"Al Foul, Desert Agave, Arizona" (c) 2022 Stu Jenks. Not for sale.
Al and I didn't know each other well. (For a profoundly personal article regarding Al's death, from his widow Hannah Levin, click on this link.) Only met him and talked to him a few times, but I loved his spirit and his rockabilly music.
Here's my favorite Al Foul story:
Al was performing for an art opening I was attending. It's wasn't my art opening, some other folks'. Al was the night's entertainment, playing guitar, stomping on his bass drum and singing his sad but rowdy songs. At the set break I went up to him and thanked him for the music. I introduced myself and shook his hand. "You're Stu Jenks?" he said. "I love your work. Great stuff man." "Really?" I said. "Well, thank you Al. That's very nice of you to say. I love your work too." We both smiled, spoke a little more, shook each other's hands again, and I went back to the art work and the patrons . That's it. My first time meeting Al. Genuine, kind, excited. That was Al. God, I miss him.
In his honor, I made a wall piece from six pieces of desert agave, gently linked together by bright brass hooks. I think Al would have dug this new work of mine. At some point, I'll ship them to his widow Hannah, but I don't want to let go of it just yet. Soon, but not yet.
I'm so sad and angry Al, that you suffer so much those last months with cancer. For a good soul like you, I just hate that Hannah and you had to go through all that. You should have lived to be a hundred.
Miss you, Al. Heck, the whole town of Tucson misses you, and it's not because of just your music. It's because of the wonderful man you were. Love you, buckaroo.