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Alanson Russell "Lance" Loud (June 26, 1951 – December 22, 2001) was an American television personality, magazine columnist, and new wave rock-n-roll performer. Loud is best known for his 1973 appearance in An American Family, a pioneer reality television series that featured his coming out, leading to his status as an icon in the gay community.
In late 1969, Loud and his best-friend, Kristian Hoffman, drove to San Francisco to experience Haight-Ashbury and the neighborhood's much-publicized cultural scene as well as explore the city's gay enclaves. After leaving the Bay Area, the pair drove east to the San Joaquin Valley and Altamont Raceway Park near Tracy, California. There, they attended the now-infamous Altamont Free Concert.
Over the course of five years, The Mumps were booked regularly at Max's Kansas City and CBGB, played on bills with rock and punk rock bands such as Television, Talking Heads, the Ramones, Blondie, Milk 'N' Cookies, The Cramps, Cheap Trick, and Van Halen. Despite this popularity and two critically acclaimed, independent 45s, the group never landed a contract with a major record label. Two compilations of their music have been released: Fatal Charm (Eggbert Records, 1994), and a lavishly illustrated, remastered, 2-disc CD/DVD compilation, How I Saved The World, in 2005., Biography of The Mumps, Allmusic The CD booklets contain affectionate tributes from members of the Cramps, Sparks, R.E.M., the New York Dolls, Blondie, Dramarama, the Go-Go's, Danzig, Devo, Patti Smith, and the The Screamers, as well as praise from Danny Fields, Jayne County, Rufus Wainwright, and Paul Reubens, helping to secure The Mumps a place in musical history.
Loud wrote a monthly column in the influential Rock Scene magazine, an early supporter of glam and the punk genre. In his columns, Loud reported on his favorite artists and covered junkets he took, such as a brief tour with Jim Dandy Mangrum of the band Black Oak Arkansas.
The Loud family was kept in the public eye through two televised PBS updates, each filmed by the original An American Family team of Alan and Susan Raymond. The last documentary, called Lance Loud! A Death in An American Family, was about Loud's physical decline, to include his 20-year addiction to Methamphetamine and his struggle to survive with HIV. The documentary was shown on PBS in January 2003.
Subsequent to the showing of A Death in An American Family, Loud's parents moved back in together, granting one of his last wishes. Loud's mother and father lived in the same vicinity of all of their children, with the exception of Kevin, who lived outside of California. Loud's father, Bill, died in 2018 and his mother, Pat, died in 2021.
On December 22, 2001, Lance Loud died at age 50 of liver failure due to the comorbidity of hepatitis C and HIV.
Portions of Loud's memorial gathering in the garden of Hollywood's Chateau Marmont are included in the documentary, A Death in An American Family, including tributes from friends and family. A rendition of "Over the Rainbow" was sung by Rufus Wainwright while he was accompanied on piano by Wainwright's mother Kate McGarrigle.
In 2012, Loud's mother, Pat, authored a book about his life titled Lance Out Loud. The book was edited by Christopher Makos and published by Glitterati Incorporated.
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