Joshua Jude Prisk
Jan. 31, 1976–Sept. 13, 2026
Joshua Prisk, drummer extraordinaire, went forth from this life on Sunday morning, Sept. 13, 2026, at his home in Plano with his wife, Amy, at his side.
Joshua was born Jan. 31, 1976, in Waco. The son of a drummer, Josh received his first drum set from Santa the Christmas before he turned 4, and a few days later he was playing his little heart out, his sister remembers. He made his onstage debut with his father’s band at age 8.
Joshua and Amy Belle Theakston were married on Nov. 7, 2009, in Dallas’ Oak Cliff. In Plano, Josh filled their home with records — rockabilly, cowpunk, rare 78s, metal, rockabilly, jazz, string bands and more — and books, everything from music history to underground zines to religious and spiritual tomes. He was a scarf-wearing football fanatic (translation: soccer fan) who cheered for Liverpool, Crystal Palace and the England men’s national team. Josh and Amy transformed their backyard into their own little rainbow-filled Luckenbach, where they would settle down with craft beers and a record player, ukuleles and banjo.
He was the punkest member of Jackson 8, the mathematical genius in the duo BOOKS!!!, the secret weapon to Switchblade Razors’ sleazy jazz for the hot rod set, and he put the pop and the power into the Speedlights. Josh played banjo in the Denton County Revelators and drums in an off-and-on project called the Revelators. His long musical resume also included stints behind the drum kit for Record Hop, Landrest and many more.
On the airwaves, he was Co-Host Josh on The Power Popular Rock and Roll Hour on Denton’s KUZU-LP 92.9 FM, where he also sat in with friends and fellow producers to play everything from jazz to proto-metal to queer dance bangers — a point of Pride for someone who came to realize later in life he was pangender. Josh also led another KUZU show, Intermediate String Theory, and was brewing up plans for a show called Mid Century Honky Tonk before his death.
Survivors include his wife, Amy; his mother, Cheryl Wall of Palestine; brother Thomas James Prisk IV and his wife, Judy, of Cypress; sister Tessa Conrad and her husband, Tim, of Frankston; sister Sarah Prisk and her husband, John Taylor, of Waco; and stepsiblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.
Joshua was preceded in death by his father, Thomas James Prisk III; stepmother, Dr. Jean Boyd; sister Kistin Callaway and nephew Taylor Conrad.
Josh was also preceded in death by his and Amy’s beloved cats Clover, June Carter Kittie, Crusoe, Meemaw and Franklyn, and is survived by Princess Scarlet Begonia and Siggy.
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Truck Yard in The Colony, inside Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum. Josh battled colorectal cancer for three years. He didn’t want his life to be defined by his disease, but he kept his sense of humor till the end. Get checked out — colonoscopies can save lives.
Rock Lottery 23 — on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Dan’s Silverleaf — will be dedicated in Josh Prisk’s memory. A music-filled celebration of life is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, 2027, at Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton. Friends are collecting memories of Josh at written by Rabbi Batya Ellinoy: “Lekh lekha is all about movement: going inwards or outwards, moving beyond the familiar and comfortable, crossing boundaries and moving into spaces where we can (re)discover our best selves. It is a journey that begins by first pausing to listen and then moving in step with what one hears, thinks, and feels.”
Go forth. Lekh lekha.
Love ya, Josh.
