June 29, 2006

Paul, tried the trackback and couldn't get it to work. Sent a note earlier but I see it didn't make it up. Here is the link to the post about Rob on my site:
The Friends We'll Never Meet.
I'll be back in later to check on y'all...

Who would have thought I'd be the first past the post.

Has everybody read "The New Guy?"

Lamont

I'll always remember Rob's "take-no-prisoners" attitude about life. I'd like to think he's helped me start to adopt the same quality. Life is too damn short to be unhappy and wallowing in your sorrow. If you can do something about it, do it. Don't wait for tomorrow; you aren't guaranteed one!

RIP Acidman - you'll be greatly missed!!!

The Man Had His Shit In One Sock. God Bless, And RIP Acidman

I really enjoyed Rob's blog - read it almost every day. Funny how drawn you are to someone so honest and entertaining. I had a great visit/chat with him when my brother and I went to the Mike Cross show at Randy Wood's guitar shop last September. It was too cold to continue talking as long as we would have liked, but it was a great show and a fine memory of Rob. Thanks for all of it, Rob...

Gut Rumbles was the first blog I read on a regular basis and pushed me into starting my own so I could leave a site url when I made comments. I met Rob and Dave at the wrekyll in jekyll; Rob promised to play my favorite song 'House of the Rising Sun' and he and Dave did a wonderful job of it! When I found out I had cancer, Rob was one of the first to send me an email and tell me I could beat it, and so far I have. We only met face to face once, but we 'talked' every day through blogging. I'll miss him,,,

While Acidman and I often disagreed, I always found common ground with two of his oft-repeated convictions: most social reform is in fact the tyranny of the governing classes, and claims to be speaking for the creator of the universe are, at worst, fraud and, at best superstition. He maintained these views against almost the entire population of the planet. He was right to do so, as lonely as it must have been.

I think it might be interesting for us to try and post one word that we think of when we think "acidman"

whether he loved something or hated it he was

passionate.

Love u Rob...

Forever...............

Hello out there in the real world (if you aren't in the real world, please disregard this life).

Rob was my Blog-Granpa, since one of his many illegitimate blog-progeny is Jim at Smoke on the Water and I am Jim's illegitimate blog-son.

Bastards, all of us.

Mean, ornery bastards part of the time, but in times like these we stop and put on our best bib and tucker and pay homage to a great man.

By the standards of the artificial world, which has no culture, Rob meant nothing, deserved nothing, died for nothing.

By the standards of MY world, and Rob's world, and the world of those who are about to stand and fight to save this culture from the Artificials, he was a great leader.

He led by thought, and he expressed his thoughts very well in writing. Some of those thoughts we offensive to many, BUT NOT ONE OF THOSE THOUGHTS WAS EVER A LIE.

Rest in Peace, Blog-Granpa, your fight is over.

To the rest of Rob's world that read my humble tribute, be well advised that we now have a harder row to hoe without Rob.

Our best tribute to Rob is to keep fighting for the culture, keep telling it like it REALLY is, and damn the political torpedoes.

Good-bye, old friend.

Rivrdog

Whenever life got to be too much for me, I could always come here and know that not only had Rob been there, done that, but that he overcame it magnificently. Acidman, rest in peace, my brother in spirit. My white cracker ass will crack open a cold one in your honor tonight.

Also, if you haven't read The New Guy post referenced above, you need to. Acidman would have laughed his ass off after reading it, just like I did.

Love you Rob...See you on the other side of the Jordan, ol boy...

Ruth Moran
Bethlehem CT

RIP Rob. You will be missed.

Rob. You were one of a kind and you'll be missed.

Melissa

I stumbled across Gut Rumbles about 3 years ago somehow, when I first began reading blogs, and made it my first daily stop ever since. I'm still in a state of shock. Rob had to be the most interesting person to run a blog I've ever seen, and I'm going to miss his wit tremendously.
I'm glad so many other people seem to feel the same way. He brought me together with a number of other people thru this blog who I'd never have found otherwise, and my daily reading is much enriched for it.
Thanks, Rob.
My sympathy goes out to his family and all the rest of his friends, met & unmet, across the world.
We have lost a giant among men.

-- Tom

Rob and I certainly differed on cats. I like cats fine and don't expect them to rise to the level of dogs. Remember the time that Rob went on vacation and turned the site over to some woman friend who promptly loaded it up with cat photos, cat news, and cat blooging? I think there was even a photo of Rob asleep with a cat on his chest. That was hysterical and Rob took it without changing his opinions about.....women.

Maybe he should have had a dog in residence at the crackerbox.

Rest in peace good Rob. I'm going to miss you.

The writings of Rob's that touched me the most were his descriptions of his life and memories of living in the Savannah area and his various adventures, from long ago hikes in mountain forests, to helping tow a stranger from a bottomless mudpuddle on his favorite dirt road back to the "crackerbox"...I know this road well, and it parallels a 4 lane highway that could just as easily have gotten him home...but in true testament to Rob's spirit, he preferred to take the road less travelled- winding, unpaved, wild and completely out of the boring mainstream...heres hoping that you are now enjoying lots of boiled peanuts, fresh shrimp, great music, and the sound of glorious pouring rain on a tin roof...safe and warm...Goodbye Rob...

Rob, we miss you. Loved your honesty. You were an American original. RIP, brother.

Rob never deleted a comment, to my knowledge, unless he posted a flaming insult to the commenter (and the world) about it, and why.

This looks like a fustercluck, to me, and I'll have none of it, and if you ain't good and drunk by now, piss on ya.

Gut Rumbles was the first blog I began reading regularly back in March of 2003 and as such was one of my inspirations to blog. So he is my blogfather.

I never met Rob and only corresponded with him briefly about the legalities of firearm carry in vehicles in Georgia and to inform him that a blogger convicted of child molestation was on his blogroll.

Rob was an entertaining and irreverent read and wherever he is, is with no doubt laughing his cracker ass off at those folks now posting maudlin remembrances of him

I'm posting my URL in the comments since it keeps kicking it out for being "inappropriate"

blogstudio.com/viewfromthebackwindowofmypickuptruck/

In order to save bandwidth, I'll just leave a link to a post on my blog.

http://gahrie.blogspot.com/2006/06/blogging-community.html

My basic point is that Rob has had a huge impact on thousands of people. The realization of how important he was to me, even though I never met the man was stunning.

Dang, I leave town for a week and this happens. What an unremitting bummer. I'll miss his contributions and wit.

Been reading Acidman for past year, or so. Every work day, without fail.

I liked his refreshing candor. Also, how he could artfully squawk about happenings in a non-pc manner.

I took today off, to remember this person who opened himself up to all of us.

My Boy-Siamese cat is trying to interrupt my typing. He is head butting me and wants my attention. Sort of like Acidman did, with his prose..

I will miss Acidman, and all of those regular commenters, arguing and trying to be involved in Rob's life.

Rest, pain free, Acidman.

Acidman, in one word? He was so good with words, how can I narrow it down to one hundred... or one dozen... or one.

In a recent post, one of his last posts, he wrote about setting up a chicken coop. And the ferocious, mean Big Red that used to live with him. Wild times in that chicken coop, and good stuff for city folk to read.

Thank you, Rob, for the laughs and for the lessons on life. Your words and wisdom will be favorite Internet reading for generations to come!

"Memories, they can't be bought..." thanks of the souvenirs Rob. My thoughts and prayers to your family.
RIP,
Chuck

Bane, sorry you feel that way, but Rob did, in fact delete comments when he felt the occasion warranted. Plus, We have the family's wishes to honour too.

I think Rob often found you a "pain in his Cracker ass", but he liked people who were a pain in the ass! Enjoy your drink.

I found Rob's blog through Catfish's, the 2 of them laughing, fighting, argueing back and forth have kept me entertained at wk for the last year! I read everyday.
Some of the filthiest, funniest, horrible, facinating words I have ever read.
Rob, you are in a better, pain free place.

Judy

Everything I learned about blogging, and pretty much most of those I linked originated from Rob's blog in some way. He made a post on Gutrumbles about one of my first posts and it snowballed from there.

I haven't blogged in quite a long while now, but I put it back online for Chablis' Carnival of The Blogfaddah. I'll miss my blogfather a hell of a lot.

My sympathies to Sam, Quentin, Dave and Rob's Grandmother.

Rest in peace Rob.

I don't want to leave a huge comment, here with all the bandwidth concerns. But there's a lot to say about Rob.

He was a great blogger, of that there can be no doubt. He had style, he was hilarious, and he could be serious too -- his posts about his son were so very touching.

