[Magdalen] RIP The Last Goose

[Grace Cangialosi]

LOL, Jay...no, I’m not making fun of your loss. When I saw the title and read the first paragraph, I assumed you were talking about a pet goose and thought it was sweet that you remembered the date of his death. I did think it was an odd name for a goose, though!

I guess you can tell I live in the country!

> On Aug 14, 2020, at 11:43 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> On  Tuesday, August 11, 2020, Buce Bollerud took his last breath. This put
> paid to a portion of my life that I look back on fondly, the time I  spent
> at the place I call  "Glen & Ann's (of blessed memory)".
> 
> Bruce was the youngest member of a group called The Goose Island Ramblers
> that played at the bar three times a week. Their music was a blend of
> country, traditional, some Norwegian folk melodies, a parody or two
> (self-written), some Yogi Yorgesson songs and some non-classifiable things.
> He was an excellent musician who played the accordion, trombone, and piano,
> among other things. In the trio, he played "dumb Norwegian" to Smokey
> George's comedian and "Uncle Windy's" straight man, but there was nothing
> dumb about Bruce whatsoever. He was a very canny guy who could read people
> extremely well. He was also very kind. The thing I didn't know about him
> was that he had a bachelor's in special ed and a Master's in counseling and
> guidance. You never know what people do for their day jobs. After The
> Ramblers broke up, he formed his own group, the Good Time Band; Bruce
> couldn't go long without playing music. In recent years, Bruce spent a lot
> of time compiling all the music the Goose Island Ramblers did. They're
> legendary in Madison. He (and they!) will be much missed by many. Farewell,
> "Loose Bruce the Goose, the Hollandale Wildcat", and skål to you!