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03 Jul 99 - 06:08 PM (#92099) Subject: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding I just received some sad news about the passing of folk singer Tex Koenig. Although his roots were in New York, Tex had been part of the Toronto folk music scene for so many years he was always thought of as a Canadian. The details are still sketchy but some form of respiratory failure would seem to have been part of the cause. Tex had many friends in many countries, but since he was never a "star" it may take a while to get the news to them. I knew him for thirty years as an evocative singer, a witty and intelligent man, and a wonderful spinner of tall tales, but even if you aren't familiar with his music you probably saw him with Mathew Broderick and Marlon Brando in "The Freshman". Tex was the "Really Large" bad guy! "Ride on Buddy". Rick |
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03 Jul 99 - 07:57 PM (#92131) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Tim Harrison Dear Folks, This is my inaugural visit to Mudcat which has been highly recommended to me by Rick Fielding. I wanted to say a few words about Tex and also have a question. Tex was one of the only acts to receive a standing ovation and encore (before the sun went down that is on the main stage) at a festival I started in Owen Sound, Ontario, The Summerfolk Festival. Tex did a story called "The Wipporwill" (sp?) about a young fellow who enters a fiddle contest...sort of like the Devil Came Down From Georgia by Charlie Daniels. He told the story with such grace and aplomb (not to mention a wonderful Southern accent!) that the audience was completely charmed. I always found that story-telling was Tex's forte and I will miss his wit. If anyone knows where to get ahold of the story, Please let me know. Tim |
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03 Jul 99 - 09:43 PM (#92161) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: dinah Many years ago now I tried some promoting for Tex. I designed a 4 page brochure for him which showed a reproduction on the cover of an artist's drawing of Tex with his guitar and under it the words.."I sing stories, I tell songs". I am sure all Tex's friends will appreciate what Rick and Tim have said here. Tex had friends and contacts far and wide, many of them for 30 years or more. I was a late comer, only 13 years but frustrating as he could be, I always thought a lot of his many talents and never ceased to enjoy listening to him. He was a warm and entertaining friend. I met many wonderful people through Tex, Tim and Rick among them, Thanks guys. Dianne |
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04 Jul 99 - 12:42 AM (#92209) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Mike Regenstreif Like Rick, I also knew Tex König for about 30 years. He was on the Montreal scene circa 1969 when I started hanging out. He was a good friend and a mentor to a teenager eager to pick his brains. I learned a lot from him. After Tex moved to Toronto in the '70s, I'd usually get together with him whenever I'd come through town and I talked to him on the phone two or three times a year. He was a difficult and frustrating man. He was also a huge man whose heart was as big as he was. For Tim: The piece is called "The Mountain Whipporwill." It's a narrative poem by Stephen Vincent Benet. Mike Regenstreif |
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04 Jul 99 - 01:34 AM (#92225) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding Ahh yes, well it would have come out eventually, so I'll tell you a bit more about Mr. Koenig. See he was like Woody Guthrie, Jack Elliot, Derrol Adams, Lee Hays...wait a minute, Lee Hays fits the bill. Tex was a true eccentric in the best sense of the word. EVERYONE who knew him for more than a month has a Tex story. My first impression of him 25 or 30 years ago was "Keerist, this guy is big! About 6'4" and at least 450 lbs! Add a black beard, huge bushy black eyebrows, and you get the picture. That's why he often picked up small film roles as a "heavy". In a VERY strange co-incidence that I haven't figured out yet, I turned the TV on after hearing of Tex's passing, and his face on the screen greeted me from a film he did a few years ago with Jean-Paul Belmondo. I've never actually seen a film he was in on TV (and probably never will again) but there it was - tonight! Maybe his way of saying "so long". I used to meet Tex for Chinese food about once a year and we'd talk for hours about politics, the American Civil War, The (dreaded) music "business", leather carving, knife making, gun-smithing, etc. etc. Sometimes Tex would go off on a tangent and talk for both of us! (for hours) He'd spin tales, each one taller than the last (with him often the protagonist) and name drop unabashedly. (once he described a recent telephone conversation he'd had with someone whom I knew had passed away several years before!) It was all to entertain. Tex knew I enjoyed his company and he was making sure I got my money's worth! Speaking of 'getting one's money's worth", When we'd divvy up the bill at whatever obscure Chinese hole in the wall Tex had ordered me to meet him at, I always got the feeling I hadn't eaten as much as I'd payed for. My friend Tim Harrison clued me in by revealing that Tex must have gotten there 20 minutes early and ordered and disposed of a couple of dishes before my arrival. Ahhaah! I thought, "you con-man, I'll beat you at your own game!" Next time, I arrived half an hour early (prepared to scoff down a quick won ton soup) but lo and behold Tex had gotten there an HOUR early and was sitting peacefully (but looking strangely well-fed) chatting in Chinese(??!!) with the waiter! I've laughed about that one for years. He had a nice voice, sang mostly old songs, and played a small Martin Classical in a Burl Ives style. (He hated steel string guitars with a passion) Like many pure balladeers there was never a lot of work for Tex, and he often wondered why so few festivals and clubs asked for his services, especially when he saw so many plugged in singer-songwriters calling themselves "folk", when he knew what the term really meant. Like a lot of musicians who couldn't keep up with trends, and didn't have steady "day jobs", Tex lived in poverty for virtually all the years I knew him, and often supported himself by busking at the St. Lawrence Market here in Toronto. He was better than that, and I think he knew it, but being a "lifer" in folk music made him so many friends - I will miss him.
