Tributes about Otis ‘O’ Barthoulameu have flooded social media since his death late last week. He was, in the words of blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, ‘a friend and mentor. And not just for us. For so many musicians, athletes, and photographers...’
BY SCOTT MCDONALDFEB. 23, 2023 3:36 PM PT
Last week’s unexpected death of prominent member of San Diego’s music, arts and skateboarding communities named “O” has unleashed an outpouring of tributes in his memory, both on social media and even from the concert stage.
Otis Barthoulameu — best known by the nickname “O” — was a San Diego-based musician, photographer, skateboarder, producer and artist. He passed away last week of unknown causes. His age and the location of his death are also unknown.
Barthoulameu was a true Renaissance man, injecting the same frenetic energy into bands like Olivelawn, fluf, Reeve Oliver, The Makeup Sex and — more recently — Harshmellow, to name a few. This was just as palpable in the photographs that he shot of professional skateboarders and fellow musicians.
“I have 35 years of photos!” Barthoulameu said, in a 2010 Union-Tribune interview. He continued shooting images up until shortly before his death.
A fixture at rock shows throughout Southern California, his ability to traverse the county, and beyond — for multiple events in a single day — led most who knew him to repeat the same joke: “The O stands for Omnipresent!”
Barthoulameu was also a talented skateboarder, surfer, graphic designer, guitar aficionado and visual artist. He once held an exhibition of his paintings at Little Italy’s Subtext Gallery for a hilariously hyper-exclusive 4-hour window. He also produced blink-182’s debut album, “Cheshire Cat,” and was instrumental in getting it radio airplay.
In an Instagram post, blink-182 co-founder Mark Hoppus described Barthoulameu’s passing as “a huge loss.”
“Very saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend O,” Hoppus wrote. “O was the first person to believe in blink when we were just some skate rats playing in front of ten people in the basement of a club in San Diego. He helped get us signed to our first record deal. He was a friend and mentor. And not just for us. For so many musicians, athletes, and photographers in the Southern California underground scene. He documented skateboard culture, played in countless bands, and was just…always there. A legend...
“Thank you, O. You changed all our lives.”
But perhaps what he’s best remembered for was his generosity. As news of his passing spread across social media last Thursday, the outpouring of support, remembrances and gratitude was staggering.
Tributes flooded in from magazines like Thrasher, Transworld Skateboarding, and Stereo Embers. He was memorialized by countless in the music community including Sub Pop Records, blink-182, Weezer, J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, while Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, and Tommy Guerrero led heartfelt condolences from the skateboarding community.
At a concert in Los Angeles last weekend, Justin Trosper of the band Unwound, name-checked O from the stage when mentioning people he wished were still around.
That impact included working as a tour manager for various bands, including Dinosaur Jr. and The Muffs.
Many of the tributes included personal thanks for the generous support they had received from O over the years.
Anya Marina, a one-time San Diego radio DJ and now touring singer-songwriter, credits her career to him.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say that I would not be a professional musician if it had not been for O,” she said from her current home in New York.
“He organized my first band. He introduced me to the first producer I worked with. He was constantly pushing me and was a huge proponent of strong female performers. He gave completely selflessly and there are countless stories of others who say, ‘I would not be where I am today if not for O.’ This is the beauty of his life. Rock and roll in San Diego equals O.”
Her words were echoed by veteran San Diego radio personality Mike Halloran, a longtime Barthoulameu friend and the DJ who took the chance on that blink-182 debut album in 1995.
“He taught so many people how to be better because he was constantly propping them up,” Halloran said.
“He was revered, loved, and appreciated by everyone. He just had the most incredible balance and spent his life perfecting the art of connecting people. O was ‘the glue’ as (Mark) Hoppus (of blink-182) said. And that’s the thing. You can write as many words as you want about him, but you’ll never be able to express, in any real detail, what he truly meant to the musical, skate, surf or artistic communities.”
Even if Barthoulameu was seemingly in constant motion, one place he could be found with inordinate frequency was the Casbah nightclub. Whether he was on stage with one of his bands, helping another band with their gear, taking photos, or just hanging out, O was a fixture at the small club near the San Diego International Airport.
His musical goals were simple, as he noted in a 1993 Union-Tribune interview tied to the release of his band fluf’s album, “Mangravy.”
“I guess you’d say the music we play is loud, stupid and fun. It’s not superoriginal, but it’s fun,” he said. “It’s always loud and happy, and sometimes not so happy. It’s like Christmastime, where you get a present and you open it and you just hope it will be good.
“I don’t want to start showing off all these fancy guitar licks or anything. I just want people to come to the shows, watch us and say, ‘Hey, I could do that.’ I don’t want to be a rock star. Anybody can do what I’m doing. You just have to put your mind to it.”
After first meeting Barthoulameu during a punk show he was promoting at the Jackie Robinson YMCA in the 1980s, Casbah co-owner Tim Mays developed a lifelong friendship with the polymath.
“The most important thing to know about him is that he was brutally honest,” said Mays.
“He called it like it was. And O loved talking about music, but he had a wealth of knowledge on skateboarding, photography, gear and a myriad of other subjects as well. He could talk to anyone about anything and supported so many musicians who came through the Casbah. He led a joyous life and is truly missed. There’s a hole right now — a big O — in the lives of everyone who knew him.”
A memorial service has not yet been announced. Barthoulameu, who grew up largely in Orange County, is survived by his partner of 28 years, Gabrielle Holley.
McDonald is a freelance writer. Union-Tribune music critic George Varga contributed to this report.
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