Death by Misadventure is how the coroner's report described the death of Brian Jones in 1969. Leave it to the British to get creative in describing an accidental death. On this side of the Atlantic, we would just call it drowning while loaded on pills & booze.
This is a new feature on Dirt City Chronicles, one that will profile the unfortunate and untimely passing of music celebrities. Some are famous and some obscure, although this story from 2010, really should be sub-titled "Near-Death by Misadventure." It describes one of the most disturbing types of accidents I've ever heard of.
Nicholas Blossom miraculously survived one of the most horrendous injuries you could imagine. Blossom, is the drummer for Alaska Alaska, an unsigned indie rock band from New York City. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of them, until Mr. Blossom's gruesome accident nobody knew about them.
Nicholas Blossom, a native of Berkeley, Ca. attended college in Indiana and moved to New York City to intern at a recording studio. A multitalented musician, he soon joined a local band, Alaska Alaska. Nothing extraordinary about Nicholas or the band, I can't even tell you what they sound like, since the link to their MySpace Music page is dead.
On this particular night, Blossom and bandmate Corey Mullee, rode their bikes to an after hours gathering in Chelsea. A rooftop party was in full effect, "We were all on the roof together" said Mullee, "There were a lot of people up there, and we were all drinking." Mullee lost track of Nicholas soon after they arrived. He tried calling his cell phone but Blossom didn't answer.
At 4 a.m. party-goers noticed Blossom sitting alone on a third floor window ledge. Highly intoxicated and angry, he was screaming "I fucking hate everybody." He then either lost his balance or hurled himself off the ledge, landing head first on a spiked metal fence one floor below.
"We heard screaming, and we thought someone was trying to break in" reported the residents of the apartment adjoining the balcony were Nicholas had landed.
They called the police to report that a distraught man was screaming outside their window. When police arrived they were greeted by the disturbing sight of Nicholas Blossom's head impaled on an iron spike. Though, terrified and besides himself with fear, Blossom was still alive.
Apparently the spike had speared his skin, but had not penetrated his skull. The 21 year old musician was lucky to be alive, the entry point being just an inch from his eye socket.
Rescuers were forced to use an electric saw with a metal cutting blade to free him from the fence. He was then secured to a stretcher with a foot long section of railing still attached to his scalp.
"The medics brought him through our window" the apartment residents reported "He was screaming, but he stopped once they got him inside, he just went silent."
Nicholas not only survived the surgery, but he was soon laughing and joking with family in the intensive care unit. "I just want to fucking scream" he moaned. The prognosis for a full recovery is good given the traumatic force of the injury.
Most of his family was still in shock and unable to speak, but his mother composed herself and gave a short statement: "The doctor tells us that he was very lucky." Better lucky than dead, I always say.
