniature house. Slowly a faint uneasiness tinctures his doggie reveries. He awakens. Those deep, caramel-hued eyes narrow as the wisps of his dreams merge into the hated image: a portly, bespectacled figure, features stamped with a permanent scowl. Rolph bares his teeth and lets out a snarl. He rises. Now, like a tabby sensing the approach of a loathsome rat, Rolph knows only the atavistic compulsion to rend and tear. Raw instinct sends him loping toward the street. His furious barks drown out the whine of leaf-blowers.

Let us imagine a two-tone DeSoto sedan and, behind the wheel, a chubby fellow cast in the very image of Rolph’s nemesis. See him pale as he beholds the hellish creature hurtling unerringly down the center of the pavement toward him.

“Lock the doors!” shouts Frizz—for indeed it is he—to his passengers, who do their very best not to laugh out loud. Tires squeal, and the enraged beast recedes in his rearview mirror.

Will you join me, brothers and sisters, in a silent prayer of thanksgiving?

2 Replies to “Frizz vs. the Hounds of Hell, Part II…”

  1. Bob was a dear friend of mine, and he spent the last years of his sanity at my house, with my friends, and he was a part of our family, a wonderful bunch of people who welcomed many strange and sweet people in. (Bob was not the only one with issues).. We laughed a lot, and he laughed with us. He wrote his last songs at my house, and I still have them. I do wonder how many people have unpublished, and unheard songs, that he wrote at their houses. He was quite prolific. He also played my pianos, (I had 3 at the time), and there were many surprising moments with Bob, a brilliant light that continued even as his schizophrenia, and the side effects of haldol became an unbearable nuisance to him. I was his best friend through those years, (1981 til his mother took him away, I thought to Utah, to an aunt’s house). He did take me to Chris Darrow’s house, and to David Lindley’s, and introduced me to Jackson Browne, among others, We went to a lot of concerts together, and he introduced me to McCabe’s guitar store, where we saw some luminary performances. I was always happy to see that his old friends were kind to him, despite his illness. I’ve only recently become a part of the cyber universe, and unfortunately, did not know where he was, though I had tried to find out. I have some great memorabilia that Bob gave me, I was just digging through some old stuff, and I came across this song that a friend of Bob’s, Sparky, wrote, called “Ruby & Julio, and if you’re listening, Sparky, I still sing this song. It’s one of my favorites, and I still sing “Quarter of a Man” which is one of my faves, but the favorite Bob Fuller song for me will always be “she took off my Romeos.” . I wanted to add my farewell to Frizz, and I know, wherever he may be now, his brilliant mind and way with words belongs to him once again. I loved you, buddy, and I’ll see you on the flip side. Love, Sandy

  2. Sadly, I did not know this exceptionally talented man had passed away. Sorry this happened. Enjoyed so many of his songs through David Lindley and El Rayo X. Will miss his genius.
    Karen

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