Sid Ferreira

I just found out tonight that a friend of both Mike and me, Sid Ferreira, that we knew during our art school days in New Jersey was killed in an auto accident about 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately I'd lost touch with Sid since the early 1990's- I didn't even know he was in California, let alone that he was teaching animation at a community college, and working on his own animation projects on the side.

Really, really sad news.

Sid was a fun loving person, always quick to crack a joke and make everyone laugh. He was also a really creative guy, and I remember him as a very skilled drummer. He even played drums on a couple of early Zaptoons projects, such as recording the theme song with us for 'Bingo Beach Party' (1988) -seen on the Toons/Charlie Hippo page. (I remember Sid banging out the rhythm on a crappy little Roland TR-505 drum machine I owned, while Mike played keyboards and sang the backup harmony, and I played the lead guitar -none of it all that well, but we had a blast at it.) Of the three of us, the only one who could actually play an instrument professionally was Sid.


<br /><bgsound src="http://www.journal.zaptoons.com/bingobeach.mp3" controls="smallconsole"> <br />
Bingo Beach Party (1988) MP3

I remember he didn't much care for drum machines, as Sid was a percussion purist and great at playing the real thing. However we couldn't cram a full drum kit into the tiny little studio we used at our school, so he had to make due with the tiny drum pads on the TR-505.

I also worked with Sid at a local restaurant/pub in Jersey waiting tables and slinging beer to pay for the threadbare art school lifestyle.

Sid was from Brazil originally, and grew up in Massachusetts. I remember he had a thick Mass. accent- I used to ask him to repeat certain words because I couldn't make out the 'chusetts': "Drive your cah to the pok!"

"Pok? What's a poc?"

"Park!"

Such loss always makes one realize how fragile life really is, and to appreciate those around you that much more.

My heart goes out to Sid's family in their time of grieving.