I never met him in person, so I can't be sure of this, but he seemed like the kind of guy that was great to hang around with. He always talked about Southern Hospitality. He loved a good dog -- just look at the post a few days ago about his neighbor's dog.

I hate leaving a url but I really don't want to clog up the comments and this would take a while to explain. Here is my post on Rob for the Carnival:

http://msotc.blogspot.com/2006/06/gut-rumbles.html

In short, we miss you, Rob.

I'm in the midst of composing something at my blog and will link to it shortly to save bandwidth but I would like to request someone post a link to this New Guy post they're talking about. I didn't see it and I don't know where to find it.

Meanwhile, for the moment, let me leave this link that arrived in my inbox yesterday. Somehow I think the King of the Krap Bloggers would have appreciated that someone invented the Fecalgram -- a handsomely packaged box full of 100% natural, freshly-squeezed, human made crap. Each Fecalgram™ is unique and
manufactured to order by red-blooded Americans.

I really miss him......

I don't remember how I found Gutrumbles but once I did, I was a daily visitor. Even supplied Rob's "quote of the day" one time (my 15 seconds of fame). Maintain my own site which is mostly about my old truck. My few forays into political, cultural and personal blogging pale in comparison to the Acidman's (and a few others). I felt I'd found a kindred spirit in many respects. Decided to stick to talking about the old truck and let Rob and others handle the culture. It was in good hands with him. Figured when I got the truck finished, I might get the chance to visit a few minutes on my way through Georgia when I hit the highway with it. Too bad. It won't happen now.

We tend to be a nostalgic people. We remember the good things of the past in a rosy light. What we really miss about the past, I think, are the people we shared it with. And when someone leaves us, we begin to lose them a little bit at a time as the things and places and other people we shared begin to disappear too. It will take a long, long time for Acidman to fade in my memories and that's a good thing.

I stumbled across Gut Rumbles by accident 2 years ago.

I was looking for something Southern related (a list of things Southern I think) and when I googled it, his site came up. I ventured in, read the post and immediately knew I had found a *TRUE* Southern Man. He said what he thought and made no apologies for it. I was hooked. I went back all the way to the beginning (and that was NOT easy, as his archives were seriously damaged) and read every single post. To me it was like reading a really well crafted novel. I looked forward to each new post and seeing how his tale would end. I just never thought it would be this way or this soon.

My Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer this year, and though I did not email Rob or anything, it gave me comfort and courage to *know* someone else who had fought the battle and won. My dad had the surgery and starts Radiation soon and I would like to think there is another force out in the cosmos that might be keeping an eye on things.

I have yet to find another writer who was like him and I don't think I ever will. So there will always be a hole out there in the Blog world.

More than Costa Rica, more than biscuits, more than wimmen with red toe nails, Rob loved Quinton. I often was so saddened by his inability to see his son on a reasonable basis. We all know about his solo trips to the sporting events, and how proud Rob was when Quinton did well, and how forgiving and understanding he was when things did not go so well. Ah... a father's love. I know his alienation from his son broke Rob's heart. Quinton, when you read this, you'll probably be a man, and maybe you'll be fortunate enough to know the love for a child that Rob had for you. I hope you are that lucky.
As we all know, Rob was an original; a brilliant writer cursed with an incessant need to tell the truth as he saw it to be. That attribute may have outraged the pantywaists among us, but, to me, it made me realize that I was not alone in my attitude and reactions. I just never could, and never will be able to, express the truth in Gut Rumbles' fashion. RIP ol' bud.
Pensat

"I think it might be interesting for us to try and post one word that we think of when we think 'acidman' "

That's easy.

"Engrossing".

Love him or hate him, agree with him or not, the one thing you couldn't do was ignore him.

They say that the opposite of love isn't hate but indifference. By that standard he must have been one of the best loved bloggers out there.

The mark of a good writer is that they can make you want to read about stuff that otherwise wouldn't interest you. Rob was a great writer.

I'm having trouble thinking of him in the past tense.

RIP

I found the post I referred to in my above comment:

"August 09, 2003

southern food
I love Southern food. I'm a skinny little shit, but I still like to eat the good stuff I find around me all the time. Here are MY TOP TEN SOUTHERN FOODS

1) Southern Fried Chicken. I have a recipe that'll blow your drawers off.

2) Fried Okra. Good? Just damn!

3) Blackeyed peas and rice. Good with all of the above.

4) Fried green tomatoes. If you've never tried them, you've never lived.

5) Pinto beans and cornbread. Food of the Gods.

6) Fresh watermelon, bought at a roadside stand from a farmer that you can dicker with. He's selling them for $2.00 each, but you can get three for $5.00 if you flash some green. A Southern watermelon in the summer is as sweet as you mama's kiss.

7) Grits. ALL HAIL GRITS!!! I don't give a shit what the group captain thinks about this matter. Grits are GOOD, with over-easy eggs in the morning, or with fish and shrimp at night. Anybody who doesn't eat grits should be dragged off and shot.

8) Low Country Boil. If you don't know what that is, you are pathetic.

9) Barbecued pork ribs. I'm taking about falling off the bone tender, with lots of hot sauce. Come South and taste mine. You'll never go north again.

10) Fresh fried, skillet-made creamed corn. That'll make you kiss the cook.

I could go on, but I am finished now."

Acidman was here. Here in the world, here in my heart.

Death is just a mean, sneaky motherfucker. Doesn't give a damn whether your business is finished. Come to think of it, Life is a cast-iron bitch too.

Ah well, no use griping about it. Somebody water the garden.

Gut Rumbles was one of my earliest read and I am saddened at the loss of one of the blogosphere's greatest voices.

My condolences to the family.

I considered Rob a friend, though I never met him.

Rich, you hit it. "Engrossing" is the word.

In the style of the Acidman:

Did you ever find out that one of your big writing influences passed away without warning, and that you were so mentally devestated that you couldn't even write a good eulogy? That every day, you tried to convince yourself that it just wasn't true and kept checking to see if he had come back? That everywhere you looked there were people mourning him on every site you went to, even ones where you thought he was an unknown entity? And you know that there will be a big empty spot in your day - every day - because he's gone?

No? Good, Me Neither.

How is it possible to miss someone you didn't know so badly?

I found Rob during the "n-word" fiasco a few years ago when everyone was delinking him. I disapproved of the word, but loved the writing.

Instead of re-posting what I wrote Wednesday morning, I'll leave the link here.
http://enjoyeverysandwich.blogspot.com/2006/06/requiem-for-heavyweight-i-was-shocked.html

You fought the good fight, Rob. You deserve your rest. May your family find continuing peace.

For those who haven't seen it yet, probably one of the best tributes to Rob I've seen is the one Rube did at Youbitch called The New Guy.

It's brilliantly done, and something that I think would have impressed English Major Rob himself.

Rob one of my blogfathers. Not the #1 influnce to stake out a corner of the net but pretty darn close to #1.
His fearlessness in posting details of his life has always inspired me even though I stay fairly anonymous online.
I invited Rob to see Mike Cross at Randy Wood's place earlier this year and he did me the honor of joining me there. He was the kind of person you could fall into a comfortable friendship with immediately.
Of course knowing him fro mthe blog helped. I wish I could have hadthe pleasure of his company at the upcoming MC show in September (I did invite him) but I will have him in my mind and in my heart when I go.

I wish I could have had the opportunity to visit the Crackerbox but to have tried to do so would have been an imposition. And I would not presume. So I get to keep one memory of a wonderful, wonderful evening with a great guy. That's more than I could have expected.

I will miss Rob every day that I read my regular blogs. Godspeed Acidman!
Ric

For me, it would be impossible to sum Rob up in one word, he had so many good points. One thing I will say he as not, was a coward. Rob wsone of the bravestand forward individuals that I have ever met.

I found Rob just over 2 years ago (before I started my blog). Iknew when I started it that it would pale in comparison to his but reading his posts and seeing him ppour out his feelings so honestly made me want a place where I could do the same.

I loved when he'd post something intentionally to stir the shit and lo and behold the shit would hit the fan and he'd sit back and enjoy the banter.

Another one of my favorite things was when he started re-writing shitty comments left on his blog and turn them into prologs of endless adoration of himself. Some of those comments he rewrote were as good as many of his posts.

I'll miss ya Rob. I have a picture posted on my site of Rob performing in an outdoor venue for Memorial Day 2003. It's not of great quality since I had to take a picture of the pictur he sent me.

Rest in peace Rob....you will always be remembered and dearly missed. I will always smile when remembering you and ther aren't alot of people I can say that about.

www..overactiveimagination.blogspot.com
Dawn

"This blog was my lifeline that towed me to shore when I was totally shipwrecked. It kept me alive for more than two of the worst years I've lived in my life. I wasn't stuffing notes in bottles. I was standing on the shore and shouting frantically for rescue. "

Poignant comment from Gut Rumbles 2004.

