Here lies Kenneth Keith Kallenbach, the man who brought the Delco Burnout/Hessian archetype to a national audience, and yea, our collective regional shame. And although seeing Kenneth play on a national level definitely always provided us with deep discomfort — it was not unlike having your family’s dirty laundry aired in the media — there was never any denying that there was something deeply lovable about the dude. Kenneth’s signature bit, of course, was having the unique talent to blow smoke out of his eyeballs. Thinking about it now, there may be no better metaphor for those of us hemmed in by circumstance and trying with everything we’ve got to rise above it; you could say that Kenneth’s dreams outstripped his talent or station in life, but the power of those dreams was so forceful that it could, on command, allow smoke to shoot out of his very visage. Or maybe it was just something he figured out how to do when he wasted. Either way, Kenneth passed away this weekend in a DelCo jail awaiting trial for allegedly trying to pick up a retarded woman on the side of the road. We don’t know about any of that, but we do know this: Kenneth, you will work it all out with your maker. And for once, there’s good news: He’s got beers.
Inky: KKK In The USA

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 10:50 am.