The Rhode Island club fire (Great White at the Station), one year on

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The actual anniversary isn't for another ten or so days (the original thread is here), but US News has a report up that's worth the reading:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/040216/usnews/16rhodeisland.htm

Sad, damned sad through and through.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 02:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Here is the thread where I reiterate that I knew people who were injured and that I rented movies next door.

Rhode Island even basically forgot about this by Thanksgiving, which is pretty fucked. But yeah, sad. And the indirect cause of lots of my friends being evicted (tougher fire laws!)

― Ian Johnson (orion), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Rhode Island even basically forgot about this by Thanksgiving, which is pretty fucked.

The report speaks of new laws and codes (and business people griping about same), though given all the reports of R.I.'s 'unique' government, shall we say, I'm not surprised at your take.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 02:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I got a bunch of voicemails from people who thought I was dead.
I was actually just smoking weed with Ian.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Rhode Island didn't basically forget about it by Thanksgiving, or today or anytime in the conceivable future. I live two miles down the street from where the Station used to be, and believe me, many people I know still talk about that night. We all have co-workers, or friends or friends of friends and family that were there that night, and no one has forgotten that for the people who survived, they are still suffering.

― Davlo (Davlo), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 04:25 (twenty-two years ago)

It's also the first anniversary of '03 Grammys, just days after the fire, at which the music industry offered not one word of condolence.

― briania, Tuesday, 10 February 2004 06:29 (twenty-two years ago)

They offered more condolences for flashing a nipple this year, ha.

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 08:36 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, but no-one famous was involved.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 09:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Rhode Island hasn't forgotten about it by a long shot. It's been at the top of the news for the past year, even leading some readers of the Providence Journal to complain about overkill. For more:

http://www.projo.com/extra/2003/stationfire

http://rhodeisland.parenthood.com/

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Chuck Klosterman wrote a piece about it not too long ago, how people drive to the spot and still pay tribute (so to speak). I don't think anyone has truly fogotten it. When I went to see the White Stripes at Lupo's in Providence a couple months back, there was a very deliberate and chilling pre-show announcement about where the fire exits were. NO ONE in Rhode Island has forgotten it. Maybe CNN and MSNBC has moved on, but that's hardly surprising.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I visited the site right before Christmas and toured all the makeshift memorials. Unbearably sad, especially when you read the tributes from the children to their dead parents. There’s a letter addressed to Jude Henault, a 37-year-old mother of three, from her oldest daughter: "I made it so tough, made you yell and scream and shed so many tears … (but) we became best friends, never a single word of hate … I was married and you were there to give me away … Now you are gone and I don’t know what to do … I realize how much I am like you."
Many of these families are still struggling and will continue to do so for quite some time. Anyone wishing to help should go here: www.stationfamilyfund.org

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

That Klosterman piece Alex in NYC refers to, specifically the second section. One of his better efforts, definitely, and though the scales and goals are vastly different I prefer it to Fargo Rock City in the end -- he's obviously aware of the potential comparison in subject matter regarding music of yer youth and life in the town away from the big cities, but to his credit does not force it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 12 February 2004 04:00 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.providencephoenix.com/features/top/documents/03599594.asp

Let's kick hippies out in the name of fire safety!

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Monday, 16 February 2004 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, the Station fire has had a big impact on the city, from a governmental standpoint. Fire code violations are taken VERY seriously now (i should know, a small electrical fire forced me and about 20 other people out of our building in Sept). If you saw the state of some of the clubs in this city, you'd wonder how any of them remain open after the fire. It's rather depraved, the lack of respect that club owners have for peoples' fears here.

Also, the Providence Journal ran an incredibly long series about all the players and history that led up to the fire. I read several parts of it before Xmas and it outed some of the neglicence of big business investors who allowed that shithole of a club to continue operations.

― the daphinator, Monday, 16 February 2004 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

charles&chrisrabbit&corinne&mike moved to a house near PC :( so lame.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Monday, 16 February 2004 00:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Yea, is JKAE kaput? I talked to Ren briefly. Also, I think I can get a job with lots of $$CASHJUKEBOXMONEY$$ working for GTECH this summer. WOOOOOOOO!

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Monday, 16 February 2004 00:21 (twenty-two years ago)

The latest Rolling Stone has an article on survivors of the fire one year later (with some rather disquieting photos of their burns...be warned).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 16 February 2004 15:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I might need glasses because I thought "burns" said "bums".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Here's a link to the article -- only one photo, low key. Today is the anniversary of the fire.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 February 2004 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

RIP M3TAL MATTY

― kephm, Friday, 20 February 2004 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Good enough overview of some events of the anniversary.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 22 February 2004 02:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Ehh, FYI Jon: P.Barr is still at home; his doctor wouldn't let him back to school a year after the fire. Erika saw him a while back and he wants to hang out with people he liked from MB (you apparently made the cut) so drop him an email or something.

― The Second Drummer Drowned (Atila the Honeybun), Sunday, 22 February 2004 03:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks for the link Alex. I never thought a lot about the political angle on it. The feds should be able to pay those bills, I heard so much about the benefits and didn't realize how little they raised compared to the funds needed..

I live in a university bubble world here.. but I recall reading the Sunday Providence Journal the week after, they ran a big feature story on a man who'd been severely burned in an accident at work, and how he had recovered, and realizing why they ran it then and how many people would be going through the same thing.

― daria g (daria g), Sunday, 22 February 2004 09:05 (twenty-two years ago)

three weeks pass...

Just so you know, I got an e-mail from Great White's publicist (how would you like that job?) yesterday and Great White thinks it's a really bad idea that an Italian label has put out a Great White cd with the title, "Burning House Of Love". Hopefully they didn't re-use the cover of Great White's Led Zep tribute album as well. (This has to win the bad taste prize of the year.)

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

eight years pass...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/us/memorializing-100-who-perished-in-rhode-island-nightclub-blaze.html?amp

― dlp9001, Monday, 1 October 2012 16:44 (thirteen years ago)

Rhode Island filmmaker has a documentary about the tragedy underway. You can view a trailer here: http://www.davidbettencourt.com/?page_id=2

― Jazzbo, Monday, 1 October 2012 17:23 (thirteen years ago)

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