Friday, October 23, 2009

Rest in Peace Anne Winter

IMG_4073
Anne at a Culture Under Fire Event at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City Missouri, August 1991

IMG_4077
I remember this event was actually rained out. It was one of many that Anne hosted, or had a big part in. Even though the rain precluded the use of a stage and pa system, parts of the event still went on, including accoustic music and painting. Anne can be seen in the background in the yellow shirt.

IMG_4049
Memorial in front of YJ's...

In December 2004, David Ford had an art opening that was part performance piece, in which Anne and her kids participated. I know the video is about 40 minutes long, but she is somewhere at about 8ish. You can hear her in the background talking about her kids school as well as see her in the piece.

My experience with the local diy underground music scene basically began one night in 1988 when I was spinning the dial of my stereo looking desperately for something different in the wasteland of the Kansas City radio station pickings.  I tuned in to a song that I'd never heard before.  I'd like to think it was "Holiday in Cambodia' by the Dead Kennedy's, it was probably something different, but that is what sticks out in my mind.  I listened to that song with excitement and interest... it was followed by another song, then another, then a female voice -- not polished like all the other DJ's on the radio, but it was nice -- like a friend who had just invited you down to her basement to listen to a home made tape.  It was Anne Winter doing the Orphan Annie show on KKFI.  I had discovered the left end of the dial and a beacon of something different.  It is interesting to see how one person can touch so many.  As I was thinking of what to say in light of Anne's passing, I began examining my experiences with the Kansas City area music and arts scene over the past 20 odd years.  Almost every aspect of it was touched by Anne Winter in some way.  To find out what was going on and to break out of my cocoon, I started listening to KKFI, and heard for the first time in 1988, the Orphan Annie show.  I went to the KKFI first birthday party at the Foundry, in March 1988.  The Foundry was a co-op gallery sort of place that was run in part by her husband, Kurt.  I went to a big outdoor Artists for Amnesty event at Volker Park in 1989 -- Anne was running that.  Every trip to Kansas City from rural Missouri wasn't complete without a stop to her store.  Often I could find out exactly what was happening in the Kansas City area from a trip there.  I'd visit and collect flyers from the shelves which were right next to the front door.  I could talk to Anne or one of her knowledgeable workers, who were usually playing in one or two of the bands that were playing about.


Blog Archive