noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - noiZe Magazine Issue 57 August 2008 - Index

to our house, picked us up and
drove us to Robert Redford’s restaurant
Zoom in Park City. There
was a camera in the back seat to
take pictures during the ride and a
wonderful table with flowers waiting
for us. That was his style—to create
fantastically memorable moments
for those he cared about.”
He also had a charitable side. For
a big birthday party, Steinberg had
asked for donations to the Trevor
Project, which helps gay youth.
Stringfellow immediately volunteered
his DJ services at no charge.
After his death, Steinberg called
Cary’s cell phone just to hear his
recorded voice: “I hung up, took a
deep breath, and went on with my
day. The next day I got a call on my
cell. It was the voice of a woman,
shaky and soft. ‘Hello, did you try to
call Cary Stringfellow?’ she asked.
‘This is Cary's Mom.’ My eyes teared
up and my throat closed. ‘I saw your
number on his phone. I need to
tell you...’ The two of us, strangers,
spoke about Cary, much of the conversation
in silence. She was in the
car, driving back from Los Angeles
to Utah, with Cary's ashes in a container
on her lap. I told her how
much I cared for him, how influen-
tial he was in my life, how we talked
almost daily.”
The cruelest irony of his passing,
as with so many bright lights extinguished
too early, is that he was on
the cusp of even greater success.
He had just received rave reviews
for playing at “Frisco Disco” at San
Francisco Pride (with a giant can of
Crisco as the DJ booth). “My partner
and I danced together under the
DJ booth for what was truly Cary's
last song,” recalled promoter Kyle
Pickett. “Cary Stringfellow was a
wonderful man who knew nothing
but how to bring joy into people’s
lives both on and off the dance floor.
He spun uplifting and sexy music that
just simply made you want to dance.”
Having watched him grow and develop
as an artist, noiZe was proud to
offer him a DJ Profile in this issue. We
obviously had no idea how sad and
ironic the timing would end up being.
We therefore offer this profile as a
celebration of a friend whose life was
filled with talent and joy. May we all
learn something from this gentle and
loving soul.
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