Shortly after what would have been the late, great recording engineer Steve Albini's 62nd birthday back in July, it was announced that Chicago's Belmont Avenue — where his self-financed, custom-built Electrical Audio studio is located — would be renamed in the producer's honour. Yesterday (November 25), the street sign was unveiled at the corner of Belmont and Rockwell, with a speech from Kim Deal. (The Breeders/Pixies songwriter's first solo effort, Nobody Loves You More, was mostly recorded with Albini at Electrical Audio.)
"He was a flawed human; he would contradict himself in two sentences. But at his core he understood the value of each person," Deal said [via BrooklynVegan]. "Well, not each person. If you were a bully, he wouldn't like you at all. Maybe he stuck up for people too hard. He wanted to stick up for the underdogs… he really didn't like 'winners.' I think he liked people with a good, healthy dose of low self esteem."
She added at the unveiling ceremony, which you can watch below, "I think he thought that the music business was exciting, and I don't think he'd like that I said that." There was a subsequent afterparty at the studio, which saw a live performance by makeshift group the Electrical Adjacents, featuring Jeff Tweedy and Fred Armisen, as well as the Mekons' Jon Langford and Sally Timms, who played some of the band's songs and Gang of Four covers.