Sorry for bringing back up an old thread but I was buried in SEMA stuff when this story broke, and I'd like to add some info and pics to tribute Wayne here. The first time I met Wayne I didn't even realize he was the real thing. I was a big Static-X fan already, and when I saw a guy who looked just like him chatting with my So Cal Broncos buddies at Fabulous Fords many years ago, I thought it was just a fan who had done himself up like Wayne in tribute. I walked up and said "hey man you look JUST LIKE Wayne Static!" He just smiled and said "yeah I get that a lot". A few months after that, we were doing a So Cal Broncos trip to the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation, and we were all gathering at a gas station in Temecula to caravan out to the res. I thought we were all ready to go so I called out to saddle up. Terry Moistner said hang on, we're still waiting for Wayne. I said Wayne who? He said "Wayne Static, you met him at Fab Fords." That's when it clicked into place and of course I felt like an idiot LOL...anyhow Wayne showed up a few minutes later and we all headed out. These photos are from that trip, way back in 2002:
A group photo showing a few of us with Wayne. I'm the fatso to Wayne's right, as this was prior to my gastric bypass LOL....also in the photo, to my right are Terry Moistner, Mike Bautista, and my little nephew Quinn Sharp. I believe that's Eric Larson on Wayne's left (our right), but I can't recall who the others are in the pic:
Here's a shot of the recovery in progress after Mike Bautista leaned his Bronco on its side on El Hill. That's Wayne in the dark shirt.
Everyone hauling on the line to right Mike B's rig, including Wayne in the dark shirt in the center of the group:
Here's a shot of Wayne airing up after the run. That's his Bronco behind him, which had been outfitted mostly by himself and West Coast Broncos:
A few years later Wayne sent his Bronco to Poly Performance for some extensive overhauls. It was in Poly's booth at Off-Road Expo that year, with Wayne signing posters. I have one of the posters hanging on my garage wall.
During this same time I had become involved with West Coast Broncos. Through that relationship I crossed paths with Wayne and his new wife Tera Wray several times. He was friends with John Blaser so he stopped by the shop frequently when he was on his way out to his house near Johnson Valley. We wheeled with him on a night run on Clawhammer one time. I saw him and Tera for the last time at Jon's birthday party at his house, shortly after I departed WCB.
Wayne was a really cool guy. I tried not to act like a giddy schoolgirl around him, as I'm sure one of the things he liked about wheeling and being out in the desert was getting away from the fans and the rockstar life for a while. In person he was very quiet, well spoken, and gentle. Almost the opposite of his stage presence in Static-X. I met him a few times and got to know him somewhat, but it would be a stretch to claim we were anything more than acquaintances.
Details are still coming out about the cause of his death. Most have suspected a drug overdose, but his widow Tera Wray has vehemently denied that in her statements. Regardless of the cause of it, I will remember him fondly and continue to rock out whenever Static-X comes up in my iPod rotation.