Tim Haslett

By DAVID DAY

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News spread quickly throughout the Boston music community last week that local music maven Tim Haslett was found dead in his apartment in East Lansing, Michigan. Haslett was working on his doctorate in African-American Studies at Michigan State University and a recent hospital stay left Haslett nearly incapacitated. An accidental overdose of medication led to his untimely demise.

Haslett was without a doubt one of the most important figures in the history of the Boston music scene. He had worked at nearly every Boston record store, wrote for CMJ and Rockpool, DJed at WZBC and area clubs, and influenced an endless expanse of local luminaries to focus on the music of struggle and solitude. Haslett was an intellectual to be sure—having studied at Brandeis, Oxford and NYU—but his lasting impact was palpable at his memorial service Friday, March 21st at the Friends Meeting outside of Harvard Square. "The closest my brother ever came to ritual," remarked Adam Haslett in his opening eulogy, "was microwaving a burrito around the same time every night." Friends and family shared anecdotes about the genius to a crowd which included a good number of local rock, hip-hop, house and dub followers. And despite the weight of the service, Haslett's superior sense of humor permeated the proceedings.

On Monday night, the folks at the Beat Research club night at the Enormous Room opened their doors for a tribute as well, allowing DJs and others influenced by Haslett to come and play records he had convinced them to love. The room was nearly overflowing with tributes.

The week, while filled with grief and sorrow, turned into a celebration of a life—a gentle life that gave people inspiration to continue the struggle. In the end, Haslett had inspired the entirety of the music scene in Boston ... and beyond.