Owen Richard Muir
My brother Owen was a very special human being he was born August 9, 1963 (exactly a year before my birthday) in Doncaster, England then immigrated to Jamaica in 1970 via boat in which he almost sunk whilst on route apparently by stuffing paper down the sink in our bathroom. Ann remembers the porters rushing into our cabin “screaming, “No, papel (Spanish for paper), no, papel. He didn’t sink the ship and made it to land then left Jamaica in 1973 to finally settle in Canada.
He was my only and older brother; He has 2 wonderful OLDER sisters and a really beautiful, truly fantastic and categorically outstanding baby sister Dahlia.
Although Owen was born with a speech impediment (stuttering) that made him the target of being incessantly teased and bullied in school. He put all that anger into learning and mastering the guitar and proving that he was somebody along with wanting to make the family proud of him.
Owen and I were pretty close being the 2 youngest in the family. When we were growing up as teenagers our paths would sometimes cross, especially when we were at home.
He really knew how to bug me and my friends when they came over!
He would love to come upstairs and see who was over and what we were doing and off course make some joke or insult my friends and laugh at it. We would tell him “To get lost!”
and he would say to us, “Do you two want to come downstairs and listen to me jam?”
I, would say, “No, I don’t want to listen to that shit! and laugh.”
Then he would laugh along with us while swearing at me jokingly.
But within half an hour we are all down in his room listening to him jamming and screeching and my friends and I are looking at each other and trying to find a way out, which was easy to do.
Success! We were thrown out 10 minutes later for insulting him or touching something we shouldn’t have and laughing as we left because we knew we pissed him off and we were free to have our visit.
A particular friend we won’t mention names was one of his favorites to bug. He would say, “That he fooled around with her in his room in the basement right in front of her and laugh his face off. To my chagrin!
He would say to both of us, Yeah, don’t lie, (say any name here). You snuck down and we fooled around.”
She would freak out and he would laugh so hard. She would deny it and the two of them would bicker back and forth then I would look at her and start questioning her and she unwaveringly denied it and he would accuse her of lying. It haunts me to this day. So, he would ask for her laughing and I always knew where he going with it. To this day my friend says he is such a SHIT for doing that and how could he lie like that! We, always laugh about it. Too, funny!
It wasn’t always buddy, buddy but I will always remember laughing about something that I did to him or he attempted on me.
TV was always a bone of contention in our family. We were constantly fighting over the big ass beige cable box with the push buttons then that ridiculous 5KM cable attached to it. It was always over who was watching what or if one of us wanted to play the video games or Judith and her stupid Star Trek and The Partridge Family someone was not watching their show.
It started with either one of us holding onto the cord on the opposite side of the living room and I would be sitting on the couch on the other side of the living room holding onto the cable box and it’s on. My poor hard-working single mother had to replace a good 3 or more of them that I remember because we had ripped the cord right out of the back of it. So no one won!
Plus, it didn’t end there box down, knob to go. Yes, we even broke the knob on the TV so we had to manually get up and turn the knob on the TV (which hurt your fingers). You had to hold onto 2 little white plastic thingies to turn it but even then we would continue to fight by standing in front of the TV and preventing the other one from gaining access to those 2 little white plastic thingies.
Or why he ate all the eggs and how could a human being possible eat a half loaf of bread, beans and all those eggs in one sitting? Until finding out later that our Uncle didn’t know that his wonderful nephew had borrowed some of my uncle’s hidden Jamaica Sensimilla.
But I do know that one of his favorite’s pranks of many we did together was when I got him to help me fill up the window-well in the backyard with snow.
Then he had to get Judith outside to show her to pretend to show her something or build a snowman and then once outside I would call her to the kitchen window which was above the window-well filled with snow and hopefully she would forget that there is a somewhat significant drop/hole there and walk over and stand on it then drop a few feet.