I apologize to anyone who thinks that some of my recollections of Tex (the funny ones) are coming too soon after the man's untimely death. It's just my style. I refuse to grieve over a friend's passing - although I sure miss some folks - The good memories just instantly come to mind. |
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04 Jul 99 - 05:14 AM (#92241) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: gargoyle The literal German translation of his last name "Koenig" is "King." It appears he was. |
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04 Jul 99 - 12:02 PM (#92305) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding I've been trying to spell it correctly. Anyone know how I get one of those things that go over the "o and e" to make it "Kernig"? |
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04 Jul 99 - 05:07 PM (#92362) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Len Wallace Friends, This is indeed sad news. I met Tex Koenig at the Mariposa Folk Festival back in 1990. We were set to do an evening workshop. He took a shine to me because of the songs I performed and we quickly struck up a friendship, he teaching me an old Yiddish revolutionary song called "Un du Akerst". Every time I performed in Toronto after that he came to see me only to end up "nashing" on Chinese food after the performance. I loved Tex for all his quirks, miseries, stories, sharing, shooting-the-shit, the horrible jokes, the mysticism, the irrationality AND rationality, taking a common occurence spinning it off to Mars, Venus and then back again to earth. I'm going to miss him. Len Wallace |
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04 Jul 99 - 05:21 PM (#92365) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Peter T. Dear Rick, in HTML you use the squiggly backwards S "and" sign (the ampersand) --&-- followed by the instruction, for example, for an umlaut over the "o" you would go ampersandOuml and that is followed by a semi-colon. For an "e" with an acute accent you would do the same, ampersand followed by Eacute;, and so on. There are long lists of characters that show this way: you can find them on-line or in an HTML book (I don't have either to hand). The semi-colon is important. yours, Peter T. |
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04 Jul 99 - 05:29 PM (#92368) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Peter T. Should have added that these are the way to add characters that you want the Web to show literally and not as a preliminary instruction, for example, those arrows -- they are ampersandlt; and ampersandgt; --< and >--some are just numbers, for example, ampersand#163; is for a pound sign -- £. yours, Peter T. P.S. sorry about Tex, I remember seeing him many times at the Market. |
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04 Jul 99 - 05:35 PM (#92370) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Tim Harrison Thanks to Mike for the information on "The Mountain Whipporwill". Tim |
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04 Jul 99 - 05:41 PM (#92375) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Peter T. Sorry, should also have said that if you want lower case you use a lower case "o" -- ampersandouml; and so on. Also I really apologise for messing around this thread for this. I should have sent an e-mail. It was thoughtless. yours, Peter T. |
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04 Jul 99 - 06:12 PM (#92388) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding Thanks Peter for the info on omelets. |
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04 Jul 99 - 06:45 PM (#92396) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Barry Finn Tim & Mike did you check out the thread "Words to Whippooerwill". Anyone who'd do the Whippooerwill would rate first class from the start. Sorry about your friend. Barry |
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04 Jul 99 - 11:39 PM (#92455) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: catspaw49 It's never too soon to remember the best of a friend. When my true friend Denny died in November, three of us conducted the funeral. Joe and Paul each gave wonderful eulogies. I, being me, told stories for 20 minutes that had everyone laughing. The loss of a friend is painful to us, but when we celebrate their life, the tears often accompany a smile. Denny knew this. He was the most responsible man I ever knew and had indeed planned the entire funeral in advance. He even wrote us Thank You notes for doing the service which we received afterwards. To me he wrote: "The times we had were great and I hope you didn't tell too many of them! Really Pat, I'm only sorry I wasn't there in the flesh to enjoy a rehash of our sillier antics." When I read that part of his letter, I knew I had done the right thing, and also why I was the last to speak. From your stories Rick, I feel that I missed a great guy. catspaw |
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05 Jul 99 - 12:30 PM (#92566) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rana Hi, This was sad news indeed. I remember seeing him at the TRANZAC/Cloud when I just moved to Toronto and had to go up to him and say how much I enjoyed his segment of the evening. Also remember having a ride in the back of a Hyundai Pony when Tex also asked for a ride which was accomplished. I saw Tex at various concerts and gatherings over the last 10 years and am glad to have had the opportunity. Rick earlier mentioned living in poverty, however, I feel Tex was a very wealthy man. His richness was all the people he touched - a true wealth that you do take on with you unlike the other. Rana |
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07 Jul 99 - 05:26 PM (#93222) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Eli Marcus I too was "touched" by Tex's friendship and company. I can recall his seeming to know enough Chinese to determine which medicines to take from a chinese apothecary. He introduced me to the Chinese business man's lunches on Spadina Ave., and I introduced him to some of the younger crowd at the University of Toronto through some small musical get togethers he sang at. I seem to recall that despite his struggles with making a living, he always held his head up high, and I'm not just referring to his height.I knew Tex as a freelance photographer and occasional writer as well. Does anyone recall his exact phone number? he always told me that if I forgot his number, to think "whats up?" and to dial the numbers that correspond to watzzop or something like that. True, his stories were often as tall as him, but he also had some very interesting recollections from his Greenwich Village days. Did anyone ever see him practice Jujitsu? He always claimed to be an expert at that art too. I too loved seeing him pop up all of a sudden in the odd motion picture, and Rick, I'm certain that in some way or another it was no coincidence that he was on TV the day he passed away. Farewell Tex...from all the way in Tel Aviv |
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07 Jul 99 - 05:41 PM (#93227) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Sandy Paton I met Tex in 1959 when he was a student at a Colorado college (was it Wittenburg? Something like that, anyway) majoring in gunsmithing. I did a concert there, and complained that I couldn't find any silk & steel strings (I was playing an old Washburn at the time and preferred them to the nylon strings it was made for) in Colorado. Tex came up to me backstage, invited me to his dorm, and presented me with a set of silk & steels. May not have saved my life, exactly, but I couldn't have waited until nylon strings stopped stretching before my next booking, and I sure did need new strings! Next time I saw him was on a street in Greenwich Village, maybe around 1964 or 5. He recognized me, for some reason, and when I turned around at his "hello!," I remembered him very clearly. Let's face it, Tex presented a memorable figure! The man was a huge as his heart. He'll be missed by many. Sandy |
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07 Jul 99 - 08:08 PM (#93259) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Art Thieme I never managed to meet Tex. I remember hearing his name around the scene--Winnipeg Fest in '70 maybe. But reading these tales makes me really wish I'd known the man-----like I wish I'd known Jack Kerouac and Cisco---Dylan Thomas, Aunt Molly Jackson, Haywire Mac McClintoc, Billie Holiday & Charlie Parker. Gracias to all here who let me partake vicariously of the wonder that it must've been to hang out with and learn from Tex. Art Thieme |
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07 Jul 99 - 08:23 PM (#93266) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Mike Regenstreif Rick Fielding mentioned that anyone who knew Tex König for more than a month had a Tex story. I knew him for about 30 years and have been thinking about some of mine in the past few days. I was 15 when I met Tex in 1969. He lived here in Montreal in the late-'60s and early-'70s. I was just getting into the folk scene and wanted to know everything about folk music and the people that made it. Tex taught me a lot in my green days and we had a friendship that stretched across the decades. Not long after we met, Tex invited me over for lunch at his cold-water flat on St. Andre Street in the east end. I arrived at the appointed hour and knocked. No answer. I waited a couple of minutes and knocked again. Soon this mountain of a man (and hey, I'm 15 years old then) opens the door wearing nothing but a skimpy towel around his waist. I had visions of my innocence flashing before my eyes. I needn't have worried, that was just Tex. BTW, he made a great mushroom omelet. Mike Regenstreif |
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08 Jul 99 - 10:09 AM (#93394) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Peter T. TEX KOENIG IN PASSING
I learned today of a musician's passing.
Rilke says: Music is the water of life, bubbling and running endlessly over |
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08 Jul 99 - 12:30 PM (#93414) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding Thanks Peter, Tex would have liked that. |
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08 Jul 99 - 12:39 PM (#93415) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Winters Wages Were there any recordings made of Tex??? I did not know the gentelman but by all information I read..He was a great guy...Would love to hear his music WW |
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08 Jul 99 - 01:50 PM (#93431) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Mike Regenstreif Tex made only one album, an LP in 1984 called "Königsblende." I don't know if it's at all available now. Mike Regenstreif |
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08 Jul 99 - 04:00 PM (#93467) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Winters Wages There must be a copy out there somewhere, although, looking ..so far no luck. I am very sorry I did not get to hear a great artist. Maybe I will rent a video and take a look at him in the old flicks..Thanks Mike WW |
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08 Jul 99 - 05:48 PM (#93501) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: dinah I thought I would add this information to thread. We are having a remembrance of Tex. Details below. "Tex Konig-A Celebration of his life" July 25 Tranzac Club 3-6 292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto (s. of Bloor St, bet. Spadina and Bathurst. Cash bar(it's a private club and they are letting us use their space) Bring pot luck-finger food, i.e. appetizers, nibblies, desserts-we will eat in his memory. Share a story about Tex, perform a song if you are so inclined. If you have any memorabilia we will post it. Call 416-651-8361 or 416-651-0599 for any further information. Thanks Peter T.-that was lovely. I know Tex would have really liked it. And thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to post to this thread. Dianne Myers |
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08 Jul 99 - 05:51 PM (#93504) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: dinah Something I forgot to mention, there are only a tiny handful of his tapes left and right now we don't even know where they are. There are a number of the lp's left(anyone remember those. Perhaps a good fairy will help transfer this to some CD's someday. Dianne |
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08 Jul 99 - 06:59 PM (#93521) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: bbc I didn't know the man, but I know some of you & I sympathize w/ your loss. I'm sure he would be glad to know that his life mattered. love, bbc |
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09 Jul 99 - 05:34 PM (#93786) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Winters Wages If anyone has a wish to make a tape copy of an old lp of his or one of his tunes with him performing I would be glad to re-imburse them for their trouble for a copy. I am very interested. As for the old tapes...that would be great to have a new CD out. (Fadac please copy) Regards WW |
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16 Jul 99 - 04:04 PM (#95942) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Steven Brust We ate several meals together, and played music together not enough times. He introduced me to people who are still important to me. We'd speak on the phone every six months or so. I'm going to miss him terribly. The world is poorer for his passing, but better because he was here for a while.
