Dave Riley

David Michael Riley (July 30, 1960 – December 24, 2019) was an American musician who was the bassist in the punk rock band Big Black from 1985 until the band's dissolution in 1987. Riley moved to Chicago in 1982 from Detroit, where he had worked as a recording engineer. He played on Big Black's two studio albums, Atomizer and Songs About Fucking (1987), as well as their Headache EP (1987), several singles, and two live albums.

After Big Black, Riley recorded tracks with several other artists before being incapacitated by a stroke in 1993, losing the ability to walk. He became a blogger, and published a book in 2006 titled Blurry and Disconnected: Tales of Sink-or-Swim Nihilism. He died in late 2019 from squamous cell carcinoma.

Early life Growing up, Riley was a misfit and often bullied, the target of what he later called "insidious crap perpetrated by imperceptive emotional retards." As a teenager he was in a car accident that permanently disfigured his face, causing a speech disorder.

Career In Detroit, Riley worked as a recording engineer at a studio where funk artists George Clinton and Sly Stone recorded. His engineering credits include Parliament's Trombipulation (1980) and Funkadelic's The Electric Spanking of War Babies (1981). He met Big Black guitarist Santiago Durango at a punk show at the Cubby Bear, where Durango, drunk and vomiting in the club's restroom, complimented his playing style. He learned the group's repertoire, and they began writing songs for the band's first LP. Big Black's Atomizer came out in 1986; in Our Band Could Be Your Life (2001), author Michael Azerrad remarks that "Riley's gnarled bass sound combined explosively with the brutally insistent hammering of the drum machine while his funk background gave the music an almost danceable kick". This led to a tour of Europe that year, on which the band met an enthusiastic response. "It was kind of overwhelming for a while," Riley told Azerrad; "Needless to say, I got used to it really damn quick. People actually appreciated what you were doing and it was kind of cool. It was much different from America. We were treated with respect in Europe." Tensions were mounting within the band, with Riley earning Albini's ire. Albini did not drink alcohol, so Riley and Durango became drinking buddies on the road while Albini was doing interviews and handling the band's logistics. Albini made a number of threats, but never fired Riley; Durango later remarked that "It was kind of a love-hate thing" and speculated that "maybe on some subconscious level he understood that that was something Dave brought to the band." They were now enjoying increased press, radio airplay, record sales, and concert fees, but Riley later said "Big Black was never about that. For Big Black to make any money, it wouldn't have been Big Black anymore." A final tour, from June to August 1987, took the band to Europe (including performing at the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium), the United Kingdom, Australia, and across the United States, ending with their final show at Seattle's Georgetown Steam Plant where they smashed their instruments onstage. Big Black's second studio album, Songs About Fucking, was released shortly after their breakup and became their best-selling record, with an initial pressing of 8,000 copies. He also started a blog that year titled "Worthless Goddamn Cripple", on which he wrote about his experiences until 2008.

Big Black reunited for a short performance on September 9, 2006, at Touch and Go Records' 25th Anniversary festival. Albini did not invite Riley to participate, later saying that "We haven't kept close contact post-Big Black, but it's been close enough to know that he wasn't in a condition to play. I didn't want to put him in an awkward position of trying to play, but not being able to do it."

Later years and death In 2015 Riley and Brown retired to a small ranch near Arivaca, Arizona. In late August 2019 he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma that had begun in his throat and spread to his lungs, and died on December 24, 2019. Commenting on Riley's death to Rolling Stone, Albini called him "a fantastic musician and a critical part of the Chicago music scene. He bridged the gap between raw enthusiasm and outstanding musicianship better than anybody else in our peer group and I always admired him for it", while Durango remarked "Many of my favorite Big Black memories involve Dave, including the riot he single-handedly started by taunting the audience at one of our shows in Australia. A wicked prankster. Funny, charming, smart and talented. I would glue myself to Dave on our tours. Dave was a positive force in my life and I will miss him dearly."

Discography Parliament – Trombipulation (studio album, 1980): recording engineer Funkadelic – The Electric Spanking of War Babies (studio album, 1981): recording engineer Savage Beliefs – The Moral Efficiency of Savage Beliefs (EP, 1983): bass guitar Savage Beliefs – The Middle of America Compilation (various artists compilation, 1984): bass guitar on "Shake Your Neighbor's Hand", drums and vocals on "Double Standard" Big Black – "Rema-Rema" (single, 1985): bass guitar Big Black – "Il Duce" (single, 1985): bass guitar End Result – Ward (EP, 1985): producer, saxophone Big Black – Atomizer (studio album, 1986): bass guitar Big Black – God's Favorite Dog (various artists compilation, 1986): bass guitar on "Every Man for Himself" and "Crack Up" Big Black – Sound of Impact (live album, 1987): bass guitar Big Black – Happiness Is Dry Pants (various artists compilation, 1987): bass guitar on "Burning Indian Wife" Big Black – Headache (EP, 1987): bass guitar Big Black – "Heartbeat" (single, 1987): bass guitar Big Black – "He's a Whore" / "The Model" (single, 1987): bass guitar Big Black – Songs About Fucking (studio album, 1987): bass guitar Rights of the Accused – Dillinger's Alley (studio album, 1987): producer Big Black – The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape (compilation album, 1987): bass guitar Flour – Flour (studio album, 1988): gang vocals on "Red" Spongetunnel – 1989 (EP, 1989): producer Algebra Suicide – Alpha Cue (studio album, 1990): bass guitar, piano, and additional percussion on "Summer Virus Night" and "What Rubs Up to You" Big Black – Pigpile (video album/live album, 1992): bass guitar Big Black – "In My House" (single, 1992): bass guitar Bull – "Tinbox" (single, 1992): bass guitar Miasma of Funk – The Glory of Destruction (various artists compilation, 1997): recording engineer and drum programming on "The Law of Averages" Miasma of Funk – Groove on the Mania! (studio album, 2004) Savage Beliefs – Big Big Sky (compilation album, 2015): bass guitar