Keith Alexander (born Keith Alexander Bonanno; November 23, 1963^[1] – July 11, 2005) was an American guitarist and body modification enthusiast.

Career

Alexander was the guitarist for the thrash metal band Carnivore, on whose first album he played. He then joined Brooklyn-based band Primal Scream co-writing and recording their 1987 album Volume One.^[2]

During the late 1990s he was a member of Dee Snider's SMFs and part of the lineup that recorded the 1997 Twisted Forever – SMFs Live album. Alexander also worked as a talent finder, though he was technically credited as "piercing consultant"^[3] on Snider's movie 1998 movie Strangeland.^[4] To save money on special effects and for a sense of reality in appearance, Alexander looked in the body modification community for extras, who were modded for some roles.

In the 2000s, he became a somewhat well known blogger, being associated with blogs such as Boing Boing.^[5]

Death

Alexander died in a cycling accident on July 11, 2005. He lost control of his bike while passing a child and crashed into a fence on Shore Road, in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. It was reported that had he been wearing a helmet he would likely have survived.^[6][7] Alexander's website, nootrope.net, still exists at archive.org.^[8] Regarding his death, he states:

I look at this place as a scrapbook / journal. A digital version of the paper ones I've kept my entire life. Nothing more, nothing less. Don't read any more into it than necessary. And in a morbid way, a record of my predilections that will hopefully live on after I die, on some server, somewhere. Grandiose? Maybe. Maybe I just have the balls to admit it. Maybe one day, in the year 2201, a relation of mine will see these zeros and ones, and say, "Damn, he had fun." That is, if we don't annihilate one and other. [sic]^[8]

Discography

• Carnivore – Carnivore (Roadrunner, 1985)
• Primal Scream – Volume One (Mercenary, 1987)
• Dee Snider's S.M.F. – Twisted Forever – SMFs Live (Coallier Ent., 1997)

References