Leaving Normal: Boy Punisher / Naked Butterfly
Boy, one of the early pioneers of the local underground music scene, guitarist for Punisher and later on, Naked Butterfly, died today, Sunday July 30th. I got a flurry of calls and sms-es at around 7 PM. A bunch of old friends who went to visit his wife and children in Cheras tonight said that he died after being electrocuted at home. It was not clear whether it happened this morning or later, but apparently he was trying to fix some light fixtures in the house.
Boy and his older brother Karim (as members of pioneering thrash metal band Punisher) were central figures in the early days of the local underground, especially during the mid to late-80s when the scene was just a bunch of guys hanging out at the Central Market, organising their own gigs and building an independent musical scene far removed from the mainstream. When the band split-up later with singer Rosdan moving to Denmark, Boy moved on with Naked Butterfly, playing a mixture of funk, metal & rock, in the veins of Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Naked Butterfly released an album in 1995, did a small tour playing Kuantan, Alor Star and Penang but soon after started to disintegrate. The last time I saw Boy onstage was when both Naked Butterfly & Punisher reformed to grace the I Thrash Therefore I Am stage on August 1st 2004. It was a reunion of sorts, when long gone bands such as Infectious Maggots, Silent Death, Nemesis, The Pilgrims and my own band Carburetor Dung (all old friends from the Central Market days) got together and performed to about 1,000 people.
Boy left a wife and a couple of kids. And a lot of friends who will dearly miss him. Condolences to the family and friends.
Al Fatihah!
Al-Fatihah.
Only met him once or twice.
My condolences to his family.
Just got back from the funeral. Most of the “old guards” were there, some greying at the temples. funny how we only come together and meet when this sort of thing happens. It was good meeting them though – some were members of Maggots, Sil-Khannaz, Nemesis, Flop Poppy, Naked Buttterfly, Stone Crowe, Assault, Kitanaichi, etc. Many could not make it due to work and other commitments but we had a lot calls and sms-es from all over.
Boy was buried on a hilly cemetery, with his plot high up at the top. I can’t help thinking that it’s a good view from there. It was getting quite emotional around the end of the ceremony but as my grandma told me once, “Don’t cry, let them go in peace.”
By the way Boy was in his mid-30s and he left 4 kids, the youngest only 2-months old.
hi joe kidd… i think maybe u know me, maybe not…
i am sam kitanaichi’s wife…
saja nak add something here related to ur entry. allahyarham boy terkena electrick shock di rumahnya sendiri sblom masuk waktu maghrib semalam. menurut watie (isteri arwah), beliau sendiri yang menyuruh watie menekan suis lampu tersebut dan kemudiannya menjerit sblom rebah.
ini sesuatu yg sangat mengejutkan saya, sbb baru je bertemu dengan arwah kira2 2 minggu lepas di alpha angle bersama isteri dan anak-anaknya. arwah nampak hepi sgt dapat berjumpa saya dan sam. dia sempat bermain-main dgn fenriz, memeluknya dan berpesan byk kali supaya kami singgah ke rumahnya.
kesempatan bertemu isteri arwah malam semalam, dan melihat anak kecilnya yg tak mengerti apa-apa, membuatkan saya tidak kuat. spatutnya saya dtg memberi kekuatan kepada isterinya, tetapi saya tunduk pada perasaan sendiri. tidak mampu.
al-fatihah utk arwah~
smoga rohnya di cucuri rahmat…
al fatihah
moga Allah mletakkn rohnya dkalangan org2 yg briman- Amin
takziah.
al fatihah
joe…maybe it’s too late but i’ve just read this! (after years of leaving the underground scene) ..i still remember arwah brought me the voivod tee shirt at pertama complex which was air-brushed by rosdan.. really a nice guy.
Hey Nizam, it’s never too late. Thanks for writing in. Os and me was talking about doing a tribute to Boy, with the money going to his family. But lets see whether it will happen.
Thanks again.
Al-Fatihah… may he rest in Peace…
May Allah put him together with rest of good Muslim… Amin
Takziah to arwah Family