Goodnight, BC
While waiting to meet a friend for lunch at Melt on Saturday afternoon, I was enjoying looking at the many pieces of Cleveland memorabilia on the walls - old concert posters, and sports memorabilia that I hadn't noticed during previous visits. One item that caught my eye in particular was a WMMS "Buzzard Next Generation" poster from the station's alternative era, dated 4/4/94, featuring The Buzzard in baseball gear, poised and ready to smack one out of the park.
The poster was a familiar sight to me, but it was one that I hadn't thought about in quite a few years, and as I realized, out of all of the Buzzard memorabilia that I have in my collection, I don't have one of those posters anymore.
Longtime Buzzard artist Brian Chalmers was the creator of that poster, and many other Buzzard creations through the years. Chalmers had worked with original Buzzard creator David Helton as an assistant, and when Helton left WMMS in 1990, Chalmers stepped in as his replacement. As the art director for WMMS, Chalmers also was the creative force behind the images used to market sister stations WMJI and WHK, and as a Clevelander, you saw Brian's art on t-shirts, billboards, in magazines, etc. etc. etc. You might not have known that it was Brian's work, but you certainly couldn't miss it.
Sadly, Brian passed away suddenly this weekend. I found out the news as I was on my way out the door to have a Father's Day lunch with my dad, and I was crushed.
I worked with Brian at WMMS starting in 1995, and he was one of the first people in the building to make me feel welcome as the new guy. To paint a bit of a picture, I'll tell you that I was 20 years old, and completely star struck talking to some of the WMMS veterans that had been around, and I loved hearing about the cool stuff they had seen and been a part of.
Brian definitely had stories....and pictures! I'd walk back to his office, and he'd always show anyone that walked in, the latest stuff that he was working on. And then the conversations would start, and if you were talking about music, it was likely that a subject would trigger something, and Brian would walk over to his filing cabinets, open a particular drawer, and pull out a vintage photograph of the artist's visit to the radio station, and tell the story associated with the picture. As a photographer for both WMMS and Scene Magazine, Brian had photographed virtually everyone and anyone that you could think of, going all the way back to the 70s. So there were pictures of Aerosmith, Hall and Oates, Van Halen, Pat Benatar, etc. - some as mega-stars, some before they were stars, and all of them had stopped by WMMS.
In 1995, if Brian wasn't the last full time artist employed by a radio station, he certainly was one of the last. And he had a great sense of humor. Long before Photoshop, Brian was an ace at manipulating photographs, taking co-worker's faces, and putting them on other people's bodies in amusing photographs. I came in one day, and a photo that Brian had taken of me with Sammy Hagar, now featured my face pasted over Sammy's face, so that in the revised photo, I was standing there arm in arm with myself.
Brian was an unbelievable talent that defined the phrase "attention to detail." Sometimes in the closing stages of a project, Brian would see a last minute graphic proof, notice that a particular color was slightly off, and he'd push to make sure that color schemes were properly revised so that it would look right in print.
A couple of my personal favorite pieces of BC art were for t-shirts that the station did in the late 90s for Cleveland concerts featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the Rolling Stones. These were t-shirts that we gave away free to people that were going to the show - the Petty shirt is still one of my favorite t-shirts.
In 1999, Chalmers was contacted by Dreamworks Pictures - Cameron Crowe was working on a new film called Almost Famous, and Cleveland was part of the storyline. Crowe, wanting to be historically accurate, had his team reach out to WMMS for help with a few details, and the appropriate graphics and logos to correctly represent the time period. Chalmers got that phone call, and provided Crowe and company with more than they could have possibly hoped for - tons of pictures and graphics from the era, and plenty of WMMS swag to boot.
Two years after the release of the film, Crowe showed his appreciation by sending Chalmers an autographed film poster, and a handwritten personal letter that read:
Dear Brian,
I just wanted to write and thank you and HAIL you for all you did to help us on "Almost Famous." The movie was authentic in no small part because of your fine eye for detail. Thanks again on behalf of all of us. Our work lives on....and I'm honored to have crossed paths with you.
Very Best,
Cameron
Now while the above would be a perfectly good place to wrap it up, I've got to share a couple of other memories with you. Brian shared cool stuff with co-workers and friends constantly - while I was still at the station, he gave me poster sized prints of Toy Matinee and Blue Rodeo, two bands that he knew I loved, printed from pictures taken when the bands were visiting the radio station. It was common to come in to work to find photos slipped under your door, or a photo copy of pictures with notes of interest scrawled on the side of the page. After I left the station, I would come home occasionally to find a postal envelope in my mailbox with the familiar BC initials, surrounded by a circle, and inside the package, photos, or samples of recent work with a note asking "How've ya been?"
As Brian moved further and further into the digital side of technology, I started getting emails of stuff that he was scanning into his PC, including this Tubes t-shirt that he did for local concert promoter Belkin Productions in 1979.