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16 Jul 99 - 04:28 PM (#95954) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Stephen Mendel "stedel@earthlink.net" I too knew Tex, for a little over 30 years, met him in Montreal when I was still in high school. He was hired to play his brand of folk music at the school's annual ski trip up to the Laurentian Mountains. I played and sang with him and we got on well with each other and began a friendship where we saw one another infrequently (I now live in Los Angeles) and spoke several times a year. I have to admit now that I didn't like originating the phone calls because he could talk, couldn't he. I lived and worked in Toronto in the mid to late 80's and I was flush then so I took him out to eat often and almost always for Dim Sum to which he had introduced me in Montreal. I spoke with him for almost an hour about two months ago. I had no inkling of his ill health, because let's face it he always had some sort of health problem going on still I was shocked and saddened. No more multi-hour conversations at 3 am. I miss him, he was a wonderful ranconteur, a marvelous story-singer, he enriched my life and I actually have a cassette tape of his album, it's a little beat up because it's been in several cars but I treasure it, as I treasure Tex and my memories of him |
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17 Jul 99 - 11:41 AM (#96173) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Stephen Mendel "stedel@earthlink.net" I found the words to The Mountain Whipporwill on site called Redfrog-Poems from Planet Earth, I think the url is http://redfrog.norconnect.no/~poems Tonight, (July 17,1999) here in Los Angeles there is a fund raiser being held for an operation in the San Fernando Valley that provide homes and jobs for retarded kids. Some of my friends have been given access to their building (which is basically unused in the evenings)on a monthly basis to jam. In return, once a year we put on a concert, mostly amateurs, all good fun, to raise money for the center. I had a couple of songs in mind, but since I found these words I am going to perform the poem in Tex's memory. I found my old cassette copy of "Konigsblende" and played it last night. I cried for my friend. I wish I had had a chance to say goodbye. I'll say it tonight. |
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17 Jul 99 - 07:35 PM (#96314) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Barry Finn I already posted the words to the "Mountaian Whippoorwhill when this thread was new, You can find it in a thread "Words to tne Whippoorwill" date sometime very early on probably July 4. Barry |
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19 Jul 99 - 01:32 AM (#96738) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Tex was one in a million. I have many happy memories of time spent with him in Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia, and at various folk festivals. Toronto will never be the same for me without Tex. Anecdotes later, when I organise my thoughts. Goodbye, sweetums... Saul Broudy Philadelphia, PA |
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19 Jul 99 - 01:35 AM (#96741) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Saul Broudy Sorry, posting this again as I forgot to put my name in Tex was one in a million. I have many happy memories of time spent with him in Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia, and at various folk festivals. Toronto will never be the same for me without Tex. Anecdotes later, when I organise my thoughts. Goodbye, sweetums... Saul Broudy Philadelphia, PA |
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19 Jul 99 - 01:48 AM (#96745) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding Hi Saul. We lost a good one. I had to fink out on the last chinese food haul. I think you were there..with Mose possibly? Nice to hear from you, hope all is well. rick |
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21 Jul 99 - 04:32 PM (#97741) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Pete Kraemer You know, sometimes things just smack you right in the kisser. Tex is dead? It can't be. I first ran into him at the Fool's Mate in Westport Conn. around 1964 (Don't hand me that "CT" crap!). I thought, "Here comes the biggest and most subversive Hassidic diamond merchant in history". He was as Ric F. described, only more so. If you never met Tex, you need to get out a vid of one of his movie appearances. As it turned out, he had an ancient battered brief case with the words to every single song ever written. Really. Do you know he played for Lisa Null's coming-out party back when she was a debutant! Really. The last time I saw Tex was at NEFFA in Boston three years ago; he was mesmerizing a whole new generation of potential subversives. It was magnificent. Tex is one of the main reasons I still play this music after nearly forty years. Miss him? Jeesiz, that's not even the right word for it. I don't know what the word is. May be this is all a hoax and Koenig will show up somewhere, looking like a gigantic subversive Hassidic diamond merchant carrying a battered brief case with every song in the world in it. Pete Kraemer |
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21 Jul 99 - 10:59 PM (#97830) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: dinah I thought I would add a few words at this point. I have been overwhelmed reading the postings on this site and also the numbers of e-mails I have received either directly or that have been forwarded to me from someone else. All these postings are being collected together to be sent to Tex's 90 year old mother and his sister in Brooklyn. I know I will see some of you on Sunday but thanks for sharing your memories, feelings and stories. Dianne Myers |
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22 Jul 99 - 05:19 AM (#97919) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Ivan Berger (iberger@home.com) The way I make umlauts is break two eggs.... er, The way i make umlauts in e-mail is to go into my word processor (WordPerfect), make an "ö" and paste it into my e-mail program. Until Tex died, I didn't need to know this. |
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22 Jul 99 - 10:59 AM (#98021) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Sid Washer In early 1962, I was 6' and 150 lb. at the time I was introduced to this guy I had heard about from mutual friends. "If nobody else comes to your party", they said, "he will." Lots of others did come and he did and we remained good friends ever since. Tex assumed that everybody he knew knew everybody else he knew and sometimes it was even a little bit true. Nu? Much quality time was spent burning many bridges and listening to heaps of music of all kinds. I was then and am still an orthodox Classicalist (with a tiny bit of Jazz thrown in for good measure) but it was impossible not to be affected by the spirit of open-ness that surrounded Tex and made you really listen. I'll be at Howard Beach this coming Saturday with camera and recorder. bye, sid PS; as soon as I can get my hands on a scanner that works, I'll post pictures of Tex going back to the early '60s. What would be the appropriate site? |
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22 Jul 99 - 12:29 PM (#98037) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding Sid. If Tex had had the bucks to own a computer, I would have forced to check out Mudcat at gun point. (well, maybe egg-roll point) He would have LOVED our community, and been such a valued member I can't tell you. If it were possible to have the first posthumous member inducted here, I nominate Tex. My friends, you'd have laughed, cried and wondered. And Tex would have had the time of his life. Sid, you might try Bbc's website. I have to run to the studio so maybe someone will "blue clicky" it for you. rick |
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22 Jul 99 - 11:37 PM (#98337) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Ilene Thompson I, too have memories going back to the 60's, not the least of which was how he could tear the sh*t out of a guitar. There was one magical night in Nobody's on Bleecker St, where we were all sitting at a big table and Odetta and Tex and a few others were just wailing away, and at 3:00, they closed the bar and turned the key and it just went on until about 6:00 AM at which point we all went down the street to a bagel place for breakfast. Jim Harrison has been leaving messages with Odetta's service, but there's been no response. She's probably on the road. Maybe someone out there might know how to contact the NY and NE music people to tell them about the memorial Saturday? Tex's friend Linda is staying with the Harrisons. For more information, they can call Jim at home at: 212-233-3225 or at work tomorrow at: 718-321-5872
