TheBrainRocks

Today, on what seems like the first real spring day, I learn that Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse has died. I didn’t know Mark outside of his music, but still his death somehow gets to me more than I would have expected. Perhaps because I get the sense that this is a conclusion of a life-long battle between Mark and forces of darkness that sometimes made his life miserable, but were also part of what made his music so wonderful. I saw Sparklehorse play at Voxhall in Aarhus, Denmark, sometime in the early 2000s. The show itself was amazing, but I particularly remember being blown away by the fact that this weird human being, so fragile and shy on stage, came down after the show and hung out in the bar for a couple of beers, suddenly relaxed and freed from the restraints that only minutes earlier seemed so overwhelming. Over the years, the music of Sparklehorse have gotten me through many a dark winter’s night, making it all the more devastating that Mark won’t get to see spring this year. My only consolation is that he stayed productive to the end, resulting in last year’s fantastic Dark Night of the Soul. Rest in peace, Mark Linkous, I wish you could have won this one.