God's speed, Rob.

Rob was such a fantastic writer I tried not to miss a post. He made pretty much everything engaging: posts about Georgia, cats, stupid people (my particular favorite), politics, and even -- I've got to admit -- crap. Sometimes I winced as I read, and I figure those were the moments he would have been most proud.

I thank him for also revealing his weaknesses, struggles, and disappointments. He wasn't perfect, and the honesty on the page could be painful. I hope it helped him, and I believe it helped others.

Acidman was a complete stranger that I considered a friend. I'll miss him terribly.

I can't believe I won't be seeing new posts by Rob at Gut Rumbles. I haven't completely wrapped my mind around it.

I'll miss the man. He made us all feel like real friends.

Love ya, Rob.

"If it was easy, any asshole could do it."

That's a phrase I will forever keep close to my heart. So simple, and yet, so true.

You were a taunter, a tease, and more to me. You asked some of the best questions, poked with a grin, and encouraged me on many levels over the years. You were an example in many ways, both of what to do and what not to do in some cases. You were also one of the best and most brilliant wordsmiths.

You and Eric both said you could teach anyone to play, and I will always be sorry that my chance to prove you wrong did not work out. Still wish you could have picked out a guitar for me, even if I never did learn to play it.

Sam, all I can convey to you and Stacy is my sympathy. Know that my thoughts go out to you in this time and will remain with you.

Quinton, many people will tell you many things. The one thing you need to know, the only thing really, is that your father loved you more than life itself. Learn the good about him, study his talent, and keep that knowledge with you always. The rest, let it wash on out with the tide for it matters not in comparison with his love for you.

Dave, my sympathies to you and you and your grandmother are in my thoughts as well.

May the light shine on you all in the days ahead, light your way, and wrap you all in the warmth of love.

Rob, I wish we had gotten to spend more time together in person. Thanks for the words, questions, laughter, and the tears. See you on the other side.

I haven't been able to effectively put into words what I have been feeling over the last several days. Rob's departure has been a tremendous jolt, and I find myself far more melancholy than I would have ever expected. It comes in waves. I'll be busy with something else and then a bar of that melody together with his voice comes wafting through my mind again, and I'll have to turn in a private direction and squeeze out a couple more tears.

Rob is not my blogfather, but he functioned as the central hub for a very significant number of bloggers I subsequently came to know and read on a regular basis. I first came to read Rob during the mass delinking he suffered after speaking his mind on racial issues a couple years ago. While others were scrambling to distance themselves from him, I read what he wrote and decided that this was a guy who said exactly what he meant and was willing to stand behind it whatever it cost him. It doesn't mean I agreed with everything he said, but I admired his resolve in saying it. I linked to him then and told him why.

I nearly delinked him myself when he shot the cat out of the tree. Eventually I decided his hatred of cats was one of those hard headed opinions of his that I wasn't going to change no matter what I said or thought about it. But I did agree with very much of the rest of what he said, about politics, about culture, and about human freedom. And more than once I felt that all I could say was "AMEN", because he had expressed my thoughts far better than I could have myself.

Rob linked to my site after we had a conversation about engineers and operators, and he decided that I was an engineer he could work with. I'm honored to have been included in his list of "Good Stuff".

Rob was one of those people that you wanted to root for in spite of yourself. He could be a nasty curmudgeon, but his humanity always shone through, and that's the part that I always felt for--for what he went through in losing his Roscoe, his marriage, his job, his son, his health, and finally now his life. I found myself sticking up for him, sometimes vehemently, even when I knew he was wrong. Just because even when he was wrong, he was so open I could put myself in his shoes and feel where he was coming from.

Where will we find a voice like his now? There is no one else. Not even close. And for those of you who knew him in person or got to meet him and listen to his music, your loss is greater. I've only now come to know that aspect of him, and it's a damn shame he didn't share more of his music while he was still alive. There's his recording studio all set up, but never used by him. And now it never will be.

Rob, I miss you bud, I miss you terribly, and I pray to God that he has a measure of grace for you, despite your adamant atheism, and that a part of you still lives on somewhere in peace, out of pain and beyond all bitterness and disappointment.

Goodbye, and God bless you anyway, my friend.

"I could go on, but I am finished now."

My word, that was the essence of the (what I believed was the) man for me, he had something to say, he said it, and was done. I loved the way he would post and then ask "what do you think?"

And the topics! Made me really question my own beliefs on what you could or should write about, in a good, growing sort of way.

Gave me confidence too.

I have nothing to say that so many others who knew him better haven't already said.

The man I saw through his writing was indeed passionate and honest; I regret that I will never have a chance to meet him.

What can one say at a time like this? I've been reading Rob's posts for a very long time, and I'm still trying to understand what I'm feeling now that he is gone. I never met the man face to face, but did correspond with him on several occassions. When I think of him, the words laughter, honesty, persistance, and pain come to mind. He was truly one of a kind.

I never met Rob but I felt that I knew him. We emailed occasionally and he told me more than once that I needed to be dragged off and shot for living in Alaska in the wintertime. Rob was a good man and I regret that I never got to meet him. He called a spade a spade and I think that is what I admired about him.

Rest in peace Rob.

anotherKevin-
I know... When I found the post again and realized what the last line was... Well it just said it all to me... Funny that it was the first post of his I ever read and the last line seems so appropriate on this day...

Several days later, I admit to still being in shock over Rob's departure.

I don't remember how I found his blog, but I would guess it was at least three years ago, before the "racist" fiasco. Even through that, Rob was one of my daily reads and certainly my favorite of them all. The man's complete and open HONESTY could never be questioned, under any circumstances. Rob was the ultimate thinking man's blogger.

With his passing, I feel as though I lost a friend, though like many here, I never met the man. I did exchange a couple of emails with him, and for that I am grateful. My regret now is that I never had the chance to meet him in person.

The man's sharing of his life and opinions made all of us that much better, knowing that here was a man who had probably been through things that we hadn't even yet dreamed, and he came through it all with his honor and dignity as intact as possible.

For that reason above all, Rob Smith was a beacon of hope and humor to the rest of us.

I hope Sam and Quinton realize, or will come to realize, how truly important their father was in the lives of so many people, and how in his fashion, he helped them, perhaps even without knowing it. In the future they would then be able to say that despite his many faults and foibles, their father was a man among men, and a literary giant of the Internet.

He was loved, he was respected, and he is missed.

Godpseed, my un-met friend.

"If my blog does not meet your standards, then LOWER YOUR STANDARDS. Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?"

How can you NOT like a guy with that attitude?

A while back when I had just started blogging Rob and I exchanged a few emails regarding blogging. He was very helpful to a newbie.

Hopefully someone will compile a bunch of his best posts into a book......

.........Mr. C.

I posted this a couple days ago. It doesn't say it all, because there is so much more I can say about Rob, which I intend to do in the weeks and months ahead. I'll remember him always.

Rob was my FIRST and LAST daily read every day. I will miss his honesty, wit, and humor. I just wish he would have had more peace in his life. I could relate to almost all of his stories of younger days. We would have been great friends if I would have ever gotten the chance to meet him.

My deepest sympathies to "Mommie", Sam, Quinton, Dave and Pam.

Rob you rock man!!!!

May you rest in peace.

Goodbye

The lads in Ron's tonight raised a glass to the Acidman. As big a cunt as any of us aspired to be.

May there be a magnum of Guinness waiting for him wherever he ends up.

I'm posting my link to this here, now, before tears finally cloud my eyes.

Rob became a friend, and Rob introduced me to many a friend thereafter. That ain't a bad thing, in and of itself.

As any writer knows, writing ain't easy, not if you do it well. And Rob demanded that I do it well, or not at all. So, I've tried here in this small site to stand in his shadow now and then, and every now and then, I've succeeded.

But mostly, I've been but able to stand in awe of the master. His prolific output was beyond compare. His take-no-prisonaers honesty, often breathtaking. The consistent quality of his writing, a standard few can meet.

Very simply, the sum of Rob was greater than the whole of his parts.

And that can be said of very damn few people in this world.

Rob, you left too soon, you asshole, sir. You left a hole in it man....a completely un-fillable hole.

In the blogosphere, and in the hearts of thousands.

See you on the other side.

Jim
Sloop New Dawn
Galveston, TX

I came to Gutrumbles over a year ago based on some comments made by people at The Troll Lounge. Looking for a place to settle down and have a dialogue with people who aren't as smart as me, I became a regular reader. While I truly did enjoy reading what Rob had to say about many things, there were times when his political beliefs were made public and I took it upon myself to correct him. But besides that, he is a really good writer, and wrote some very interesting stories.

