Break off a piece of a baguette, smear butter all over it – THICK – maybe a piece of St Andre and dark chocolate, a coffee with cream and 2 sugars – SIMPLE – a moment… an action… doesn’t seem like much but through the eyes of Richard… “This was perfect!” and this was PURE JOY.

Richard was a POP culture guru.
He gave me an education in everything from Christo to Hendrix.

A few years back Richard and I went to the AGO to see a Yoko Ono exhibit. There was a crisp green apple sitting on a clear plastic cube. Richard rolled back and forth in his chair going “Yeah! Yeah! Cool… Cool. That’s it!” It took me a minute before I saw what Richard saw. Richard like the apple did not just think outside the box. – he LIVED outside the box.

Richard was not just giving me an education in POP culture – he was showing me through his actions how to LIVE.

AS WE ALL KNOW, sometimes Richard could be opinionated and abrupt but he was also a FEELER. He always knew when he had hurt your feelings… but it wasn’t really his style to say he was sorry.
Instead, some time would pass and he would roll the wheel chair over to the stereo and put on something that would say what he couldn’t. In my case it was often River by Joni Mitchell – which we both loved.
When things were really bad one day – you have to remember that I was 17 at the time – CRINGING he played ABBA’s Dancing Queen.
A HUGE sacrifice on his part which made us both laugh out loud…
REALLY HARD.

Richard loved like a mother loves a child, ate like there was not a bad flavor in the world and laughed like he might never laugh again.

Richard you are “On The Road” again… maybe back to California with Kerouac.

It’s still the beat generation!
You soaked it into your core and YOU MOVED TO YOUR OWN BEAT.
It was the beat of YOUR HEART.
It, in fact, was the beat to keep!
And we all knew it.

Richard you were the REVOLUTION!
And for that we are all grateful.

-Candace