Flipper and Subterranean Records

Flipper’s Will Shatter was apparently from the nearby rural enclave of Gilroy, the Garlic Capital of the

World. Hence the Housecoat Project song “Just A Guy From Gilroy” about a lovable guy who would sell his mother to get some dope to sell to get some drugs and thinks he’s one of the Rolling Stones.

Will died of self-inflicted causes on Dec. 9, 1987. I found this old picture of Lil Mike holding a newspaper that reads, “The Last Days of Will Shatter.” I asked him what he remembers about that day. Here’s Mike: “I actually learned of Will’s death earlier via the doper grapevine before the article, but remember being surprised it warranted a front page headline in S.F.’s Sunday paper. I used to answer Flipper’s fan mail atSubterranean Records and Will would stroll in some mornings, and offer me a Bartles & James wine cooler, which I would politely decline. He was less interested in cheering up the misfit kids from Poland and Iowa that would write in, than potentially procuring a few royalty advances from label honcho Steve Tupper. I recall he’d occasionally discreetly pilfer some records from the bins up front of the store on his way out, and Steve would just shrug. That was nothing I suppose compared to band mate Bruce Loose, who got caught breaking into the label through the ceiling one morning while stealing the band’s 16-track studio master tapes to sell to Rick Rubin.”

They say Leonard Cohen was there at the On Broadway for Will’s memorial service and read a poem.

Photo after the jump.