El Fénix: El Guardián del Fuego

When you hear people talk about those who have passed, the proclamations can to be so predictable and formulaic that you sometimes want to roll your eyes at them.

He was one of the nicest people you’d ever meet.

She was one of a kind, an inspiration to everyone around her.

They were generous to a fault, they’d give you the shirt off their back.

In the case of my friend, John Puglia, most of what you hear was likely true.

My first meeting with John occurred in the summer of 2003, after I’d discovered his self-published zine, m-80, and decided I’d wanted to meet him because he appeared to have a remarkably similar DIY sensibility and passion for independent creative endeavors. This turned-out to be the case, but he was also quite different than me in how humble and genuinely sincere he was in his desire to bring-out the best in the people around him. While he was supremely talented and had the motivation to realize his personal visions, much of his energy was devoted towards promoting the talents and creations of others. He lived his life as an example to everyone around him and it made me a better person over the course of the ten years I had the opportunity of being his friend.

So, at this point, you may be asking: What’s the deal with “El Fénix: El Guardián del Fuego”?

Well, some of my fondest memories of John involved the parties that he’d throw on Thursday evenings in his back yard. They’d be prefaced by a mass e-mail to all the invitees, which would show-up around 11 AM on the day of the party, usually comprised of cryptic and eccentric stories and imagery, but always themed around the two chimineas that were stationed on either end of his patio.

For example, the following is the email message that was to unfortunately be the final Chiminea held on March 14, 2013:

Official Christening & Winter Chimenea – THURSDAY, March 14 @ 5PM

With a special performance by funky punkie party clowns chimeneas (possibly the greatest chimenea song of all times):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4frTgYaQMQ

OFFICIAL TOAST:

“For thousands of years, we have seen the smoke. We have lit fires, eaten chips & melted candles to carry us and we have called them by name. These chimeneas will nurture and care for us through perilous times, and so we affectionately calleth “Lil’ Ole Never Quit 2000™.” To the chimenea we toast, and ask to celebrate Lil’ Ole Never Quit 2000™”

Then everybody raises their plastic glass filled with champagne, cheap tequila, Fuckles® Wine or sloe-gin fiz and shouts, “TO THE CHIMENEAS OF OLD…TO Lil’ Ole Never Quit 2000™”

Everybody takes a sip.

Lord Burton continues. “The moods of the chimenea are many, from tranquil to violent. We ask that this chimenea be given the strength to carry on. The chimenea is strong and she keeps out the pressures of the world.”

Again the glasses are raised, and the assemblage shouts, “TO THE CHIMENEA…TO THE CHIMENEAS OF OLD…TO THE SMOKE!”

Everybody takes another sip.

Continue. “Today we come to name this lady… Lil’ Ole Never Quit 2000™, and send her smoke to the sky to be cared for, and to care for the Chiminea Guardians Fundación. We ask the chimeneas of old and the mood of God of Smoke that is the sky to accept Lil’ Ole Never Quit 2000™ as her name, to help her through her passages, and allow her to return with her Guardians Fundación safely.”

Again, with the raising of the glasses, “TO Lil’ Ole Never Quit 2000™… TO THE CHIMENEAS OF OLD…TO THE SMOKE!” “

A last, long sip by all.

Now pour tequila over the surface to appease King Chimeneus, and lay a branch of green leaves in the fire to ensure endless smoke.

When John passed-away on July 14, 2013, many of the people, including myself, who’d attended these Chimineas over the years, decided to keep the spirit going by hosting our own parties, on a rotating basis, inviting the original lineup of attendees, along with others who the host deemed worthy. When it came to the party itself, there were only two requirements: there had to be a fire and a commemorative 40 oz bottle of King Cobra malt liquor had to be passed from the previous host to the next host, signing it along the way. (The reason for the bottle of King Cobra was based-on the fact that, during a gathering following John’s divorce, a 40 oz bottle of King Cobra was placed on the electric meter on the back of his house, and it stayed there, undisturbed and undamaged, through the worst of Ohio’s weather for over a decade. Its location essentially made it a part of his Chimineas and a de facto mascot of the proceedings to many of the attendees.)

When it came to the parties that I hosted, I added a theme: Los Guardianes de la Llama.

While the theme’s title probably would’ve been better as “Los Guardianes del Fuego” the sentiment amounted to the attendees carrying and cultivating the fire that John started at the original Chimineas. The mascot of my theme was a luchador named “El Fénix” who was John himself, rising from the ashes, to attend the party in spirit. Among the volumes of things that he loved, I knew he was a fan of Mexican wresting, the New York Jets and stylish sneakers, so El Fénix combined all of those elements in a firey motif.

While the parties are no more, the spirit of John Puglia lives on for me in El Fénix. As part of my Roaming Stones project, I’ve created a trio of El Fénix themed stones, but I don’t think they’ll be the last we see of him around here.

It’s been 10 long years since John left us and the world has been a dimmer place because of it.

Rest in peace, my friend.