1 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: Welcome, Welcome, Welcome back to the Bob Left Set Pod. Next, 2 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: my guest today was Pat Simmons of the Doobie Bills. Pat, 3 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: it's a thrill to talk to you. I thank you, 4 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: Bob appreciated your ticket the time with me. So you 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:23,799 Speaker 1: and Tom have a new book about the Doobie Brothers 6 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: Long Tream Running. How did that come to be? Let's see, Well, 7 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: you know, I always thought I would write a book 8 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: about the band, and then I you know, I kind 9 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: of started doing stuff for years ago and never really happened. 10 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: And then I thought, you know, it's probably never gonna happen, 11 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: and I was doing let's see, I I was, I was. 12 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: This is a little convoluted here, but I was on 13 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: a at a motorcycle event. It was something called the 14 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: Cannonball Uh antique motorcycle and Earns run and my wife 15 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: and I have done it quite a few times, and 16 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: it's a motorcycle ride across country on antique motorcycles. I've 17 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: been into old bikes forever and so we were on 18 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: our old bikes. I had my nineteen fourteen Hourly to 19 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: Speed and she was on her nineteen twin and we 20 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 1: had made it. Oh gosh, kind of a cross country. 21 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: I think my bike had blown up by that time, 22 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: but she was still riding her bike. And we we 23 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: had scheduled to do an interview with a guy from 24 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: the Huffington Post and his name is Crips Chris Epting, 25 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: and he wanted to do an article about the ride 26 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: and about our participation, and it came through, you know, 27 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: the the band's publicist at the time, and so he 28 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: showed up. We were sometime somewhere down out in the 29 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 1: Palm Desert, somewhere. We had made it that far, and 30 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 1: uh so, Chris showed up and he took some pictures 31 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: and started talking with us, and we did this interview 32 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: and it came out in the Huffington Post and it 33 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 1: was just a really nice little article about the ride 34 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: and my wife and I ended up being more about 35 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: my wife than me. So uh So, then we played 36 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: in San Diego, probably I don't know, a week later. 37 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: I went right back on the road from this ride, 38 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: ridden across country and then boom, I'm back on tour 39 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: with the band and we're in San Diego playing and 40 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: Chris lives down there. He said, you know, I'd like 41 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: to come to the show. And so came to the 42 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: show and after sometime during the course of events, while 43 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: he was there, it around in our my hotel room. 44 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: My wife and I were both there, and he said, 45 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: you know, do you guys have a biography about the band? 46 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: Anybody ever write a book about the band? I said no, 47 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: and told him the same thing I said to you 48 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: that it was always something on my bucket list, but 49 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 1: I had never done any goes. Well, you know, I 50 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 1: just got done writing a book with John Oates kind 51 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: of about his life and you know, his take on 52 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: his participation in Hall of Oates. And he said, you know, 53 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: I you know, if you're into it, I could help 54 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: you get started on something. So I said, well, you know, 55 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: maybe we could talk to the rest of the band, 56 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: and so we went in. I had a little meeting 57 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: with myself and Tommy and John McPhee was there as well, 58 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: and started talking about it, and Chris said, I could 59 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: you know, I could help you. I could either you 60 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: could do interviews with me and I could uh, you know, 61 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: right stuff and it would sort of be He said, 62 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: I think it would be most interesting to have it 63 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: from your you guys joint vantage point, you know, Tommy 64 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: and I you you started the band and you're still 65 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: doing it, so it would be you know, you'd have 66 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 1: a really great overview. So um, that was how it 67 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: came about. And in the end, you know, I would 68 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: say Tommy and I probably wrote more than Chris in 69 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: the end. He would write, he wrote things, and he's 70 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: a great writer, and but sometimes he'd send me something 71 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: back and I think that's not the way I would 72 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: tell that story. And then I would just sit down 73 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,919 Speaker 1: at my computer and I would retype, you know, the 74 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: whole thing kind of more a little bit more from 75 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: my perspective or more in my own voice. And but 76 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: it was really Chris's prompting that that helped us to 77 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: put it together, helped us to you know, dust off 78 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 1: the cob webs and remember events. It was funny, you know, 79 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: we as we did it. Uh. We we wrote things 80 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: and I would think, well, that's good, there's a story. 81 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: And then i'd I'd read it and I'd go, oh, 82 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: I forgot about this or I forgot about that, and go, Christal, 83 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: I have time to put this in. And you go, sure, 84 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: you know you want to write it or you want 85 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: me to interview in. We'll put it together and I go, well, 86 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: let me try it, and so I would sit down 87 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: and write and it became a It was a lot 88 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: of work because it took us literally years to do it, 89 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: but it was fun at the same time to to 90 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: remember things and and it was from from my perspective anyway, 91 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 1: it was something that I originally wanted to do myself. 92 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: So being having that opportunity to actually sit down with 93 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: my own in my own voice and with my computer 94 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 1: to write it myself, I enjoyed that aspect of it. 95 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: So so that was it. And uh, you know, um, 96 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 1: you've got to thank Chris for you know, prodding us 97 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 1: to get the project going, because really, I don't I 98 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: don't know if it would have ever gotten off the 99 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: ground if it hadn't been for him. Now, the two 100 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: points in the book that stuck out for me were 101 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: the transition from Tom to Michael McDonald. There was a 102 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: lot more detail than we've ever seen in the press, 103 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: and a number of negative comments about Skunk Baxter at 104 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: the end of his tenure. How did you feel about 105 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: writing that stuff? Was that something well, I'm just writing 106 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: the truth, or you were fearful that Skunk would not 107 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: like it? What was going through your mind all of that. Absolutely. Um, 108 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: I h that was a very difficult time and a 109 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: difficult um you know, with with Tommy leaving the band, 110 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: that was a horrible time for me personally. UM. Thanks 111 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: to Jeff for really uh standing by me and and 112 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: you know I got a hand it to him. I 113 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: think he was really strong at that point in at 114 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: that transition as it as it turned out, you know, 115 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,760 Speaker 1: it just kind of went to went to hell in 116 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: terms of his relationship with with the band. You know, 117 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: in the end, kind of sad I was. I didn't 118 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 1: know exactly how to present that in the end. I 119 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: just kind of wrote it up the way it happened. 120 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: You know. That was probably the only real kind of 121 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: negative moment for me with anybody in the band in 122 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 1: terms of kind of a rough road to maneuver. But 123 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: you know, I felt like that was that was the 124 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: way it went, and that was the way I wrote it. Now, 125 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: subsequent to the band breaking up in the early eighties, 126 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: and there were a couple of charity gigs. Have you 127 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: seen Skunk? Do you have any relationship with Skunk? I 128 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: have seen him, Yeah, sure, UM, not not a lot. Ideologically, 129 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: we don't. We don't mesh. You know, Um, I don't 130 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: know how far to get into politics because it really 131 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: is political and you know what I mean, well, I 132 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: won't say political ideological, but but these days, you know, 133 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: ideological and political are kind of the same thing. So 134 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: um yeah, I just I don't I don't buy the 135 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: right wing, you know, sort of militaristic, ah intolerant if 136 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: you will, attitude about that part of our of our country. 