DON FUCKING STEELE (1971-2009)
by Charles Gonzalez
San Francisco lost a giant in the cultural and music scene this weekend when Don Steele tragically passed away. Things will not be the same without this man’s awesome presence and incredible vibe.
Not only was he the glue that held so many people together in what is often a transitory cultural and social scene, but he was an extraordinarily talented musician, songwriter, and DJ whose performances were both spectacular and historical and who perfected the constant celebration of life.
Don was a graduate of Chico State where he was part of the music scene around the Mother Hips (whom he lived with) and during which time he led the band Pitchfork Tuning. He was a veteran of countless gigs and gatherings. In San Francisco he played in bands including Local Stars and De Vez En Quando.
His energy and love inspired many and Don epitomized “cool” like no other. Words cannot describe the loss.
Don Steele will be remembered.
A memorial gathering to celebrate his life takes place tonight, Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 7 p.m. at The Verdi Club located at 2424 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-1423.
If you can, please come out and pay your respects.
–Charles Gonzalez
As It Ought To Be 
beautiful chuck…i am so sorry.
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This is great – thanks for putting this together. We’re really gonna miss that guy.
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What happened?
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Beautiful, Chuck.
A cool snippet or three from the life of the coolest guy I knew. The crush at his memorial was a testament to the impact this had on so many people, so many communities here in SF and worldwide. For those of you who never had the sheer unadulterated pleasure of having known or met the man, words simply fail to do him justice. My life is so much better for having known and loved him. The loss is just incalculable. DFS forever.
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DFS forever, indeed. Lovely article…I will never tire of watching his many videos. Gems he left to show us of how he lived and loved his life. And a constant reminder as to how we should all be a little more like Don Fucking Steele.
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Steeley Don, know this. I will get all of the videos I have taken of you up on the web for your friends to enjoy again. We will miss you. -Dh
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Unbelievable… what a great guy and a sad loss. Pitchfork Tuning gigs were some of my most memorable in those old Chico days. Cheers to to Don.
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R.I.P. DFS!
You will always be a big part of my early Chico days memories!
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I am stunned as I am just finding this out now by getting a bounce-back from the apple server…I knew something was wrong. I met Don while we both spent a year in school in Florida(1997). We started a band called The Slowly Rubbings (http://www.myspace.com/theslowlyrubbings) and successfully faked being a jazz/lounge band for a year. I think Don had been playing his silver Sax for about a year at that point, but he was fearless.We even got nominated for a Music Award, which we lost(rightly) to Sam Rivers. Don actually had be-friended Sam and was trading him Mac tech support for Sax “lessons”. He came out solo to my wedding in NJ last year not knowing anybody, and by the end of the night, the afterparty was in his room. But that will come as no surprise. I loved Don. We kept in touch just enough over the past 10+ years so we never slipped completely out of each others lives. And I cherished that. I will truly miss you Don and while I wish we had more time together, I am grateful for the good times we did have. There were many.
Could anyone with memorial info please contact me at mqsack@gmail.com.
Much love Don….Matt
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The Man of Steele, a deep and imposing presence. You will be missed.
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