Rob would often about his son and about how much he dearly missed being with him. Despite Rob's neanderthalic points of view with political matters, my empathy for him made me like him A LOT. But it was his neanderthalic politics and his neanderthalic readers that drove me away. It seems that Rob and his readers aren't tolerant towards the views of those who don't drag their knuckles on the ground.

If it wasn't for Rob, I never would have met my best online friend - Daniel Medley from Lobowalk. Thanks, Rob, for bringing Daniel and I together.

I will miss Rob. I could tell that under all that bluster, he had a HUGE heart. Good bye, Rob.

I have been reading Rob's blog for the last year and half. He opened up my eyes to many things and for that I will remain eternally grateful. I hope that in heaven there is a woman with bright red toenails waiting for him.

Rest in Peace.

Just damn!

R.I.P Mon Ami sur le blogosphere.

A Bientot, Rob.

I found this song posted on another blog, and it just seemed to say it all. Rob always did it his way....

Rest In Peace Rob. My heartful sympathy goes out to all who loved you. And thank you for being a part of our lives. I don't think you realized how many you touched and how much you will be missed.

My Way

And now, the end is near, and so I face, the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.
I've lived, a life that's full, I've traveled each and every highway.
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.
I did, what I had to do, and saw it through, without exemption.
I planned, each charted course, each careful step, along the byway,
and more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew,
When I bit off, more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up, and spit it out.
I faced it all, and I stood tall,
and did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried,
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing.
To think, I did all that, and may I say --- not in a shy way,
"Oh no, oh no not me,
I did it my way".

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things, he truly feels,
And not the words, of one who kneels.
The record shows, I took the blows ---
And did it my way!

I did it my way.

Rob was probably, well, should've been given credit for bein' my blogdaddy. I just didn't quite feel right about sayin' "Hey, I started doin' this 'cause of you". I found him on google sometime years ago, if I remember correctly, but I may have found him through the milbloggers site via Eric. After readin' a bunch from him, my southern heritage, and experiences, while not being exactly the same, share much in common.

I remember his post about takin' Sam and Stacey crabbin'. My grandmother used to do that. Maybe now they can share crabbin' techniques. That's be a good conversation between those two to sit in on...

I met him for the first time in Austin, in April of this year. We were sittin' at the bar, when in walked Rob, and I though to myself, dang, I know that dude. And I did. For 'bout the next hour or so, he drank soda water, and I drank beer.

The conversation between us was all over the place. I told him I felt for him not bein' able to be with Quinton. I have a pretty close relationship with my boy, and they're 'bout the same age, so those post about not bein' able to see Quinton made me think about how that would hurt me should I be walkin' a mile in his shoes.

College football didn't get by us tradin' some talk about it. Between his Dawgs, and my Buckeye's, there was some BS bein' exchanged.

Vegetable gardenin' didn't either. At that time, he'd already had his garden planted this year. I hadn't. Up here, we usually wait 'til Mother's day so as frost won't get young plants. Hell by then, his garden was already bearin' fruit.

I did get to see, and listen to him up on the 6th floor of the hotel in Austin, with another of his bud's Jimbo, playin' and singin' songs like they'd known each other their whole lives. I enjoyed that.

I'll miss Rob. I've already said some of the reason's why at my place so I won't go into them again here.

He was... able to clearly express many feelings and situations. Some I'm beginning to go through as I write this.

I wish Sam, Quinton, Dave, and "Mommie" all the comfort that they can have in the days to come.

I wish I could've gone fishin' with him. Last I saw him, he said it was still a little to cold for 'em to be bitin' at his fishin' spot.

Adios Amigo.

I've been reading Rob for several years now. He could always make me laugh. He had a way with words and could make you feel that you were "right there" while he was telling the story. I really enjoyed his stories about Mommie. How she killed a snake in her garden. Or the sweet story of how his parents met over an egg salad sandwich. And who could forget the Carnaval of Crap? He was the Crap Daddy for sure!
I will miss reading you on a daily basis Rob. You were truly an original, no body does it better.

Though I only met you once, I enjoyed that meeting.

I could listen to you sing "Please come to Boston" all day. In fact, I've listened to many a version, and none top yours.

Wish I'd had a tape recorder with me.

To his family: He loved you all. There is no greater gift than love. For all his online-acid, he loved you all.

Zooming in on the calculator on the chair in front of the guitar in this photo recalls one of his famous recurring quotes: "I was an English major. I don't do math"

RIP, Rob Smith.

It's not much. Most folks have so much more to say and can say it much more eloquently, but here is my fondest nonetheless.

http://mamamontezz.mu.nu/archives/184001.php

God rest, God speed.

I loved how he always valued hard work and determination. I often quote to my younger friends something I learned here: "If it was easy, any asshole could do it!"

Bejus is also now a part of my vocabulary.

I'm one of his Blogdaughters, I claimed him (And Velociman) in this post:

http://whatnowmurphy.blogspot.com/2005/11/fiftieth-post-and-one-dumb-muhfukah.html

I don't quite recall how I stumbled on to Rob's blog, just surfing the web I guess, sometime in the spring of 2003 I think, but his writing caught my attention right away and he's been on my daily read list ever since.

As time passed I found that I was a month older (Jan. 1952) and some of the things he wrote about, particularly his childhood memories, reminded me of things I did when I was growing up.

It just seemed that in another time or another place he could have been my brother, or friend. The kind of friend you could spend a whole day with, shooting BB guns in the woods, fishing for perch on a hot summer day, telling fart jokes or just laying back on a hillside watching the clouds go by.

I was just flabbergasted when I went to Gut Rumbles the other day and found out he was no longer with us. I thought he was just too tough a rooster to go that fast.

Shit, I'm rambling here...let me just wrap this up by saying that I hope Sam, Quinton, Dave and Rob's grandma and all his family understand the respect I have for Rob is deep and heartfelt.

Vaya con Dios Rob.

Art Lynch
Devine, Texas

i started reading about 2 years ago and can say this if he told you a rooster can pull a freight train all you need to do is hook him up-honesty and straight forwardness was his trademark,thanks for allowing me to read his blog. j

I was a brand new blogger. I had read a lot of them but never heard of Acidman until I followed a link from the Perverted Republican. In my new blogger hubris, I linked him and did a trackback. I saw something weird happening with my sitemeter and emailed Blondage who ran Perv Rep and asked her what the hell was happening and who were all these people?!? She laughed at me and said, "You've had your first Acidbath!" I never knew what a popular guy he was and was utterly shocked. Oh shit, I called him "misogynistic, obnoxious, and working his way into my heart!" Imagine my HORROR!

I read him on and off for the past year. Right before he went to Willingway, I had a hard time with some of the stuff he wrote. I didn't even realize that he had a drinking problem. But when he came back clean, his writing was so much better. So I started reading more diligently and more and more avidly. We struck up a casual friendship via comments and email and I have to tell you, I feel lucky that he even bothered to take the time. He had his ups, he had his downs, but he was incredibly brilliant when he put himself to the task.

I'll miss coming here everyday and seeing something new, whether it was about his kids, his garden, his fears, his loathing, or his Roscoe. He always had something to say and it filled my day.

Damn, Rob, I'm sure as shit gonna miss you, man.

I frame my experiences in this world very differently from A-Man's in that I support a religious path, and I language my life using different words.

It was hard reading Gut Rumbles at first, four years ago, but I kept at it, until I could see beyond the word choices and the anger and intensity. I came to see that we both really cared about the same things, shared the same values, but our life experiences pulled us in different patterns.

Life is like a forest - trees are sprouting up, and trees are falling down. A-man wished to deconstruct his world, tearing down the pretense, the corruption, the deception.

I gained considerable appreciation for his point of view, and I saw the merit of his position. I do believe there is opportunity in learning how to stand on the precipice, balancing all kinds of viewpoints.

What stands out foremostly for me is that he practiced the craft of writing, for hours every day, up to within a day of his passing. (Through pain and poor health.) I greatly admire his work ethic, and the dedication he felt to his readers. He knew what to write to keep everyone coming back to visit. That speaks of the generosity of his spirit.

I'm so glad the legacy of his humor, his music, and his writing will here for his beloved readers to enjoy.

I am at work right now...so can't be here for long. *sigh*

post'hu-mous: adj.
born after the death of the father

It's with this dictionary description of the word above that I am letting you all know that Rob has become a blog-daddy again. I have been wanting to have a blog for quite a while and even attempted once but chickened out.
Somehow I have the courage now. I wanted to let the www know just what Acidman meant to me. I miss him so much and sure wish I could have been at the services today but I am there in spirit.
I dedicate my baby blog to the Blog Daddy of them all. I included some of my favorite Acidman posts too.
My heart goes out to Rob's family. He loved you all so much.

