I feel like he had a lot more left to say, so many unfinished projects. He was Stereophile's best writer of late. I felt like I knew him, even though I had only been in his presence once before. I especially appreciated his wit and wisdom and wonderful sense of humor. Even though his politics were polar opposites of mine, I never minded when he made political remarks, since they were always so well written. His irreverence will be missed, especially since the new editor, Jim Austin, seems to be the opposite of irreverent. If you read the Letters section, then you know what I am talking about. Since John Atkinson retired as editor, the magazine has gone from fun, to, well, just a good audio journal. No more "Cancel my subscription!" letters to the editor. Now it's mostly "You guys are great, really great" letters. Boring!!! Only Herb carries on the tradition of fun writing, now. Occasionally, Mike Fremer will have a little fun, but not often, which is odd for an ex-stand up comedian.
