You'd Better Pack a Lunch

Deacon Lunchbox (Tim Ruttenber) was known in Atlanta from his crazy nights at Tortilla's on Ponce, where at midnight the eatery was called "the Mudd Shack," a coffeehouse for underground performance artists who just didn't fit into the local rock clubs.

Deacon was a gentle giant, larger than life but as kind as a saint. He was a brazen and scary loudmouth on stage, but a caring, soft-spoken friend in real life. He delivered his impassioned rants while banging on an old metal torpedo and wearing fake breasts, but his message was deep and intelligent. He was a bona fide Southerner who refused to conform to the standard signifiers of ignorance, isolationism or prejudice. Somehow he managed to maintain a balance and sense of congruence between his personalities.

Deacon was a force of nature, more than 6 feet tall, burly, with a thick, red beard and a voice that rattled the windows. "He was one of the most important artists in Atlanta during a period of unparalleled progressive activity," says writer Doug Deloach. "At its best, his work evoked the soul-stirring, madcap, outlaw Southern identity of which he was so profoundly proud. He was fearless; as a result, he emboldened and inspired.

Sadly, we lost Deacon at the age of 41, along with Jody Grind members Robert Hayes and Rob Clayton, in a tragic auto accident on Easter Sunday in 1992. But they have never been forgotten.

"Life is an illusion, so you might as well make it a good one." --Deacon Lunchbox