Chablis, thanks for the reply email. I wrote you one back right before I got ready to come to work. Back to work I go....

Rob used to write often, "that I am not one of the Tall Dogs" Rob, you were wrong on that one, you are a "Tall Dog"

Rest in peace.

Steve Welch
Pensacola, Fl

Rob was a huge inspiration to me. But not in a Blog sense. Reading what he went through with Quinton and Sam have made me a lot more tolerant of my exes and my in-laws.

And if ever I was broiling for a fight, I knew he was always up for the task!

I remember getting Robs number once a long time ago, I tried calling but got no answer. I joked in a note that he probably gave me a fake number...and he didn't deny it. He never needed anyone as much we needed him. God Bless Rob for being so much to so many...Theresa Kennedy

I'd hoped to meet Rob on a future trip to Savannah. Gutrumbles I found about 3 years ago and it quickly became a several times daily read. Prolific, warmhearted, passionate, he called 'em as he saw 'em. There's a hole in my daily life now, an Acidman-shaped hole. A true Southern Gentleman. He touched many lives. My sympathies and prayers to his family.
Rest In Peace, amigo.

I posted the link to my latest tribute in the trackback under Last One Speaks. Chablis thanks for the link. KNine I think your comment totally summed up what I'm going through. I'm a johnny-come-lately compared to most of you yet I'm also asking myself, "How is it possible to miss someone you didn't know so badly?"

I'm of an age where I've lost some dear friends I knew well in "real" life and I wasn't as devastated as I am by this. I was literally paralyzed with grief for two days and I still can't wrap my mind around the idea that Gut Rumbles is over. I think that's because Rob's writing was such that reading his blog felt like having an intimate conversation with a dear friend and through his work we Rumblers felt like part of his family.

For myself I think a large part of the grief is over not only losing Rob but losing the community of Gut Rumbles. I feel like I've come to know many of you while "sitting around the Crackerbox, shooting the shit," cause that's what hanging around the comment section felt like to me. I've come to like and respect you folks but I know I never quite belonged here, that I enjoyed my residence under the good graces of Rob's acceptance of me. It's like I told him a long ago, he's a rare bird and everyone wants him, I'm an odd duck and never quite fit in anywhere.

But I've never felt more comfortable with or enjoyed the company of a group of individuals so outside of my usual life experience than I have here. I'm not just going to miss Rob, I'll miss all of you too. Sure we'll run into one another on each other's blogs but it won't be the same. Rob was such an impeccable host that the community coalesced around him. He can't be replaced and I fear we will never again have such a meeting ground as we had here.

So before we drift apart, as we surely will in time, let me take this moment while we're all together to say thank you to everyone who was a part of this ersatz "family." You all enriched my life and gave me faith that good people still exist in this crazy world. (Yeah, even you Bane).

I wish you all the best.

Thanks, Rob.

Hey Rob,
We never got further than you "considering" a trip to Africa. Now you have left for the big time.

I will take your memory with me next time I go beautiful places.

Travel well my friend.

And Fuck you, I am not crying, Fuck you.

Thanks, Rob. I've learned to pause and sniff the flowers, (and the red toe nails). Mmmm, nice!

Didn't know what a blog was until I stumbled across Kim du Toit and his link to the Acidman.

Thanks for the memories...

What you said LL.
I'm drunk in Rob's honor. Last thing recently he'd have wanted.
He beat it and died sober.
I probably will not.
Rob, you fought the good fight & won. May you rest in the arms of whatever is out there.
--- Tom

We will all miss you very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family you have left behind.

Damnit LL, I had forgotten all about that. You made me cry again.

You folks should come over to Chablis' chat room.

*hugs all*

He was my blogfather. I loved to read him every time I had a minute to spare. He was truly unique, and always entertaining. Since we grew up 4 years apart, I was one of the few that could relate to some of what he wrote about. I can't believe he's gone. In the words of Dax Montana: Just DAMN!

I don't know you, Rob, but I feel like I do, I have read you for years now. Your death has affected me, your my first blog friend I have lost, and I feel empty. You made me laugh, cry, frustrated, worried, angry, but mostly intriged with the life you lived, you so loved your kids and family. Bless you, you are at peace now.

I'm not sure when I or where i first stumbled upon Gut Rumbles. I'd been keeping online journals off and on, mainly technical references and nothing personal. After several members of the Jawja gang and a couple others for a couple of months I threw up my blog.

I'm still struggling to think back to my favorite Acidman post. It's probably a toss up between the dreaded "wet fart" and the fine art of cursing posts.

Rob could make you mad as hell and two lines later have you laughing your ass off. He, as so many before me have noted, had a way of making you think and question what and why you believed something. He was a helluva writer, one that we won't see the likes of again.

Rest in peace Rob. Hopefully where ever you are the cooking is Southern, the drinks are cold, the wimmins are hot and their toenails are painted red.

Back in August of 2003, I tired of reading Instapundit and Andrew Sullivan, and went digging around the blogosphere for something new. Someone, I don't recall who, had a post up mocking Rob - a lame attempt at writing a la Acidman, and it piqued my interest. Was there really such a person, and, if so, could he possibly be as caustic as the unremembered blogger portrayed him to be?

Well Hell yes, there was, and Hell yes, he was. After reading blogs for two years, it was Gutrumbles that made me want to give blogging a try for myself.

Rob showered me with Acidbaths for several weeks after I began my old site, and I met him in person at the first Jawja Blogmeet in Dahlonega, along with my blogsiblings Key and Eric. In person, Rob wasn't quite the dervish one saw online - in fact, he was the sort who would give a complete stranger the shirt off of his own back. Acidman was there, though, underneath the Southern Gentleman with the twinkling eyes, as both Key and my own lovely bride can attest to. One thing Rob wasn't going to allow was for my spousal unit to leave without a big hug.

I like to remember Rob the way he was in Dahlonega, rather than the way he was in Helen last year, but in the end, I just count myself lucky I was able to meet him at all - much less twice. Rob's last words to me as I left his room at the Chalet Kristy last October were "Don't forget to get it soft ever' now and then, Donnie".

I won't, Pappy. I sure as hell won't. You rest easy and in peace, and if there's a place folks like us can drink beer and tell tall tales in the afterlife, I'll damned sure see you there. And I'll tell you "Thanks", in person, once again.

PS: Paul - The Commissar did a Blogger Family Tree some time ago, many of Rob's blogchildren (including yours truly) are listed there.

I came across Gutrumbles a long time ago. Don't remember when. I loved it as Rob is the type of person that I get along with. One of the first posts I read was about Rob being sent to the nuthouse. Any and all of his postings I loved. He was the first site I went to every day.

To his family: my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Wish I could have been there in person. Never shook the mans hand, but I miss him

See you in the next life friend.

Rob was my blogfather. I'll miss his insights, opinions, and humor and regret that I never had the opportunity to meet him in person.

My deepest condolences to his family.

Rest in peace.

I first came across the Acidman after a reference to him appeared in Tim Blair's Australian blog about three years ago.
I recall laughing out loud at that early comment, and immediately bookmarked Rob's site. Over the years we exchanged the occasional email, often about Australia and our way of life. After some comments on his blog, I sent him a tube of Australian Vegemite, (which he dutifully tasted and blogged about), and he became a regular daily read. We corresponded by mail when he was in Willingway.

I always liked his "in your face" attitude, his humour, and his no nonsense approach to much of the politically correct theories that abound throughout the Western world today.
He was occasionally gruff, and sometimes offensive, but always interesting.
The first time I ever shed a tear for someone I had never met in person was when I learned of Rob's passing.

He will be sadly missed.

In his memory, my online name "Henry Blowfly" will be retired after this post, and never used again.
My deepest condolences to Rob's family.
RIP Acidman, you touched the lives of more people than you could ever know.

RIP Rob, you will be missed!
I used to wake up in the morning and try to sneek 10 minutes of time to read what he may have wrote during the night. When I would get home I would check the blog again before check my email or such. At night I would usually pop in one more time to see any new posts. His style would captivate a person, sometime like a car wreck would captivate a driver on the freeway.
The world is a somewhat lesser place now. Rest in Peace Rob, I wish I could have met you.

