Listening to Steve Mackey

Steve Mackey, the producer, artist, songwriter, photographer, composer, and bassist in Pulp, has died at the age of 56.

Mackey’s wife, Katie, reported his passing today after a months-long hospitalization. No cause of death or further details were provided. It’s a terribly tragic thing, especially considering the very cool and confident indie tone of his artistic output. Mackey is best known as the bassist in Britpop/Indie band, Pulp, a band whose tongue in cheek lyrical style and hypnotic, often enormously danceable bass riffs inspired a generation of indie kids to start dressing better and trying harder, and his legacy endures through each of us. Every time a beloved artist passes on, it’s a knife in the heart of fans and a bit of an indulgence for news aggregates and eulogizing blog writers. When Lou Reed died, I recall seeing a blurb on Bloomberg Business about it, as though they ever gave a shit. That in mind, I thought it better to keep the spotlight on the man and his legacy by keeping the word count low, and asking that we instead do what Steve would have wanted us to: listen to music.