Funeral Details

I got to know Justin through the AOL No Depression folder. Justin was such a big part of that community. We shared many good times at music venues throughout Chicago. Many years ago when Justin was living in LA, I invited him to “crash” a New Year’s Eve party with my extended family in San Diego. Of course, Justin charmed everyone.

Conrad Floeter

We met Justin during his time in Berlin, and we never lost touch. We will never forget him—he brought so much love and friendship. He was an incredible light. Our thoughts are with his family. We are profoundly saddened. Tilo & Gaby

Gaby Krenge

Please accept my sincere condolences the loss of Justin. May his memory be a blessing.
Jeff Greenberg and Family

Jeffrey Greenberg

A Letter Never Sent: My Justin Bass Story

Justin Bass was an incredibly kind man who touched my life forever. We met a lifetime ago when I was Donna Party on the Windy City Rollers, and Justin was WCR Superfan Mick Jammer. That time is now a haze in my mind, but I fondly remember our conversations throughout the years I skated: that his mother’s name was also Donna, that he also grew up in Northbrook before moving to Glencoe, and that we both loved roller derby, music, going to afterparties, and being silly in general.

Justin used to make fantastic DIY fan T-shirts and wear them to the bouts. The shirts read MICK JAMMER on the back and often featured color-copied cutouts of skater profile photos affixed with bands of clear packing tape in the most charming and sweet way possible. Mick Jammer was part of the WCR family, a large group of enthusiastic weirdos having a great time.

It was simple then

When the party lulls
If we fall by the side
Will you be remembered?

We kept loosely in touch after I “retired” from roller derby, mostly through the occasional email or note on social media. I used to send out newsletters about art exhibitions I was part of, and he would offer enthusiasm and thoughtful suggestions for moving forward with my projects.

In July, when I received an email from Justin about his new project, R.E.M. Stories, I wanted to express enthusiasm and support for his project, but I had an emotional reaction to seeing the word R.E.M.

I quietly deleted the emails every fifteen days, and in August, I contemplated sending a nice note: “Hello, how are you? I hope you’re well, and please don’t send me any more emails about R.E.M.” Instead, I decided to write out my thoughts and feelings instead of letting them swirl or fester inside me. After writing for a while, I reached out to Justin, and we had a few weeks of back-and-forth about his project, my essay, and our feelings about music, projects, the state of the world, moving abroad, and coming home. For me, it became an intensely emotional process of reckoning with R.E.M., a band Justin was so enthusiastic about that he created this project, driven by a desire to bring people together around something that was deeply emotional for him as well.

I encourage anyone reading this to read Justin’s R.E.M. story, which is somewhat buried in the FAQ section of the website: remstories.net/faq-lab/ When I made suggestions for UX improvements on the website and emphasized that his story needed to be more prominently featured, Justin let me know that the only other person who submitted feedback on these matters was Donna, his mother, who suggested the Roman numeral format for the story releases.

Not everyone can carry the weight of the world
Talk about the passion

What is not linked on the website is Justin’s interview on the Song Seeker’s Substack, “Eight Songs a Week: R.E.M. Edition.”
songseekers.substack.com/p/eight-songs-a-week-vol-3-rem-edition

It includes a video playlist of Justin’s top eight R.E.M. songs, which I also encourage anyone reading this to listen to while reflecting on Justin: on who he was, how he was, and the tragic fact that he is now gone. I can honestly say that every time I hear R.E.M., I will think of Justin.

When Justin received his diagnosis in August, he included me on the email sharing the horrible news and some treatment updates. I kept him in my thoughts for the last two months, not wanting to email too much because he said he was very, very tired, and I didn’t want to add to his list of things to do. I acted as many people do around someone with a terminal cancer diagnosis: like a frightened seagull, scattering away. This is my letter, never sent, but these feelings were communicated and shared. I appreciated Justin, his passion, his focus, and his insightful correspondence. We did not know each other well, but in the brief encounters we shared, he impacted my world. I am listening to these songs and smiling and crying. For me, his spirit remains, forever a blessing in my heart.

We fell up not to see the sun
Gardening at night just didn't grow

Thank you, Justin Bass. Thank you, Mick Jammer. You will be missed but not forgotten.

The ocean sang, the conversation's dimmed
I'm sorry

Mariah Karson