I yelled to Judith to come over pretending that I wanted to show her something in the kitchen and she starts walking over to the window with attitude and yipping at the same time while Owen is behind in the background giggling and jumping up and down in excitement hoping it is going to work and she keeps coming towards the window and Voila, it worked like gold. Straight down the window well she went. Her mouth was still open as she was yipping and dropping at the same time.
He laughed so hard and then came inside laughing and said “You really are wicked.”
Judith had to dig herself out of the window-well and dust of the snow off before coming back in. It was a special moment to see our mother laughing as hard as we were. She couldn’t believe it worked. Sorry, sis you were perfect for being our pranks.
Another thing about Owen was he would hate me taking pictures of him when he wasn’t posing or he didn’t look right. He would always say, “I wasn’t ready” early in the beginning when I started this prank then once he caught onto what I was doing he would chase me. The look he would give me this mean look, so hysterical. God, I am smiling from ear to ear as I type this. I would absolutely drive him crazy and I loved doing it.
Later on in our mid teenagers I remember one summer day we were hanging out and he was walking with me to meet my friends when we encountered 2 of his “supposedly” friends.
They started harassing him and I said, “WTF,” F@*k off and leave my brother alone.”
Owen, said, “Hey, Dee, relax! Then I yelled at them “That they are assholes and I then picked up a rock and threw it at them” and they ducked and yelled “hey, we weren’t doing anything!”
Owen, laughed and said, “I was wicked, again” and I told him not to hang with those idiots. He liked that and he left with me.
Seriously, after that incident that is when all of a sudden I noticed he had gotten hooked on KISS. Yep, KISS the 4 painted face dummies!
He would play their music, strum air guitar and set things on fire.
Yes, I said on FIRE! Including, himself!
He would buy butane and put it in his mouth and then spit it out then light it with the lighter. Poof, up he went and burnt up his face, neck and the clothes he was wearing. So funny!
So after that burning incident he continued to prove that he was going to be a star and that playing the guitar is better than burning oneself.
Actually earlier this year in March he told me that “Ann (his real old sister) was his biggest influence for the UFO, AC/DC, Judas Priest music he would listen to and play”.
So, I guess his musical journey began back then in the early 80’s with the family having to listen to him playing in his room. Staying up late, waking up late while he lived the rock and roll lifestyle.
When he was starting to play the guitar and learn some new songs he would get really excited to show us what he had learnt to play along with how fantastic he was.
Then next thing you know my mom, Ann, Jud and I would all go to his Guitar Wars competition at different venues to cheer him on and support him. Even though back then we all thought it sounded like nails on chalkboard. We would all dress up and go to listen and watch him perform and be judged.
He was always confident performing and I don’t know where he got it from because none of us had any artistic talents. He would jump off the stage and wail his guitar in front of the judges and we would all look at each other and shake our heads and laugh. He was a real showman and thought that no matter where he placed he was first even when he didn’t win.
His musical journey led him to downtown Toronto where he was a regular at Steve’s Music and Long & McQuade which is around the time that he met Diane and her 2 kids, Amanda and Jordan and then they had a son Tyler who Owen loved and had lost contact with but was able to start to try reconnect with before he passed.
His favorite hockey team was the Detroit Red Wings and his favorite football team was to be the San Diego Chargers. We used to text each other when his teams were playing mine and I would send laughing emoji’s to him when his teams lost and he wouldn’t respond right away. So, I knew he was pissed, lol.
He wanted to come out west so bad to visit from all the stories I told him. One day we talking and He said hey Dee, you live in Alberta, right? Because I have a buddy who lives in Golden so I was thinking about riding my motorcycle to come out and visit you first then him.
Then he asked, “S0, how far is it to Golden from your place”?
I said, “On, a good day maybe 5 and half hours but wait you do not have a license and you will not make it to Barrie without being pulled over”. He laughed!
“What, are you talking about,” I said, “A big tall, black guy riding a motorcycle you are a target and you are not coming or you better not. He said, “But, I can come and stay with you first!”