137 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,240 Speaker 1: Let's go back to the motorcycle. So how did you 138 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: get into motorcycles? Let's see, Well, you know, kind of 139 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: I had friends in high school that that row, and 140 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:07,439 Speaker 1: they were always encouraging me to get into bikes. And 141 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 1: I my first, you know, probably serious girlfriend's brother, um 142 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: road with He had an old gosh, it was in 143 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: nineteen forty forty one Knucklehead Harley that he wrote that 144 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 1: was his everyday transportation. Really, I don't even think he 145 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,560 Speaker 1: had a car at that point. And I loved that bike. 146 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: I just admired the bike so much. And I had 147 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:42,839 Speaker 1: I had ridden, um you know, Hondas and stuff, and 148 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: um not nothing I ever owned. It always belonged to 149 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: my friends, and I rode and then one day this 150 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: buddy of mine, Bill said, you know, I have a 151 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: B S A four. He went, Victor, it's up in 152 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:05,560 Speaker 1: northern California at the guy's house and I loaned it 153 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 1: to him to ride. And uh, I can't remember. We 154 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: had probably talked about it at one point, he said, 155 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 1: but that bike's up in northern California. He said, I 156 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: gave it to him to ride, and he's not riding it. 157 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 1: So you know, if if you want to ride that bike, 158 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: all you gotta do is go up and get it 159 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: and you can ride it. So I said, oh, let's go. 160 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: So we jumped in. I had a little MGB hatchback 161 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 1: and we jumped in that car and we drove up 162 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:37,200 Speaker 1: to Crescent City, which is way up in northern California, 163 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 1: right on the Oregon border. And uh. We got to 164 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: the guy's place late at night and he said, you know, 165 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: where's the bike. He said, Oh, it's in over and 166 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,959 Speaker 1: my dad's business. It's in the garage. His dad had 167 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: some kind of a of a business, screen door business 168 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: or something. He goes over there and we can go 169 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:01,679 Speaker 1: get it in the morning. So so we stayed the night. 170 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,200 Speaker 1: We got up in the morning, we went over there 171 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:05,840 Speaker 1: and we walked and go where's the bike and he 172 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: points over in the corner. He goes, it's over there, 173 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,680 Speaker 1: and we look at a bunch of cardboard boxes and 174 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 1: the bike was completely disassembled. So there's the engine here, 175 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 1: the frames laying there and stuff is you know, not 176 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:24,440 Speaker 1: completely the engine had not been disassembled. Luckily, it was 177 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 1: still in one piece. So anyway, we we Uh. My 178 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: buddy says, well, we're taking the bike and he goes, yeah, well, 179 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 1: I tried to fix it. He goes, I was gonna 180 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,199 Speaker 1: I'm fixing it. He goes, if you're fixing it, why 181 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: did you tear it all to apart? And he goes, oh, 182 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:42,719 Speaker 1: you know, we just thought that's what we needed to do. 183 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 1: And he goes, I shook our heads. So put it 184 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 1: in the back of my hatchback and I, you know, 185 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 1: I tied the back. It couldn't even fit it in there, really, 186 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,719 Speaker 1: so it's hanging out the back. And we drove back 187 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: up north and we got to San Jose and there 188 00:11:56,200 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: was still it was in those days, it was late sixties, 189 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: there was still a B. S. A dealership in San Jose. 190 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: So we stopped either and I picked up a manual, 191 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: a repair manual, took it home, laid it all out 192 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: and started putting it together. I had my manual there 193 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 1: and I started putting the bike together, and then my 194 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: girlfriend's uh brother came over and he kind of gave 195 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 1: me a few pointers. All I really had for tools 196 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: was like a couple of screwdrivers and a pair of 197 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 1: pliers in a crescent ranch. That was kind of the 198 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:36,120 Speaker 1: extent of my tool collection. But believe it or not, 199 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:38,679 Speaker 1: you can do a lot with with that. And so 200 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: I started putting the bike together. I put it all together, 201 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: put it back together, and I couldn't get it started. 202 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: It wouldn't start. And then so I'm looking through, well, 203 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: it could be this, it could be that, and uh 204 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: so I I just started take went down to the 205 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: b s A shop. I said, give me a give 206 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: me this or that and different parts, and started replacing 207 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: parts in the bike. And every time I would replace 208 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: a part, I try to start it and try to 209 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 1: start it. And then finally it started and it wasn't 210 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: you know, it was running really rough, but I dialed 211 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 1: it in and had a little uh you know, British 212 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 1: carburetor on it. I forget what they call those carburetors, 213 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: but anyway, and just started, you know, tweaking on it, 214 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 1: and dialed it in, got that bike running, and I 215 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: rode the bike for the next couple of years. That 216 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: was not my main motor transportation, but at times it 217 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: was because my car would break down and then I 218 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: have nothing but that that motorcycle. So um and it 219 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:48,160 Speaker 1: was a single cylinder bike with it had was supposed 220 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:52,199 Speaker 1: to have a compression release because they are super high compression, 221 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:57,199 Speaker 1: and the compression release was broken. So when you started, 222 00:13:57,360 --> 00:13:59,680 Speaker 1: it would kick back, and sometimes it would kick back 223 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: and just about send you over the handlebars, you know, 224 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: it kicked back so hard. And anyway, I learned a 225 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: lot about, you know, mechanics on motorcycles. I already understood 226 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 1: a certain amount of mechanics. I had worked in gas 227 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 1: stations and stuff. But uh so I really cut my 228 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: teeth on that bike. And then years later I got in, 229 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: you know, I went out and bought a Harley. When 230 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: I finally made some money with the band, I went 231 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: about Harley Davidson. But but that old B S A 232 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:29,640 Speaker 1: was a great, great old bike. It was fun. You 233 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: could you could it did a lot, you know. It 234 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: was a good street bike. You could take it in 235 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: the dirt. It was just a lot of fun. It 236 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: was a neat bike, and I had another one until 237 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 1: recently I just sold it. But anyway, that's kind of 238 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: my beginning. That's how I got into bikes. You worked 239 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 1: in gas stations and you rebuilt this motorcycle. Were you 240 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: also a tinker with your musical equipment a little bit? Uh? 241 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: You know, Uh, I didn't really, I I was. I 242 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: started playing guitar when I was eight years old, so 243 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: you know, I had to learn about the ins and 244 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 1: outs of replacing strings and tuning and and you know, 245 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 1: parts of the guitar. I never really built or rebuilt guitars. Um. 246 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 1: You know, I just my guitars were all always stock 247 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 1: instruments pretty much. Um. If I had anything you know, 248 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:30,480 Speaker 1: crazy I want to do, I would send it to 249 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 1: a you know, an expert, you know, somebody that had 250 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: a guitar shop or something, you know where they worked 251 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: on instruments. But yeah, you know, in terms of you know, 252 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: really tinkering, I don't think I ever really. I mean, 253 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:52,320 Speaker 1: I've taken guitar guitars completely apart and put them back 254 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 1: together again, uh you know, but they were always with 255 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: the same parts that that came out of them pretty much. 256 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: So how many motor cycles you own now, I don't know. 257 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: Quite a few I've got, I've got, you know, a 258 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: garage I keep mad. I don't know, probably thirty or forty, 259 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: about forty forty, probably closer to forty. Okay. I don't 260 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 1: know anybody who's ever owned a motorcycle who hasn't dumped frequently, 261 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:26,680 Speaker 1: not even their fault. Fault is a driver in a car, whatever, 262 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: what has been your experience. There's only two types of bikers, 263 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: the ones that have been down and the ones that 264 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: are going down. You know, it's uh, it's something that 265 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: kind of comes with the territory and and really you 266 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: have to I don't think everybody has to take a 267 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: spill on a bike, but often, you know, you you 268 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: push the envelope and that's where the problem is starting. 