I never met Rob. I can't really say I really LIKED Rob. I read him almost religiously for over a year and half. I exchanged a few hillarious emails with him after commenting on some of his wilder posts. We were/are both old musicians and our musical tastes, political views and marital experiences were pretty similar. He was a truly unique individual. I never understood his obsession with shit and red toenails but, aside from that, I loved reading him. Never loved HIM but I will miss his writings and ranting. He was nothing if not inappropriate according to society's standards.
For this reason I find that most of the posters here seem to ridiculously pious, somber and hypocritical. Screw the "family's feelings", Acidman never let his family's feelings deter him one fucking whit. Let's tell it like Acidman would have.
Rob is already spinning in his grave at the outpouring of touchey feeley horseshit!
The man loved stirring up shit more than he loved red toenails, hated his ex and loved the South.
Rob Smith was a USDA choice oozing ASSHOLE and I've never known anyone who took more pride in being one than Acidman! But dammit....He was OUR asshole.
The REAL Rob Smith will be missed like he missed his dick! The wonderful human being some of you are eulogizing ain't the old bastid who croaked the other day.
As we speak, Satan is wondering why Mrs. Satan has suddenly begun painting her toenails the same shade as the hinges of Hell and smiling all the time!
If you want to, you can read my take on this touchey feely fest at http://ncmountainrants.blogspot.com and if you don't....as Rob would say, "fuck you fucktards!"
Rest deep in all those wicked pieces Acidman...you WILL be missed.

I cant remember how I came across Robs blob. It was a few years ago, I didnt even know what a blog was. But I was hooked. He facinated me with his words. He just had me reading everyday. Then when he started going to Costa Rica I tried to give him some advise on where to go. I have been there so many times and my family still lives there. I even sent him some pictures of where to go. He was happy with the places he went. I am so glad that he loved the country that I am from. I will always think of him and the next time I am down there I will make a little memorial on the beach.. Peace my friend. '
Linda

The Steph is in the hospital tonight, so I the husband am posting for her.

"Rob was like a surrogate father to me. My dad, in his younger years would often tell us wonderful stories about his time running shine in the backwoods of Alabama. I like the stories of back then. However, my father has Alzheimers disease now, and those stories are fading fast. And Rob brought so many stories to the public about how life was back then. I will forever miss the manner of his writings, and the way he could put you right there, in Harlan Kentucky. How you could almost smell the coal in the air. How you knew your mom was going to beat your ass for being late. It just felt so real to me. I know he is resting peacfully now, and I send my sincerest condolances to family and close friends"

I did want to add, that even in this time of darkness for most, something good has happened for us.

At 9:55am, my wife (Steph) gave birth to a very healthy baby boy weighing 10lbs 4oz. In light of recent events we have decided to name our son Robert Mathias. We just hope our son is as honest and gusty as Rob was...

Tim and Steph

To me, Elizabeth of the South's food comment reads like porn.

I hope Acidman's trolls are reading these comments and eating their livers, seeing how much people cared about him.

"At 9:55am, my wife (Steph) gave birth to a very healthy baby boy weighing 10lbs 4oz. In light of recent events we have decided to name our son Robert Mathias. We just hope our son is as honest and gusty as Rob was..."

Well DAMN, you sure know how to make a gal cry!
That's just beautiful.
Congratulations on your new little Robert!!

i'm pretty much everything that rob would have theoretically railed against: a yankee, liberal cat lover. i don't remember how i can across gur rumbles but i stuck with it for a couple years, and used to read sam, too. i'm sorry for all of your tragedies - rob passing was a loss for all of us, and i hope reading these tributes softens the blow.

I've left a tribute to Rob on my blog, but no words can truly begin to describe his influence. A friend gave me the link to 'Acidman's' blog as soon as he heard I was thinking of beginning my own...he said it was a 'must read'. So, I suppose his was among the first I read, but it definitely remained at the top of my 'favorites'.

His work was both encouraging and intimidating, but always inspiring. I always found something to relate to, especially our 'Southern roots', and found myself smiling everytime I paid a visit....in fact, the last time I visited before the news came of his passing, I was seriously laughing aloud over the blog about the implant. There was nothing better than reading a blog that left you smiling and feeling good! Even when he was upset or raging or just being obstinate, he made it seem okay, made ME feel okay with whatever I felt in a day. I just feel the man was gifted in ways too numerous to list. I hope he knew this. I hope there were times he truly felt our appreciation for this gift he shared.

I realize that some of the people who knew him well, felt there could be no way for those of us who did not have that opportunity to know him fully, to be so moved by him so quickly, because we did not 'really' know him. Well, we all had to begin somewhere down that path, but what I felt early on about him, is that he made you 'feel like' you'd found an instant friend/family here. Though I've not personally conversed with any of the regular commentors, I feel as if I know them too, and you know, you don't have to 'like' someone to still feel 'love' for them or for what they do for you. What better tribute to him....we are all still here, celebrating, crying, laughing and grieving together. He was/is the glue that holds us together.

I don't care who he was in real life as opposed to who he was online...I was happy with what he shared, and the few e-mails we exchanged. I appreciated his wit and humor and cynicism, thumbing-his-nose-at-life in general attitude, his candor, his ability to laugh and cry about himself and so many aspects of life all at the same time. Yes, I proudly consider him my 'blogfather', I'm honored that I got to know him on any level. I know that he will continue to influence me as long as I live and contribute online.

When I see/cook a good southern meal or just see a tomato or other garden veggies , I'll think of him. When I hear a guitar or hear a good bluegrass song or ballad, I'll think of him. When I fret over my spelling or grammar, I'll think of him. When I think of my health and taking care of myself, I'll think of him. Whenever I am with family or friends, thoughts of his love (sometimes disdain) for friends, and especially family will cross my mind. When I glance down at my red toenails, I'll smile and think of him. I'll have a lil ache in my heart when I think of blogging without him, he always had something worthwhile to say, and I always wanted to read it....there is not another on my list that I truly felt this way about. I will forever feel the loss.

My condolences once again to his family. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers now and in the future. Thanks for allowing us to continue to connect with your grandson, brother and father in this way. You've been so thoughtful to us all, and I, for one, am grateful.

Rest in peace, Rob, and godspeed.

Sam, Quinton, Grandmommie, Dave -

You and I don't know each other, and neither did Acidman and I. I must count myself in that small group who disagreed with him enough to say, most definitely not a fan. Since I highly doubt he took any notice of my tiny blog - or would have given a rat's ass anyway! - I bet this wouldn't have bothered him one bit.

One thing I always, always noticed was his love for his family. And here I've seen something amazing: the amount of good that he did for so many out there. These commenters here are telling us all that beyond his faults - real or perceived - he gave very much to very many. And like often happens, what some called *faults* were the things that helped others the most.

Whether I liked him or not is immaterial. You, and those who loved him, have suffered a real loss. You all have my true condolences.

k (http://ksquest.blogspot.com/)

PS - I say it again, much longer, here:

http://ksquest.blogspot.com/2006/06/death-in-family.html

I first started reading Rob's blog about 2 years ago, I believe after following a link from Misha's site. "Acidman" rapidly became an almost-daily visit during the periods when I had access to the internet, not just because our political leanings were similar, but because his writing was so raw and unfettered by PC sensibility(and, frequently, tact).

I read Rob's blog faithfully during the year I was stationed in Korea; I was very homesick during this period, and Rob's blog helped me by keeping me abreast of local politics and everyday life. I also had the chance to read Sam's blog when it was up, and sent both of them an e-mail thanking them for providing me with a warm reminder of life back in the States(Sam was nice enough to send a reply thanking me for the e-mail). I'm not exaggerating when I say that their blogs were extremely good for my morale and helped me get through a year being so far from family and friends.

I never met Rob, never talked to him, never recieved an e-mail from him, but through his writing, I felt somehow very close to him. No matter how low or high he felt, he always took the time to discuss his observations on life, his family, his past, our country, and the quirks of humanity with his readers. I came to rely on his presence and unique outlook on the web, and now that he's gone, there is a hole that no one could completely fill.

Rob "Acidman" Smith will be missed, and certainly never forgotten. I hope that his family, despite their sorrow, can glean a small glimmer of comfort that Rob provided such a great amount of respect and loyalty from so many people, who will all miss him dearly.

I have been reading Rob's tales for a couple of years, and got a reply to a couple of my comments about training operators....

I was really shocked when I saw Sam's news....

Sam, Quinton, THIS is you father's true legacy, the number of people he touched with his writing....

Via Con Dios, Rob.

The 2003/2002 archives are some of the best writing Rob did at Gut Rumbles.

Here is one of my favourite posts.(I forget which year this is from.)

*************

"Limitations

I didn't blog about this incident in my life when it happened, because I worried (BWHAHAHA!) that my readers might lose all respect for me. I woke up at 3:00 in the morning last night with a severe burning, itching sensation in my crotchital area. I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but the sumbitch just wouldn't stop. I was trying to think about what I had done in Costa Rica that could affect my crotchital area when I felt something CRAWLING ACROSS MY FACE!