I said, “You will not even get out of Ontario. So, if you do come expect your motorcycle to be taken away and a few nights in jail”. “It is not happening and you will see us when I come out”. So, he didn’t end up coming out.
A few years ago we were arguing jokingly about the song he wrote for me. Which he shouldn’t have told me about because he had to endure me asking him about it, who is the singer and how I wanted it to be recorded sooner than later because there are not too many songs with my name “Dahlia” in it!
So, I would always ask him about it! How’s it going? When will I get to listen to it? Then he finally finished recording it and played it for me and it was pretty damn good but then they reworked and it and changed the songs name from “Dahlia” to “Sister”.
He said, He had to change the name because he was having a hard time finding things to rhyme with “Dahlia”.
I said, “WTF, your joking right?”
He said, “No”. Then we laughed because it is a really hard word to keep rhyming and I didn’t care. Just the fact he was doing this was special enough.
So in the last year he was in overdrive to complete as many songs to get his music out and he asked if there was anything Greg and I could do to help. We told him, “That it’s the worst time to put out music because no one was touring and you need to play, play, play”.
But he was determined to get the Owen Muir Project out to the public. So, Geoff and he worked together to produce “Leaving” first and then the four followed soon after.
So when we heard he was able to complete it and Greg and I both really liked it. Greg called in a favor and was able to get his song previewed and played on a Calgary university radio station.
He was blown away with getting to hear is name and song on a radio station. He and his friends stayed up late to listen to the show and to hear it being introduced and played. When he called, his voice he was ECSTATIC! I had never heard him so pumped about anything. Especially, when he said, “I will be contacting all the universities tomorrow so they would replicate what had just happened”. I was so happy and proud of him. It really was nice to see the euphoria brought back to him.
A few months later “Sister” was finished. So, instantly he and Geoff sent me the finished product and it is was way better and personable.
It makes me smile every time I listen to it because I now know how much I meant to him and he wanted to tell me and he did in the most beautiful way possible.
WOW, bro you really did it! You always said that you wanted to make us to be proud of you. But what you didn’t know was that I was always proud of you and grateful that you were able to stay out of trouble and be at my wedding and be part of mine and Greg’s lives and always willing to meet us when we were in town.
Especially the last time when were in town and you found out during our visit that we were going to Al Di Meola concert at City Hall after owe finished our visit and you said, I fucking love that guy, he was big a influencer in my guitar playing and that he was one of my favorites”.
Greg asked you “If you wanted to go,” and you said Fuck, Yes!”
So, we bought you a ticket to the show. But we gave you heads up that Diane (his ex-girlfriend/his son - Tyler’s mother) and Jake (Diane’s new boyfriend) were also going to be there and we didn’t want any trouble or fights and you laughed and said you. “Wouldn’t make any and you didn’t!”
That was one of our best nights together we all (Diane, Jake, Greg, you and myself) sat there had some more beers then went onto the Horseshoe Tavern to see Garland Jeffrys who you didn’t know but you went because Greg and I were going. We all had a blast. Greg remembers the guitarist dropping his pick and you picked it up and you gave it back to him and after you gave it to the guitarist he said to you, “That you are a good man” and you are.
I want to THANK all of Owens friends that showed him the “Love and Respect” he deserved and especially Mr. Owen Smith whom I have never met but knew from Owen that he LOVED you and referred to you as his brother and his best friend. Thank You, Thank You. It really means a lot knowing that someone else saw what a character he was and he really was a good guy under that tough looking exterior.
Owen you meant the world to me and I am so glad we shared a lot of good times and we were able to hangout and be friends and I know you are at peace now knowing that you left us 5 rocking songs to listen to and remember you by.
You will be missed very much! I will miss your insults, your laugh and your texts telling me “Love and Respect” to you and your hubby .
Rest in peace my wonderful brother and thank you for being in my life for 57 years. “Love and Respect” Your baby sister Dahlia
