I attended KD Studio with Wes and always remember him as a guy you could joke and laugh with.  We all took a camping trip one weekend; David Hunt, Mark McConnell, Frank Mendez, Tim Me and Wes.  We drank shitloads and then made a horror movie.  I got sacrificed…to what I don't know.  We then sat around the campfire and just told stories and laughed.  I was so happy for him when Tripping Daisy was moving up, I went to many shows.  I am saddened by his loss but smile at his memory…

David Michie

NOCUSH
William “the bone” Truly

Hello, my name is Alison.
I live in Berlin, Germany, but am an american by birth. I spent my college years in San Antonio,TX, where I discovered your late son´s band "Tripping Daisy". I loved their music and bought the then popular album "I am an elastic firecracker". When I brought it back home with me, I sort of caused a hit with my friends and "I got a girl" became our anthem.

I remember how excited I was when I discovered that Tripping Daisy was coming to Berlin, even without being popular in Germany (this was either `95 or `96). my friends and I went, it was a tiny club, hardly 30 people showed up, but I was thrilled nonetheless. I sang along with every song and the band gave their all, eventhough you could have called that evening a horrible failure because of hardly anyone showing up.

After the show was over I hung around, because this would be my only chance to ever talk to them. Everyone pretty much stormed into the bus, but Wes actually paused when I said hi. He looked at me and smiled and said:"Yeah, you´re the girl that knew our songs". We got into a long conversation, and with me being partly texan, there was a lot to talk about. I remember how really genuinly nice he was, how excited about his music, the tour (even though it wasn´t succesfull) and how he was interested in what an american like me was doing in Germany. I told him that I was going to school to become a dental-hygienist, and he told me(as far as I can still remember), that his mother was a dental-hygienist too, and how he knew all about that profession. I will never forget his sweetness and honest interest. He took time to talk to me and until today, I remembered that little episode with a big smile. This evening I was watching "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" and I noticed some music, that I really liked.

When I read that it was from "The Polyphonic Spree", I remembered that two years ago, I had heard about it and I had recognized Tim Delaughter being the band leader. So unknowingly I looked it up on the Internet, also looking up Tripping Daisy.

Living in Germany where the band wasn´t popular I missed out on some of the news concerning certain bands. While I was looking, I immediately remembered the nice encounter I had had with Wes. I was so very shocked and saddened, when I just now read of his death. I had to start crying and I must tell you how very sorry I am that this great guy had to leave so soon. I know, I only got a glimpse of him, but I want you to know, that your son has left a lasting impression on me, and even after the band fell apart, I remembered Wes Berggren very vividly.

To this day, in my little ancient adress book, that is tattered and falling apart, I keep his little note with the adress and I will never lose it as long as I can keep this book together.

My thoughts and prayers go out to you, his family, and after almost seven years I still know that you will appreciate my little story. I have a little son (5 yrs old) now, and I can imagine how very terrible his loss must have been for you.

With all my love and sympathy,
Alison Smith
Berlin, Germany

EdgeFest 1994 in Dallas TX was my first concert and my first date with a guy named Justin. I was the preppy little chic that no one from "his" looked at, talked to, much less dated. I was so happy and so scared the day my Mom dropped me off at the Burger King where I was supposed to meet up with him! So we get there and I get a bottle of Zima, get stoned off the second hand pot smoke, and watch everyone I go to school with get high.... I was the greatest day of my life, especially when my skinny little butt went down to the moss pit and promptly got thrown up into the air as Tripping Daisy is playing blown away. And I was so totally blown away and still am when I think about it. Its been 11 years ago but it seems like yesterday I was floating on my back atop a sea of people, experiencing life, and I think now what I thought then God our time here is short but this moment in time was worth it! I just wanted the rest of you to know what I know, Wes will be missed, but God his time here was so worth it. So thanks for helping this chic turn into the crazy woman I am now, because if it wasn't for that moment I would not be who I am today.

