RIP David Thomas (Pere Ubu)

Just posted on their social media accounts. I love this band.

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David Thomas, June 14 1953 - April 23 2025.

David Lynn Thomas, lead singer of Pere Ubu, Rocket From The Tombs and multiple solo projex, has died after a long illness.

On Wednesday, April 23 2025, he died in his home town of Brighton & Hove, with his wife and youngest step-daughter by his side. MC5 were playing on the radio. He will ultimately be returned to his home, the farm in Pennsylvania, where he insisted he was to be “thrown in the barn.”

David Thomas and his band have been recording a new album. He knew it was to be his last. We will endeavour to continue with mixing and finalising the new album so that his last music is available to all. Aside from that, he left instruction that the work should continue to catalog all the tapes from live shows via the official bandcamp page. His autobiography was nearly completed and we will finish that for him. Pere Ubu’s Patreon will continue as a community, run by communex.

We’ll leave you with his own words, which sums up who he was better than we can -

“My name is David Fucking Thomas… and I’m the lead singer of the best fucking rock and roll band in the world.”
(Frigo Documentary)

Long Live Pere Ubu.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/2025 02:14AM by belfast.

Damn it. It sucks to have reached the age where the heroes of your youth start dropping like flies.

This is a huge bummer. As I said over on Reno's FB page, DT is one of those guys where you're kinda surprised they lasted as long as they did.

I'm so glad I got to see them about 5 years ago. It was a great show and hardly anyone did that cranky bastard routine better than him. RIP, Mr. Thomas.

When I saw him almost a decade ago, he did not look well. But he performed three shows (with UBU, Rocket From the Tombs, and solo for a private house party) with all the power and ferocity you would want, despite being seated and, in the case of the Rocket show, puking onstage right before they started playing.

Regardless, he was one of the Great Weirdos of rock, and the music world will be poorer for his loss.

I interviewed him in advance of the shows mentioned above, and that was one of the most surreal experiences of my life - in part because of a lousy Skype connection that kept cutting out during a rant. I still don’t know what he was so worked up about.

The older one gets, these passings become more and more common. And it's sucks. I was lucky to see Pere Ubu and Rocket From the Crypt a few times. At each of these shows I always worried about two things. 1) that something was going to happen to Thomas and he wouldn't be able finish, he always looked so feeble* and 2) he was going get mad at someone in the band and start berating them (usually Steve Melhman who just laughed and kept playing). Based on his facebook posts which were usually playful, I've come to the conclusion that a lot of the yelling was just an act. Why would that band (the last iteration for around 20 years) stay together so long? It certainly wasn't for the money. Though one time a couple of fans did the 'we are not worthy' bow in front of him and the look of the contempt he gave them definitely wasn't fake. Like one of their songs - "Musicians are Scum". I will miss him

*One time when I saw them, Thomas touched on his inability to walk saying he should've taken Mitch Ryder's advice when performing - "Wear knee pads". I wish I had got to see them when he could run around on stage.

The last time Pere Ubu played NYC was just a couple of years ago at LPR and Wayne Kramer was with them...and I MISSED it. One of my biggest regrets though there is a ton of video. I'll post one clip below, but someone told me he also had an uncomfortably cantankerous episode on stage, and yet after the show he hung around to listen to fans and sign basically anything people brought him. He's given some wonderful interviews over the years, in print and on television (see "Pere Ubu is like a cup" from 1989, one of my favorites), but as much as I love them and Rocket from the Tombs and listen to all of their records, I really don't know what he's like in his personal life - had I ever been given the opportunity to hang out with the guy, I'd be a little on edge.

[www.youtube.com]

> Someone told me he also had an uncomfortably cantankerous
> episode on stage, and yet after the show he hung around to
> listen to fans and sign basically anything people brought him.

That describes my evening with Pere Ubu as well.

I was at that NYC show and posted about it. His blowup was nothing like when he lit into Kristof Hahn who just joined the band for the '20 Years in a Montana Missle Silo' tour. Hahn must have thought "I could be blasting eardrums with nice guy Michael Gira instead of this".

Sad news. RIP to a great grouchy artist.

For some reason, Thomas' solo albums are not on streaming or even available in full on YouTube. I've been listening to the first two today, and it feels like they've been overlooked in favor of Pere Ubu. (I'd take them over THE ART OF WALKING and SONG OF THE BAILING MAN, made around the same time, any day.) THE SOUND OF THE SAND AND THE OTHER PEDESTRIANS has some of his most unhinged vocals, with a European cabaret/art-rock feel much different from Pere Ubu. Richard Thompson's contributions to VARIATIONS ON A THEME are very recognizable.

David Thomas and the Messengers "Blame the Messenger" is the best Pere Ubu album that isn't credited to Pere Ubu. Glad I still have my old vinyl.

I rediscovered this version of Surf's Up a few months ago and had forgotten how bizarre and beautiful it is.

How I'll miss this man. A master of sardonic humor with hilarious between song raps and stories. He always fought the good fight and took the clean, difficult path to the music. But that last time I saw them ["The Lady From Shanghai" tour 2013], he looked like he didn't have long to go. I didn't know at the time about his kidney disease. Word has it that his partner and the band members know exactly what to do to finish up the last Ubu album and maintain the legacy from here on out. But the tone the he alone brought to the proceedings [email, website copy, podcasts, etc.] will be sorely missed.

Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

[postpunkmonk.com]
For further rumination on the Fresh New Sound of Yesterday®

Amazed by the vintage shows being offered on their bandcamp page. Quite a gold mine.

Any recommendations?

[pereubu.bandcamp.com]