269 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 1: It's usually often you're not going that fast. Um, you know, 270 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 1: most people dump a bike in the gravel and they 271 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: may be only going a couple of miles an hour, 272 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: but bikes get really squirrely in the gravel, and if 273 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:13,639 Speaker 1: you hit the brake, especially the front break, you're probably 274 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 1: gonna go down on the bike on the street. That's 275 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:21,080 Speaker 1: often when you you're you know, maybe you're you're out 276 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: on a wet road, or you're you're somewhere where somebody 277 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:31,399 Speaker 1: has been parked or dropped some oil and you happen 278 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: to go through that that spot. Um Probably most often 279 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,159 Speaker 1: it's when people are going too fast on a bike 280 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 1: and they you know, coming into a corner. That's often 281 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: a place where people lose it on motorcycles. I've really 282 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:55,880 Speaker 1: learned a lot about safety equipment, wearing the right clothes. 283 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:00,360 Speaker 1: I didn't used to wear a helmet in the old day. 284 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 1: After friends of mine had some horrible accidents and were 285 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: wearing helmets, I decided, I'm going to go, you know 286 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:15,640 Speaker 1: with with the helmet, and I'm glad. I had one 287 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: spill and I was wearing a helmet, and I don't 288 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: think I actually hit my head, but I was really 289 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,119 Speaker 1: happy I was wearing a helmet and and and wearing 290 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 1: all the equipment that I needed. I had the leather 291 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,639 Speaker 1: pants on, and I know, skidded on the road, and 292 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: you know, I actually my toe in my boot, which 293 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,120 Speaker 1: is a steel toe boot, wore all the way through 294 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:41,679 Speaker 1: the leather to the steel toe and scraped. So you know, 295 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: we're having the right equipment is really important on a bike. 296 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 1: I have gloves on as well, you know, so I 297 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:50,919 Speaker 1: didn't sustain any injuries. I kind of squashed squashed my 298 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 1: toe in my boot and my toe hurt for a while. 299 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,200 Speaker 1: And but the bike was fairly well scraped up and 300 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: you know bent bent components and so on. So you know, 301 00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:07,280 Speaker 1: there's safety is an issue, and the proper clothing can 302 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,879 Speaker 1: really make a big difference. And how you you know 303 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: what happens to you in that instance. So what motivated 304 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:17,160 Speaker 1: you to play the guitar at AG Well, let's see, 305 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:21,399 Speaker 1: I had taken piano lessons when I was a little kid, uh, 306 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: and I you know, I just loved music, Um, I had. 307 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: I've listened to music all my life, you know, since 308 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 1: I was a small child, and so I've always been 309 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 1: inspired by by music in general, all kinds of music, uh, 310 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:53,640 Speaker 1: specifically rock music in the fifties. You know, I probably 311 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,680 Speaker 1: had a similar kind of experience that that Tom had, 312 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: and that I had a you know, an older friend. 313 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 1: I think it was his brother that probably turned him 314 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,119 Speaker 1: onto some of the the coolest music. But I we 315 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,120 Speaker 1: I had a friend of the family that had come 316 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: to stay at our house he was in the middle. 317 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,120 Speaker 1: He was just going into the army and he came 318 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 1: stayed to our house a little bit, and then he 319 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,919 Speaker 1: left his entire record collection of forty five and it 320 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 1: was just all the best songs from the area, you know, 321 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:32,400 Speaker 1: the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bobby Darren, the Coasters, 322 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:41,359 Speaker 1: Connie Francis, too too many to even remember. But so um, 323 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,920 Speaker 1: I list sat there and listen to those records for 324 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: every day, for hours. I would just sit and listen, 325 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 1: you know, until I was exhausted, you know, from listening, 326 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:57,160 Speaker 1: and uh, across the street one you know, I met 327 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: the kid across the street and I around the same time. 328 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,679 Speaker 1: Everything kind of clicked at once I went over to 329 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:07,159 Speaker 1: his house. I had met him, you know, playing outdoors. 330 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 1: We just moved into the neighborhood and went over to 331 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 1: his house and walked. He took me into his bedroom 332 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,639 Speaker 1: and sitting there in the corner was a guitar and 333 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,199 Speaker 1: it was, you know, an arch top harmony guitar, but 334 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,560 Speaker 1: kind of a upper upper end harmony. It was a 335 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:34,680 Speaker 1: nice guitar for the times. And I just I froze, 336 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 1: you know when I saw the guitar, because I had 337 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:41,800 Speaker 1: never I've never seen a guitar in up in person, 338 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,280 Speaker 1: you know. I've seen him on television and of course 339 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 1: new people played guitars here him on records, but I 340 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 1: had never seen one. And there it was in the corner. 341 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:54,399 Speaker 1: I'm just like, it was magical, you know this, wow, 342 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: there it is. We had a piano and that that 343 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: was pretty magical too, But guitar, there's something about it. 344 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: They're just called to me. And so I said, you know, 345 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: can I touch it? Yeah, go ahead to pick it up, 346 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: you know, strum it if you want to. So I 347 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: took it overset on his bed and he put the 348 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:20,439 Speaker 1: guitar in my hands and and I just, you know, 349 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: I strummed it. And he goes, you want me to 350 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: teach you a chord? And I go yeah. So he 351 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,440 Speaker 1: taught me a g chord and that was the beginning. 352 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,199 Speaker 1: And I was there every day at his house after that. 353 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:36,880 Speaker 1: Every Hey, Ronnie, can I can I come in look 354 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: at your guitar player? Guitar? Sure, come on in. And 355 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 1: he had his dad had a guitar to his mom. 356 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,360 Speaker 1: His mom and dad were sort of country folk musicians 357 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: and they had a band or had had a band 358 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 1: at one point or another, and so his dad had 359 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: a guitar too, So we sat there together and he 360 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 1: would he taught me chords, and then pretty soon we 361 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 1: were playing so looks together. He taught me songs and 362 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,399 Speaker 1: that was it. I was off from there on. I 363 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:13,159 Speaker 1: was you know, live, eat, breathe, guitar songs music. You know, 364 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: that was okay. So this was in the state of Washington. 365 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 1: It was in California nineteen fifty eight probably, but you 366 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:23,879 Speaker 1: were born in the state of Washington. Is I was 367 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: born in the state of Washington. And how did you 368 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 1: end up moving to California. My father was an educator. 369 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 1: He was a teacher, and my mother was also and 370 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,880 Speaker 1: my father had I went to school to my dad 371 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: in Washington for a little bit. He was a principal 372 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: at a school I attended when I was just a kindergartener, 373 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 1: and that's how I came to play the piano a 374 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 1: little bit. My dad would take me to some uh 375 00:23:55,119 --> 00:24:00,520 Speaker 1: one of the students parents and lived nearby, and this 376 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:06,119 Speaker 1: kid's grandmother was there, and somehow my dad became acquainted 377 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: with her and asked her if she would keep an 378 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 1: eye on me. After I got out of class. I 379 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: would go half a day, and then my dad was 380 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 1: there all day until about three or four in the afternoon. 381 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,360 Speaker 1: And so about noon I would go to this lady's 382 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:27,239 Speaker 1: house and really like the first couple of days we 383 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: were there, I saw her piano sitting in the living 384 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: room and I went over and I tinkled on. I 385 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 1: can remember really memorable going over and you know, hitting 386 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:42,159 Speaker 1: the keys. And she said, oh, do you play the piano? 