by PufPuf93 » Mon Aug 24, 2015 12:40 am
I bought McGowan's Laurel Canyon book several months ago. The only three books I have purchased in the last three years for financial reasons are Dave's book, PKD's Exegesis, and Gravity's Rainbow. I decided to re-read all of Pynchon, had not read GR since new and could not find my copy, and had never read V before (and now stuck on last chapter of copy borrowed from Humboldt county mobile library van).
I was somewhat disappointed as the McGowan read was less on edge than waiting months and even years for a new chapter. I have not read Dave's other books but have read virtually all the website which I found before I found RI (I had n earlier account at RI and did not have internet access for two recent years). McGowan had 9-11 pegged as a false operation within a week of the event. He also caused me pause to re-consider the moon landing.
Also to have included the photography of the online version would have greatly improved the published presentation.
Being as Zappa is one of my very few cultural heroes, I was ready for some mind twisting. Especially as I wonder about how Frank would feel about some of Gail's actions and I did not know Gail's background. I was at boarding school in the Bay Area in late 60s and saw many of the Laurel Canyon bands in the day. It never occurred to me how incestuous the scene was as I was so San Francisco oriented much less that the scene was some sort of social experiment.
I went to 5 rock shows in 1967/1968: the Doors at Winterland, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Blue Cheer at original Fillmore, Byrds/Mike Bloomfield and Friends at Fillmore West, Everly Brother/Pacific Gas and Electric at Fillmore West, Mothers of Invention at Eureka Municipal Auditorium, and Cream at Oakland Coliseum. Quicksilver played at a school dance at the boarding school attended in Marin in 1967. Also saw Dead for free in Golden Gate Park and Arlo Guthrie at a demonstration for the Presidio Seven (?) at Marina Green. My roommate "Eric" in 68/69 boarding school had a mother very big in Democratic politics. She actually lost the Democratic primary to Harry Reid when Reid first went to the Senate. I stayed with Eric's family and the McCarthy family when McCarthy campaigned in SF and we stayed in the Clift Hotel. Us kids went to Fillmore West and saw Creedence. Eric's sister was McCarthy's daughter's roommate at Putney school. Eric and his Mom have passed away.
Bands I saw from McGowan's book contemporous included Mothers, Byrds, Love, Doors, and CSNY (officially then only CSN but Young joined them for an anti-war benefit at Winterland). I was a hardcore Winterland and Fillmore West kid 1969 to 1971, 40 or so shows, and later saw much good music as an undergrad at Cal 74-75 and 77-79 and Cal grad student 85-87.
The Byrds show was odd as no Dave Crosby and very centered on Roger McGuinn (I did not know about his name change and other specifics of that time). They basically played two sets of 3 to 5 minute songs that sounded like the records. The audience ended up booing them off the stage during the second set. Mike Bloomfield and Friends was really rocking. The Friends were folks from Electric Flag and Butterfield Blues Band and others. Part of the show was sold on a double album later. I had never even heard of the bands but they were hot. During the second Byrds set, Bloomfield came on stage, plugged his guitar into an amp, and blew the Byrds off the stage while the audience booed and the rest of the Friends came back for a third set.
Also saw Poco that had some of the folks associated with Buffalo Springfield in 1970. Saw Steppenwolf and Paul Revere and the Raiders (Mark Lindsay is in McGowan's book). The Steppenwolf band was John Kay and others. Steppenwolf and Paul Revere and Raiders were at Tahoe casinos later in the 70s.
Saw Zappa on a dozen or so occasions. The first time was at Eureka Municipal (which I have never seen on a Mothers/Zappa show list but he had the audience do the mud shark). Later saw multiple times at Fillmore West, Winterland, and Berkely Community Theatre. Saw single shows at Circle Star Theatre (that was odd) and Rainbow?? Theatre in Portland. Last time saw Zappa was in 85 or 86 at Zellerbach Auditorium where his music was played by symphony with these huge puppets doing ballet. Missed the 1988 tour.
I was surprised with hindsight (hindsight surprise, maybe not right term) that Pacific Gas and Electric and Spirit were never mentioned as both were LA bands from that era that had similar corporate promotion in the Hollywood rock scene. PG&E had singles but a major member joined a freaky Christian cult. I loved Spirit. Saw them at Fillmore West and then Halloween 1970 at Winterland second billed to Ike and Tina Turner Review. The last rock live music I attended was Spirit (California, Cassidy and others) at a bar in Eureka in 1994!!
Another maybe related show I attended on a hs field trip no less was Hendrix with a post Experience Band at Berkeley Community Theatre in 69 or 70. IIRC McGowan mentions Hendrix too. The first time I realized about Jim Morrison's Admiral father was from McGowan. California from Spirit had played with Hendrix before The Experience or Spirit came to be.
