Tim Yohannan : Memorial & send up

A mentor / Berkeley History

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Hi: I’m here in Berkeley, CA. I am sad that Tim is gone. I first met Tim in c. 1980 at either KPFA or Universal Records. He was a mentor to me. I wish there were more people like him in the world — those who see value in individuals and work hard to foster each persons strong points and also build “community”. When Tim first decided to put out an album (before MRnR magazine ever started) of bands from Northern California (Not so quite …) and wanted to put a printed insert in the LP sleeve, he asked each band to send 1-page of artwork to be included in the insert. After the album was out for a while, Tim and Jeff and Ruth decided to create a magazine that would carry on the enthusiasm. This became MRnR. I was very lucky to be part of the group that wrote and designed and pasted-up the first couple years of issues. The energy and encouragement of that group (with the focus being Tim) has acted as a guide off and on for eighteen years. Is this sappy enough for you? Anyhow, though not very “Punk Rock” in flavor, Tim’s character was always kind and funny and intelligent. His brainstorms helped push along many creations, from DIY publishing and producing, to band formation all over the world, to the Gilman St. Project (someone ask me about Bomar’s if you want to go back to even earlier Berkeley clubs), to Aaron Cometbus, to the continued development of what it means to have a vibrant post-teenage element within youth culture. Tim is a strong positive beacon. I don’t care what some lame cartoonists say or draw. And though I only had contact with him once a year in the last five years or so, he stayed in my conscious, as he will in the future. Thanks for listening,

-Peter Montgomery

Tue Oct 27 14:27:52 1998

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