I sat bolt upright in bed and slapped at the lamp on the nightstand until I could turn it on and see. HOLY BEJUS! My bed was working alive with ANTS! They were EVERYWHERE and biting me in my most sensitive areas. There were THOUSANDS of them.

I hopped out of bed and ran to the kitchen, where I retrieved my trusty can of Raid. I returned and gassed the shit out of the invaders, then I followed their trail to the Mother Hill, which I coated with Diazinon to teach those fuckers a lesson. I murdered a lot of ants last night, even if I DID have to go outside in my underwear, in the dark, with a flashlight and a demonic look on my face to get the job done.

Effingham County, Georgia, has more ants per square inch than any other place I've ever seen. Something about the sandy soil around here just attracts ants the way a ripe dog turd attracts flies. It wasn't as if I'd been eating crackers in bed and left a lot of crumbs to lure the ants my way. Hell NO! If the bloodthirsty bastards wanted something to eat, they should have been crawling all over my kitchen.

But they attacked me in my bed, in the dark of night, for no good reason. Goddam communists.

After I killed all the ants I could, I was faced with a dilemma. I had to wash my sheets and remake my bed. I am not good at making a bed. I forget which movie it was (I believe that Clint Eastwood starred in it), but the lead character said, "A man's got to know his limitations." Well, I know mine. Making a bed is one of them.

I washed the sheets and put them in the dryer, but I thought seriously about sleeping on a bare mattress tonight. Have you ever seen a monkey fucking a football? If you haven't, just watch me make a bed. It's the same thing.

It was ugly to see, but I finally got the job done. I have fresh, clean, ant-free sheets to sleep on tonight and no children or animals (other than ants) were harmed in the process. I feel lucky to be alive.

But I'm sleeping with the light on tonight. "
******************

I'm gonna miss the ol' bastid. He sure was a treat to read. I wonder what happened to the book he was writing? Does anyone know. I know that he had done something a couple of years back but I don't recall him mentioning it lately. I tried googling a likely title "Fuck you Asshole" but no luck :)
Hopefully someone can put together a book of some of his best posts - some of the archives go back quite a few years so there is a LOT to choose from. A biography of Rob, some of his posts, a bit of commentary - the book writes itself (or Acidman has written it).
Of course if it was easy.......

Kev,
Vancouver, B.C.

I am stunned and deeply saddened by the news of Rob's passing.

A unique voice with glottal stops like an extended middle finger.

He will surely be missed around here.

I will miss Rob. I didn't know him, and yet, in a way, I did. He was just a few months older than I am. We had some experiences in common and it was interesting reading his take on those. There will never be another like him.
Strength and honor.
Rest well, be at peace.

Kev:
I missed that one somehow.
LOL in reality.
We are all the poorer now.
And fuck the bastids who say this is all drivel.
Rob might have agreed with them. Might not. Who cares.
In any case, there would have been a mighty post about it.
I noticed the usual trolls haven't made an appearance..
Ashamed, are you?

I'll miss you Rob. You always said what you thought and I respected you for it.

I hope you're at peace in a happier place.

Hmm, my trackback appeared not to track. I've not been this sad about losing someone I've never met since the death of Dale Earnhardt. Peace and comfort to Rob's family and friends. Thanks to all those who put this online remembrance together.

My post:
http://www.quietvoice.org/index.php/2006/06/30/up-too-late-on-a-school-night/

--Ken--

"Acidman" may have considered it drivel, I believe Rob would have appreciated it.

Afterall, in his own words, this site was for "Humorous observations, vitriolic rants and a ceaseless quest for adoration from people who don't know me."

I was stunned when I read Tuesday morning (New Zealand time) of Rob’s death. I’d never met Rob, nor spoken with him but have been a reader of Gut Rumbles for over two years. Like many others I find myself still reeling at they way his passing has affected me. I’ve enjoyed his stories of his life and family and he definitely gave this Kiwi girl an insight to American politics!

Sam and Quinton my sincere condolences. Your father certainly managed to touch many lives in his years, all around the World and that can be attested to with the many, many comments and wonderful eulogies that have been shared through his blog and others over the past few days.

In Rob’s honour, a few glasses of good Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay have been drunk tonight (bugger your Zin in a cask!) and three “wimmen” in New Zealand painted their toe nails red on Wednesday night, (myself and two friends who only knew of Rob through my stories of him).

I will miss reading you daily. Rest in Peace Acidman. You have gone from this World too soon.

Ka kite ano - Until we see you again.

I never met Rob, never corresponded with him and wasnt an avid reader of Gut Rumbles.

But there's at least three things I know, from here in the periphery of his world:

He was a damned good and exceptional writer.

He never minced words and always said what he felt no matter what.

He wanted to be a good father.

Rest in peace, Acidman. My condolences to the family and all who loved him.

Thanks, Rob, for all the reading pleasure and pain over the last few years. Riveting, just riveting. I will miss it.

I wish I could remember what post it was, but when Rob was struggling with his novel, he talked about writing something every day, and that at the end of the year you'd have a book. On the other hand, if you didn't, the end of the year would still come, but you wouldn't have a book.

"Son of a gun," I said. "He's right." So I picked up my pen and wrote. A book. Got myself an agent. Haven't sold it yet, but I hope to. And if I don't? Well, another year goes by, and there'll be another book.

Rob was an inspiration, a great storyteller and a gentleman. I made GR a daily stop because of him. I'm sorry he's gone, and hope that wherever he is, he's kicking back with a guitar and a long legged lady with pretty red toenails.

RIP, Rob. And thank you.

I started reading Rob shortly after he started and I've been a peeper into his life since then. I've commented less than a dozen times but I'm an avid reader. I'll miss him a lot: he was a remarkable man.

My best to his family.

My toes will remain RED for the rest of the summer in your honor my dear friend. You made me giggle, cry, sigh and shake my head. I loved you for it. Always felt a connection to you, then I realized that you and my dear husband of 30 years were born on exaactly the same day and year. I shall miss visiting you every day. My sincere condolences to Sam, Stacy, Quinton, Mommie and Dave and his family. RIP my precious friend!

I know I'm late, but here goes...

I was a regular reader beginning sometime in 2002. At some point in 2003 he posted a story about crap and I posted a comment about the time one of my sons crapped himself at an Outback steakhouse. He sent me an e-mail that said if you have that many boys (3 then, 4 now), you're gonna have to get your own blog. He gave me detailed instructions and a lists of don'ts. I thought the don'ts were really funny because they included things like "don't post about work" and "blogrolls are a pain in the ass, too much trouble, don't bother." I followed his "don'ts" to the letter. Set up a blog right after Christmas and New Years Day I made my first real post.

He was my blogfather, and even though I didn't know him from Adam, a friend.

The next and last time he and I "spoke" was an email he sent as an answer to a question I put in his comments. I had asked him if I should buy my son an electric guitar even though he just started lessons a month previous. I wish I could find that email, because in it he said a boy will always remember his first girl, his first car, his first dog and his first guitar. "You can be remembered as the guy who gave him three out of four."

For such a tough guy, he was a big ol' softie and I'll miss reading him.

Gut Rumbles is one of the best blogs I've ever read, simply because Rob was such a great writer. He knew how to cut through the BS and just tell a story and let the reader see it and feel it in his own mind and heart.

Plus, he lived life large and had lots of great stories to tell. I'll sure miss coming here and finding a new gem every day.

Rest in Peace, Rob.

I read Gut Rumbles daily, posted occasionally. Rob will be missed--hell, he is already. A one-of-a-kind guy who shot from the hip & said what he meant, not what you might prefer to hear; The Corrosive One didn't sugar-coat a damned thing.
Here's to you, Rob: I hope heaven is like your best day in Belize, & then some. On my way home today, I'll crank the bike up to holy-shit-that's-fast throttle, just for you, and when I get home, I'll sit on my porch in the woods & drink a cold beer.
We love you, bro.

Might be a failure in my manners to post again this quick, but I just found this over at BMEWS & thought it fit. Made this big, bad-assed biker go all misty--as have several of these posts.
For you, Rob:
"If Michael, leader of God’s host
When Heaven and Hell are met,
Looked down on you from Heaven’s door-post
He would his deeds forget.

Brooding no more upon God’s wars
In his divine homestead,
He would go weave out of the stars
A chaplet for your head.

And all folk seeing him bow down,
And white stars tell your praise,
Would come at last to God’s great town,
Led on by gentle ways;

And God would bid His warfare cease,
Saying all things were well;
And softly make a rosy peace,
A peace of Heaven with Hell.