About LSD. The first time I experienced LSD was soon after I had been sent to boarding school in Marin from Humboldt county in Fall 1966. The first weekend we could be free another kid and I took a Greyhound from San Rafael to the 7th Street Terminal and a taxi to the Haight. The Haight was prominent in nearly every day's SF Chronicle. Some older kids offered us "love burgers" and dosed us. I was 13 and had just learned of masturbation and had not tried it yet. That "Love Burger" was the first non-meat (except PB&J) and bean sprout loaded sandwich of my life. We had a good time and ended up spending the night under a bush in Golden Gate Park. I had never been drunk nor had I ever smoked tobacco and refused pot that day because I did not smoke and my recollection is that I may not have even heard of marijuana then. Soon thereafter smoked my first joint under the cross in Boyd Park behind Mission San Rafael. Took LSD on purpose at the Doors Winterland show. We were so sweet as Leah was townie (Terra Linda) and I was cadet at San Rafael Military Academy. We took LSD together and were first with each for petting but were saving our virginities (and orgasms in practice) for marriage to each other, we even discussed how many children we would have and other details of our future life together. . I have a posed picture of us together at the Fall 1967 Formal with me in my dress blues and her with heels and corsage. We were children. Rudy my lifelong friend who shared that joint in Boyd Park (RIP from heart attack in 2006) and Nancy Sue were also along in Nancy Sue's mother's station wagon. Nancy Sue at 16 was the only one old enough to drive. We told her Mom we were going to the beach and might be back late because we would go to a movie or something. Her Mom assumed Stinson Beach whereas we were off to the Haight, Playland at the Beach, and the Doors. We didn't get back to Terra Linda until 3 or 4 AM to one unhappy and worried Nancy Sue Mom.
Back to LSD and all the CIA trials and other good stuff we might talk about at RI. The LSD was everywhere and was often free or more often $1 a hit in white lightning or orange sunshine tabs. One knew it was safe because everyone took it and one saw the same sellers week after week plying the rock show lines. I only took it at rock shows or in nature or at Black Bear events with LSD obtained at the rock shows for later or mescaline mentioned below. If one freaked out, there were stations at the shows and the free clinic in the Haight and I never knew anyone that actually needed that attention. With hindsight one has to wonder why Bill Graham or other promoters weren't shut down or people busted?
Also in high school I had a large stash of synthetic pink mescaline which was probably my favorite psychedelic because it was smooth rather than the violence and eeriness of the LSD and provided fine colors, pulses, and trails. One of the kids at the 2nd boarding school I attended had a brother come visit from Newport Beach and 5 of us spent the weekend putting a kilo of the powder in gel caps at a SDS safe house in the Mission District (where another older sibling of a capper was living). We went and saw Procol Harum and Poco at Fillmore West that weekend. I had over 100 caps that I used and gave away for over a year.
Later while an undergrad at Cal one could still get white lightening or orange sunshine at Bill Graham rock shows. The first two years I lived with my Humboldt county GF in a 6 flat building in Durant and one of the neighbors was a Cal Chemistry grad student who made blotter acid. We would take that acid in lesser amounts to get high because pot would be hard to get. We would go midnights on Saturday to the Metaphysical Film Society with "Dave" the acid chemist and his GF. Prior to 1974 was just the beginning times of Humboldt pot growing with no sinsimilla and no indica yet. I have only grown 7 plants in my life, all since med was legal and have never sold drugs or used heroin, meth, or crack, prior to 1986 I would use cocaine but only ever bought grams twice. In 1975 I took LSD for the last time and it was this red and green Christmas acid obtained but not taken at a Dead show. Four of us guys took it at a George Harrison / Ravi Shankar / Billy Preston concert at the Oakland Coliseum. We way way overdosed and would probably have been fine if the concert was about a day longer. My GF was our babysitter fortunately but she had a hs GF from Indiana visiting who was straight.
Later I took mushrooms 15 or so times. All were grown by a friend who got a kit in the back of a magazine and they were either at Dead shows with that friend or my exe wife backpacking. One exception was a GF after the divorce and my return to Berkeley took me to a Chinese New Years Dead show at SF Civic in 1987 complete with mushrooms for my birthday. That was last time I took a psychedelic. I took ecstasy twice in Berkeley in 1985 and 1986, once legal and once illegal. The same GF had a friend who was a Cal chemistry grad student who made the ecstasy and we took it once at a chemistry student party -- really weird as no drinking or smoking but rooms in this Oakland Victorian were designated for cuddling (all pillows and mattresses or dancing or talking or ...) The illegal time was at a Dead show at Oakland Auditorium. In 1985 psychotherapists were openly advertising ecstasy therapy before the feds classified the drug.
This post seems to have degraded into rock and roll or psychedelic war stories but what is intriguing is reading books like Storming Heaven and Acid Dreams and accounts all over the internet like here at RI or McGowan's site and wondering if one was part of a social experiment by virtue of being present and willing at a given point of time and space. I tend and like to think of the experiences as positive and they are some of my favorite memories but also at the time caused some problems. The problems came to me largely because I was not shy about what I considered positive experiences, totally freaked the parents and was always a ready excuse invalidate me by some family.
I have started the past two days to write something for the "gifted", working back and then working forward and have incomplete drafts so my mind was ripe for this post. Part of those drafts are people I met and who supported me from Cal. I may delete all or part of this post later.
Best to Dave McGowan as cancer is a bitch and I thank him for the pleasure of having him in my life and whether or not his dot connecting is all or in part valid, I salute Dave for his effort and generosity and get the vibe that he is a kind man, the best kind of man.