387 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:46,480 Speaker 1: And I go, Now, we my sister plays. She was, oh, 388 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,440 Speaker 1: you have a piano at home. I go, yeah, she said, 389 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 1: what would you like to learn? I go sure, She said, well, 390 00:24:55,880 --> 00:25:00,160 Speaker 1: I I teach piano among other things, and you I'd 391 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:03,879 Speaker 1: be glad to you know, your hair every day, you know, 392 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: would you like to learn to play? And I go, 393 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,120 Speaker 1: she goes, I love. I love to teach piano. So 394 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: she started teaching the piano, and I was there every 395 00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:16,119 Speaker 1: day for the next I don't know how it was, 396 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:20,439 Speaker 1: probably however long you go for a year, eight months 397 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,879 Speaker 1: or something, but five five days a week I was 398 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:28,360 Speaker 1: there at her house, playing the piano and loving it, 399 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 1: you know. And then she was more than she was 400 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: a teacher, but she was a mentor as well, so 401 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: she you know, we would spend a half hour on 402 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: the piano and then it was a cool routine. Every 403 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,399 Speaker 1: day I looked forward to it. We would play a 404 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,359 Speaker 1: little piano and then she would say, okay, time for 405 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: cookies and milk. And so then we'd sit and she 406 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:54,919 Speaker 1: turned on the radio and every day, you know, the 407 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 1: Liberaci at a radio show, and she loved that, being 408 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:04,400 Speaker 1: a anno person, music person. And we'd listened to Libracci 409 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:07,680 Speaker 1: live on the radio and you know, he would play 410 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 1: and he was of course, he was fabulous musician and 411 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,360 Speaker 1: funny too, you know, so it was entertaining for all, 412 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,040 Speaker 1: for both of us. But you know that it was 413 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:23,680 Speaker 1: you know, great applic you know, really uh direct application, 414 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: you know. So I would learn and then I would 415 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:28,359 Speaker 1: listen to what you know, what could happen if you 416 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 1: continued in music, you could be playing like and she 417 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:34,399 Speaker 1: would she told me, you know, if you if you 418 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,360 Speaker 1: keep going, you know you could you could do this too, 419 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 1: if you if it's in your you know, if it's 420 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,040 Speaker 1: something that calls you, you know you could you could 421 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 1: be a great piano player. So I never I loved it. 422 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:52,200 Speaker 1: But then when we ended up in California, my dad 423 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 1: got an offer for a job in California. So I 424 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 1: was so happy because I was in Aberdeen, Washington, which 425 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:05,960 Speaker 1: is like, you know, arguably the rainiest part of the state. 426 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:09,520 Speaker 1: You know, it's the Pacific rainforest near the coast, and 427 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:14,240 Speaker 1: pretty much my memories are rain every day. You know, 428 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 1: it rained every day in my rain really hard some days. 429 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:21,159 Speaker 1: But even if it wasn't raining hard, it was sprinkling 430 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:26,320 Speaker 1: or something. It was just always wet, always misty. And so, 431 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:29,400 Speaker 1: you know, come in California was like I had heard 432 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 1: of California. It was like, you know, that's where the 433 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:35,359 Speaker 1: cowboys go, you know, that's where they take their cattle. 434 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:42,040 Speaker 1: And so we ended up in Palaulto, kind of south 435 00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:44,560 Speaker 1: of San Francisco there, and we spent a year there 436 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,919 Speaker 1: and then ended up in San Jose. And when I 437 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: was about six, I guess six seven, we ended up 438 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:56,680 Speaker 1: moving to San Jose and I grew up there. That's 439 00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 1: where I was through high school and college, through San Jose, 440 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,320 Speaker 1: all through you know, getting together with with the band 441 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:06,520 Speaker 1: the Doobie Brothers. I was, you know, I'm a San 442 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:18,560 Speaker 1: Jose guy. Okay, So you're in school, good student, popular, 443 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 1: bad student, unpopular. I was a good student. I don't 444 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 1: know what popular is. I wasn't as popular as I 445 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 1: as I wished I was, you know. Um, but I 446 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:35,640 Speaker 1: did well in school, and I love sports. I participated 447 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 1: in everything, you know, student council. I was always involved, 448 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: you know, and that that aspect of school and you 449 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 1: finished college. I did not finish college. I went until 450 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: I got a high lottery number in the draft. You know, 451 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 1: I kind of thought I would go back. I I 452 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 1: the whole time, I should say, I was playing music, 453 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 1: like continuously really, from the time I was eight years old, 454 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: playing the guitar. I just played, you know, every day, 455 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:19,360 Speaker 1: all the time until I could really perform, you know, 456 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 1: until I could get up in front of an audience 457 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: and and entertain. Um. I think my my parents sort 458 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 1: of encouraged me in that aspect for a while until 459 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 1: I until I reached high school, and you know, everything 460 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 1: kind of changed culturally too, you know, long hair and 461 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:46,959 Speaker 1: psychedelics and stuff, and then it became a different you know, 462 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 1: they were freaked out by that, of course, Um, but 463 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,920 Speaker 1: pretty much, you know, continually continually played music and and 464 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:58,920 Speaker 1: that was always part of it. And so so I 465 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 1: love college, love learning. And when I went I ended 466 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 1: up at San Jose State UM, and you know, had 467 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: all intentions of getting a degree, and as time went 468 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 1: on UM music became more of a focal point for me. 469 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: I thought, you know, if I, if I don't pursue this, 470 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:27,440 Speaker 1: I could see people around me who were, you know, 471 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: having success in music, and I didn't think we're that great. 472 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:36,520 Speaker 1: And then so I thought, you know, I you know, 473 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 1: I may, I may never get rich doing this, but 474 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 1: at least I can uh maybe make a living around town, 475 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 1: you know, I can get some gigs at clubs, and 476 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: I did. I was able to work, you know, so 477 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:54,760 Speaker 1: to me, you know, I've always had jobs, you know, 478 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:59,720 Speaker 1: hourly jobs, but none was as satisfying as as playing 479 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:04,000 Speaker 1: you sick, and you know, you make you make more 480 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:07,160 Speaker 1: money per hour, you know, playing music than then you're 481 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: going to make doing almost any well, not almost anything else, 482 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:15,560 Speaker 1: but certainly minimum wage jobs at least. Okay, I'm a 483 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:18,800 Speaker 1: little younger than you, and you know, the early sixties 484 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: was the folk boom. Everybody was playing a nylon string guitar. 485 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 1: The Beatles hit boom, everybody gets an electric guitar, everybody's 486 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 1: forming bands. Ay were you playing out before the Beatles? B. 487 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:35,520 Speaker 1: What was it like when the Beatles hit for you? 488 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 1: I was already playing electric guitar. I kind of I 489 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:45,320 Speaker 1: went from acoustic guitar. I was kind of a roots guy. 490 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 1: I I played, you know, a little bit of country 491 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 1: music when I was very young, and then when the 492 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 1: folk boom came about in the early sixties, I love 493 00:31:55,760 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: that music. I mean I you know, they were TV 494 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:09,520 Speaker 1: shows that you know, every week that portrayed music, the Limelighters, 495 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 1: and you know, there were some successful groups in the 496 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 1: Kingston Trio. Um, this is earlier, kind of pre there. 497 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 1: I kind of there was a delineation from more ah, 498 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:32,040 Speaker 1: what would be the word real early American folk songs? 