Dear listeners,
Some of you have already been listening to Fighter's Brew from our Patreon or Substack. Those of you who have will know Alexander Buckner. Not only did he contribute to the voice performances, but gave me feedback on my scripts. He's been a contributor and collaborator for Southpaw for years under various aliases, from Alex Buckner, Yaboylex, Hannibal Lenin Buckman, Avon Marxdale, RN Allday, Alexthezander, and Imadethistostan. He's like pro wrestler Mick Foley with all the various gimmicks, and like Mick, Alex is also a hall of famer but for Southpaw.
Whenever I reference the Southpaw project, you'll always hear me say "we" or "us," Alex was part of that we and us. He is Southpaw. Even with Liberation Martial Arts, he's left an indelible footprint. I talked to Alex every day. He was one of my best friends. But some time after my last conversation with him, he passed away in his sleep. Everyone, his family, most of all, was devastated. Knowing Alex improved so many of our lives. He was our support system, and we got so used to that, we sometimes didn't even notice. You just got so used to him checking in on you. I and everyone he has touched will miss him. Alex was an artist, performer, writer, dungeon master, martial artist, friend, brother, uncle, and son.
But even though Alex is gone, I have hours of Alex recordings for Fighters Brew. We even had several conversations about potential projects after Fighter's Brew. I still have those chats. I still have those recordings, almost all of which his close friends and family have never heard. Much of it that's never been released.
We were working on season 2 when he passed. But in speaking to his close friends and his brother William, since they never got to hear Alex on Fighter's Brew, nor were they even aware he had spent the past year working on it, I'm unlocking all of season 1 and will be releasing it weekly. After that, I'll unlock every episode of season 2 until we get to the last recordings of Alex. But rather than Alex being part of an incomplete project, I plan to finish this project and dedicate it to Alex and his family. I'll never be able to fill his shoes, but he's already left a blueprint for me to follow, so I'll just follow it just the way he showed me. It's no surprise he didn't tell people about this project—that's Alex. He centers you and rarely makes it about himself, even when he's hurting. This is part of why he had so many aliases, he didn't care if he got all the credit for the kindness he showed others. So many people are now realizing that nice person on the internet was Alex.
May he rest in peace and power and be granted all the grace he deserved but never got in this life.
I hope you all enjoy Fighters Brew just as much as Alex and I enjoyed making it. It was a lot of fun, we felt like kids again. I know he's proud of our work and I hope that this can stand as a small part of his legacy for his family and friends. In doing Fighter's Brew, I was able to capture Alex being Alex, but now everyone else will be able to enjoy Alex as much as I have. I made this to stan was a social media account he made just to stan others, but I'd like to say I'm an Alex stan, and I know there are other Alex stans and more stans to come. I know he'd want this out there, and he'd want me to finish this project and continue with the other projects we discussed, and that's what I'll do. Thanks to all the fans who made this project possible, and I hope you continue to follow Southpaw, which I know ended up becoming a big part of Alex's life. The Southpaw community is about love, compassion, and liberation, and so much of that is the influence of Alex. He put so much of himself into this wacky nerdy liberatory martial arts project. It's wild how perfect this project was for Alex, and how Alex was perfect for this project.
Fighter's Brew is dedicated to Alexander Buckner. Love you and miss you, comrade.
– Sam
✊✊✊
Introducing Fighter's Brew, a scripted audio series recapping the manga All-Rounder Meguru. Check out our introductory episode for more information:
If you're part of the Liberation Martial Arts program or a higher tier, you'll receive episode transcripts with detailed explanations of techniques and concepts from an LMA perspective:
Fighter's Brew is a fun and engaging way to learn concepts from our martial arts curriculum. Manga has now entered the discourse.
Sign up for Liberation Martial Arts Online:
We can't continue to produce important episodes like this one without your solidarity. There is no Southpaw network without your financial support. In return, not only do you help produce our shows but you also get access to more great content. It's mutual aid. Find our Patreon, swag, and other ways to support us at: https://www.southpawpod.com
You can find Southpaw on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @SouthpawPod
Fighter's Brew – Season 1: Episode 1