R.I.P Snot...

Wow. I just heard the terrible news that the great Joe Kudla, a.k.a. Thomas Snot, has passed away at the young age of 57. For those who don't know, 'Puke N' Snot' were a staple of the Minnesota Rennaissance Festival for over 30 years, as well as many other festivals around the country.

I was fortunate enough to catch their act many times over the years, and it was, in fact, my main motivation to keep going back to a festival that had grown kind of 'same old, same old' in nature. However, the main reason that this news has hit me so hard is that I was privileged to have conducted the very last interview with Puke N' Snot that they ever gave. During the last week of July, I was in contact with Joe's comedy partner and best friend, Mark Sieve (Puke) and had interviewed them for our 'Q&A' section of our paper. It turned out to be the very best interview I've done. Mark was extremely gracious with his time, and their answers were top-notch, smart-ass Puke & Snot material.

I have only just today e-mailed Mark, sending him my condolences and asking him what he would like me to do with the interview. We were literally set to go to press tomorrow morning when I heard the news of Joe's passing. As of right now, I don't know if this interview will ever see the light of day, but I know that I plan on writing a tribute to Joe Kudla in my 'Community Comment' column for this next issue. Please head over to:

www.pukensnot.com

to post your comments and memories of one of the all time greats. Joe will definitely be missed, and the MN Renfest will never be the same. But, for all that, Mark has insisted the show will go on, as Snot would have wanted. This is what Mark had to say on his blog:

"Phone calls have been coming in from around the country, I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words in remembering my best friend. We'll all get together when the time is right and send him off in a way he would approve, I'm talking large amounts of your favorite brew and stories no one would believe. Don't miss it. More later."

Fare thee well, good Sir Snot. We shall miss thee...