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23 Jul 99 - 01:12 AM (#98360) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding Ilene. Odetta has been told the sad news. rick |
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23 Jul 99 - 02:20 AM (#98373) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Bruce N. Solotoff My heart goes to join you all at this time. Though not easy for anyone to deal with the tremendous loss in the tapestry of our lives, Tex being a particularly bright and eclectic set of colors, I seem to be feeling more like partying it up and telling my worst jokes in Tex's honor. As the ripple of devastating grief is affecting all of us, and, occasionally in the last two weeks I have caved in, I can't help but smiling as well. I think of Tex and I only see him smiling at me. Without getting into 20 some odd years of friendship with Tex where I have come to know him as alternatively, a fellow child and a big brother (in the latter we traded roles occasionally) I have made myself available as often as I could when he would visit NY. We would drive around to hole in the wall places where he would get the finest leathers or gun stuff, knife stuff, and camera parts. And of course, eateries. Tex, a mountain of a man, always wore this vest with many pockets. In each pocket was a wealth of inventory. Stuffed to major bulging, he could pull out whatever item might be needed at the time. His hands were massive and some of his finger nails had been carefully evolved so as to pick the guitar better. He also carried around a small duffle bag whenever he was here. And it was heaaavvy. I'm a big man too. Not as big as Tex but no wimp in the pushme pullyou department. And I found the weight of what he carried on a given day daunting. We met many times at the knife show here in New York. Tex introduced me to and tried to educate me as to the details and specific excellence of knife collecting. I have taken to it with limited success regarding the specifics of the craft but with a pleasure for the form, craftmanship, and uses. More for me, it was an opportunity to get together with my friend. Last November we brought my son of 7 years to the show and Tex introduced him to this world. Zakaria took to it and to Tex as if they were pre-bonded. Tex taught Zak the proper ways to handle and respect knives. And he learned instantly. At 8 years old now, I would trust Zak more than most adults to handle a blade. Not that I give him much opportunity as I still feel he is too young and inexperienced in events of the moment that a child may latch onto in play, or with other friends not as skilled or respectful. Only alone with me there. Still, I am sharing this, one of many stories of my personal Tex legend But how can I sum up the vast ocean of Life Stuff that my friend embodied. No question what he's meant to me. An anchor of creative comraderie, but more. I have never known Tex to originate a cruel thought. Not that he didn't weave a spell of potentially intended revenge upon some scaliwag who was harming a friend. (I have never heard of him acting out on these.) I have shared with Tex my unvarnished soul and he has never taken me for granted. That Tex was a Warrior in not in doubt. Born in the year of the Dragon, he always kept his fingers on the pulse of constallations, ever trying to undertstand life's visisitudes in current events and upcoming movements. He was brilliant in the agile workings of his mind. And sharp enough to pick up on a glimmer from you and understand the bigger picture. Nobody's fool. He never got arrogant, only insightful. And though forever chasing the river of abundance, he never really gave in to despair, but always had some life affirming comment which he would pour with gusto (and not a small amount of his personal opinion) into your heart and mind till the problems mattered less than simply being with him there. Tex, You always had faith in me. I'll never forget you for that. Sleep well, my friend. You are finally awake. Free from pain And filled alive. C-U-L8r Bruce |
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23 Jul 99 - 06:20 PM (#98621) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Saul Broudy The small duffel bag Bruce referred to was actually a US Army rocket bag. Tex turned me on to these, and I have spent much time searching them out. The "real thing" is hard to find, but I've managed to accumulate several. They are great for carrying around spare clothes, harmonicas, etc. Now I can think of Tex whenever I use them. |
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24 Jul 99 - 11:42 AM (#98847) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Jamie Fraser-Paige - sfbearcop@aol.com I met Tex in 1963 and considered him my best friend, although sometimes we'd go for years without seeing one another. He only wrote me once, when my then-wife told him that Vietnam was really getting to me. I got a short, heartfelt note on small pieces of paper written in razor point ink and two colors with his "TK" chop. I probably still have it somewhere. We talked, sometimes for hours, about the things we both loved and cared about. I visited the gunsmithing school he attended in Trinidad, Colorado, just to walk the streets I'd heard about. Tex knew just about everybody worth knowing in the world. I'm glad we knew each other. He's missed a whole hell of a lot by a whole hell of a lot of people. I sent this to as many friends of ours as I had addresses for. Tex König September 10th, 1940 — July 3rd, 1999 Brooklyn, NY — Toronto, Ont. Ca. There is silence, now, where once a great voice was heard. Tex König is no longer with us. Details are still sketchy, but according to his longtime friend Linda Evans we lost Tex sometime on Saturday, 3 July. There will be memorials in Toronto on 7/25 at the Transac Club from 3 'til 6 and New York on the weekend 7/24-7/25 for which details are not yet available.. Tex was never well enough known, either as a singer or as an actor. The few brief moments of him on film are enough to base an opinion that he had great chops as a character actor. He told me that people would recognize him from "The Freshman" and call him Big Leo. I didn't know he'd done the part and saw him by surprise. I literally fell off the couch. "Whadevah!" Pure Tex. The album and his long history of public performances in the US and Canada over a thirty-year period are testimony that he was one of the best interpreters of traditional folk music around as well as a master of more contemporary material, including some of Fred Neil's classics. He deserved far more recognition. Hell, he deserved greatness. I've known Tex for over thirty years, since the days of the Cafe World, the Renzi, the Four Winds, the Bagamin and a host of coffee houses and folk clubs in New York, Miami, Montreal and San Francisco. It was on this coast I last saw Tex, en route from the Vancouver Folk Festival back to Toronto with a slight detour. He played a couple of gigs, including filling in for Kate Wolf at a festival in the Marin Headlands. That was over twenty years ago. A combination of timing, finances and our combined stubbornness kept us apart except for phone calls late at night that sometimes lasted for hours and were like hanging out at a distance. We shared a love for folk music, firearms, samurai movies, unsubtitled Chinese sword swingers and Chinese food. Tex came to Oakland with his wok and Chinese cleaver as well as Baby, his Martin and a Navy duffle full of work shirts and chinos. He was one of the best Chinese chefs I know and taught me just a few of his skills. He also found a great dim sum house and a cheap second floor noodle house within two days of hitting town. He managed to find people we hadn't seen in years who lived right under my nose. He was like that; I doubt if there is another like him. I can't believe I'll never hear his voice live again; and no one else will ever get away with calling me sweetums. I'm often accused of being overly nostalgic. I'll cop to it; I am. I miss the days in the Sixties when we all had goals and ideals of a lofty nature, when we solved the problems of the world time and time again and Tex played the tunes and told the stories. "We can't go back but we can always look behind . . ." and carry the memories. Perhaps Tex is somewhere singing to a different crowd composed of people we knew and some we didn't. I hope there is a round table large enough for all of us; our times will come and it won't be long.
