My heart aches. We received the sad news this afternoon that James Mazzeo, “Mazz,” has passed away after suffering an illness. I (and other Rusties) got to know him a bit over the years when we would gather for the International Rust Fest (IRF) in the greater Greendale area for the Bridge School Benefit. He graciously and generously hosted us in his Santa Cruz galleries as well as several years as his favorite spot, Olita’s on the SC Wharf. The last couple of years were at his friend’s Tramonti Italian Restaurant. Mazz really seemed to enjoy our company and he generously shared many stories of his years in the RnR business, from Moby Grape, to Boston, to CSNY and The Band, the Ducks and the Malibu days. He was especially proud of having served in the Coast Guard.
He would ply us with many stories and anecdotes. The Star Academy and meeting you for the first time. He always laughed when he shared about your surprised introduction to the elevated redwood conveyance. During the pandemic, I hosted several Rustie Zoom meetings. On occasion, Mazz would pop in and say hello to everyone and share a story or two. My favorite story related about how he was once asked, during the 1st Malibu residence, to take the hearse to run an errand for certain supplies up the PCH a bit. As he was driving along, he heard a rustling in the back. When he pulled over to check it out, to his great surprise Bob Dylan rolled out from what had served as a crash pad from the festivities the night before. Mazz offered to return Bob to your place, but Bob declined and instead began thumbing his way back. Over the years, that story had several variations, so I picked my favorite iteration here. I do hope that he did get to record his memories, as he had the best seat in the house of life. In late 2020 or early 2021, on Zoom he did spill the beans about the upcoming Ducks release which he said would be released near his 77th birthday in April 2021. He swore us to secrecy on that one. He was excited about the prospect and loved telling about booking the Ducks’ pop-up shows by displacing scheduled bands and paying their performance fees and distributing tickets to the band. I always thought it would be rude to record these conversations, but he assured that he was relating his stories to others for publication, someday.
Over the years I’ve collected a few modest Mazz artworks and prints. This past winter, I bargained for an art piece with the condition that I would get to pick it up personally in the spring. But due to life getting in the way, the spring trip was put off. When things were finally settled down here, I attempted to call Mazz several times but was met with a full inbox. That’s when I noticed he hadn’t shared his works in progress or his beloved nature walks in several weeks. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to track down the bad news that he had been taken ill. But I was sworn to secrecy as Mazz desired to keep this part of his life private.
While Mazz was very open about his experiences, he was always very loyal to you and your family, never sharing anything that could be even remotely construed as negative (except the claim that your were terrorized on the redwood lift! Lol). He called out anyone who would make a disparaging remark about you and yours. He loved you all and it showed. As a matter of fact, he had much love for all his friends and fans. He was a kind and generous soul. With his passing, we can only have faith that he has found everything he was looking for.
Peace & Love,
Chuck Naughton