– W. B. Yeats 1893"

Rob was one I read every day, damn, I'm going to miss that man.

Late to the party, that is nothing new.

I grew up in a cowboy culture.
Rob grew up in a hill-billy miner culture.

I felt a natural affinity with him.
It's called living with honor.

I got a couple of private "responses" to a couple of my posts.
I cherish that.

I wish I had met you...

An honest man in a world that has too few.

Have fun, where ever you are...

Rob, it was you who, as a joke, made it rain in the hills this afternoon, wasn't it? Oh, well--scared the shit out of me now & then, but I bet you grinned!

In 1995, my beloved Uncle passed away. He was the roughest, foul mouth curmudgeon that I'd ever believed existed. His own mother was killed in a saloon during a gun battle. When he passed away, it was not pretty, and the void in our lives was immense. Every day since, I have mourned him.

About 3 years ago, I stumbled on Gut Rumbles as the urge to blog started to overtake me. Acidman was everything my uncle was and more. No punches. A mouthy bastard and proud of it. As I followed the good, the bad and the downright ugly, I felt like I was keeping in contact with a branch of my family I never knew.

Did I agree with everything he said? Hell no. But I loved the fact that no matter what, Rob Smith was Rob Smith. Don't like it? Fuck off. And I loved that - something I have a very hard time saying myself.

When all the crap was coming down with Sam's situation (still think about you often, Sam!), I dropped him a line and got a wonderful response back. A beautiful man, and an amazing father.

My own blog is not even worth a mention. My writing is what he would easily call horseshit. But at the same time, while maybe not a blog-daddy, he was definitely my inspiration to continue. Blog Uncle? I would be honoured to consider him that.

Sam, Quinton and everyone else, I am so sorry for all you are going through. I went through it in '95 and it still hurts. My deepest condolences.

And of course, without a doubt, my toenails are red and will be so for some time. How could I not?

Sue in Vancouver, BC

I would love to hear an update from someone who has seen the family and find out how everyone is holding up. I just feel so awful for Sam, Quinton, Mommie, Dave and all of the rest of his family and friends. Mainly I am concerned, however, for Sam and little Quinton. Continuing to send good thoughts to them!

To start, i havent read any of the 140 odd comments, but i wanted to add mine since i missed the memorial.

I only met the man once, along with Recondo32 ,Georgia, and Catfish. No bullshit, it was one of the coolest nights of my relativly short life.

we met at Steamers in richmond hills, GA. My trusty Harley managed to take a shit 30 min before I was set to meet everybody, so i showed up a bit late. Walking across the lot, I see 4 folks sitting down at a table on Steamer's porch just hanging out, and instantly I knew it was them.

kinda hard to miss the short bowlegged guy, the couple, and the crazy looking old biker guy with the big ass santa beard and ponytail.

It was an awesome night of meeting some new folks and bullshiting with em' till it got late enough that everybody had to get home. The whole thing was just awesome, because going down there, i had only talked to rob (and cat a bit too), and they got the whole thing together. I had offered to take rob out, but Recondo 32 ended up pickin up the tab for everybody so i couldn't follow up on that.

I still owe the survivors of that night a dinner at Steamers.

Guess this is about all of em', but it would'nt have been possible without Rob.

We'll miss you much, Amigo. rest easy.

I started my blog just for Rob. That makes him my blogdaddy.

I happened on GR quite by accident whilst trying to find a source for 6 gallon milk cans in Kuwait. (This was not for making milk!) One of the links led me to a mention of US soldiers being shot at in Kuwait and, further down the page, a wonderful diatribe against Greenies and ‘global warming’, full of passion and witty invective. That, of course was Rob’s GR. I immediately bookmarked it and it has been my first page visited each day and enjoyed with the first cup of tea for more than a year now. It still is the only real blog on my ‘Favourites’ drop-down – I have never found anything to match it although, in quite a different way, numberwatch.co.uk is also full of dry aphorisms and well put home truths.
Some of Rob’s pithy comments didn’t go down well with my cat but I forgave him that.
His brilliant invention of ‘Assholebegone’ graced our engineering notice board for several months until it was ordered to be removed by a manager because it was ‘not in good taste’. Unfortunately our tin was empty by then or there would have been another instance of ‘goodbye dipshit’ psssst.
I stayed with GR during the Willingway sojurn and was pleasantly surprised at the quality maintained in Rob’s absence. I am looking forward to more of the same once his blogheirs take over. However you will all have a very high bar to clear.
I never met Rob nor did I correspond with him preferring to be entertained at a distance.
I’m now sorry I didn’t ever write to him directly instead of just posting the odd comment.
I will miss him lots.
He was unique.
I did post in the Visitors’ book for the memorial service and repeat now my condolences and sympathy for Rob’s relatives and his many friends.
Kind regards and best wishes

I became an avid reader of GR a little over 2 years ago. My mom (Michele at Meanderings) had his site listed as one of her favs. I thought "Well, if she likes it, it has to be good". Sure enough, it was!
I will miss reading this blog...I usually spent Sat. nights after the kiddos ventured to bed catching up on what he had posted through the week.
I never posted, and I never emailed..one of the things I am sure I will regret.
I was so excited when my mom came back from her first blogfest because I wanted to know if Rob was as big of a stinker as he seemed to be...she said "Oh he is an old softy..."
So, I bid you a peaceful rest Rob..you 'ole softy!!!
Now, there are alot of archives I have yet to read...
God bless his family in this time of sorrow...you are all in my prayers.

My day just doesn't seem right unless I start it at gutrumbles, so here I am again heartbroken. It just doesn't feel right.

I noticed another post from a Pensacola reader above. Small world.

I came to Gut Rumbles through a friend's blog about 2 years ago. He posted a wonderful tribute a couple of days ago. ()MrsSatan/blogspot) Rob had linked to one of his rantings and is still the leading link to my friends blog since. I began to check out the site a couple of times a day to see what he had to say. I was always entertained and enlightened. When he offered a bumper sticker to whoever sent an addresss, I replied and never expected to see it. Within a week, I got my bumper sticker and now proudly display it in my office. He was a "great living american", that's a phrase coined by a popular radio talk show host here in Minnesota. Rob definitely fit the description. I'll miss you Rob! I always hoped that I would meet you some day. I vow that I will pick up my guitar that has been sitting for years and start strumming again in your honor. Sam and Quinton, take care and know what I know you already know, that he loved you both more than anything. RIP Rob.

I am glad that Rob found a sort of peace before his expiration date. It was good to watch that happen and to see that Gut Rumbles suffered no lack of piss & vinegar after the decision to go alcohol free.

I know Sam knows, but I truly hope that Quinton understands -- if not now, one day -- how special was his daddy and how much he loved him.

Adios, Pappy.

heres to him,

Almost a year later and reading these still breaks my heart...

Almost a year and I still don't... can't... believe it.

It's no easier to handle now than it was last year.
Actually, the closer that day gets, the harder it gets...

And, I think that has something to do with the intrinsic, yet vigorously denied, knowledge that there is simply no way in hell that Rob could stay silent for a whole year.

Like... I'm gonna have to admit it...
he's not in Costa Rica.

He's not gonna ever come back... is he?

I drove there.
To Georgia.

I saw the Crackerbox and the last box.

Yet, the only part of that whole deal I can easily believe is how awesome Cat is and how magical it was sitting there, in that soft summer evening, listening to almost everybody play and sing.

I remember the drive.
I remember the service.
I remember the reason for both.

I just don't believe any of that...

And, if it still hurts this bad from the perspective of continuing disbelieving denial, I fear that acceptance of it would kill me.

Stevie, you're not alone here, missy.

This week has seen my cell phone bill skyrocketfrom the hundreds of minutes of conversations with friends of Rob.

Who all still miss him, and that, terribly so.

I wrote of him here.

Many other of Rob's friends wrote of him on the 26th, also. Do be sure to read Ellison's take, it is a thing of beauty.

But mostly?

Please. Post the one of "The New Guy" on Gutrumbles. It's still out there, and I have no doubt that it would have been Rob's favorite.

And finally, a heartfelt THANK YOU for what all you've done here this past year. To you and to Paul T.

THANK YOU.

Somewhere, Rob smiles.

Jim
Sloop New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Over a year later, I'm reminded of Rob--especially when I saw this quiz on "What Color Should Your Toe Nails Be?", which ends with a picture of a lady's feet with the appropriately colored nails. He would have forwarded it to all of his lady friends.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorshouldyourtoenailsbequiz/

Has it really been 3 years?

I was a lurker, but Rob is the guy who got me hooked on blogs..

./cheers Rob