Jamie Fraser-Paige, July 1999 |
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24 Jul 99 - 12:30 PM (#98852) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Jamie Fraser-Paige Tex played nylon strings because his fingers got torn up by steel. He used to say he had "paper skin." He also worked very hard to keep his nails on his right hnad strong, using Knox gelatin and anything else reputed to work, including clear hard nail polish. His Martin -- and the guitars of several other people he knew -- had a clear plastic guard that surrounded the soundhole, top and bottom. He shared this with anyone, true to his always generous nature. Tex was linked to so many people -- long before the "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" -- that sometimes it seemed as if I was always saying, in relation to some performer, writer, actor or other "Yeah, Tex knows him/her/it/them." His tales, always told with an eye for detail and couched in the best artistic tones weren't as tall as many might think. I was around for several of them or have heard them told -- a little awestruck -- by others who were there. His time in the Village, when I first knew him, was a weird and wonderful time, and to those who weren't there -- and some who were -- much that happened on a daily basis would seem like fantasy. His ability to weave stories into powerful, evocative images worked so well that his sung version of "I Must Down to the Sea in Ships" (which those of us of a certain age learned in school as a poem by John Masefield) moved my Dad, a tough critic of all the arts, to tears and endeared Tex, chief among all my "beatnik, no-goodnik" friends to my Dad for the length of his life. So long, kid. Jamie |
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24 Jul 99 - 10:39 PM (#98970) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: dinah To everyone who took the trouble to add to this thread over the last 3 weeks I extend my sincere thanks. It is Saturday night and I am going to print off these wonderful messages to share tomorrow at our "Celebration" of Tex's life. I truly believe that his greatest legacy(beside the music, of which we don't have enough)is his friends. And it has become very clear in the last 3 weeks how many there were (and what a wonderfully diverse group they are. Goodnight, sweetums, wherever you are.... Dianne |
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25 Jul 99 - 03:12 PM (#99077) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: bbc By request, Tex's photo can be seen at bbc's Mudcat Resources site--the first entry on the Memorial Photos page. My best wishes to all his loved ones & friends. bbc |
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25 Jul 99 - 09:47 PM (#99156) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding Ahh, my precious Mudcat friends. You'd have enjoyed the afternoon SO MUCH! Old Tex had some rough years at the end. No money, and his only profession being "balladeer" can make life hard. His extra large size, consequent health problems, and lack of transportation often meant that he couldn't get to gatherings exactly like the one held in his honour. Jeez it's sad he wasn't there to partake in the music and good cheer. A number of folks looked skyward and said "Tex is watching us", but hell, I wish he'd there in person. On the stage..at the buffet table, and in the audience, singing along. Mudcatters were well represented. Dinah and Rana did great organizing and Paul Mills, Michael Miland and Tony Burns represented us well. So Long Tex Rick |
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25 Jul 99 - 09:55 PM (#99158) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: catspaw49 Sounds like a beautiful day my friend. All my best, Pat |
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26 Jul 99 - 04:15 AM (#99227) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Saul Broudy Rick, Thanks for the report on the memorial So sorry I had to miss being there, but had uncancellable gigs down this way. Sent these memories/anecdotes to Dianne Myers privately, but thought you *all* might enjoy them: --------- I first met Tex when I used to play in Montreal in the early 70s, and what a guide he was to the gastronomic pleasures and street life of that city! Whenever I arrived in Toronto in later years, Tex would be the first one I'd call on the phone for the latest scoop on what was going on. Later we'd meet for (what else?) a late Chinese dinner, and I'd give him whatever he had ordered from the US ‹ perhaps something electronic from Radio Shack, or a large jar of mayonnaisse. Both of us nightowls, and without cars, we'd often walk around late at night or hop streetcars. Hanging out together at folk festivals was always a joy as well. Picture this scene: Once Tex was visiting me in Philadelphia. I had no shower, and Tex was unable to fit in my bathtub, so my girfriend at the time suggested that he go to her house and use her shower. He was to knock at her door, and if noone answered he could assume her roommates were out and could let himself in the house. He got no answer upon ringing the bell, so he entered and went upstairs, where he found the roommates passing around a joint. They looked up with shock at the towering figure of the stranger that appeared in their doorway, and heard: ³Hi, I¹m Tex. I¹m here to take a shower.² |
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26 Jul 99 - 04:22 AM (#99229) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Saul Broudy Damn technology stepped on my punchline in previous message. You can probably figure it out, but just in case, so you don't need to ASCII me... 3 equals Open Quote 1 equals Apostrophe 2 equals Close Quote |
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26 Jul 99 - 07:42 AM (#99238) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Winnie winston I first met Tex at a summer camp in Connecticut. I think I was 11 and he was 12. He was big even then. His sister was at the camp too-- Buck's Rock Work Camp. Saw him again at Washington Square in the 60s-- I guess he was in the Navy then. When I started to do the folk circuit in the mid 1970s I bumped into him again while in Toronto. He once visited me in Philadelphia and completely freaked out my (unfreakable) girlfriend by wandering around stark naked. What a sight! When we got together we talked little of music, and spent our times discussing homeopathic medicine and guns. I never got to get to Toronto to go shooting with him, but I did drag him out to the range one time when he came to Philly. Yeah... saw him in "the Freshman" but also in the great bio-pic of Hank Williams "The Show He Never Gave" with Sneezy Waters as Hank. Hadn't heard from him since I moved to NZ five years ago. Miss those 4am phone calls, and the great times over chinese food. Heard about his passing from Saul, who told me to check on-- so-- here I am. He sure was one of a kind-- in the large economy size! Winnie |
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26 Jul 99 - 11:05 AM (#99277) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Sid Washer It came to pass in Howard Beach. While a dismal pall settled over New York City and monstrous airliners slid, thundering, out of the skies, a group of hardy souls gathered to pig out on Chinese food and spilled a bit of wine but no tears for Tex Konig. To eat is human; to stuff, divine and we did the best we could while telling Tex stories and catching up on the last 30 years or so. Terrible the way young idealists become cranky ol' farts. It came to pass and we all thought that Tex would have enjoyed, Snookums. bye, sid |
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03 Aug 99 - 07:07 AM (#101848) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Leslie Berman It took even longer for the news to reach me in a roundabout way. Saul Broudy or Paula Ballan or Mike Miller or some other Philly folk fest or maybe Richard Flohil in Montreal must have introduced me to him years ago, how many I forget. Like everyone else he knew, I was a late night phone call, some of which I didn't want to make or take. And a chinese meal eater. Unlike many others, we were lovers too, for a brief time, and loving friends ever after. One night, having dinner with Tex in a New York city chinatown dive, in came Bill Cosby, with his wife and her sister. Cosby came past our table, did a double take, and then enveloped the seated Tex in a gigantic hug. They traded old stories and insults, introduced their respective guests, and then we went on to finish our separate meals at different tables. There were more flurries of speech across the room during dinner and as a goodbye, and then Tex explained how he'd come to know Cosby. Seems before Bill was any good as a standup, he worked bar in the folk place Tex frequented most in Philly, and if the place was deserted or else mellow enough, at 3 am they'd let Cosby practice his shtick. At least, that's how Tex told it to me then. After he made The Freshman, and was thinking about how to recruit his always meagre finances, I urged him to be in touch with Cosby at The Astoria Studios in Queens, NY cause I thought his old friend might pass his showreel on to higher ups, and he would say, maybe, every time I mentioned it over the next few years. He never did, natch. He always told me I'd love the knife show, but I never made it there, and now I regret it. It would be one more picture memory of Tex for me. I'm glad to have the ones that are mine, and the new ones I've conjured up from your posts. |
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03 Aug 99 - 08:29 AM (#101851) Subject: RE: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Rick Fielding Thanks again for the Texstories. A lot of folkies of a certain age (me being too young for once) here in Toronto well remember the early Bill Cosby. He honed his craft in folk clubs and coffee houses, and for a while was the M.C. at a place called the Fifth Peg. Beats Strip houses! Rick |