499 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 1: Would he got three um pete seeger Odetta. I'm trying 500 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:45,600 Speaker 1: to think of people that were, you know, within that context, 501 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:53,480 Speaker 1: even people like Johnny cash Um. I can't remember some 502 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 1: of some of the names, but people that sang more 503 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 1: traditionalist word it's more traditional music. It's it's early American music, 504 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 1: older songs, things that were written at the turn of 505 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:12,840 Speaker 1: the century and then came a more modern era with 506 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 1: I would think probably the most obvious proponent or you know, 507 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 1: someone to site would be a band like Peter Paul 508 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 1: and Mary who suddenly were writing more contemporary songs and 509 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:32,200 Speaker 1: and UM singing songs by contemporary writers, Bob Dylan being 510 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:38,880 Speaker 1: the obvious writer, and so that UM really appealed to me. 511 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:43,120 Speaker 1: Those new songs. I had been singing, you know, early 512 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:48,400 Speaker 1: American folk songs, burl ives kind of stuff. I had 513 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:55,520 Speaker 1: teachers that that loved that early music, and I loved 514 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,000 Speaker 1: it too, you know. And and then suddenly there was 515 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:04,480 Speaker 1: this new uh songwriting going on and kind of obscure 516 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,240 Speaker 1: images that were not as obvious and what those songs 517 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:12,160 Speaker 1: are even about. Sometimes probably for my young mind, I 518 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:15,560 Speaker 1: didn't even know what some of those songs were about, 519 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:19,040 Speaker 1: but I knew that they connected with something, you know, 520 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:22,520 Speaker 1: in in my in my psyche and and my soul. 521 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:29,480 Speaker 1: And so that's where I started looking at another aspect 522 00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:35,359 Speaker 1: of of music, songwriting particularly. And then there were at 523 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:40,160 Speaker 1: that same time here shortly after that, there was in 524 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:46,879 Speaker 1: the British music scene with you know, the Stones, the Animals, 525 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:54,600 Speaker 1: um them uh and I love that, and I thought 526 00:34:54,760 --> 00:35:02,960 Speaker 1: that was a There were other artists that I had 527 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:07,040 Speaker 1: been was familiar with that were more rock oriented artists 528 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:14,440 Speaker 1: that were blues based, you know, um bo Diddley Chuck Berry. 529 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,400 Speaker 1: But in my mind those were kind of folk artists 530 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:22,640 Speaker 1: as well. The songs that they wrote and sang, we're 531 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:27,479 Speaker 1: reflective of our of our daily lives, you know, uh, 532 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: certainly of their daily lives. Probably not my daily life. 533 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:32,920 Speaker 1: I was, you know, white kid in the suburbs. They 534 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: were black kids from you know, the south and the city, 535 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:42,520 Speaker 1: but certainly similar music, probably to some of the more 536 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:45,080 Speaker 1: modern folk music that was coming out. So it all 537 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:49,480 Speaker 1: it all for me, It's all jelled into a movement 538 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:53,759 Speaker 1: in music that really spoke to me. And you know, 539 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:59,839 Speaker 1: I began to two. I discovered the blues, you know, 540 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:07,200 Speaker 1: uh that that was really meaningful to me at that 541 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:11,040 Speaker 1: moment in time. I had a friend that was a 542 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 1: singer at a folk club and I I went I 543 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:18,640 Speaker 1: would see him play. It was an older guy and 544 00:36:18,719 --> 00:36:21,279 Speaker 1: he was singing the blues, and I thought, that is 545 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:26,520 Speaker 1: there's there's some music that I aspired to, and so 546 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:29,520 Speaker 1: I started taking lessons from him. He turned me onto 547 00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:33,600 Speaker 1: you know, different blues artists and and that, and that 548 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:38,919 Speaker 1: became another focal part in my life. And then from 549 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:42,040 Speaker 1: there I started looking around and realizing that there was 550 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:48,040 Speaker 1: some you know, the British blues scene was so wonderful 551 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 1: because it it turned turned a lot of people onto 552 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:57,920 Speaker 1: you know, really great people that we had probably not 553 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:02,120 Speaker 1: I I certainly had not been aware of bb King 554 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:11,040 Speaker 1: and Albert King and you know, Bobby Blue Bland and 555 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:15,800 Speaker 1: so when I've heard their music, but only on the fringe, 556 00:37:15,880 --> 00:37:20,560 Speaker 1: you know. And then suddenly that music came alive for me. 557 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,960 Speaker 1: And so I started listening to the blues and uh 558 00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 1: and and learning the blues and you know Paul Butterfield, 559 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:35,240 Speaker 1: Mike Bloomfield again that I bought that that first Butterfield album, 560 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:39,440 Speaker 1: and I listened to that album over and over and 561 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:43,080 Speaker 1: over again. I was like, I wouldn't you know, it 562 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 1: was just such a wonderful album. And then being there 563 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:50,279 Speaker 1: in the Bay Area when the Psycho, you know, when 564 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 1: the Bill Grahams and and all the San Francisco bands 565 00:37:55,440 --> 00:38:01,280 Speaker 1: began again that was the edge of folk and electric. Um. 566 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 1: It was just such a you know, I was so 567 00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:08,040 Speaker 1: inspired by that, that whole movement, and I was there. 568 00:38:08,239 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: I was part of it in a sense that not 569 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:16,240 Speaker 1: that I was, you know, in some really big band 570 00:38:16,239 --> 00:38:18,839 Speaker 1: at that time. I played with a few bands around 571 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:21,840 Speaker 1: the area and play with the Chocolate Watch Band for 572 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,759 Speaker 1: a little while, which was kind of a uh you know, 573 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:31,560 Speaker 1: a regional band there that had some success. But primarily 574 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:34,960 Speaker 1: I was just out playing by myself with my guitar, 575 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:37,160 Speaker 1: and you know, I would sit in with people and stuff. 576 00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:43,280 Speaker 1: But I recognized that if I was going to work, UM, 577 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:46,640 Speaker 1: I had better have it together myself by myself before 578 00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:49,719 Speaker 1: anything else. Because band sort of came and went and 579 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:51,799 Speaker 1: the one you know, you join a band and then 580 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:53,520 Speaker 1: it would fall apart, and you join a band and 581 00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:55,719 Speaker 1: it would fall apart. But I could always depend on 582 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 1: the fact that if I had some songs and I 583 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:03,120 Speaker 1: could leaved, I could I could keep a band together, 584 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:06,480 Speaker 1: you know. So I did. I was able to make 585 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:11,240 Speaker 1: a living and and do something I loved at that time. 586 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:14,280 Speaker 1: You know, so at that time, when did you stop 587 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:18,560 Speaker 1: doing day gigs and just play music. In the mid sixties, 588 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,799 Speaker 1: I was well, let's see, I probably was in high 589 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:28,080 Speaker 1: school then, um, and I was always working. I always 590 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:32,000 Speaker 1: had a job part time. Uh, And so I would 591 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:34,400 Speaker 1: work during the day and then I would play at night. 592 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:38,080 Speaker 1: I got gigs and clubs even as a kid. Uh. 593 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:42,400 Speaker 1: Those are the days of coffee houses, so you could, 594 00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:46,080 Speaker 1: you know, there was no nothing about age. You could 595 00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:49,799 Speaker 1: be as and in fact, being young sort of work 596 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:53,560 Speaker 1: to my advantage. I was a the youngest kid on 597 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:57,120 Speaker 1: the stage at most of these coffee houses. So it 598 00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:00,000 Speaker 1: enabled me to have a kind of a unique pres 599 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:03,600 Speaker 1: since that, oh, here comes the kid, he's gonna play. 600 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:07,239 Speaker 1: Are you working tonight? Yeah, I'm working, cool man, you know. 601 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:11,600 Speaker 1: And and so I would get these gigs as a kid, 602 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,200 Speaker 1: and I was able to work. It was just, you know, 603 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:18,359 Speaker 1: really great. And my parents were cool with it as 604 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:20,680 Speaker 1: long as it was a weekend. They don't like me 605 00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:22,840 Speaker 1: working during the week because I had to go to school. 606 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:26,840 Speaker 1: But you know, I didn't make a ton of money, 607 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:29,880 Speaker 1: but uh, you know, I would work. I worked at 608 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:33,799 Speaker 1: a gas station. I made a buck a dollar an hour, 609 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:38,759 Speaker 1: and I worked ten hours, ten twelve hour shift when 610 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:43,440 Speaker 1: I was sixteen, make twelve dollars. And then you had 611 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:47,359 Speaker 1: to pay you know, taxes and so security and all 612 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,799 Speaker 1: that stuff. So maybe if I made nine bucks after 613 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:56,360 Speaker 1: working ten hours, and even by the standards of the time, 614 00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:59,920 Speaker 1: that wasn't much money. And although you know, it was 615 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:02,040 Speaker 1: money that I made and it was mine, it was 616 00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:04,160 Speaker 1: in my pocket. I could do what I wanted with it. 617 00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:10,000 Speaker 1: But if I played a gig, I could make ten 618 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:15,320 Speaker 1: bucks in three hours. Uh, you know, at a club 619 00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:18,480 Speaker 1: and doing something I really love. So that was that 620 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,400 Speaker 1: was what I wanted to do. Okay, one theme in 621 00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:24,719 Speaker 1: the book that is really camered and I mean that 622 00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:27,040 Speaker 1: in a good way, over and over And this is 623 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:30,440 Speaker 1: the first time I've really seen it so consistently. Is 624 00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:34,040 Speaker 1: this love for Moby Grat tell me all about that. 625 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,160 Speaker 1: I had a friend who I played with in a 626 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:41,120 Speaker 1: band in high school and uh, it must have been 627 00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:45,680 Speaker 1: I forget when that album came out, sixty sixty seven maybe. 