Stories — As Many Weirdos As Possible

As Many Weirdos As Possible

Stories of the musicians and scene-makers who shaped the PNW from 1985-1995. Each profile pairs a single image with a handwritten memory in honor of lives, legacies, and the places that shaped them.

Click a Weirdo’s profile to read their handwritten letter and listen to their audio story.

What is a Weirdo?

photo of a man in a black hat and grey sweatshirt with the words "Jack Johnson" standing in front of two large pieces of industrial equipment.

“B-Max” / “Nerdy B” Ben Saunders
Rapper, Producer, DJ - Brothers Of The Same Mind

In 1987, Ben and friends recorded "He's Incredible" using a new Kurzweil drum loop. It led to a record deal and was later released, still sounding fresh.

Photos of two men, one seatted wearing a black and brown collar shirt with glasses and a neckless and another man standing in the background wearing an orange sweater and blue jeans in front of a high school.

“B-Self” William Riders
Rapper, Producer, DJ - Ghetto Children

In 1994, B-Self met the Fugees at a Northgate car show. Lauryn Hill was friendly, connected with fans, visited his old school, and even battled local rappers.

Photo of a woman with a gold crown, purple hair, wearing a blue dress looking off in the distance.

Carrie Akre
Vocalist - Hammerbox, Goodness, The Rockfords

From blasting X in her ’63 Datsun to opening for them in ’94, Carrie went from Tri-Cities dreamer to sharing a stage with her idol, Exene Cervenka.

photo of a woman in a long dress and veil standing in a room featuring vinyl on the ground, and a distorted photo of the space needle framed. The picture is stylized with a sepia tone color.

Cathy Faulkner
Radio Personality - KISW

She started as an intern at KISW. She left as “The Late Cathy Faulkner”. Cathy became a beloved voice of Seattle rock for two decades.

A photo of a man with long hair wearing a green jacket with a patch that reads "The New Mutants" against the corner of a brick wall with a mural on one side.

Chad Channing
Drummer - Nirvana

After a van break-in and a cornfield gig, someone asked if they were really Nirvana. The night ended at a secret soul food spot straight out of Superfly.

A photo of a woman with long hear, a pearl neckless, and a black jacket looking directly into the camera.

“Chelly Chell” Chenelle Marshall
Emcee, Poet, Author

From Seattle record stores to bumping into Tupac and Snoop Dogg, Chenelle’s lost Tupac photo survived the trash and became legend.

Photo of a man with a white t-shirt and half his face covered by the neck of a guitar in black and white.

Chris Ballew
Vocalist, Bassist - The Presidents of the USA

A broken backing track, nose-played keyboards, a touring gig with Beck, and a prophetic drawing about two sharks fighting for the crown.

Photo of a man with medium length white hair and a blue button-down shirt looking off into the distance. Blurred in the background is the backdrop of a theater facade.

Dan Dyckman
Venue Owner - 5th Avenue Theatre

Dan and Dez spent a night at the Moore Theatre guarding Alice in Chains’ gear. They wandered the empty theatre, had beers, and rocked out on stage.

Photo of a man with a black fedora and jacket looking off to the left of the frame in blakc and white. In the background is the skyline of Seattle.

Dan Harris-Manier
Bassist - Action Works

After a messy incident and a Mother Love Bone show, Dan met Andrew Wood and gained a lifelong friendship and a whole new world.

Photo of a man in a blue t-shirt looking up. In the background behind the man's head reads Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in large letters.

Darrius Willrich
Singer-Songwriter

As a college student, Darrius met pianist Benny Green at Jazz Alley. Lessons, dinners, and candid moments shaped his career and love for music.

Photo of a man wearing a dark t-shirt sitting on a park bench facing away from the camera in black and white. In front of him is the Puget Sound.

“DJ Funk Daddy” Greg Buren
Producer, DJ, Artist

Greg learned two-turntable DJing from DJ Chaos. He later beat his mentor in a contest and went on to produce for award winning artists.

Photo of a man wearing a sweatshirt that reads "Champion" and on his sleeve "Seattle" seated in a purple and green playground looking off into the distance.

“DJ Mike C” Mike Clark
DJ - Beverly’s Records & Tapes, Nastymix Records

Seeing friends perform on stage at Junkins Park’s Black Community Festival inspired him to shift from accounting towards a career in music.

