By Lisa Wiseman
Daily Record staff
York Daily Record (PA)
October 24, 1996

Not a day goes by that Christopher Thorn doesn't think about his friend Shannon Hoon.

It was a year ago this week that Hoon, lead singer for the group Blind Melon, fell asleep on a tour bus somewhere outside of New Orleans and never woke up.

Hoon died quietly that night at the age of 28 of an apparent cocaine overdose, just eight weeks after the release of the band's second album, "Soup."

The year before had gone by at a dizzying pace for Thorn, a Dover native, and fellow Blind Melon members, Hoon, Glen Graham, Brad Smith and Rogers Stevens. There was the success of a triple-platinum debut album and hit single, "No Rain," to be proud of, not to mention the appearance at Woodstock '94, the chance to tour with Neil Young and countless sold-out headlining concert dates.  But the whirlwind pace came to an abrupt end when Hoon died.

"To be cut off so quickly is a frustrating thing," Thorn said, in a phone interview from his new hometown of Seattle. "There was no closure."

Perhaps that closure will happen with the release of Blind Melon's third and final album, "Nico," due out Nov. 12. The album is dedicated to Hoon's daughter, Nico Blue, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Musician's Assistance Program, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization for the music industry.

But "Nico" wasn't recorded solely for Hoon's daughter and the band's many fans. "Nico" is equally as important to the band members themselves.  It was therapy for us," Thorn said. "After Shannon died, it was all we knew to do."  "Nico" is more a scrapbook of musical memories than a traditional album. The work incorporates previously recorded and remixed tracks, works in progress, songs recorded in hotel rooms and tunes from nights on the road. The result is a touching tribute to a dear friend and a gifted artist.

"Some of those songs were things we worked on for a third record. But a lot of them were accidents. They just sort of happened," Thorn said. "I have a portable recording studio. Many nights, Shannon would call me up in the middle of the night and say, 'I want to work on something.' So we'd record."

Inspiration often came to Hoon in unconventional ways. "Nico" ends with "Letters from a Porcupine" a salvaged message of Hoon singing on Thorn's answering machine  "He had a habit of doing that," Thorn said. "Shannon would just call me up and sing and hang up. He wouldn't leave a message.

It was in Los Angeles that Thorn first met Hoon. Thorn came to L.A. looking to find both a place in the music business and a lead singer for his band. From the very instant Thorn met Hoon, Thorn knew he wanted to work with the singer.

"He was the most amazing guy. When I heard him sing it just blew me away," Thorn said.  But it's different hearing Hoon's voice now.  "I don't put the record on and blast it in my house," Thorn said. "It's not always easy hearing him singing songs. Sometimes it feels great, but sometimes it's like a switch goes off, and it feels awful. It's better not to risk that feeling."

Still, making "Nico" was the right thing to do, even if it wasn't the easiest thing to do, Thorn said. "I'd play back tapes and on the beginning of them Shannon tells a story, and I'd feel like he was really there. I think I was still in shock. ... His death is still pretty fresh. It has only been a year now. You never get over something like that. You just get by."

As for the future of Blind Melon, there really isn't any, Thorn said. After Hoon died, the band placed a small advertisement in the Village Voice. When MTV caught wind of it, Blind Melon received thousands of tapes from would-be musicians.

"It sort of got out of hand," Thorn said. "That's not the best way to find a singer. After listening to something like 300 tapes a day, you don't know what's good or bad anymore."  The band has yet to find a replacement, but they haven't given up looking. When they do find a new lead singer, the group won't continue as Blind Melon. "We're going to change the name and then move on," Thorn said.

For Thorn, "Nico" is the end of a chapter in both his and Blind Melon's life. There will be no more Blind Melon. The remaining members don't plan to tour in support of "Nico."

"We didn't make the record to win over new fans. It's not about that for us," Thorn said. "It's sort of giving back to the people that supported us. We just want to say, 'Thanks for being there. This is it.  This is everything. Goodbye. Now we're moving on.'"