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22 Nov 05 - 02:13 PM (#1611383) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing From: chiknshak thank you all for this unforgettable anecdotal history I learned about Tex from Vince Martin who said " Fred Neil thought that Tex had the best baritone pipes in the business" I wish I had the opportunity to talk with him about guns, knives....and chow down on Chinese...I am 6'4" and 350 and I love Chinese especially hot and sour soup. I had the best at sy woo's in Toronto....later shak |
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22 Nov 05 - 02:32 PM (#1611396) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Peace I knew Tex both in NYC and later in Montreal where he made his home. He was all the above and more. Big man, beard, booming voice and even a dreadnaught looked small in his hands. He did a rendition of "Codeine" that was unforgetable. A friend called me when he died and I was shocked, because I always thought he'd last forever. Always kind, always honest and always truthful. Still miss ya Tex. BM |
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22 Nov 05 - 03:33 PM (#1611449) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Mark Ross I was 17, had just hit the Village and, of course got to meet Tex, who introduced me to great Chinese food(4 AM at 69 Bayard St, and of course, I never got to argue about what to order, just pay up when the bill comes), a raft of folks who are now old friends, philosophy, great music( a direct quote, "Never record anything you can't take on the road."). An intimidating sight to be sure, but what a great man. Mark Ross |
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09 Aug 08 - 09:29 PM (#2409634) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing From: GUEST,Gervaise It's years since you all wrote but I must reply to/for Tex. I met him in the Village in about 63/4. I thought the mud was dry between my toes... He didn't patronize me but he did protect me. I learned a lot about music and life and had fun. I last saw him in the 70's when we both ended up in Montreal. He insisted that I learn to field-strip an M1 blindfolded...just in case. BTW It was Akido he practiced. And he sent me off to study Tai Chi. I still do it and still think of him. So many stories from those years. True or not I'm glad I heard them. He was a big man. Big enough to take care of little me and teach me to take care of myself. Thanx, Tex. Have fun and call me sometime. I'll tell the fone company that the bill is obviously wrong as noone talks all night long! It worked before. |
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09 Aug 08 - 09:32 PM (#2409636) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing From: Peace That was Tex for sure. |
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09 Aug 08 - 10:51 PM (#2409646) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz Hi Kids! Tex...Memories...For those that give a fnerk...He installed the Grovers on my Gibson J-50(He was a gunsmith and pretty accurate) and walked with Dylan at Mariposa. We worked together at SoundBox '71(Recording Studio) with Thad Beebe and Stephen Barry,.. Tex was doing the producing and I was playing the guitar..From midnight to about 5am. Used to leave McGill and cross the mountain and see people that could only be described as zombie-like walking on the hill... Stephen was wondering if he should be doing music full-time...Yo! Tex always carried a pair of mini-sawed off chopsticks in his left jacket pocket. Just in case... The meetings with Lee Siu Pak were frequent in Chinatown...Tex and I studied AIKIDO with Max Villadorata. Some near mystical happenings over there..Let me tell ya. He had a Randall knife which I admired. He knew where to get the best prices on the best cuts of beef. There were MANY stories, "Lawd forgive me for my addiction. partly truth and partly fiction..."(too close to Kristofferson) OR..."Lawd forgive me for my addiction, sweet cocaine, and chocolate women..." memory bubbles rising to the surface...songs that stopped being written in mid-flight... Anyhoo..."I got you covered" meant something back then...Wish I could have talked to him one more time...Maybe on the next go-round... bob |
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28 Jan 10 - 10:41 PM (#2824169) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing From: GUEST http://www.steeleweed.com/b124.jpg = Tex on a bike - his photo, think it's from a movie/TV gig. http://www.steeleweed.com/b134.jpg = Tex on a rare visit back to NY. He used to call every 3 or 4 months, always after midnight when the rates were cheap. We always knew a day or two in advance that he would soon be calling. When we had that feeling and a week passed without a call, I suspected the worst and found he had recently passed on. We miss the big galoot. |
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29 Jan 10 - 01:13 AM (#2824220) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: wysiwyg What a collection of characters, too many now remembered. Kinda creepy till ya realize ezzackly what awaits when it's ourturn. [wicked grin] I is looking forward to THAT party! ~Susan |
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07 Jun 10 - 05:58 PM (#2922670) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,dragonne de versailles france hello I'm new here and my english is not good but I will try to tell you anyway what I want to tell. I see Tex Konig (differente maners to write his name ? imdb = konig, movies = konig) the first time on the movie Hold Up (exist an americaine remake name Quick Change but not so good on my taste). This Big, Geantissime, Enormous guy ! Pfffffff ! impressive ! Lasky was is name and he was totaly mad ! driving a big trunk like crasy héhéhé !! A very good movie based on Canada, Montreal (I don't know Montreal, juste Little Toronto). I didn't know also that he was singer and guitariste. I ever didn't know that he was died ! 11 years after, I find out ! And I have the terrible feeling that I have miss somebody great ! A good big guy with, after what you say, a big heart and a love for life rather than money ! Jean Paul Belmondo is still alive (good for us) and come back on screen after 10 years of absence because he too, almost die. Same age, Tex should be old now, like Jean Paul, almost 80. So, all that for say : I'm happy to see this forum remember him. Are you (all of you) all musiciens ? singers ? etc. ? And for those who know him since long time, are you old too ? I ask that because of the type of the music you speak about. Old music.Don't worry, I'm not child myself, I'm almost 50. Thank anyway for this Tex memorium See you |
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08 Nov 11 - 08:35 AM (#3252756) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Edward Tex Konig - Saw him first perform at The Penelope in Montreal. Those were heady days for an innocent like myself. Bruce Murdock and Sean Gagnier were on the same bill as Tex. He was ever the gentleman. I was in awe of him and the others. Really like a star struck stage door Johnny. Years later I ran into him at the Free Times Cafe in Toronto. After a short conversation, I knew I was right right from the start: he was noble and he was great. He was born in the Year of the Dragon, that most auspicious of Chinese icons. Six years later when I moved permanently to China, I saw Tex on my regular summer visit home. He had an other-worldly look about him. And I knew he somehow sensed his time was drawing near. Blessings Tex |
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08 Nov 11 - 08:40 AM (#3252757) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: Duke Its nice that people bring these posts back now and then. Tex was a lovely person and a great performer. Whenever I went to see him perform we always headed out for Chinese food after the show. Miss him! |
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09 Mar 12 - 06:28 PM (#3320633) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Jackie I met Tex in the late 70's when we lived at 68 Walker Ave. in Toronto. He was a nice man. I enjoyed reading all the stories about him from people that knew him well. RIP |
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10 Mar 12 - 08:43 AM (#3320880) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: Duke He is still missed greatly! |
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21 Mar 12 - 06:29 PM (#3326627) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz Yes he is Duke... Quotes from Tex (in no particular order of significance) 1/ ITALIAN SAUCE "If it ain't got pork in it, it isn't a TRUE Wop Sauce..." 2/ KNIVES & MARTIAL ARTS "If you have to open it, that's too long..." 3/ AIKIDO "ENTER..." 4/ TRANSPORTATION "Let's hop a crab..." 5/ BEING INCREDULOUS "HOW MUCH?..." 6/ THINGS "I can get it in New York..." 7/ FRANK ZAPPA "Bob, he took his guitar and played so fast, it was like he was wiping the neck..." 8/ BOB DYLAN "Bobby" 9/ DESPERATION "I got you covered..." 10/ MY GUITAR "I'm a Gunsmith, I'll put the Grovers on it for you..." 11/ TELECASTERS "That's a board with strings on it, they used to cost $90 and the guys would give them away..." 12/NEW YORK/THE VILLAGE "Tuli Kupferberg & The Fugs, The Cafe Wha, Ginsberg, Dylan, Hendrix, Billy Roberts & Hey Joe... 13 GIGS How was the Gig?..."I got paid..." (interpretation is up to you) Rest in Peace Amigo...And if there's a Chinatown in the afterlife, you undoubtedly have found the best Restaurant & Chef...BR |
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06 Jul 12 - 03:12 PM (#3372921) Subject: RE: OBIT: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Jean Detheux Tex appeared in my life around 19754-75. I was then teaching at teh Alberta College of Art in Calgary, and one of my students (Roger Dale) had managed to invite Tex to do a gig. At the time, my best friend (José Huertas-Jourda, also gone) was at the College to give a series of talks (at my invitation) and we sat in on Tex's concert. Tex revealed an immense presence on stage, a beautiful voice, and exceptional guitar licks. We got together after the show, it was a formidable meeting, there were so many "atomes crochus" between all of us, we became friends for life. Tex stayed in close touch with José, they were both living in and around Toronto, they shared a passion for Chinese food (I believe they even founded the "Dim Sum Society" together;-). Whenever our paths would cross, I would invite Tex to a Chinese restaurant, and it was always amazing to see how quickly food would disappear once he started eating. I only now (July 2012) discovered Tex was gone, like so many other friends and colleagues, but even if he is gone, his spirit isn't, he had a great sense of humanity, the warmth of his singing and generosity as a friend are part of the fabric of life, for keeps. |
