From the Washington City Paper (via The Daily Swarm):
John Hansen, a longtime fixture of D.C.’s punk scene known for his pranksterish joie de vivre, who spent much of the ’80s as the roadie, soundman, and then the guitarist of The Slickee Boys, died last Friday [September 17]. Hansen took his own life, according to his sister, Christine Hansen Martin. He was 47.
Hansen was 16 when he began working for The Slickee Boys around 1979—he had dropped out of high school along with his friend and future brother-in-law Seth Martin, who was then working sound for the early punk and new wave act. Hansen toured with The Slickee Boys throughout the ’80s, and when rhythm guitarist Kim Kane left the group in 1988, Hansen took his place until the band broke up in 1991.
“He was kind of like the embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll,” says Marshall Keith, The Slickee Boys’ guitarist. “He was the powerful person in the club who always got things going.”
• The Slickee Boys: http://www.myspace.com/slickeeboys
