David Jones was my best friend when I lived in San Francisco. He was the singer in Enemy You and he passed away recently in his home. I’m told David took his own life.

I can already see the outpouring of support and good will from his friends and co-workers, and everyone seems to agree that David was a thoughtful, conscientious human being. That will be his legacy, and it should be.

If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to share some thoughts and personal anecdotes about him. See, my father passed away right after I graduated from Cal and I was in a weird, lonely place. I knew David Jones at that point, but it was only when I was at his house and saw his truly righteous collection of D&D stuff that I knew he was on the team and we’d be fast friends. From that day on I hung out with him more than anyone and Dave’s house was a real “port in a storm” for a parentless kid who liked nerdy gaming and punk rock. What’s weird is that amidst this grim news, we’ve come to learn that there’s a lot of people that referred to David as their best friend. Again, that’s his legacy.

One of the many sad perspectives here is that people like us need David Jones. He was like me and some of you: he didn’t identify with the overculture and didn’t necessarily feel accepted. But as old and happy and stable and independent as I think am now, I still feel like I need David Jones and it really hurts to think that we lost such a benevolent and helpful soul. We can’t afford to lose any more like him. So if you’re out there, and you’re hurting, please reach out to someone. We need you too.

I had a really peaceful conversation with David’s high school friend, Adam. He said a few things that might help make sense of this. It was basically, “No one should feel guilty about this because David told me in 10th grade that he was going to inevitably kill himself. As clichéd as it sounds, he’s in a better place now. David was always in a lot of pain.” And I suppose that’s true. It makes me really sad to think that David didn’t always feel the joy that life can bring you. It’s unfair that he brought so much joy to others, but we couldn’t do the same in return.

This record label wouldn’t exist without David Jones and his music will live on for a long time. Such is his legacy.

See you at the big Gen-Con in the sky, David…

– Tobias Jeg