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29 Nov 12 - 06:12 AM (#3444207) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST FROM: Guest, Bruce Farwell It seems sad to me that we sometimes only hear of the passing of someone we once knew several years after they are gone. I met Tex in Greenwich Village in 1963 at one of the many coffee houses dotting Bleeker, MacDougal, and West 4th Streets. My lasting memory of him is a mountain of a man playing a small Martin, with a lovely lyric voice singing and playing "Marianne". Although I sometimes went out after playing all night to enjoy some Chinese food with some of the other Village singers, I never had the opportunity to be with Tex or to hear some of his legendary stories. I lost track of Tex when I later joined a group in the Village called the Bitter End Singers (after the Village club of the same name) and went out on the road for a couple of years. Several years ago, I met Stephen Mendel here in the Los Angeles area who had also been a friend of Tex up in Montreal. Stephen informed me at that time about the passing of Tex back in 1999. It was another reminder to me of the passing of many of the Village folk singers from the '60's--Fred Neil, Mary Travers, Tim Hardin, Dave Van Ronk, Steve Goodman, John Bassette, and Tex, among others--and the increasing distance we are now from those days, and it makes me sad. In "Bob Dylan's Dream", the last verse talks about how special it would be if we could all be "in that room once again". One of the earlier Mudcat contributors to this column brought up the phrase, "We can't go back, but we can look behind" (reminds me of Joni Mitchell's "Circle Game"). When I look back at Village days, the memory of Tex is certainly a vivid one. (By the way, as another previous Mudcat contributor also noted, I had no idea that Tex had parts in several movies, and I was blown away to see Tex in "The Freshman" just a few days ago. It prompted my visit to this site.) My belated thanks to all of you who knew Tex and for sharing your own stories about him and your indelible memories of how he impacted your lives. If a man's wealth can be measured in part by all the friends he has made in his life, then Tex left this world a very rich man indeed. Bruce Farwell |
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29 Nov 12 - 06:36 AM (#3444220) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST FROM: Guest, Bruce Farwell DATE: Nov. 29, 2012 Quick note to Rick Fielding. You mention a couple of folk clubs in the Toronto area in a couple of your blogs. I, too, played at a couple of the folk clubs in Toronto in the early '60's, the Village Corner and the Bohemian Embassy. Unfortunately, this was before Tex Konig got up to Toronto, so I never had a chance to see him perform there. I can well imagine that Tex later felt the same affinity that I did for both the people in Canada and the wonderful atmosphere for folk singing that exists there. I think I read recently that the Bohemian Embassy is still in existence. Do they still have folk singers perform there now? I have very fond memories of that club and some of the special performers I met there during that time. It would be nice to know that some semblance of folk music is still alive and well in Toronto. Bruce Farwell |
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29 Nov 12 - 07:57 AM (#3444250) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Brian Grayson My first memory of Tex: Performing at the Carden Street Cafe in Guelph, where the proprietor made the fatal error of paying him a small fee plus all he could eat - a challenge cheerfully accepted... Visiting him in the middle of the night (did the man ever sleep?) at 68 Walker Avenue and talking, and talking... Wandering down Yonge Street, again in the late small hours, and elsewhere, eating the best goulash I've ever had... Last time I saw him, on a visit from Australia (me, not him) just before the premiere of 'The Freshman'. Damn, I still miss him, cameraman's vest, great boats of shoes and all! |
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29 Nov 12 - 07:42 PM (#3444587) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz Tex may have "returned to the Cosmic Mother," as some would say, but the memories live on. I met Tex somewhere between '68-'69, at The Yellow Door. He tells me he's from New York. I ask him, "why do they call you "Tex"? He tells me some guy in years past saw him and said, "God, you're as big as Texas!" So the name stuck, or he became Tex after that. His real name was Albert. You're going to have to give me some latitude with that because it was only mentioned to me once, and I always called him Tex. If any of you can confirm that his real name was Albert, it would be nice. He always carried "sawed-off chopsticks" in his vest pocket, should the opportunity for a nibble come his way. Artfully done chopsticks by the way. We would go to the butcher shop to get inexpensive cuts, then turn them into delicacies by thin slicing them half frozen, then putting egg whites on top for 25 minutes, an old (Tai Chi) Master Lee receipe. Those were. as they say, "the worst of times, and the best of times," depending on your mind set. I know your out there somewhere old friend, singing a song, most likely by The New Tradition, Thanks Tex...Bobby |
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16 Feb 13 - 04:22 PM (#3480485) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Tom Ghent Does anyone know what happened to Tex's sister, Jan...She had a really nice voice and used to sing with Tex sometimes....I last saw her in NYC back around 1967....In about 1990, while I was on the road, someone named Jan, who sounded very much like her, recorded an acapella version of one of my songs on my answering machine in Nashville....By the time I returned and heard the message, the number she left was no longer working...If you have any info about her , please contact me at sutherlandrecords@yahoo.com .....Thanks..... |
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16 Aug 13 - 11:27 PM (#3550036) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,trapezoid I met Tex several times because I worked where he got his film processed. He was an imposing looking guy, but always very nice to me. He would always write a very detailed note with his film order- his instructions to us on how to do it right. He always signed the note "love and stovebolts" TK |
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27 Jan 14 - 09:12 PM (#3596013) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST Tex was a long-time friend of my wife, since about 1955 in Greenwich Village. When I was courting her, I'd sometimes be on my way home to Manhattan from Brooklyn at 3am and cross paths with Tex going to visit her. :-D After he moved to Toronto, he would visit us whenever he was in NYC to see his sister. He also used to call about twice a year, always just after midnight when the rates were cheaper. We always knew a few days in advance - we'd suddenly think "I wonder how Tex is doing" or some such, and within a few days we'd get a call. It was only when that feeling came over us and there was no call that I began to worry and started digging around, only to find out he had died. "A singer of tales and teller of songs." |
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28 Jan 14 - 05:39 PM (#3596356) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: Duke He sure was special. I loved spending time with him especially at a Chinese restaurant. |
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28 Jan 14 - 09:40 PM (#3596406) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: Mark Ross It was Tex who introduced me to real Chinese cuisine. We would usually go to 69 Bayard, the New Lin Heong, where Tex would NOT let me look at a menu. Best intro to Chinese food I could have had. Most of the time it would be in the company of other musicians and the cab drivers who were on this radio network. Tex would call up Fuzzy Mike when the bars closed who would get on the horn and alert the rest of the drivers where we would meet. A fine time was usually had by all. Tex was also the one who pushed me down into a booth at the Gaslight Cafe the night Utah Phillips showed up to do a guest set, with the words, "You listen to this man." He also taught me a lot about music. the most important lesson being "Never record anything you can't take on the road." In other words "Keep it simple." Mark Ross |
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21 Feb 14 - 12:06 PM (#3603545) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Sharon W I am blown away by how many lives Tex touched. I have been thinking of him for years and never knew his full name nor even how to find him. I thought at first, it was maybe a bit crazy to remember someone so fondly having only met them once, but as is well documented in this blog - Tex made quite an impression! I first met Tex likely 20 years ago at a soiree at someone's home. A poet friend had invited me to come along and I was intrigued having never been to a "soiree". Lo and behold, Tex was there, a very big man with a rich deep voice and his guitar. He had me captivated as he sang song after song - and sometimes we would sing along too, although we really never held a candle to his baritone. At some point, feeling quite shy & rather coquettish, I looked around the room and couldn't help but notice that all eyes were on Tex. His warmth and sheer force of personality commanded our attention and he made us all feel wrapped up in his charisma. I haven't forgotten that night where I met a lot of wonderful people. Years later, I happened to see Tex and things did not look like they were going well. Still, I have never stopped wondering about him. While I was sorry to see that he had passed, I was absolutely heartened to see the long-lasting impact that he had on the lives he touched. He was a rich man indeed! |
