Tassilo Goetz - 26-11-04 - Vancouver - Owen Bird

[StoneMtn]

I had the opportunity last night to attend a very special event.

A man named Tassilo Goetz, who lives in Rose Bay in the Queen Charlotte Islands, BC, observed a very expensive boat belonging to the government loose in the ocean and about to be destroyed during a horrible storm. Goetz literally risked his life and towed this boat in, mainly because he couldn't stand the thought of the beautiful vessel being destroyed. As it happens, Goetz is one of the few people living in that area, which is known for its very tumultuous seas, and has salvaged boats in this manner for the government before. This time, for the very first time, Goetz decided to ask for a salvage fee, to which he was rightly entitled. As he had the ghall to ask for a fee for rescuing the boat, the RCMP arrested him for various reasons surrounding creating a dangerous situation by rescuing the boat, etc., and then took him 100 miles from his home; where he was charged and released. (Remember, this is the middle of nowhere. No taxis. No buses. No subways.) It took Goetz three days to get home.

By weird coincidence, a friend of mine named Dan Burnett who is also one of the best litigators you are ever likely to meet, happened to be travelling in the Queen Charlottes a short time later. He spoke to the skipper of the boat he was on; a man named Goetz, who told him the above unbelievable story. Dan was incensed and had a talk with Goetz about this.

Goetz knew that the universe had worked to intentionally bring Dan to the middle of nowhere to meet him, and two weeks later he called Dan in Vancouver to ask about suing. Dan explained that there was huge risk to Goetz if he sued, and it is not worth it. Goetz, however, decided that if he didn't put a stop to abuses of power like this; who would? He retained Dan and launched a lawsuit. As Goetz put it, "I'm just a guy who lives in the middle of nowhere, and I don't take sh!t from anybody."

In the end, Dan took this matter to trial and eventually to an appeal. He won both times, and as of yesterday the Crown confirmed it would not appeal again. A substantial cheque is now on its way to the deserving Mr. Goetz. If you are interested, I encourage you to read the judgments at http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/sc/03/10/2003bcsc1000.htm and http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/ca/04/05/2004bcca0539.htm . BC is now just a little bit more civilized, thanks to the efforts of Dan and Goetz.

Goetz is also a very talented acoustic guitarist, who plays his own original instrumental tunes; in somewhat of a classical style. (Actually, by coincidence, Dan Burnett is also a very talented musician; jazz sax player.) For this reason, Dan invited a few people to the law offices of Owen Bird in Vancouver to enjoy some wine and food, listen to Dan and Goetz as well as the BC Civil Liberties Association talk about the case, and hear Goetz play some guitar with a slide show of his home in the gorgeous, serene, Queen Charlottes in the background. He was REALLY GOOD, and I bought his CD. I recommend that you look at his website at http://www.tassilomusic.com/ where you can learn about his trip to Canada from Germany 20 years ago, with only an axe and a guitar, when he moved to the edge of Canada and stayed there. He had no money and few resources, and relied entirely on himself to build a life. You can also order his phenomenal CD.

I encourage you to buy his disc. He is one cool, down to earth man, and a great musician. He deserves support.

Set list last night:

1. Going to Town

2. Homecoming

3. Travelling

4. White Satin (He can only remember the melody if he listens to "Knights in White Satin" first.)

5. Waves

6. Reverberations

7. Pastime

8. The Hunt (An instrumental song about an Easter egg hunt.)

9. Espana

His disc is amazing, and could solve all your Chirstmas gift buying problems. Seriously, check out his website.

[weezy]

Great story!

[Flower]

that story was amazing. im buying his cd for people for chrismas.

[ToddVelvet]

As a musician myself, I certainly have to support this guy. (Translation: Bump!)

[Pumpkin]

Bump!

[StoneMtn]

I am normally not a fan of "bumping" but I really want to support this guy, so I am shamelessly bumping my own post back onto the second page...

[StoneMtn]

Today, I was listening to a CD by this musician, and was remembering back to how incredibly cool he was when I met him. (He invited me to come and visit him in The Queen Charlottes, after knowing me for about 4 seconds, and I really do believe that I have a standing invitation to head up there any time I like; forever.)

Anyway, I did a quick search, and his website is a little better than it was back when I posted this review. (That is pretty impressive, considering that I'm pretty sure he is only able to power his laptop by arranging for a friend to vigorously rub two sticks together.) He also has a new CD (new since then) and has now posted samples of his tunes on his website.

I'd love to see this guy get famous, so check him out online, buy one of his discs, and/or spread the word to your friends (or go visit him in the middle of nowhere, if you're feeling adventurous).