Main Sandy West Thoughts Thread

[Shades Of Gray]

Sandy West. One of the best drummers to walk the earth. I'm speechless really. I can not put into wordS the loss i feel by her passing. She was one of kind and i will hold a place in my heart for her always.

WE LOVE YOU & MISS YOU SANDY

YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

[Jett Ford]

I was seven years old in 1977. My folks worked on Saturdays, and they would drop me off at my cousin's house. Tina, my cousin, was 18 at the time, played a gibson guitar, and listened to rock and roll. She plopped me down on the floor, put the album jacket to "Queens of Noise" in my lap, and put on the record.
I was hooked. At seven years old.
I specifically remember pointing to the girl on the far right of the cover, hanging back off the pole, and said "i like THAT one!!!"
This went on, Saturday after Saturday, I'd listen in Tina's room to the first two albums, comb through CREEM and Circus magazines (not the mention the Crawdaddy issue I wanted her to give to me so badly) and dream about what the band must be like. My cousin and I would trade off opinions about songs, albums, members. We'd list our favorites in order, they'd always change, but for me as a kid, Sandy West was always number one.
Then "Waitin' for the Night" came out, and I'd stare at the cover for hours, wondering what happened to Jackie and Cherie, studying the "new girl" with the little star tattoo on her wrist, and loving that record so much.
From that year, 1977 to now, I've never lost momentum in my fierce love and passion for The Runaways. They were always my special secret, my special friends. Anyone close to me always knew of my obsession with them, and to this day I'll bump into an old friend, and they'll say something like "do you still love The Runaways"?

With all of that said, I still cannot get over the loss of whom I felt was a dear friend, even though I'd never gotten to meet her. My original inspiration, and one I'd always rooted for and dreamed along with over almost 30 years.
It is my hope that she is at blissful peace, an even bigger part of all of our spirits. May she rest in peace.