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TO: WES BERGGREN by Jeff Callaway ever so often |
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I remember Wes and the gang riding baritone saxophone cases down the hall, seeing how fast they could go at a band solo and ensemble contest. They'd crash it into the wall and all fall over laughing. I remember Wes and the gang playing “Louie Louie” in the band hall whenever they had nothing better to do, and it put everyone around them in high spirits. At our Junior Prom, Wes was chosen as a Sophomore Prom Host and had to serve the food and drink. He peed in the punch, and was nice enough to only tell about five of us what he did, me included. I remember the Chinese fire drills we'd do during lunch. I remember in Jazz band, we'd trade instruments and I'd play his Sax and he'd play my clarinet. I remember once, I had to give an induction speech at a National Honor Society banquet, and I forgot my lines and panicked. It was when I made eye contact with Wes and he made a silly face at me that I calmed down and remembered what I had to say. Wes was so likeable that sometimes it was hard to take him seriously as a drum major. I was the over-achiever in high school, so at practice, I'd make my squad stand at attention with their eyes on the drum majors, and Wes would always give me a wink to show his approval. My memories of Wes are good. He was very pure then, the Wes I remember. He signed in my yearbook, “To a VERY VERY great-looking girl who is incredibly sweet. You're very fun to be around because of your unique sense of humor. Please stay nice. Love you, Wes.” It's true that he liked kind-hearted folks…I was one of them and would have done anything for the guy. After high school, we had a few fun times swimming in Cedar Creek Lake , and then came the Tripping Daisy days. I can't tell you how proud I was of Wes. I just oozed pride. I was dating a guy going to Iowa State University , now my husband, and I'd told him all about Wes. One weekend, Tripping Daisy was up at Iowa State doing a concert, and my boyfriend walked up to him after the concert and told him I'd told him all about Wes and Tripping Daisy. Wes sat and talked to Dennis for quite a while about the fun times we had in high school, and Dennis was impressed that someone who'd become such a success would sit and take the time to talk about old friends. What a great friend Wes was. I saw Wes about 2 years before he died when Tripping Daisy played a free concert at Bill's Records in Dallas . I sat and videotaped the whole thing, mostly zooming in on my dear friend Wes. We joked and talked afterwards, and when I got home I realized that I forgot to ask him to sign my album cover. But hey, talking to Wes was much more fun than just asking for his autograph! The last time I saw Wes was in October of 1996 at our friend Brian's wedding. He tapped me on the shoulder at the church and I was shocked that he'd taken the time to come. He looked fantastic, and it was that night that I got that last great hug from Wes. The hug that I'll never forget and miss forever. I was shocked and saddened at the news of his death, and boy was I angry. Angry that he wasn't with us anymore, angry that this wasn't just the loss of a good man, but the loss of a great talent, such a smart guy, and more than anything, a fantastic friend. I wanted to see Wes continue to grow in his career and become and even bigger celebrity. I didn't know the Wes of the later ‘90s like I knew the innocent Wes of high school years, and it's hard for me to fathom his death because of that. As angry as I am, I do and always will miss my special friend, and I can't wait for one of his incredible hugs when I get to Heaven. Laura Clements Hamann |
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| First, I'd like to say that I never really have gotten over his death. I think it is lack of closure. I don't know where he's buried, so I can't go to say goodbye. A few years later, Steven Lookabaugh (did you guys know him? I think he was even related to Rodger), died as well, and that was a hard hit, and made me think of Wes... In '92 a dear friend of mine died as well, so Wes was the second, and Steven the third. This past Summer, within a week, my husband's grandfather (cancer), my dog (heart attack), my ex-husband (heart attack) and one of my closest friends (suicide) all died. Then in December, another friend died from brain cancer. Feeling I'm too young to have this many young loved ones die, I started keeping a diary, and have recently made a "memorial poster" which meant finding pictures of Wes. I tried to find Rodge to request some, and found a phone number in Austin; but it wasn't his anymore, I think. I haven't seen Rodger since a time when Tripping Daisy played Trees in around '95. Anyway... that's how I found your site. So, with all the memories cropping up again, I'll share a couple of them with you... The First time I met Wes: I had known of Wes because of track. Pole vaulting had never been so popular among girls before the blonde one started competing. I had gone down to see what all the fuss was about... and there was Wes. So, when I ended up behind him in line at a football game concession in 1988 (since he was drum major and I was in flags, we both had third quarter off), I recognized him. I said, "You're Wes Berggren, aren't you?" He said, "yes." I said, "Why is your hair in a bun?" He said, "Because it's not allowed to touch my collar." And that's the day I decided there was nobody like Wes Berggren. After he graduated, I sort of lost him. When I started at U.N.T. in Fall 1991, I didn't know that he was there. In Fall, 1991, I was sitting on a bench and a guy walked by that looked a lot like Wes. But this guy had short, bobbed brown hair, so I wasn't sure. That was on a Tuesday. The next Thursday, I went and sat on the same bench at the same time. Sure enough, here he came. I timidly said, "Wes?" He turned and said, "Hey!!! What are YOU doing here?" We talked for a while and he said I had to come see his new band, "Tripping Daisy." I thought surely he was making it up. Who would name a band this? But, after all, this was the guy who at LEAST once "answered" the phone without saying a word... then waited until the person on the other end said "hello?" at which point he said, "Yeah, is John there?" They told him he had the wrong number and hung up. They immediately called back, never the wiser. He's also the guy who consistently reversed "hello" and "goodbye" because he said goodbye was a sad word and he wanted to end conversations on a positive note. When I asked about his hair, he said he cut it so he could do "this"...then he proceeded to sort of "head bang" while playing air guitar. It was four years before I saw his "new band." His only statement was "It's about time, don't'cha think?" I don't tend to spend much time with any one person, so the people who I consider close to me are the ones who stay close to my heart even while not being in close contact. There were times we were in touch and times when we weren't... I hadn't spoken to him for 6 months when he died... but Wes never left my heart, and he never will. Now there truly is nobody like Wes Berggren. With all my sympathy, Shana Irwin |
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Tripping daisy was a big part of my high school years I did several homework about the band (which got me good score :) Improving my english by reading articles and retyping the lyrics all the time (Seriously hehe) my mom liked it too because is was all positive and funky. I remember me and my friends jumping with the crowd. dont care its good I just wanted to share these good memories --------------------------- Stephanie de Montreal Qc |
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My best memories of Wes were his hugs. To this day, no one has ever hugged me like Wes always did. Wes didn't just give hugs, he gave full body, tight hugs. And because of that, I took every opportunity I could to hug the guy, mostly at band practice out on the football field or in the band hall in high school. The Wes I knew and loved was the young Wes….funny, creative, talented, smart, unique and full of life. He was always in a crazy mood, a mood that cheered me up when I was down. I did see him somber a few times, but most of the time, he was a very happy guy, and he had no enemies. It seemed everyone at school liked Wes, and he, too, liked everyone and had nothing but nice things to say. He didn't follow trends, he started his own. Not many people were brave enough to do that in our small country school. But that's what made him Wes.