Keri B

As foolish as I feel for not knowing for so long that he was gone… I am so glad that I am able to tell my story about him!  What an amazing guy!  I was in high school when Tripping Daisy got popular.  The first time I heard “My Umbrella” I about fell over.  I was like…” this is a band that I must find out about” and I did.  They came to Chicago a little bit after that and I went with my friends.  The Metro downtown has a backstage door that goes through the record store next door.  We went in the store and begged the guy to let us in. He laughed.  We stayed and got really insistent and annoying.  They came out.  Wes was my favorite.  We talked and I was a bit star struck.  They told us to come around the back and we helped them load the van.  Wes gave me the flannel he was wearing and I gave him my toothbrush!  I still have it.  Never washed it actually.  I am glad that I kept it.  That was one of the greatest days of my life and it was because of your son.  So anyways, we put like 2 things in the van!  Wes told me that there was a signing at a local record store and that we should come.  We skipped school and drove downtown.  We talked to them for over an hour and they signed our “Bill” shirts.  We took pictures that I cherish to this day.  They came into town one more time and that time they let us backstage for the show.  We didn't get to see them much and things were not as personal as they were when no one knew who they were, but it was still incredible.  Imagine being in high school and being able to tell everyone in the world that you hang out with “Tripping Daisy”.  They told us about “Trees” and I was just an amazing experience and I would not trade it for the world.  I am honored to have known him and even more honored to be able to send this to you.  I hope it goes through.  Imagine my surprise when my mom and I are watching “Las Vegas” and I see Tim.  I am like “Holy Shit…that really sounds like Tripping Daisy”… “Holy Shit… That is Tim”  I am thinking that I will see Wes and Mark.  My mom was reading her people magazine and found a picture of Tim.  That confirmed my suspicions.  It was him.  She looked on the website and that is when I got the knife through my heart that Wes had left us for a better place.  I cried for a long time and just couldn't believe it.  I found out what had happened and that was the most devastating.  See, the reason I never found out, was because I got into heroin when I went away to college and got into a different scene and, though I still listened to my T.D. albums, I didn't ever follow up with what was happening.  I am so sorry that I didn't know and that I couldn't have sent this to you 5 years ago.  Five years ago, I was just moving home and going through rehab.  The hardest thing I have ever done, but the easiest at the same time.  Anyways, enough about me.  I just want to thank you for raising a son that cared about punk rock teenagers like me when they were all big and famous.  All four of them were amazing to us and I will never forget Wes.  He made an impression on me that will never leave.  I am glad to see that Polyphonic Spree has Tim and Mark and that Wes lives on in memory.  Thank you for a wonderful person that truly cared about others and changed my life forever.  I hope that this finds you well and always remember… he was amazing in life…and in death.  Thanks so much and may you all have the wonderful holiday season that you all so truly deserve.

Brooke Lawler

He's Out There... Somewhere

I knew Wes and his brother Andy from their days in the Cedar Creek Lake area. I was in the eighth grade when I met Andy. I met Wes soon afterwards. We all were in the high school band together and I saw Wes "do his thing" first hand. I'll never forget the time when we were preparing for the high school talent show and Wes sat down at the auditorium piano. It was out of tune and hard to play, but there he was playing "Home Sweet Home" before folks started taking notice. He then proceded to take requests. He was always the consumate entertainer.

Later on in high school, I was privileged to play with him in a talent show at a local dive. I don't know how he found out about the show, but Wes definitely wanted to play there. He put together a series of rehearsals at his house and other places around the lake. He called us the "Pinheads," the name borrowed from Marty McFly's band from the talent show in "Back to the Future." I guess I was the only guy he knew that played the drums. He also wanted me to sing somehow, but I couldn't sing AND play drums at the same time. It turns out we did a Beastie Boyz song, which wasn't a good idea, considering the venue. But, since we didn't have another drummer or singer, that was all we were capable of at the time. I never heard how we did, and that may be a good thing. We were a bunch of chumps on stage with a bonafide star. Even then, I felt like Wes would be going places and I wasn't alone. The whole area was beginning to take notice.

Andy and I graduated from high school that year and Wes had two more years to go. While off at college, I stayed in touch with friends at home. After my year away from home, I ran into Wes at the high school band hall. It wasn't long before he pulled out his guitar and began to show me how he had grown on the instrument over the year. I couldn't believe what I saw and heard. He was already talking about UNT. I wasn't surprised. Sadly, that would be the last time I ever saw Wes Berggren. It was 1988.

I followed Wes' path through the years, with the help of friends. I followed the success of Tripping Daisy, but had no idea how successful they were. One night, I was channel surfing and I came across a video bearing his face. It was the "I Got A Girl" video. I woke up the whole house. Wes was big-time! I was in the middle of being married and raising kids, so I was often distracted when TD would come to town. I often wish now that I had made it to a show when I had the chance. When I heard Wes had died, I was sad and depressed because I had not seen Wes or any of his family in so many years.

Sometime after the memorial service had passed, I heard the song "Shooting Star" on the radio. I had always liked the song, but when I heard the line: "When the wind blows, you can still hear him play..." I fell apart. But, as I listened to Wes play again and again on the Tripping Daisy CD's, I couldn't help but feel that he's very much alive. It's as if he's just gone away and we don't know where he is. It would be just like him to be waiting around the corner for the opportunity to jump out and scare the crap out of some unsuspecting soul. I like to think he's out there somewhere laughing and looking for a good time. Knowing Wes, he is.

Joel Knox
High school classmate/bandmate