Photo of a man wearing a black t-shirt kneeling in front of a "Rite Aid Pharmacy" marque shown in neon.

“G-Man” Scott Griggs
Writer, DJ, Promoter - The Rocket, KCMU, Re-bar

Scott helped Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain at Orpheum Records. They took Nirvana bootlegs, and signed receipts to make it official.

Photo of a woman with long blond hair and a fur coat. In the background is a blue building with a large skull.

Jen Ayers
Singer, Songwriter, Pianist - Honey Tongue, SHe Said

Jen scored a secret Pearl Jam show at the Off Ramp. Up close with 200 fans, they watched an electrifying Versus set and left with a $1 spaghetti dinner.

Photo of a man in a black sportscoat and sunglasses seated in front of a display of gold records. Above the records reads the words "London Bridge Studios".

Johnny Bacolas
Musician - Sleze, Alice N’ Chains, Second Coming

Alice N’ Chains had their first studio session at London Bridge. The experience inspired Johnny to pursue a lifelong career as a recording artist.

Photo of a man in a yellow, brown, and white patterned button-down shirt against a brick wall. In the background the words "Pioneer Square" can be read on a streetlamp.

Larry Reid
Counterculture Curator, Owner - Graven Art Image

He ignited Seattle’s underground art scene, stirred controversy with a punk Reagan poster, and even landed in court for it.

photo of a man in a green shirt and blue jeans standing in a creek surrounded by nature.

Larry Reymann
Regional Promotion Manager - Columbia Records

Larry saw Carlos Santana light up the crowd at the Tacoma Dome. Backstage, Carlos shared a one-take cassette of his duet with John Lee Hooker.

Photo of a man seated with a a beanie on, in the middle of the street in front a record store. Next to him is a wooden box with a coffee mug on top.

Matt Vaughan
Owner - Easy Street Records

Matt organized a surprise Pearl Jam in-store at Easy Street Records. The intimate show thrilled fans, led to a live release, and helped inspire Record Store Day.

photo of a man wearing sunglasses with a black shirt and jeans peering into a distorted mirror. Photo is black and white.

Nick Pollock
Musician - Alice N’ Chains, My Sister’s Machine

In 1991, My Sister’s Machine joined Pearl Jam for a charity cover show. They captured the old Seattle spirit just before the scene really exploded.

Photo of a man looking off to his left wearing a black jacket and blue jeans with sunglasses on. In the background is a brick wall and two windows as well as a lamp.

“Novocaine 132” Benjamin Camp
Writer - Flavor Magazine, The Rocket, The Stranger

He saw B-Self battle Blasé Blasé at Rock Candy. The night, with DJ Vitamin D and ref WordSayer, became a cornerstone of Seattle hip-hop memories.

Photo of man in black and white with a white beard, sunglass on, and a t-shirt that reads "No Comment", blurred. In the foreground he is making a lewd gesture at the camera.

Phil Burr
Production Coordinator - Sub Pop Records

In the ’80s, Phil met Lita Ford and Celine Dion at a Sam Goody managers conference. His backwards lizard costume left a lasting impression on Lita.

Sheila Locke
Founder - Nastymix Records

Things got chaotic at a Sir Mix-a-Lot and Nasty Nes show at the Seattle Center. Sheila grabbed the mic and told everyone what to do, earning instant respect.

Photo of a man in black and white holding his hands up to simulate taking a photo.

“Sir Mix-A-Lot” Anthony L. Ray
Grammy Award Winning Musician, Entrepreneur

He learned music from Rico Bembry and the Boys & Girls Club. Meeting Nasty Ness there launched his career, leading to platinum and gold albums.

Photo of a man and woman in front of a construction site. The man is wearing a leather jacket and black jeans with a large hat. The woman is wearing a brown jacket, a blue dress with flowers, and wearing black leather boots.

Steph & Bruce Fairweather
Bruce - Guitarist - Mother Love Bone
Steph‍ - KCMU, A & M Records, Mammoth, Dreamworks radio promoter; Co-Founder Seattle Musicians Access to Sustainable Healthcare (SMASH).

At the Prudential building, Steph and Bruce lived in a buzzing loft of Black Sabbath on the turntable, cheap candles, beer, zines, and house parties.

As Many Weirdos As Possible

We’ve connected with more than 300 Weirdos who shaped the PNW music scene between 1985–1995.