628 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:50,320 Speaker 1: And now one day he calls, maybe, goes, Pat, I 629 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,239 Speaker 1: got something you gotta listen. You gotta here, and I 630 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:57,800 Speaker 1: said yeah. He goes, I'm coming over. So he comes 631 00:41:57,840 --> 00:42:00,880 Speaker 1: over and he goes, you gotta hear this. This is 632 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:04,160 Speaker 1: He goes. You know, he had turned me on to 633 00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:06,960 Speaker 1: a big brother in the holding company. He told me, 634 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:11,480 Speaker 1: you gotta go up to this club in the Santa 635 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:14,800 Speaker 1: Curus Mountain, the Barn, and here this band, big brother 636 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:19,000 Speaker 1: in the holding company. And this was sixty six, he said. 637 00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:21,799 Speaker 1: He goes, they've been playing up in San Francisco. He says, 638 00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:24,400 Speaker 1: but they're act there down here and they're playing the 639 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:29,239 Speaker 1: club in Scott's Valley, which was but twenty minutes from 640 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:32,240 Speaker 1: my house, you know where I lived. So I drove 641 00:42:32,239 --> 00:42:39,120 Speaker 1: over and I sat there and here comes big brother 642 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:43,359 Speaker 1: in the holding company of the Janis Joplin, and I 643 00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:46,400 Speaker 1: was cold. My friend, the same guy who brought me 644 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:49,520 Speaker 1: the Moby Grape album, I sat there and listened to 645 00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:51,759 Speaker 1: the band. Never heard him before, was before they recorded, 646 00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:54,840 Speaker 1: and it was like I never heard any any woman 647 00:42:55,000 --> 00:43:00,239 Speaker 1: singing like this in my life. This is again life 648 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:04,760 Speaker 1: changing moment to hear that live. I think I paid 649 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:08,759 Speaker 1: a dollar and a half or something to come in 650 00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:11,279 Speaker 1: and see him. It was the barn in Scott's Valley 651 00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:14,440 Speaker 1: was an old barn. I saw Country Joe there. There 652 00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:16,719 Speaker 1: are all these bands from San Francisco that used to 653 00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:22,400 Speaker 1: come and play. So anyway, the same guy who turned 654 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:26,239 Speaker 1: me on to going to see Janis Joplin says, you 655 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:28,880 Speaker 1: got to hear this record, and so we put it 656 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:33,479 Speaker 1: on and it was the first Moby Grape album. He goes, 657 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:35,759 Speaker 1: what do you think? He goes, He goes, I think 658 00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:41,600 Speaker 1: it's the best San Francisco band of all of them. 659 00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:44,520 Speaker 1: He goes, what do you think I go, I think 660 00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:48,640 Speaker 1: you're right. I think I go. There isn't a guitar 661 00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:54,960 Speaker 1: player in the whole state, in the whole you know, 662 00:43:55,880 --> 00:44:00,239 Speaker 1: of all the guitar players I had heard, uh, there 663 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:04,120 Speaker 1: probably wasn't a better rock and roll guitar player than 664 00:44:04,239 --> 00:44:07,719 Speaker 1: Jerry Miller. And it stands up today. He listened to 665 00:44:07,760 --> 00:44:12,439 Speaker 1: the playing. You know, I love you know, I love 666 00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:17,280 Speaker 1: Jerry Garcia, I loved your mcauchinan, I love Barry Melton. 667 00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:22,000 Speaker 1: Back then, I mean I was over the head over 668 00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:26,959 Speaker 1: heels for the San Francisco music, Gary Duncan. I loved 669 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:30,800 Speaker 1: all those guys. I mean, they were great players, I thought, 670 00:44:31,080 --> 00:44:34,920 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, I still love them to this day. 671 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:40,560 Speaker 1: But Jerry Miller, he was just amazing, A great sort 672 00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:45,560 Speaker 1: of bebop player, you know, like I'm trying to think 673 00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:50,799 Speaker 1: of the bop guitar players, you know, it doesn't matter, 674 00:44:50,960 --> 00:44:55,360 Speaker 1: but just a great all around player, great blues player, 675 00:44:55,400 --> 00:45:01,080 Speaker 1: a great jazz player, a great country player. Uh. He 676 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:06,440 Speaker 1: blew my mind. And then the songs were and again, 677 00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:09,640 Speaker 1: you know, this is something that probably our band is 678 00:45:11,080 --> 00:45:13,120 Speaker 1: all the guys in our band I think take to heart, 679 00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:18,240 Speaker 1: and I certainly do. It's about the songs. That's what people, 680 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:24,520 Speaker 1: at least for for a band like ours, it's and 681 00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:27,720 Speaker 1: in my own mind it's always been about the songs. 682 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:31,600 Speaker 1: When I hear a great song, that's what stays with me, 683 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:37,720 Speaker 1: that's what I you know, uh, connects me to an artist. 684 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:43,080 Speaker 1: And the songs that Moby Grape had were just great 685 00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:51,520 Speaker 1: songs and all these different singers and players writers. It 686 00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:57,640 Speaker 1: was a phenomenally talented bunch of guys. Uh misguided in 687 00:45:57,800 --> 00:46:02,600 Speaker 1: terms of, you know, the business and their management and 688 00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:07,320 Speaker 1: everything else that went that goes with that aspect of 689 00:46:07,360 --> 00:46:14,040 Speaker 1: being an artist unfortunately, but musically, I to this day, 690 00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:16,480 Speaker 1: I think they're one of the best of the San 691 00:46:16,520 --> 00:46:20,640 Speaker 1: Francisco bands ever. And a lot of people don't aren't 692 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:23,040 Speaker 1: that familiar with them because they never really made a 693 00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:29,200 Speaker 1: big splash nationally. They were limited by their own foibles, 694 00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:32,600 Speaker 1: if you will, you know, the things that you know, 695 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:36,759 Speaker 1: the obstacles that they put in their own pathway. But 696 00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:40,680 Speaker 1: still a great band. I think people would do the 697 00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:43,279 Speaker 1: do yourself a favor, go back to go listen to 698 00:46:43,320 --> 00:46:48,279 Speaker 1: eight oh five by themby Grape by Skip Spence was 699 00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:54,720 Speaker 1: you know a crazy person, you know, you know, really 700 00:46:54,719 --> 00:46:58,200 Speaker 1: a wild guy. But Oh Maha is a song that 701 00:46:58,239 --> 00:47:01,640 Speaker 1: he wrote that I still think a great rock song. 702 00:47:02,160 --> 00:47:05,600 Speaker 1: It just had it was magical for the times and 703 00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:10,279 Speaker 1: pretty modern for that era, you know, with feedback and 704 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:20,200 Speaker 1: just just an odd rhythmic track. Really interesting production. David 705 00:47:20,280 --> 00:47:24,760 Speaker 1: Rubinson was it was a great producer. So anyway, great 706 00:47:24,880 --> 00:47:35,440 Speaker 1: great band, great album. Okay, so you're playing solo, you 707 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:38,080 Speaker 1: don't have to worry about the army. How do you 708 00:47:38,120 --> 00:47:41,360 Speaker 1: get involved in bands? And then how do you ultimately 709 00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:44,959 Speaker 1: meet Tom? I had regular gigs around San Jose Los 710 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:49,800 Speaker 1: Gatos on my own as a as a solo guitar player. 711 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:55,760 Speaker 1: IM I have written songs and I was doing covers 712 00:47:56,000 --> 00:48:00,799 Speaker 1: at the time, and then I at one point I 713 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:03,719 Speaker 1: played this little club in half Moon Bay and it 714 00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:08,520 Speaker 1: was called the shelter In and it was owned by 715 00:48:08,560 --> 00:48:12,239 Speaker 1: a guy that I was acquainted with. He had a 716 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:16,759 Speaker 1: club in San Jose, also called the shelter In, in 717 00:48:17,120 --> 00:48:23,800 Speaker 1: downtown San Jose, and at that time, in that particular 718 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:30,280 Speaker 1: club downtown San Jose, your mcachenen was playing um Dave Nelson, 719 00:48:30,320 --> 00:48:33,040 Speaker 1: who ended up playing the new Writers of the Purple Stage, 720 00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:36,800 Speaker 1: had a regular gig there with a band his the 721 00:48:36,840 --> 00:48:39,560 Speaker 1: Pine Valley Boys. I think it was a blue grass band. 722 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:42,520 Speaker 1: I believe Skip Spence played there a time or two. 723 00:48:44,520 --> 00:48:51,160 Speaker 1: Ah gosh, some some other people that had that had 724 00:48:51,880 --> 00:48:54,320 Speaker 1: done well in the music business around the BA area 725 00:48:54,840 --> 00:48:57,560 Speaker 1: ended up playing there from time to time. Anyway, Mike 726 00:48:57,760 --> 00:49:04,040 Speaker 1: relocated to Half Bay. He sold the place to someone else, 727 00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:08,279 Speaker 1: and then he opened another shelter, and I think the 728 00:49:08,440 --> 00:49:11,440 Speaker 1: shelter in San Jose finally closed. He opened another one 729 00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:13,120 Speaker 1: in half Moon Bay. So I went up there. I 730 00:49:13,160 --> 00:49:16,000 Speaker 1: had heard about it and auditioned, and I got the 731 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:18,680 Speaker 1: gig and I started playing there. Well, it turns out 732 00:49:18,760 --> 00:49:21,959 Speaker 1: Mike was a pretty good violin player, and he asked 733 00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:25,680 Speaker 1: to sit in with me. Um, this is the owner, 734 00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:28,600 Speaker 1: And of course you don't refuse the owner sitting in 735 00:49:28,640 --> 00:49:30,960 Speaker 1: with you, so he said. And sure enough, he was 736 00:49:31,520 --> 00:49:36,320 Speaker 1: a really good violin players. So we started digging together 737 00:49:36,360 --> 00:49:39,799 Speaker 1: and I I had I got the gigs, and he 738 00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:46,720 Speaker 1: would join me. Um, and then he finally moved down 739 00:49:46,800 --> 00:49:49,880 Speaker 1: to Los Gatos, and then we ended up playing all 740 00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:54,040 Speaker 1: around San Jose and he one day he goes, you know, 741 00:49:55,920 --> 00:50:00,840 Speaker 1: I know this guy is a great bass player. Um, 742 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:04,080 Speaker 1: you think you'd want to have a bass player play 743 00:50:04,200 --> 00:50:06,120 Speaker 1: was I go, of course, and that would be wonderful. 