Rocker David Thomas, 71, died on April 23. The singer (and occasional guitarist/trombonist) belonged to the “proto punk” (or “post-punk,” your choice) bands Rocket from the Tombs and Pere Ubu, also performing solo and with other artists, including the revolving-cast Accordion Club. Thomas also performed onstage, appearing in a West End production of Shockheaded Peter (you must read the original book—hilarious and terrifying! I am still scared of the “great, long, red-legged scissor-man”). For a punk, Thomas could be wonderfully mischievous. He once said that “Somewhere along the line, I wrote a song that had birds in it. And then by pure coincidence, another. Some critic asked, ‘Why all these songs about birds?’ And I said to myself, ‘You think that's a lot of songs about birds?!? I'll show you a lot of songs about birds!’ So, for a while, I stuck birds in everywhere I could.”
David Thomas sings (and shouts and whispers) “Birdies” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByNZnjvnFsA
