Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tim Garcia's Amazing Bass

Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy: “We always kicked ass with Tim.”
Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy: “We always kicked ass with Tim.”

“I had sent him a text around 1:30 in the afternoon.” Lemon Grove prog-rocker Andy Gorman needed a bass player, and Gorman wanted Tim Garcia for the date. That was Thursday, December 22. “I told him that I’d pick him up.” Garcia, he says, was without transportation. “At about 6:30 p.m., I finally got a text back from him: ‘Yeehaw! When and where?’”

The gig was finalized but would never be performed. In fact, that would be the last time Gorman would hear from his old friend. Garcia, 53, was pronounced dead at an area hospital later that night after suffering a massive heart attack.

Gorman got the news by telephone from a mutual friend the next day while on his way to a Christmas party. “‘Dude,’ I said, ‘you got it wrong. No. Bullshit.’”

Sponsored
Sponsored

There’s a garage behind Gorman’s house that was converted into a music room. For much of this past year, the studio served as Tim Garcia’s home. “I had him here for eight months.” A drum kit takes up much of the space; guitars hang on the walls. Gorman stops at a cheap electric bass. “He called this one Fifty Buck Chuck.” Gorman won’t elaborate, but he says that Garcia had fallen on hard times. He slept on patio cushions but for the most part was in good humor. “He was on his way back up.”

In recent years, Paul Timothy Garcia played numerous pick-up gigs around town with bands such as the Crabs, City Limits, and a Kiss tribute. But he made his name back in 1977 when Stephen Pearcy formed Mickey Ratt in San Diego, a band with a revolving door in which Garcia was the founding bassist. In the days following Garcia’s death, Pearcy posted the following on his Facebook page:

“Tim was an amazing bass player. Even the first day auditioning him for the band in 1977 playing [Led] Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song,’ [lead guitarist] Chris Hager and I were blown away. We found our man. He was so dedicated, [he] read music, played anything we showed him. He remembered every song and parts that Chris and I would forget even to this day. We always kicked ass with Tim, and he was always willing to be a partner in crime.”

Pearcy also wrote this: “Life is short. Let’s appreciate even those we have trouble understanding due to substance abuse who are our loved ones or friends.”

In 1980 Mickey Ratt moved to L.A. and became Ratt but Garcia stayed behind. “He had a baby...and a day job,” says Gorman. “He missed the fucking boat. It was a shame.” But Garcia was not without friends. In 2009, when Hager started Uncle Junkie, he would enlist, if temporarily, the help of his old band mate.

Garcia moved out of Gorman’s studio and headed north at the end of October. By November he had taken up residence somewhere in Rancho Bernardo and found work as a live-in caregiver. Less than two months later, Garcia was discovered in his room, unresponsive. He is survived by his children Adriana Garcia Magadan, Chris Garcia, and Janelle Garcia, and grandchildren Alex Garcia and Avelina Magadan.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy: “We always kicked ass with Tim.”
Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy: “We always kicked ass with Tim.”

“I had sent him a text around 1:30 in the afternoon.” Lemon Grove prog-rocker Andy Gorman needed a bass player, and Gorman wanted Tim Garcia for the date. That was Thursday, December 22. “I told him that I’d pick him up.” Garcia, he says, was without transportation. “At about 6:30 p.m., I finally got a text back from him: ‘Yeehaw! When and where?’”

The gig was finalized but would never be performed. In fact, that would be the last time Gorman would hear from his old friend. Garcia, 53, was pronounced dead at an area hospital later that night after suffering a massive heart attack.

Gorman got the news by telephone from a mutual friend the next day while on his way to a Christmas party. “‘Dude,’ I said, ‘you got it wrong. No. Bullshit.’”

Sponsored
Sponsored

There’s a garage behind Gorman’s house that was converted into a music room. For much of this past year, the studio served as Tim Garcia’s home. “I had him here for eight months.” A drum kit takes up much of the space; guitars hang on the walls. Gorman stops at a cheap electric bass. “He called this one Fifty Buck Chuck.” Gorman won’t elaborate, but he says that Garcia had fallen on hard times. He slept on patio cushions but for the most part was in good humor. “He was on his way back up.”

In recent years, Paul Timothy Garcia played numerous pick-up gigs around town with bands such as the Crabs, City Limits, and a Kiss tribute. But he made his name back in 1977 when Stephen Pearcy formed Mickey Ratt in San Diego, a band with a revolving door in which Garcia was the founding bassist. In the days following Garcia’s death, Pearcy posted the following on his Facebook page:

“Tim was an amazing bass player. Even the first day auditioning him for the band in 1977 playing [Led] Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song,’ [lead guitarist] Chris Hager and I were blown away. We found our man. He was so dedicated, [he] read music, played anything we showed him. He remembered every song and parts that Chris and I would forget even to this day. We always kicked ass with Tim, and he was always willing to be a partner in crime.”

Pearcy also wrote this: “Life is short. Let’s appreciate even those we have trouble understanding due to substance abuse who are our loved ones or friends.”

In 1980 Mickey Ratt moved to L.A. and became Ratt but Garcia stayed behind. “He had a baby...and a day job,” says Gorman. “He missed the fucking boat. It was a shame.” But Garcia was not without friends. In 2009, when Hager started Uncle Junkie, he would enlist, if temporarily, the help of his old band mate.

Garcia moved out of Gorman’s studio and headed north at the end of October. By November he had taken up residence somewhere in Rancho Bernardo and found work as a live-in caregiver. Less than two months later, Garcia was discovered in his room, unresponsive. He is survived by his children Adriana Garcia Magadan, Chris Garcia, and Janelle Garcia, and grandchildren Alex Garcia and Avelina Magadan.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Made Holiday Market, Veterans Day Parade & VetFest

Events November 10-November 11, 2024
Next Article

The White-crowned sparrow visits, Liquidambars show their colors

Bat populations migrate westward
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader