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Sad news from San Francisco: San Diego fashion veteran Todd Tomarrow (né Todd Bundy) passed away May 21. According to the Antebellum Blog, “I’m sad to say that we lost Boy Bar / Jackie 60 legend Todd Tomarrow (aka Lulu) yesterday. Todd died suddenly from blood poisoning. He lived in San Francisco with his partner David for the last few years.”
I was surprised at how sad I was to hear of Todd’s untimely passing. I hadn’t seen him in many years, but I know it wasn’t just that we’re the same age and dammit, people aren’t supposed to die at my age.
My sadness was an indication of what kind of person he was. He was such a creative person, but he wasn’t selfish with that creativity. He shared with all his friends, and he had many friends indeed.
On Facebook, where the news first traveled ’round, I was struck by the wide range of people who knew him. I only knew of his San Diego connections, but even within San Diego there were connections far and wide in many different creative camps. His energy intersected with so many lives, the “six degrees” game could certainly be well played with Todd.
Todd was a collaborator and muse, an instigator and pal, and damn if he didn’t always look great in photos!
>>He was such a creative person, but he wasn’t selfish with that creativity. He shared with all his friends, and he had many friends indeed.
MRAT: True, and well said. Generosity of creative spirit … What a fine legacy!
Todd Bundy (Tomarrow) was my step-son. His father, (George Bundy) and I thank you
for the great comments. He was very special and loved very much. We will surely
miss him.
Todd and I had been very close friends for a very long time. As some as you know, under our partnership of ‘Kineto Productions’ we produced our Multi-Media Performance Art Happening
‘Go Go Impossible’ on Market Street in the summer of 1985. But he and I first grew to love one another as ‘misfits’ at Torrey Pines High School from 1981 onwards, and spent hours together drinking coffee, talking fashion, making art, and going dancing at Studio 9, Club Zu, and attending various house parties.
We were also both heavily involved in the San Diego Hair Show team at Avanti International (in PB/La Jolla); which included the head mistress Vicki Lavanti, make-up artist Carol Coleman, and many young and hip hairstylists in training. Todd was a fashion designer, and I was a big eyed model back then. All of the hair models were young Mod, new wave, and other post-punk creative types…the kind of people Todd loved to dress up in his hand made fashions and tongue and check t-shirts n’ stuff.
I always believed in his talent as a designer, and was proud to model his creations. One of his favorite “lines” of designs was his earliest; when he recycled pre-owned jeans, that he bleached, cut, tore, died, and re-stitched into badass new ones! He was 25 years ahead of today’s trends! Brilliant!
That same spring, Todd fashioned me a beautiful white, floor length caftan/Romanesque tunic out of a white bed sheet. He designed a textile on it by throwing bright blue, purple, and a rich magenta paint on the fabric. The dress was roomier at the top, with a conservative neckline, and 3/4 length sleeves down each arm. Sewn down the sides, the dress became much more form fitting as it reached my bottom. A big black gladiator belt hung at my waist. The big payoff was the back of the dress, which was designed in an open “V” all the way down to my bottom! Todd was so smart and ahead of the curve on that one, too. Bless his soul--he fashioned a little link of fabric to connect both sides of that dress together at about 1/3 down my back-otherwise I would have been a walking billboard for D-A-N-G-E-RI! BTW…Gladiator sandals were the finishing touch ion that dress-dare I say, ahead of the curve once again?!!
As close as Todd and I were in High School and through the mid 80’s (when we had our first apartments in San Diego); after he left for New York we fell out of touch with one another. I saw him once for lunch in NYC in the early 90’s, but until last spring there had been little to no communication between us. Thank God for Facebook and this blog!! Through the interconnections of people created by both, I was able to connect with Todd in a big way in 2010. Unbeknownst to me, he had been living in SF with his partner David since around 2002 (I think that was the year). I was thinking about writing memoirs of ‘Go Go IMPOSSIBLE’…and Todd happily agreed to meet and discuss the project. So, over the course of a 2-3 month period last Spring- Summer2010, Todd and I had a reunion, swapped stories and photos, and we wrote the first drafts of our story on GGIMP for The Che Underground Blog. Writing the story was a complex process. Even though much of the material is based on my memory, I could not have written it without his help and insights. I’m just sad he won’t be around to see our story published.
I had been trying to reach Todd over the last two months to reconvene and get our Story revamped and ready for print by this July 31st. I thought it was odd that I had not heard back from him, but never dreamed that he was ill or I had cause for concern. No one ever returned my phone calls or e-mails, to let me know he was sick! I only heard of his passing through a phone call from Clay; who saw this short post on the Blog. I have been in complete shock for the last a day or two. I am still quite—lost. His loss is bringing back some other faces. Like Keith & Jeff, and my little brother David. Wow, all these young men that were near me in 1985 are all now hanging out somewhere else, not here.
But, I know from my talks with Todd that his return to California helped him repair some family relationships. And he was very happy with David and the life they shared here. So, I am so very grateful to have been a part of his coming home experience and that I was able to reconnect with him for a short time.
I’ll close here with the message I left Todd on his Facebook page:
____
My Sweet Todd, your loss is all so new to me; it leaves me speechless (strange, huh)? You know that I love you. I’m so glad we found each other again, shared meals, and wrote our memoir of GO GO IMPOSSIBLE. You helped me become the artist I am today. Big hugs up to heaven.*
*I promise I will share our ‘Go Go IMPOSSIBLE’ Story with our friends, and your family and more recent friends on The Che Underground Blog-just as we originally intended. My goal was to publish it before our next anniversary, July 31st…but, perhaps i might move up the release date in memory of you. 😉
he will be missed. i am sad i never had the chance to reconnect. thanks Mrat and Kristi, for the thoughtful words -- you’ve said it better than i could. RIP Todd!
I made a film in 1983 starring Liz Ard and Todd Tommarow called “Happy House”. Perhaps it’s time to bring the treasure out again… will try to post soon…
This breaks my heart. I love Todd. We went together to the Prom in 1983 -- both in Tuxedos and he, of course -- looked way better than me with his red satin cumberbun. Todd and I used to ride the bus to school together and when our parents divorced, my mom and his mom both lived near each other in La Jolla. In high school, in 1982(?) Todd made for me one of his outfits (as decribed by Kristi) and we did a performance together at the first Del Mar Arts Park festival. He was so sweet, sensitive, creative and fun.
We both moved to New York around the same time and I remember running into him in this truly scary and fabulous club. I felt we were both way out of our element. It was fabulous but dark and I think Todd was always fabulous but light. Light spirited and sweet. Even though parts of his history were very hard, he was a bright light.
I will miss him. Cathy
I have thought of Todd so much over the years since high school. I always thought I’d run into him on the streets of NYC but it never happened. He was such a creative light. I am glad to hear he had a happy life & love in SF but it is too tragic that he was taken away from it too soon. His loss is felt back in NY. I miss you Todd, Sarah
First of all…it is so great to hear from all of Todd’s gal pals! I’m sure he is delighted to know you are thinking of him. When we spent time together last spring & summer we chatted about many of you, as we riffled through photographs and memories from TPHS and GO GO IMPOSSIBLE and prepared our story to share with everybody.
i have to admit, i just made a HUGE REALIZATION…I have to give a tremendous thank you to TZP for helping me make the connection that
Margaret Nee in MRAT! MRAT…Todd was looking for YOU! He loved you sooo much! This is not to take away from his Torrey Pines High school darlings like Sara Van Sicklen & Cathy Pierson, his film /club buddy Jenna Hall, or his many merry pranksters in the fashion, theater, and gay communities-because his heart was as big as the sun.
But, Margaret…you must know that I get chills now just thinking about how much he oogled over the photograph he had of you and him from 1985; and the many brilliant black and white photos you took of GGIMP. I spent a great deal of time scanning the photos last year, as he and I prepared the story. Todd made it very clear to me what an important figure you were to him, and how he hoped the publication of our story would bring you together again.
The story was very complicated to write and organize, with the program and photos and copy. Since I am a perfectionist and I did not finish it in time for our 25th Anniversary last year, Todd and I decided to publish our aticle this summer instead. I started to call Todd about a month ago to start working on the piece, not realizing he was ill. I never heard back from anyone. How sorry I am that we did not finish the story together & make a personal connection with so many of his friends before his passing. But, I will honor his memory by publishing our Go Go Impossible Blog Memoir as intended. From the begining it was designed for people to interact with it and contribute their memories of the event and our lost loved ones (Todd and I dedicated it to the memory of Keith Lockheart and Jeff Reirden). The GGIMP Che Underground Blog Story will include a GGIMP FLICKR site; where people can share their own photos of GGIMP and snapshots of Todd Tomarrow.
I look forward to sharing our story and honoring the spirit of Sweet Todd with all of those he loved so much.
Here are some great homages to Todd from the Motherboards NYC.
“In our Nightworld, there are two kinds of artists -- those who labor over their own creations, and then those who add their talents to the creation of something larger than themselves. Todd was as brilliant as they come, but his art was in service to the collective, to the creation of club/art/style movements. That is why so many of you won’t know his name, but you know his work.”
That makes complete and utter sense to me. while many people might have known that Todd was a fashion designer turned Theatrical costumer; most don’t know of his many other artistic pusuits and abilities-which were countless. just in the few years that Todd and I hung out, I saw him contribute to events as a srylist, a jewelry designer, painter, installation designer, and performance artist. I am certain that during his twenty-plus years in New York, followed by his final seven years in San Francisco with David, Todd embraced the opprtunity to grow as an artist and become an even more complex & evolved human being. That “IT BOY” was never known to be a person to shy away from a challenge!
Damn, I really miss Todd.
If you miss Todd as much as all the rest of us do, or want to honor his life; and you will be in San Diego on Labor Day Weekend…
then please join us at The Casbah on Sunday, Sept 4th from 2pm-5:30pm for the Todd Tomarrow (Bergmans/Bundy) Memorial Mixer.
It will be a “Rememberance, Pot-Luck BBQ and Dance!”
Link for more info:
https://www.cheunderground.site/?p=8698
Anybody over the age of 21 is welcome!