Drummer Jerry Clyde Paradis Dies
More sad news to report this week as yet another rocker has left us. Former Gates of Slumber and Sourvein drummer J. Jerry Clyde Paradis passed away on Aug. 13 “suddenly and peacefully” according to a crowdfunding page established to cover expenses including cremation and a headstone at a cemetery plot.
Paradis was credited with playing drums on sludge outfit Sourvein’s Ghetto Angel EP as well as guitars on the Imperial Bastard EP, both released in 2008. Noted for his skills behind the kit, playing slow, plodding tempos, he also bashed the skins on new age cult doom legends the Gates of Slumber’s final record, The Wretch. Frontman Karl Simon penned a lighthearted tribute to his fallen former bandmate, releasing the following statement on the Gates of Slumber Facebook page:
Well after a couple of days and more than a few jokes at your expense, Clyde. You shifty old thing, it starts to sink in that I’m not going to see you again in this life and that’s sad. I can’t and don’t want to church it up folks. Clyde was a g–damn wild-man. His existence could be called a macro-aggression, the true product of 80’s Hardcore. And it would pain him to know that it wasn’t his “cool” that endeared him to me. It was his skill as a drummer that I’ll miss: his flawless time and feel made me love his sketchy ass. Dude could play. Sadly metal is a game where if you aren’t wearing out every measure with excess bulls–t somehow you aren’t playing. Clyde understood the power of minimalism – we bonded on that and it was that aesthetic that allowed The Gates of Slumber to write and record one of the things I’m most proud of in my life: The Wretch. You don’t meet too many people like him anymore and that too is sad. His kind is dying out. What does one say about a dude like that? He couldn’t drink at all but the two and a half beers he did drink before passing out were fun. Believe me when I tell you that a–hole is in Hell now and he’s currently stressing Old Nick the with his endless line of bulls–t and wheedling.
Just do me one favor ok? Keep the blubbering to a minimum, because that was not his style. The only time he ever showed anything I’d call sentiment is when he was thinking about his old German Shepard Guinness. So wipe the tears because he’d have just laughed in your face. Crank up some Van Halen. Drink a beer and a half and pass out. And try to cook up a get rich quick scheme in the man’s honor!
– Karl
As the YouCaring crowdfunding campaign notes, “Cool Clyde” has no surviving parents nor any siblings or children. A goal of $5000 has been set and any leftover money will be donated to animal rescue and the Southeast German Shepherd Rescue Fund, a noted favorite of Paradis. Fans can make a donation here.
Paradis was most recently a member of Graveyard Rodeo, one of New Orleans’ oldest heavy music outfits, initially formed in 1979. The drummer joined the group in 2013 and was not featured on any recorded releases.
We send our deepest condolences to all those who knew Cool Clyde.