The Disco Biscuits community was saddened on Thursday to learn of the passing of the group’s former lighting designer of 20-plus years, Johnny R. Goode. No cause of death has been immediately reported.
Goode was notably sidelined in early 2023 when, per a GoFundMe campaign promoting his recovery, “A very nasty bacteria had entered his body through a small cut on his dominant hand, triggering an extreme immune response, and leading to sepsis nearly overnight.” The GoFundMe page also notes that he underwent three surgeries in the weeks after the initial medical incident and had to have part of his finger amputated but was on the road to recovery. Goode returned to action for a time in the spring of 2023, with his final show behind the lights coming at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh, NY on June 17th. In December 2023, The Disco Biscuits announced that Alex “Herm” Schneider would be taking over LD duties for the band full-time.
In a social media post on Thursday evening, The Disco Biscuits wrote, “We’re absolutely devastated to hear of the passing of our brother and longtime Lighting Director, Johnny R. Goode. Sending love to Johnny’s family and to everyone who knew and loved him. This is a massive loss to the music and lighting worlds, as well as a heartbreaking personal loss to everyone within and surrounding The Disco Biscuits community.”
In a post of his own, Herm added, “I don’t have a single picture of us together because we were always so stupid busy over all the years but I’ll never forget you looking me straight in the face at [Backwoods] one year and saying ‘well you f*in programmed it, you should run it.’ You were a friend and will continue to be an inspiration. I will miss you brother.”
Andrew Cass, the lighting designer for The String Cheese Incident who spent time working on the Disco Biscuits road crew and filled in for Goode on lights on various occasions through the years, posted a heartfelt remembrance of his late friend and colleague on Instagram. “People who work in music have a unique bond,” he wrote. “Long nights, early mornings, missed family, constant travel, broken relationships, and also the occasional moments of magic. Those moments become the driving force behind your life and career.”
“When I first saw Johnny he was like a legend to me,” Cass continued. “He was tall and you could see him over the crowd and he never broke character. The character was stoic and serious and he was the holder of Bisco lore and had to approve a new case name to ensure it was deserving of the honor. When I covered for him on lights certain songs had specific colors and I was not to deviate. Once he broke his hand right in front of me, I heard the bones break, and he looked right at me and said he was fine. It wasn’t until his hand was the size of a grapefruit that he relented and went to the hospital. This was Johnny 1. The Bisco years.”
“Johnny 2 was post Bisco and it truly shocked me how much he had changed,” Cass went on. “He was lighter, introspective and vulnerable. He ended his phone calls with ‘Love Ya, Bro!’ The first time I heard this I didn’t know how to respond. He would check in to see how I was doing and respond to texts and we talked about life rather than lights. I tell this because I don’t think many people got to know Johnny 2 and he was a positive force in the world. He was the best man at my wedding, my boss a few times, my peer, and sometimes he was my rock when shows got crazy. I’m gonna miss him but I feel ok because I got to watch him live an amazing life that most people couldn’t dream of. … He deserves recognition for his contribution to lighting and for being as genuine and authentic a human as they come.”
Revisit Live For Live Music‘s 2019 interview with Cass in which he discusses his history with Goode here.
Shine on, Johnny. We’ll miss you.
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