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17 Mar 14 - 07:35 AM (#3610219) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Debora Selinger At 5 am, I awoke in my hospital bed from an epileptic seizure and heard Tex's voice. This is the time when we would finally say goodnight, because all our frequent phone calls lasted most of the night. Unable to return to sleep, I put his name into a search engine and found this thread. Thank you for being there. I am one of his hundreds of best friends. When I read the Whippoorwill poem, I heard it in Tex's voice. I read posts for an hour, pausing to reflect on each one, waiting for someone to mention the pocket chopsticks, with which he ate everything, not only Chinese food. I met Tex in Toronto, don't remember exactly how, but we saw each other every Saturday because we both busked the Market, him in the farmers' north building, me in the one on the south side of Front St. I knew much about all of you before I found this thread, because he told me your stories. In fact, the Tranzac memorial party for him was the only gathering I've been to where everyone voluntarily wore a name tag. We milled about reading strangers' tags, only to exclaim "Oh! You're THAT Mike (or Tom or Mary or....) You're just like Tex described you! And how is your [Mom, career, dog, injury, etc.]-- though the tales were never as mundane as those nouns. When it was my turn at the stage (near the end because it took me a long while to be able to get past the honoured lump in my throat and heart), I led the assembly in a song. I'm not sure now if I explained why I sang that one, and I'd like to tell you now. Tex heard me busking this old classic country weeper, and with his typical dark wit, said "Play that song at my funeral." He was not dying, but always expected to any time. One of his apartment walls was stacked high with multiple duplicates of pill boxes of supplements and Chinese herbs, hoarder-style, "so I won't forget what to buy next time". I was startled by the request, and asked why. "Because I want to hear all my friends to finally admit what they really are and promise to love me and each other forever." The song is (Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I. http://www.lyricstime.com/hank-snow-now-and-then-there-s-a-fool-such-as-i-lyrics.html Note the Hank Snow recording changes the second "You taught me how to love and now...." to "You taught me how to LIVE and now...." Years later, I honoured that request, everyone sang along, and I heard Tex's deep chuckle. |
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06 Aug 14 - 04:08 PM (#3648888) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Frank Albrecht I never knew Tex, but I'm glad I know him now. A few months ago I watched "Hold-Up" for the first time, and Tex's character really stood out to me. He was like a combination of Paul Bunyan and Bluto. I loved the movie, and when I love a movie I look deeper into it. After hearing Tex's only song on YouTube, I realized what a talent and a legend Tex was. I managed to buy a copy of his album on the internet and have been enjoying it ever since. I hope to convert them soon and put them on YouTube, for everyone to enjoy. I've loved reading these stories about him, and he truly comes to life in them. It's nice to see he's still being thought of, even fifteen years later. |
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08 Oct 15 - 05:02 PM (#3742528) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST Tex was a good friend of my wife since she used to sneak down to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village when she was a teenager circa late 1950s. After he moved to Canada, he used to call every few months to chat; always after midnight when the rates were cheaper. We always knew a few days in advance that he was going to call. My wife or I got the feeling it was time to talk to him and within a day or two the phone would ring just after midnight. He never gave out his number and Caller ID wasn't around, so we always waited for him to call We got that feeling in '99 and waited expectantly, but after a week, we were worried and tried - unsuccessfully - to contact his sister in NYC. I got online and discovered his passing. Got some memorable photos - Tex on my sofa with a guitar and cat in his lap; one he gave us of him on a motorcycle - s publicity shot from one of his acting roles. Miss the big man. |
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17 Oct 15 - 04:18 PM (#3744754) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Bram Frank I knew Tex had passed, but never found this site until now. I searched today because one of my kids was watching 'The Freshman' and, as I usually do when confronted by things from my past, typed his name into a search engine and this site popped up. I met Tex in 1969 when I was a student at Concordia University in Montreal and he was living on St. André street in an upstairs walk-up. I hung around the folk and music scene (and even got what was called a LIP (Local Initiatives Project) grant from the Federal government to record local folk artists back in 1972 - and Tex was on the payroll. We'd hang in his flat; we'd ALWAYS go out for Chinese food in Chinatown at 3 in the morning, we'd do the Yellow Door and the Karma Coffee house (where I'd do the sound) and such. At the time he was living with a lady whose name I simply cannot recall (my memory is not what it was) and I still have one of his old cards from TK Knives somewhere, which used to sit under the glass on my then desk. I may have some reel-to-reel recordings from the old days in storage somewhere. Unfortunately he and I lost contact when he moved away. The years have passed, but the memory of Tex as a person larger than life lingers on. He was a good friend and is missed. |
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13 Jan 16 - 06:44 PM (#3765318) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,old aquaintance I met this man many years ago, and was reminded of him by someone today. He made a strong impression on me, and through time I came to hear that he was also appeared in films, later I heard he passed away.We met numerous times but only spoke at length maybe twice,in a setting that promoted skepticism and I was skeptical. There is also a tendency to look back at the past with rose-colored glasses, but I don't think i'm doing that. I have learned other things about him and now realize his unguardedness and good nature was authentic. I honestly think he brought the good out in people, that he influenced me in a way that I only come to understand now.For anyone else that knew him or remembers him I join you in remembering him with a true sense of appreciation. |
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25 May 20 - 04:26 AM (#4055007) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Bruce Farwell This seems so strange; I am writing a note 20 years after Tex Koenig passed away, but I wanted to add just a couple of my own thoughts about Tex. I knew Tex from his Greenwich Village days in 1963-64. He was an imposing sight--huge bear of a man with a small nylon-stringed guitar, playing lovely ballads and songs of the sea, with a huge heart and an open mind and personality. I used to love to hear him sing "Marianne". None of us made a lot of money playing in the basket houses in the Village, but several of us would frequently go down to Chinatown after singing all night, pool our money, and order several dishes to share together. I stayed in the Village about a year before going into the National Guard. When I got out, I joined a group called the Bitter End Singers (named for the Bitter End in the Village)and I lost touch with a lot of the basket house singers in the Village, including Tex. I heard from a friend out in California about Tex spending more time up in Canada. He also informed me that Tex had passed away several years earlier. I was sorry to hear of his passing; I enjoyed hearing him sing and I liked him as a person. I would love to have heard him play and sing up in Canada when I visited in the '70's and '80's. It was nice to find this thread on Mudcat and read more about Tex from some of the many people who knew him and called him friend. RIP, Tex. Save a place at the table for us. |
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01 Feb 22 - 01:35 PM (#4134789) Subject: RE: Obit: Tex Koenig's Passing (1999) From: GUEST,Keith McLaren Boy this is crazy. I was writing a piece about my early life for my children and began to think of Tex, who I roomed with in Montreal in 1968. So I went online to see if I could find any photos and, wow, I found these wonderful tributes written on Mudcat. All my memories of Tex came flooding back like a tidal wave. Talk about an odd couple of roomies we were. I had moved to Montreal from the West Coast and was working at the Yellow Door and living in the attic. Tex, a regular, said he was looking for a roommate. I jumped at the chance for no other reason than I needed to get out of the attic. Through that fall and winter I had the privilege of getting to know that mountain of a man, Tex Koenig. He showed this seventeen-year-old kid how to survive in a big city. Everything you have brought up about his love of Chinese food, guns, knives, nylon strings, cultured nails, his vest, his duffel, the chop sticks in his pocket, and, most of all, his stories, all brought it back to me. I still cherish the four am morning walks to score fresh black bread on the Main. Peace be with you man. https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/tex-konig |