744 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:08,359 Speaker 1: So it goes. Let me call him, you know, and 745 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:11,319 Speaker 1: see if he's interest in coming and sitting. We were 746 00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:15,360 Speaker 1: getting a little bit better, more high profile gigs paying 747 00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:18,160 Speaker 1: a little bit better. And then I had regular gigs. 748 00:50:18,160 --> 00:50:21,640 Speaker 1: I was doing weekly, So I wasn't making a ton 749 00:50:21,719 --> 00:50:24,880 Speaker 1: of money, but it was regular money coming in for 750 00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:28,560 Speaker 1: for both of us. And so we called he calls 751 00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:32,760 Speaker 1: the bass player and he and this was Tyronne Porter, 752 00:50:33,360 --> 00:50:35,759 Speaker 1: who ended up being the bass player for the for 753 00:50:35,800 --> 00:50:40,799 Speaker 1: the Doobies UH a couple of years later. So Tyrone 754 00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:43,600 Speaker 1: uh flew up. Those are the days you could get 755 00:50:43,600 --> 00:50:47,640 Speaker 1: a flight uh for dirt. You know, it's about fourteen 756 00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:50,879 Speaker 1: dollars to fly from l A to to San Jose. 757 00:50:51,080 --> 00:50:54,600 Speaker 1: So we picked him up and we rehearse and started gigging, 758 00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:56,279 Speaker 1: the three of us, and so he would come up 759 00:50:56,320 --> 00:51:02,440 Speaker 1: every weekend, and UH started gigging around San Jose and 760 00:51:02,440 --> 00:51:06,239 Speaker 1: and last adis Santa Cruz and we were doing pretty well. 761 00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:10,480 Speaker 1: And so we ended up digging at the Chateau Liberty 762 00:51:11,880 --> 00:51:14,279 Speaker 1: and that was my first experience at that club. The 763 00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:16,200 Speaker 1: three of us gig in there. I think I had 764 00:51:16,239 --> 00:51:20,319 Speaker 1: gig there once by myself, um and then the three 765 00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:24,160 Speaker 1: of us. So we started digging regularly at the chateau, 766 00:51:25,120 --> 00:51:32,520 Speaker 1: and Mike h Mike and I kind of broke up. 767 00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:36,279 Speaker 1: The band broke up, the three of us. Tyronne had 768 00:51:36,320 --> 00:51:41,040 Speaker 1: something else going on, and I forget something happened with nothing. 769 00:51:42,880 --> 00:51:45,839 Speaker 1: Mike had other things to do. He ended up, I think, 770 00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:50,400 Speaker 1: leaving town, and uh, so I was back on my own. 771 00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:54,960 Speaker 1: So I started playing around town with this guy, Peter Grant, 772 00:51:55,600 --> 00:51:59,000 Speaker 1: and Peter was he was a local I had known 773 00:51:59,160 --> 00:52:02,960 Speaker 1: for years. He was the banjo player, guitar player, he 774 00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:06,239 Speaker 1: had played. He was friends with some of the guys 775 00:52:06,239 --> 00:52:08,319 Speaker 1: in Grateful Dead. He had played on one of the 776 00:52:08,440 --> 00:52:12,480 Speaker 1: Dead albums. He had taught himself to play pedal steel 777 00:52:13,200 --> 00:52:18,320 Speaker 1: and ended up on I think oxom oxiwa playing steel 778 00:52:18,640 --> 00:52:26,839 Speaker 1: and anyway a really decent banjo player. So I had 779 00:52:26,960 --> 00:52:30,200 Speaker 1: played with three different banjo players around town and doing 780 00:52:30,200 --> 00:52:32,720 Speaker 1: blue grass because I was kind of one of my things. 781 00:52:32,800 --> 00:52:36,440 Speaker 1: I had made an effort to study a little bit 782 00:52:36,480 --> 00:52:40,440 Speaker 1: about blue grass, and I had friends that played, and 783 00:52:40,520 --> 00:52:44,600 Speaker 1: so I would just sit in and learn the you know, 784 00:52:44,640 --> 00:52:48,920 Speaker 1: how to learn the songs. You know the lot of 785 00:52:48,920 --> 00:52:52,719 Speaker 1: instrumentals and stuff, and I learned that task myself with 786 00:52:53,239 --> 00:52:58,000 Speaker 1: learning and listening to blue grass. So um, playing with Peter, 787 00:52:58,160 --> 00:53:00,919 Speaker 1: and one day we got this. I get this call. 788 00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:04,239 Speaker 1: It's Mike Mindel, my ex middle player. He goes, I'm 789 00:53:04,239 --> 00:53:08,280 Speaker 1: opening a club in h Campbell. It's the old Campbell 790 00:53:08,360 --> 00:53:12,560 Speaker 1: Theater was the downtown theater in Campbell, California, which is 791 00:53:12,640 --> 00:53:16,480 Speaker 1: kind of a suburb of San Jose. And I'm going 792 00:53:16,520 --> 00:53:20,200 Speaker 1: to call it the gas Lighter Theater. And I'd love 793 00:53:20,400 --> 00:53:22,200 Speaker 1: I love to have you come and play. What are 794 00:53:22,239 --> 00:53:24,040 Speaker 1: you doing now? And I said, well, I'm Paile playing 795 00:53:24,080 --> 00:53:27,919 Speaker 1: with this guy, Peter Grant. He goes, well, I'm trying 796 00:53:27,920 --> 00:53:32,240 Speaker 1: to book hot Tuna, and uh maybe you you guys 797 00:53:32,280 --> 00:53:35,160 Speaker 1: could come and open for hot Tuna. I go, yeah, 798 00:53:35,239 --> 00:53:39,160 Speaker 1: of course that would be wonderful. So so we get 799 00:53:39,200 --> 00:53:42,680 Speaker 1: to the I told Peter Bouty goes, I go, how 800 00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:45,040 Speaker 1: much are you paying? He goes, I'm paying you know whatever. 801 00:53:45,080 --> 00:53:46,719 Speaker 1: It was pretty good. I think he was paying me 802 00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:49,680 Speaker 1: like fifty bucks, which was a lot in those days. 803 00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:55,080 Speaker 1: So um, we get there and uh, no, hot Tuna. 804 00:53:55,200 --> 00:54:00,600 Speaker 1: Hot Tuna. They had a a commit that they had 805 00:54:00,600 --> 00:54:03,480 Speaker 1: to honor, and he couldn't They couldn't show up. So 806 00:54:03,840 --> 00:54:07,400 Speaker 1: he hired this other band, Pachuco. I go, well, I 807 00:54:07,440 --> 00:54:11,879 Speaker 1: know Pachuco. It's uh, Skip Spence and this guy, Bill 808 00:54:11,960 --> 00:54:14,760 Speaker 1: Andres was a guitar player in the band at the time. 809 00:54:15,760 --> 00:54:19,600 Speaker 1: So um, I go, well, that's that's great. You know, 810 00:54:19,640 --> 00:54:22,840 Speaker 1: I love both those guys, and that will be great anyway. 811 00:54:22,960 --> 00:54:30,799 Speaker 1: So um, so I had known Skip previously, and that's 812 00:54:30,840 --> 00:54:35,680 Speaker 1: another story in itself. But so we get there and 813 00:54:36,280 --> 00:54:41,480 Speaker 1: so Peter and I play, you know there, Skip's not 814 00:54:41,560 --> 00:54:44,279 Speaker 1: there yet. Peter and I set up and and we 815 00:54:44,520 --> 00:54:46,759 Speaker 1: do our set. We play an hour or so and 816 00:54:46,800 --> 00:54:50,200 Speaker 1: then I see Skip comes in, and I see these 817 00:54:50,200 --> 00:54:54,000 Speaker 1: other guys, and they go, well, where's Bill Andres. He's 818 00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:57,040 Speaker 1: not with them. So I go I talked to Skip. 819 00:54:57,040 --> 00:55:00,160 Speaker 1: I go as the worst. Bill He goes, I he's 820 00:55:00,160 --> 00:55:05,000 Speaker 1: in jail. So I got these guys. This is you know, 821 00:55:05,120 --> 00:55:07,560 Speaker 1: I mean, you didn't gotta meet these guys. Guys are great. 822 00:55:08,200 --> 00:55:11,120 Speaker 1: I go, okay. Skip was really kind of high strung 823 00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:15,680 Speaker 1: at that point, and uh, he goes, this is Tom. 824 00:55:15,840 --> 00:55:19,600 Speaker 1: This is John. So I to He goes, hey, how 825 00:55:19,719 --> 00:55:22,600 Speaker 1: you doing? You know? He goes, and we caught you. 826 00:55:22,960 --> 00:55:25,600 Speaker 1: We listened to your set coming in this man, you guys, 827 00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:28,840 Speaker 1: you sounded great, you and Peter and you really you 828 00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:32,359 Speaker 1: really nailed it. It was really great, you know. And 829 00:55:32,400 --> 00:55:34,360 Speaker 1: I go, well, I'm anxious, you know, hear you guys, 830 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:36,440 Speaker 1: And he goes, yeah, well it's kind of loose. You know. 831 00:55:36,920 --> 00:55:40,280 Speaker 1: We really haven't rehearsed much. We just you know, Skip 832 00:55:40,320 --> 00:55:44,000 Speaker 1: told us he, you know, that his regular band members 833 00:55:44,040 --> 00:55:46,759 Speaker 1: weren't going to show up, and so he called us 834 00:55:46,800 --> 00:55:48,960 Speaker 1: and asked us if we play with him. So he go, 835 00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:51,440 Speaker 1: I go, well, whatever. You know, I was used to 836 00:55:51,440 --> 00:55:54,320 Speaker 1: see in bands like that that are kind of thrown together. 837 00:55:54,480 --> 00:55:58,040 Speaker 1: And but I was anxious to see because I I 838 00:55:58,080 --> 00:56:02,319 Speaker 1: hadn't seen Skip for years, and I was anxious to 839 00:56:02,320 --> 00:56:05,160 Speaker 1: see him. And he had this guitar that he had built, 840 00:56:05,800 --> 00:56:10,280 Speaker 1: and it was a stratocaster. Somewhere he'd gotten these longhorn 841 00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:18,160 Speaker 1: cattle uh horns and had him grafted onto the guitar. 842 00:56:18,320 --> 00:56:22,080 Speaker 1: It looked really demonic, you know, and it was painted 843 00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:25,479 Speaker 1: with you know, pin striping like they did on hot 844 00:56:25,560 --> 00:56:30,280 Speaker 1: rods and stuff. And he's wearing this long, this trench coat, 845 00:56:30,680 --> 00:56:32,879 Speaker 1: and he's wearing a hat like I'm wearing, right, now 846 00:56:32,920 --> 00:56:36,719 Speaker 1: he had a beret on backwards. He looked great, you know, 847 00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:41,040 Speaker 1: he looked every bit the rock star that he had 848 00:56:41,120 --> 00:56:46,279 Speaker 1: been and was. And uh so they get up there 849 00:56:46,600 --> 00:56:51,719 Speaker 1: and I can't even hear skips guitar. It's like, I 850 00:56:51,760 --> 00:56:55,200 Speaker 1: don't even I don't think it was plugged in. And 851 00:56:55,280 --> 00:56:58,799 Speaker 1: he's like doing all this you know stuff, and Tom 852 00:56:58,960 --> 00:57:01,960 Speaker 1: is up at the microphone own singing, and John and 853 00:57:02,320 --> 00:57:06,359 Speaker 1: they had a bass player with him, and they are 854 00:57:06,760 --> 00:57:11,799 Speaker 1: killing it. I mean, Tommy, you could tell that they 855 00:57:11,800 --> 00:57:15,960 Speaker 1: were whatever Skip was. These guys were rehearsed, and they 856 00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:20,520 Speaker 1: started playing kind of like like heavy metal, like cream. 857 00:57:20,680 --> 00:57:23,080 Speaker 1: You know, it was before there was even a term 858 00:57:23,120 --> 00:57:28,400 Speaker 1: heavy metal. It was you know, hard rock trio just 859 00:57:28,920 --> 00:57:31,680 Speaker 1: killing it. I mean I was like, oh my god, 860 00:57:31,800 --> 00:57:34,320 Speaker 1: these guys are really good. You know. It was not 861 00:57:34,400 --> 00:57:36,920 Speaker 1: my kind of music. I was like Peter and I 862 00:57:36,960 --> 00:57:40,040 Speaker 1: just got done doing traditional kind of a bunch of 863 00:57:40,080 --> 00:57:44,720 Speaker 1: traditional music and bluegrass and stuff, some blues a little bit. 864 00:57:45,200 --> 00:57:48,160 Speaker 1: And these guys are killing it. And they're playing the 865 00:57:48,160 --> 00:57:52,360 Speaker 1: blues too. But it's like loud, you know to me, 866 00:57:53,280 --> 00:57:55,640 Speaker 1: and as loud as they could get as he could 867 00:57:55,680 --> 00:57:59,320 Speaker 1: get his amplifier to go and they are killing it, 868 00:57:59,440 --> 00:58:03,800 Speaker 1: and I'm just like going, man, where these guys come from? 869 00:58:03,880 --> 00:58:07,320 Speaker 1: You know. And so afterwards I go back, I go, good, 870 00:58:07,400 --> 00:58:11,040 Speaker 1: you guys, you guys are great. You guys are really good. 871 00:58:11,360 --> 00:58:13,280 Speaker 1: And what are you doing? You know? He goes, well, 872 00:58:13,600 --> 00:58:17,360 Speaker 1: you know, I'm John. Was kind of a character, and 873 00:58:17,360 --> 00:58:20,320 Speaker 1: he was like really animated. He goes, yeah, I just 874 00:58:20,360 --> 00:58:25,720 Speaker 1: got here from uh, from Virginia, False Church, and I 875 00:58:25,760 --> 00:58:27,640 Speaker 1: just got into town. Yeah, I met I met up 876 00:58:27,640 --> 00:58:29,880 Speaker 1: with Skippy. Was kind of job. He's going, yeah, I 877 00:58:29,920 --> 00:58:32,160 Speaker 1: just made up a skip and we're putting a band together. 878 00:58:32,200 --> 00:58:34,720 Speaker 1: It's gonna be like really big, really good. And uh, 879 00:58:35,080 --> 00:58:37,520 Speaker 1: we're looking for some other guys. And we saw you playing. 880 00:58:37,520 --> 00:58:39,480 Speaker 1: We thought yeah, and then you know, this guy is 881 00:58:39,480 --> 00:58:41,440 Speaker 1: pretty good. You know, maybe you'd like to come in 882 00:58:41,440 --> 00:58:43,560 Speaker 1: and sit with us. You should come on, come by 883 00:58:43,600 --> 00:58:45,919 Speaker 1: the house. Man. We were we jam, we work out, 884 00:58:45,960 --> 00:58:48,240 Speaker 1: we we play all the time. You know, just this 885 00:58:50,160 --> 00:58:53,439 Speaker 1: rapid speech, and I'm going I'm going, oh, I don't 886 00:58:53,480 --> 00:58:58,640 Speaker 1: know about this, but but I liked him, you know, 887 00:58:58,720 --> 00:59:02,320 Speaker 1: I mean it was to me. They were really great 888 00:59:02,800 --> 00:59:07,200 Speaker 1: characters and really good musicians. And so I said, well, 889 00:59:07,280 --> 00:59:09,840 Speaker 1: you know, I said, I I said I will come by, 890 00:59:10,320 --> 00:59:13,840 Speaker 1: you know, I will come by sometime. He goes, well, 891 00:59:13,840 --> 00:59:15,640 Speaker 1: maybe you'd like to. You know, we're trying to put 892 00:59:15,680 --> 00:59:17,800 Speaker 1: this band together. We could use another guitar player, and 893 00:59:17,840 --> 00:59:19,440 Speaker 1: you look like you'd fit right in with what we're 894 00:59:19,440 --> 00:59:21,680 Speaker 1: trying to do, you know, with Tom's rhythm and you 895 00:59:21,720 --> 00:59:23,440 Speaker 1: and your picking, man, we could we could have this 896 00:59:23,480 --> 00:59:24,920 Speaker 1: whole thing and be like Moby great. You know. We 897 00:59:25,000 --> 00:59:29,120 Speaker 1: get skipping and I go, well, I go, I have 898 00:59:29,280 --> 00:59:34,720 Speaker 1: a band that I'm playing with, you know, um and uh, 899 00:59:35,000 --> 00:59:37,360 Speaker 1: I'm playing with Peter now. And I and I had 900 00:59:37,440 --> 00:59:41,520 Speaker 1: been playing on and off with Mike still the guy 901 00:59:41,600 --> 00:59:44,760 Speaker 1: that had the gas lighter, and Tyranne a little bit. Still. 