Brian was a wonderfully generous soul, and one of the finest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. There are so many great stories about Brian, and you can read a few more of them, in his words, via this link.
Check out more from legendary Buzzard programmer John Gorman here.
Our sympathies go out to Brian's family and friends....
June 21st, 2009 - 23:51
I can’t agree more with everything you said. A real class act gone way to soon.
Very well written Matt, thank you.
-cm
June 22nd, 2009 - 08:32
What a wonderful post, Matt.
My thoughts are with his family and friends…
June 22nd, 2009 - 08:57
Nicely written Matt. I sold my WMMS jacket on Ebay last year. You’ll never guess who the winning bidder was. That’s right, it was Brian. We exchanged emails several times after that. I’m sad. I miss you all very much.
June 22nd, 2009 - 09:57
Thanks for a great picture of a person I didn’t know. I can see why you’re sad that he is gone. RIP, Brian.
June 22nd, 2009 - 10:58
Wonderful write-up, Matt!
Brian’s ability to cut n paste pictures, always made me giggle!!
My thoughts and prayers are with his family and all of the people he inspired along the way.
RIP, BC!!
June 22nd, 2009 - 19:17
What a nice tribute to a great guy! Brian was truly a wonderful person with great stories and so very proud of his days with WMMS. As someone who got to know him after he flew the roost and landed in television I quickly learned how much his work as the Buzzard artist meant to him. What a great talent and even greater man, he’ll be sorely missed!
June 22nd, 2009 - 19:18
Interesting story on that poster in Melt.
Malrite had changed the Buzzard character from its original David Helton design to what I used to call the Cocoa Puffs bird mascot. Brian did not want to change the Buzzard’s image but was overruled by Malrite corporate management. They were going through their Stalinesque “eliminate the past” phase.
In early 1994, Shamrock bought Malrite – bailed out the company, actually – but had no intention of keeping the Cleveland stations. OmniAmerica, whose CEO was Carl Hirsch, the former president of Malrite from the late 70s to the early 80s, bought WMMS and WHK from Shamrock and we were awaiting the license transfer.
Though OmniAmerica didn’t assume ownership of WMMS until, I believe a week or two after Indians’ opening day. Brian Chalmers had a deadline for the WMMS artwork – and the resolution came down to what Buzzard to use: the altered Malrite version or the original. Since we planned to go back to the Buzzard character everyone knew – Brian went ahead and designed it with the original Buzzard – and the Cocoa Puffs bird was never seen again.
Brian went on to create some incredible artwork for the Next Generation WMMS – as well as eye-catching print ads for WMJI and WHK.
June 22nd, 2009 - 21:07
Remember the Native American in the commercial with a tear running down his cheek. Could anyone draw and distribute at the memorial or via computer a buzzard with a tear? What a fitting way to remember a great friend, and a wonderful talent. I emailed Brian last week. If I had know it woud be my last correspondence, I would have done something more clever than joke about his birthday and us getting older. Brian, old friend, we love you, our life was better because we knew you, Cleveland Rocks because you knew it. Take care, old friend, take care.
June 23rd, 2009 - 09:33
This is a hell of a tribute. He sounds like he was one hell of a guy. So sorry to hear he passed.
June 25th, 2009 - 15:01
Brian –
We never got a chance to truly “catch up”. Life always seemed to interfere. Although we met in high school through Chris and others, our correspondences and visits were often all too short.
You’ll be missed my friend.
… and as long as my website exists, your presence will always be felt on your pages.
erocker
June 28th, 2009 - 07:07
I could not sleep on Monday after hearing about Brian and took a sleeping pill. They can make me pretty incoherent before I actually fall asleep (as is shown by my comment above). Here is what I was trying to say:
Remember the Native American in the commercial with a tear running down his cheek. Could anyone draw and distribute at the memorial or via computer a buzzard with a tear? What a fitting way to remember a great friend, and a wonderful talent. I emailed Brian last week wishing him a happy birthday. If I had known it would be our last correspondence, I would have done something more clever than joke about his birthday and us getting older. I would have told him how many people loved him. Brian, old friend, we love you, our life was better because we knew you, and Cleveland Rocked because you drew it that way. Take care, old friend, take care.
June 30th, 2009 - 07:44
Warren,
Check this out, thanks to Joe Molnar, who worked on a ton of projects with Brian during the alternative era (and afterwards)
http://www.addictedtovinyl.com/images/bcbuzzardtear.jpg
June 30th, 2009 - 17:52
Joe and Matt,
Thank you so much!
Warren
June 30th, 2009 - 17:59
Warren:
This is Eric – from BOTH Brian’s memorial service – and Cleats that night (class of 74 – the guy with the camera).
Email me!
e_rocker@yahoo.com
Eric
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