Blah...
Jun 01, 2012 at 12:00 PM - -
35 Comments
This is quite possibly the hardest thing that I've ever been asked to do. Remembering back more than 7 years ago to what originally ripped my heart out seems to be bringing back a flood of memories that have long since been repressed. I feared writing this, and pushed it back day after day, fearing of what might be remembered. At the same time, I cherish this opportunity to bring to light the life of Billy "Wicked" Wilson, from the eyes of his family.My name is Christopher, I am the youngest of Billy's brothers, and my mother Peggy asked me to speak on behalf of our family to his readers and followers. Admittedly, we knew that Billy had a large following, but we didn't know it was to the scale that we learned about after he passed. The outreach of all of you has had an effect immeasurable by any standards. I cannot express to you exactly how it feels to have people to this day talk about Billy in my presence, not even knowing that I am his brother. I don't think he even realized his fame. He probably still wouldn't believe me if I had told him today.
Possibly his greatest achievement, is his son, Dax. Many of you knew about Dax, because frankly, that's all he cared about in his final years. He is now 13, and seemingly 8'4" (not really, but seriously, give him a few years.) He is no longer the young toddler Billy loved and cherished, he has grown into quite literally the spitting image of his old man. He types faster than all of you, combined, has a catalog of technical knowledge that would scare most adults, and more than anything, has the same sense of humor and wit that made Billy famous to begin with. He will never know how much he is like his father. I can't thank Billy enough for leaving us with a little piece of him. Aimee has done an excellent job respecting and preserving the legacy of Billy. She has since remarried to a man who was handpicked by Billy from above. This man, Dan has done a wonderful job of picking up where Billy left off. I can't express my gratitude for him and Aimee raising Dax in the way he deserved.
Billy has left an impact on his family that cannot be perceived. Every day we think about him, his words, his actions, and what he left to this world. Sean and I have both adorned ourselves with tattoos of the Harry McBlink image. I think we both have enjoy when people ask "What is that voodoo head guy?" and we're able to jar someone's ear off for 45 minutes while we brag about our oldest brother, and what he did, and what that meant to us. When my mother talks about him, she speaks as if she saw him yesterday, you see a sparkle in her eye, remembering her baby for what he did to this world. It's obvious we're all better off for knowing Billy for all those years. Every one of us, Thom, Sean, Peggy, Jim, even Dax, catches ourselves saying one-liners made famous by Billy. It's apparent the influence lives on.
More than anything, he lives on in you. His readers knew a side of him that none of us ever saw. Consider yourself lucky for knowing him in his element. He not only had a talent for what he did, he was made for it. I only read a few of his blahs, being that I was maybe 10-12 at the time, but I remember them fondly. Blessed are those that read his columns daily, because you weren't just getting your honey roasted gaming news, you were getting a dose of wisdom, from Billy, whether either of you knew it or not. Speaking on behalf of his family, we can't thank you, his readers and colleagues, enough for allowing him to live the dream, even for only a few short years. I can't think of anyone else who deserved it more.
Voodooextreme lives on in all of you.
Update: Peggy sent along a short clip of Dax jamming on a drumset.
Going to this place is pure reflex for me. Before any other site I visit now, I went to VE. Religiously. I still go here, pretty much every day (the address is simply in my fingers), only to be reminded that it is a dying site.
I wonder how it will feel when the site actually goes down.
Not good, I wager.
Been coming to this site for I don't know how long... early high school years/late middle school for sure, and I've been graduated from college for 3 years now. Sad to see it go, but the amount of love that has been poured into this site over the years has kept me both entertained and informed more than I could have imagined. It'll be a sad day when I finally remove it from my favorites bar once I find an okay replacement...
Thanks, Billy.
Thank you Christopher for writing what was surely a difficult post.
It's only a little bit but I found this - Link Definitely has some good stuff in there.
I've been reading VE3D since the day I discovered it. It's one of two sites I've read every day for something like a decade or more. I loved Billy's writing style (and since then, everyone else on here) and sayings. He definitely influenced me growing up with the way he presented himself on here. I would love to see a page of Billy-isms.
Thanks to everyone who has worked on this site over the years, every one of you guys and gals seriously rock. I wish everyone the best of luck.
Not sure where to go now, hope everyone in/around the site gets the recognition they deserve for such an awesome place. Good luck everybody, seeya round the bend.
