30/05/2024
My first interview was with him when my show was still called "Another Hit and Run." He was a great guy all around, and I am absolutely gutted right now. Much love to his loved ones.
Douglas Scott Kane left us at sunrise this morning
Doug fought hard over the last few months, battling an aggressive form of cancer and it had come time for him to get the rest he so desired. Doug was a spiritual man and found comfort in knowing that he was going to cross over to heaven and join his mother, his father, his ancestors, and all the old friends that had passed before him.
If you spent any time with Doug, you knew his love of life, his selfless giving to others, and the strong gravity around him that pulled people into his orbit. If you took the ride, you might have come out the other end a member of one of his bands, the new owner of some stories you wouldn’t soon forget, a part of a much larger friend group than you previously had, and most valuable of all, you gained a loyal, lifelong friend. He would do anything for a friend and there are many that can personally attest to this.
He always referred to his friends as brothers, and sisters, and family, because they were to him. He loved them all but he loved no one more than his wife, Sigrid. The very mention of her name and Doug’s face would light up with an almost boyish excitement. Sigrid was everything to Doug and they had a deeply committed love for each other. She was his best friend, his trusted confidant, his muse, the love of his life, his everything.
Sometimes sensitive, introspective people find themselves hoisted into cultural positions that demand passionate, fiery, extroverts. Doug found equilibrium.
Not yet a teenager, Doug first heard punk rock in the late 1970s and from that day forward, the naturally sensitive, introspective kid was transformed. In the early 1980’s he discovered Oi music and soon after started his first band, Doug and the Slugz. One of a very small number of bands that would give birth to the American Oi scene. Doug went on to front numerous bands, release over 20 LPs and EPs, write hundreds of songs, and has become a name synonymous with American Oi and street punk. His music and countless interviews are scattered all over the internet and will continue to influence and inspire others to tell their stories. Always humble, you wouldn’t know any of this from talking to him. To Doug, making music was just one part of his story. No more important or less important than any other part of the story.
Gravity forms around people that have attained some level of authenticity. They’ve become complete. Whole. These people don’t live ordinary lives. It’s possible to get to this place by always showing up, always putting in the work, never doing anything halfway, being fully committed, and then…sometimes…you get there. But it’s rare.
Doug was all in for his family, his friends, his music, his love, his rage, and his spiritual self. All of those that knew him were pulled into his orbit, and they were better off for it. Their lives became a little more interesting and a little more exciting for taking the ride. Doug always showed up, always put in the work, never did anything halfway, was fully committed…and he got there. Doug was complete. Doug was whole. Doug’s life wasn’t ordinary. Douglas Scott Kane was authentic.
To my friend Dougie
Rest In Peace…and thanks for the ride
Jeremy “Cottontail” Sims
