---
source: mastodon
date: 2025-10-07 02:27:52.56 +00
title: "Mastodon post from October 7, 2025, 115330519699876003"
post_uri: https://mastodon.social/users/gravely/statuses/115330519699876003
post_id: 115330519699876003
tags:
  - mastodon
descendants:
- 115330562185594521
- 115330778809040532
---
RIP Ken Parker [https://kenparkerarchtops.com](https://kenparkerarchtops.com)

Reeves Gabrels playing a Fly w/ Bowie and on his own _The Sacred Squall of Now_ solo record was my north star of cool in high school in the mid-90s to such an extent that I just learned he passed when a high school friend heard and thought of me to pass along the news.

Ken's Youtube is also great [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDuWp2Bg7MQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDuWp2Bg7MQ)



I thought I wanted to do 3D stuff when I grew up and so I taught myself 3D Studio (R2, for dos. Layers, lofts, and tweening.) in ‘94 or ‘95 by, among other things, mocking up a Fly by eyeballing an ad for them in Guitar Player Magazine of Gabrels holding one.

As soon as I was making any money, about ten years later, I bought one [https://pizza.slow.high.quality.gravely.pizza/parker-fly-classic/](https://pizza.slow.high.quality.gravely.pizza/parker-fly-classic/).


![a wireframe rendering of what I thought a parker fly looked like based on a single magazine ad photo, which, now that I actually own one, I now know is wrong in many ways beyond simply being very amateurish. This fly was the first thing I made to teach myself Autodesk’s 3D Studio R2.The body wireframe is blue, the neck brown, and the rest black, over a white background.](./115330561863686165.gif)

kinda neat engineering (I have no idea what I’m talking about and am pretty credulous, but, neat to me for sure), the entire thing is an archtop with no sides or back ( [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbBzabnNJhk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbBzabnNJhk)), ultimately compromised to move units / be a little more practical built with a bunch of 90s stunts like carbon fiber and stainless steel and lasers: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbBzabnNJhk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbBzabnNJhk)