Advertisement

‘Rest Easy Crawdaddy’: Malibu mourns a legend who ‘saw beauty in things that others didn’t’

A woman and a man hug.
Randall Miod and friend Michele Ceaser-Germann in an undated photo.
(Courtesy of Michele Ceaser-Germann)

If you knew Malibu, you knew the Crab Shack, that barn-red, century-old little house hugging the hillside just a few miles south of the pier.

And if you knew the Crab Shack, you definitely knew its owner, Randall Miod — better known as Randy, or Crawdaddy, or simply the Craw.

“The whole community knew the Craw,” his friend Todd Proctor said. “I don’t care if you were driving a Bentley or you were hitchhiking to the beach. You knew the Craw and you loved the Craw.”

Advertisement

There was always a party at the Crab Shack. Miod was the party, his friends and family said this week — a generous, fun-loving free spirit who knit people together and brought out their best.

“Mining out the gold in each person, and then getting them to see that gold and getting them to operate off of that best version of themselves — Craw was like a magician that would do that with people,” Proctor said.

A shirtless man stands in front of a red house and holds a surfboard.
In this undated photo, Randall Miod stands in front of his home, called the Crab Shack, which burned down in the Palisades fire.
(Courtesy of Todd Proctor)
Advertisement

Miod died at his home as the Palisades fire swept through Malibu, said his mother, Carol A. Smith of Banning. He was 55.

News of Miod’s death sent waves of grief through a vast network of friends, neighbors and acquaintances who’d surfed with Craw or crashed on his couch or stayed up late laughing and talking with a man who “made you feel like you were your best self,” his friend Michele Ceaser-Germann said.

“He just had this ability to bring people together,” Ceaser-Germann said. “He saw beauty in things that others didn’t. He was a salt-of-the-earth guy.”

Advertisement

Miod (pronounced “my-odd”) was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, Smith said. He discovered skateboarding and surfing in junior high and was soon skipping school for the waves so often that his mother hid his board.

Proctor was a scrawny 12-year-old surfing Malibu’s Second Point in the mid-1980s when Miod paddled up and introduced himself. It was the start of a decades-long friendship.

“He would take an interest in people, find out what they were about, build them up, encourage them and what they were into,” Proctor recalled. “He was like this big brother who always made you feel like you were moving in the right direction.”

Miod moved to Malibu a few years after high school and found a room in a ramshackle three-bedroom wooden house that stood out among the glittery residences lining Pacific Coast Highway.

Friends and relatives remember the lives lost in the Eaton and Palisades fires, the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history.

He’d acquired the nickname Crawdaddy thanks to congenital bone deposits that bent his arms inward like those of a crustacean. The house soon had a nickname of its own: the Crab Shack.

The landlord later moved away and left Miod in charge of the property. When he decided to sell about 15 years ago, Proctor said, friends chipped in to help Miod buy it.

Advertisement

“The door was always open, for surfers, people on their way from different countries, vagabonds traveling through that he felt a kindred spirit with,” Proctor recalled.

There were parties. There was music. The walls were lined with Miod’s photographs and abstract paintings. There was a band setup in the corner where Miod, a drummer, and others would jam. There was an aluminum ladder leading up to the roof with its view of the sea. There was always a giant secondhand couch, and whenever it wore out someone would drag in a new one.

Miod never married. He had no children and worked at local restaurants to pay the bills. He was the heart of a different kind of family, one made of people who loved Malibu and surfing and everything that went with it.

“He became a legend in Malibu,” his mother said. “I don’t think he ever realized how much everyone loved and respected him, for just being Randy, the Craw.”

He knew how dangerously raw life along that coastline could be. He’d lived through fires, earthquakes and mudslides. As recently as February, a boulder came crashing down the hillside, missing his home by inches.

“I’m just chilling, watching TV and then I hear — kaboom!” a bemused Miod told KCAL.

Advertisement

As the Palisades fire closed in on Jan. 7, Miod called his mother around 3 p.m. to say he could smell the smoke. He said he had a hose and was going to fight for his home.

“His last words to me that day were, ‘Pray for the Palisades and pray for Malibu. I love you,’ ” she said.

He stopped responding to texts after that. On the morning of Jan. 9, Smith received a call from one of Miod’s friends that human remains were found in the Crab Shack’s charred wreckage. With all his roommates accounted for, it could only be Miod.

Historic landmarks by the likes of Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey and a noted Midcentury retreat by architect Ray Kappe have been lost. Here’s our residential architecture list, to be updated regularly.

The Palisades fire destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes in Malibu. Among the first things rising from the ashes is the legend of the Craw.

Painted tributes have popped up along the beach walls: “Rest Easy Crawdaddy,” “Crab Shack Forever.” When it’s safe to do so, his friends are planning a memorial. One last gathering with Craw at its center.

When she learned of her friend’s death, Ceaser-Germann climbed up to the rafters of her West Hills home. She took down a box of mementos and began sifting through letters and photos marking decades of friendship.

Advertisement

A small card she didn’t recognize was stuck at the bottom. It was a Chatsworth High School student ID. Not her own, but Miod’s. The Craw’s. It felt like a sign.

“I know he’s looking down right now,” she said. “Hold your people close, now. Tell people you love them — now. Don’t wait until you can’t anymore. No one’s guaranteed another moment.”

Advertisement
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top