902 00:59:44,880 --> 00:59:47,040 Speaker 1: We didn't play all the time as much, but we 903 00:59:47,080 --> 00:59:49,640 Speaker 1: still did play around. I said, oh, I have these 904 00:59:49,680 --> 00:59:52,120 Speaker 1: other things I'm doing. But I said, I will come 905 00:59:52,160 --> 00:59:56,160 Speaker 1: by and we'll connect and you know, see where it goes. 906 00:59:56,200 --> 00:59:58,880 Speaker 1: So so I never did. I never went by because 907 00:59:58,920 --> 01:00:01,840 Speaker 1: I thought, you know, I don't know, it's not I'm 908 01:00:01,880 --> 01:00:05,240 Speaker 1: not sure if it's my thing. So one day i'm 909 01:00:05,280 --> 01:00:08,720 Speaker 1: I'm at my house and knock, knock, knock. I lived 910 01:00:08,720 --> 01:00:14,040 Speaker 1: about about five blocks from from where those guys were living. 911 01:00:14,720 --> 01:00:17,600 Speaker 1: And I get to hear this knock and it's John Hartman. 912 01:00:18,120 --> 01:00:21,120 Speaker 1: And John he was in those days. He weighed about 913 01:00:21,200 --> 01:00:25,520 Speaker 1: three d and fifty pounds. He he was wearing clothes 914 01:00:26,040 --> 01:00:29,080 Speaker 1: that it looked like he'd slept in him, you know, 915 01:00:29,400 --> 01:00:34,640 Speaker 1: lived in him. They were just, you know, like he 916 01:00:34,720 --> 01:00:37,680 Speaker 1: looked like a hell's angel, you know. And I was like, 917 01:00:38,280 --> 01:00:41,600 Speaker 1: I loved what who he was and how he presented 918 01:00:41,680 --> 01:00:45,000 Speaker 1: himself that I was kind of like a little bit intimidated. Right, 919 01:00:45,040 --> 01:00:47,120 Speaker 1: So he goes, hey, man, I thought you're gonna come 920 01:00:47,120 --> 01:00:49,280 Speaker 1: over to the house, you know. I go, uh, you know, 921 01:00:49,400 --> 01:00:52,800 Speaker 1: I really I really wanted to. I just I've been busy, 922 01:00:52,880 --> 01:00:54,960 Speaker 1: and you know I've been I had a job, I 923 01:00:55,000 --> 01:00:57,320 Speaker 1: was still working. I had a day job as well. 924 01:00:58,160 --> 01:01:01,000 Speaker 1: So I go, you know, but I will, like I promise. 925 01:01:01,080 --> 01:01:03,520 Speaker 1: He goes, well, you gotta come by, man. We have 926 01:01:03,600 --> 01:01:06,480 Speaker 1: these jams. I mean it is they're out of sight, man, 927 01:01:06,520 --> 01:01:08,640 Speaker 1: and you would love it. You would love it. He goes, 928 01:01:09,360 --> 01:01:11,320 Speaker 1: you know, you got an electric guitar. I going, well, no, 929 01:01:11,440 --> 01:01:13,600 Speaker 1: I have this acoustic, but I do have a pickup. 930 01:01:14,040 --> 01:01:16,240 Speaker 1: I had this darm and pickup that I put on 931 01:01:16,280 --> 01:01:19,000 Speaker 1: my guitar. So so I go. Finally, I go, I 932 01:01:19,080 --> 01:01:23,360 Speaker 1: got it. I can't keep I can't, you know, not 933 01:01:23,520 --> 01:01:26,400 Speaker 1: go by after all that. So I got I got 934 01:01:26,400 --> 01:01:30,880 Speaker 1: the address, and I go by and Tommy's here. He's, hey, man, 935 01:01:31,560 --> 01:01:34,120 Speaker 1: come on in. You know. Yeah, I'm so glad you 936 01:01:34,160 --> 01:01:36,680 Speaker 1: came by. Hey, you want a jam, you know? I go, 937 01:01:37,360 --> 01:01:39,960 Speaker 1: I go, yeah, I just brought my acoustic. Giuse well, 938 01:01:40,000 --> 01:01:42,200 Speaker 1: come on out in the backyard. He says, I got 939 01:01:42,200 --> 01:01:45,640 Speaker 1: my acoustic too, and we'll just sit around a jam. 940 01:01:45,720 --> 01:01:47,560 Speaker 1: What the hell you know, I want to smoke one. 941 01:01:47,600 --> 01:01:49,920 Speaker 1: I go, sure, you know. So, so we go out 942 01:01:49,960 --> 01:01:52,960 Speaker 1: in the backyard and John brings the congo drum out there. 943 01:01:53,160 --> 01:01:55,680 Speaker 1: Tommy is this acoustic. I got my acoustic, and we 944 01:01:55,720 --> 01:01:58,640 Speaker 1: start just playing. I played some of my songs. He's 945 01:01:58,680 --> 01:02:00,880 Speaker 1: playing some of his stuff, and we're just you know, 946 01:02:00,960 --> 01:02:03,840 Speaker 1: backing each other up and having fun. And that was 947 01:02:03,920 --> 01:02:07,000 Speaker 1: the beginning of our relationship. I just I was wondering. 948 01:02:07,120 --> 01:02:10,280 Speaker 1: We spent hours just doing that, you know, we didn't 949 01:02:10,840 --> 01:02:14,120 Speaker 1: we never set up and played electrically or anything. Tommy says, 950 01:02:14,120 --> 01:02:16,800 Speaker 1: you gotta come back. Then we set up, we we jam, 951 01:02:16,880 --> 01:02:20,600 Speaker 1: and other musicians combine. He goes, probably some people you know. 952 01:02:20,720 --> 01:02:22,560 Speaker 1: He started name and name. It's like, oh, yeah, of 953 01:02:22,600 --> 01:02:27,120 Speaker 1: course I know that guy, this guy, and he goes, uh, 954 01:02:27,320 --> 01:02:31,160 Speaker 1: he goes, we're playing at San Jose State. Uh, this weekend. 955 01:02:31,200 --> 01:02:33,960 Speaker 1: You gotta come in and hear us. He goes, it's 956 01:02:34,160 --> 01:02:36,640 Speaker 1: it's different from what you heard was Skips. Skips not 957 01:02:36,760 --> 01:02:39,080 Speaker 1: in the band. So I go over. They play this 958 01:02:39,120 --> 01:02:43,320 Speaker 1: gig and it's like the trio again, but with a 959 01:02:43,360 --> 01:02:52,040 Speaker 1: horn section. It's so great. It's so real and amazing, 960 01:02:52,200 --> 01:02:57,680 Speaker 1: you know. It was like the horn section was really good. 961 01:02:57,760 --> 01:03:01,280 Speaker 1: So they're guys I knew already. They're surround town that 962 01:03:01,600 --> 01:03:03,840 Speaker 1: that I knew of them. They played in different bands 963 01:03:03,960 --> 01:03:06,920 Speaker 1: and I had played with. The sax player used to 964 01:03:06,920 --> 01:03:08,600 Speaker 1: come and sit in with me at a club I 965 01:03:08,680 --> 01:03:13,640 Speaker 1: played at, and so well rehearsed, they killed it. I 966 01:03:13,720 --> 01:03:19,360 Speaker 1: came away thinking, yeah, this is really good. This is 967 01:03:19,440 --> 01:03:24,280 Speaker 1: really something real. These guys are really they really got something. 968 01:03:24,360 --> 01:03:26,760 Speaker 1: I don't know what it is, but and I don't 969 01:03:26,800 --> 01:03:30,120 Speaker 1: know how I might fit into it, but I loved 970 01:03:30,480 --> 01:03:33,160 Speaker 1: to be a part of this, you know. So I 971 01:03:33,160 --> 01:03:36,280 Speaker 1: started going over to the house and we would just jam, 972 01:03:36,360 --> 01:03:39,200 Speaker 1: sit and I had my acoustic guitar with a pickup 973 01:03:39,240 --> 01:03:41,760 Speaker 1: on it. Somebody would have an amplifier. I think I 974 01:03:41,840 --> 01:03:45,840 Speaker 1: had an amplifier. I brought my aunt and we started 975 01:03:45,920 --> 01:03:50,040 Speaker 1: jamming and that was the beginning. And then one day 976 01:03:50,040 --> 01:03:56,240 Speaker 1: they said, you know, hey, uh. I can't remember exactly 977 01:03:56,240 --> 01:03:58,680 Speaker 1: how it came about that. Tom said, you know, we're 978 01:03:59,240 --> 01:04:02,000 Speaker 1: we we have a gig and we'd really like you 979 01:04:02,040 --> 01:04:04,600 Speaker 1: to play on the gig with us. And I said, 980 01:04:07,120 --> 01:04:10,200 Speaker 1: who who's in the band and he said, well, it's myself, 981 01:04:10,320 --> 01:04:14,000 Speaker 1: John and this bass player we got and the other 982 01:04:14,040 --> 01:04:16,760 Speaker 1: guy we had left. We got this new bass player. 983 01:04:16,840 --> 01:04:19,160 Speaker 1: So I go over to the house and it's a 984 01:04:19,160 --> 01:04:21,320 Speaker 1: guy went to high school which was in the band, 985 01:04:22,280 --> 01:04:26,640 Speaker 1: Dave Shogrin. So I didn't, you know, I wasn't close 986 01:04:26,840 --> 01:04:29,320 Speaker 1: friends with Dave, but I knew him. I had met 987 01:04:29,400 --> 01:04:32,040 Speaker 1: him here and there and remembered him from high school. 988 01:04:32,040 --> 01:04:34,760 Speaker 1: He's to see him around the campus. And so that 989 01:04:34,960 --> 01:04:37,840 Speaker 1: was the band and we started. Uh. We we had 990 01:04:37,840 --> 01:04:40,120 Speaker 1: a gig, our first gig, I can't remember. It was 991 01:04:40,160 --> 01:04:44,400 Speaker 1: probably some club somewhere and we started playing and then 992 01:04:44,520 --> 01:04:49,200 Speaker 1: we just kept playing and we're still playing. Okay, so 993 01:04:49,320 --> 01:04:51,760 Speaker 1: you're playing because you've been doing it for a while. 994 01:04:51,800 --> 01:04:54,600 Speaker 1: At this point, At what point you say, man, we 995 01:04:54,640 --> 01:04:56,720 Speaker 1: want to get a record deal or were you always 996 01:04:56,760 --> 01:04:59,720 Speaker 1: looking for a record deal? That is kind of a 997 01:04:59,760 --> 01:05:03,120 Speaker 1: fun story. Um, I was living in this house, the 998 01:05:03,160 --> 01:05:06,760 Speaker 1: house that John came and found me at in the house, 999 01:05:08,400 --> 01:05:13,840 Speaker 1: and uh, one of the gals in the house played 1000 01:05:13,840 --> 01:05:18,040 Speaker 1: in a band and the band was had been playing 1001 01:05:18,080 --> 01:05:20,600 Speaker 1: around town. And I had known her for years, but 1002 01:05:20,680 --> 01:05:23,160 Speaker 1: I never really knew she was a singer. And suddenly 1003 01:05:23,160 --> 01:05:25,439 Speaker 1: she was in this band. And she's in a band 1004 01:05:25,480 --> 01:05:28,919 Speaker 1: with other people that I knew, and they put they 1005 01:05:28,920 --> 01:05:33,240 Speaker 1: started this band, and it was sort of bankrolled by 1006 01:05:33,320 --> 01:05:37,280 Speaker 1: this guy who had inherited some money from his parents 1007 01:05:38,080 --> 01:05:40,680 Speaker 1: somehow they had a trust fund or something, and so 1008 01:05:40,920 --> 01:05:43,600 Speaker 1: they he went out and he bought them all instruments 1009 01:05:43,600 --> 01:05:46,560 Speaker 1: and they started rehearsing, and they started gigging and getting gigs. 1010 01:05:46,880 --> 01:05:49,800 Speaker 1: And I went to see him and I thought, my friend, 1011 01:05:49,880 --> 01:05:54,040 Speaker 1: that singing is the best that this in this band. 1012 01:05:54,120 --> 01:05:56,480 Speaker 1: She's the best part of the band. She could sing 1013 01:05:56,880 --> 01:05:58,720 Speaker 1: the rest of it. I'm not sure about, you know, 1014 01:05:58,720 --> 01:06:02,680 Speaker 1: And I'm not sure but the songs exactly how they're 1015 01:06:03,560 --> 01:06:06,560 Speaker 1: you know, how they're getting these gigs because I'm thinking, 1016 01:06:07,400 --> 01:06:09,400 Speaker 1: but you know, those were the days when it really 1017 01:06:09,400 --> 01:06:12,200 Speaker 1: didn't matter if you had a guitar and you could 1018 01:06:12,880 --> 01:06:16,320 Speaker 1: you had something going on, you you could get gigs. 1019 01:06:16,360 --> 01:06:20,360 Speaker 1: But you know, I mean I liked them all. They 1020 01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:24,560 Speaker 1: were all the good people and and uh as individuals, 1021 01:06:24,600 --> 01:06:26,640 Speaker 1: I had seen them in different entities and I thought, well, 1022 01:06:26,640 --> 01:06:29,080 Speaker 1: they're this guy is pretty good. That guy's good. But 1023 01:06:29,120 --> 01:06:32,840 Speaker 1: as a band, I thought, I'm not sure about this band. 1024 01:06:32,960 --> 01:06:36,680 Speaker 1: So one day she comes home, she goes, Hey, we're 1025 01:06:36,680 --> 01:06:40,240 Speaker 1: gonna go make we're making a demo at the studio 1026 01:06:41,320 --> 01:06:44,680 Speaker 1: up in San Francisco. And the guys that are that 1027 01:06:44,840 --> 01:06:47,640 Speaker 1: have the studio, they're here right now in the house. 1028 01:06:48,200 --> 01:06:55,200 Speaker 1: And I was there in the house because I shared 1029 01:06:55,240 --> 01:06:58,600 Speaker 1: this house with her and a couple of other people. 1030 01:06:59,520 --> 01:07:02,960 Speaker 1: And um, we paid. We paid a hundred dollars a 1031 01:07:03,000 --> 01:07:05,680 Speaker 1: month for the house and there were three three of 1032 01:07:05,760 --> 01:07:09,120 Speaker 1: us that split the rent. It was thirty three dollars apiece, 1033 01:07:09,240 --> 01:07:12,600 Speaker 1: and somebody had to pay each each month. Somebody had 1034 01:07:12,640 --> 01:07:17,960 Speaker 1: to pay the extra dollar, you know. So uh so 1035 01:07:18,480 --> 01:07:22,680 Speaker 1: she comes in and with these two guys and they 1036 01:07:22,680 --> 01:07:26,120 Speaker 1: introduced themselves. This is Marty, this is Paul, and uh, 1037 01:07:26,240 --> 01:07:31,080 Speaker 1: I go and they were kind of like yeah, well 1038 01:07:31,160 --> 01:07:33,960 Speaker 1: yea audio only so they have their noses in the 1039 01:07:34,000 --> 01:07:37,720 Speaker 1: airh yeah, okay. They're kind of like high rollers, you know, 1040 01:07:40,560 --> 01:07:46,680 Speaker 1: you know, elitist types. And she's going, we're going up 1041 01:07:46,680 --> 01:07:49,680 Speaker 1: to make this demo tomorrow, and they're going, yeah this man, 1042 01:07:49,760 --> 01:07:53,640 Speaker 1: the guys are really good. And I go, oh cool, 1043 01:07:53,720 --> 01:07:58,880 Speaker 1: you know, I'm glad that's happening. So so, uh, they 1044 01:07:58,880 --> 01:08:02,000 Speaker 1: go make the demo. I guess, and h I don't know. 1045 01:08:02,040 --> 01:08:04,200 Speaker 1: I don't know. I think I heard the demo was like, 1046 01:08:05,360 --> 01:08:10,240 Speaker 1: you know, not that great. So it's one name over 1047 01:08:10,440 --> 01:08:15,640 Speaker 1: at at Tommy's in John's place and they go, hey, 1048 01:08:15,720 --> 01:08:18,040 Speaker 1: we made this demo. You know you want to hear it. Uh, 1049 01:08:18,360 --> 01:08:21,080 Speaker 1: you know, it's this two song demo and they he 1050 01:08:21,160 --> 01:08:23,679 Speaker 1: puts it on and I go, yeah, that's pretty good. 1051 01:08:23,720 --> 01:08:27,000 Speaker 1: You know, it's like these He goes, yeah, I just 1052 01:08:27,600 --> 01:08:30,120 Speaker 1: I just wrote the lyrics these. I don't even know 1053 01:08:30,120 --> 01:08:32,080 Speaker 1: what I was talking about it. I just wrote these 1054 01:08:32,160 --> 01:08:35,080 Speaker 1: lyrics in the studio, you know, we threw these things together. 1055 01:08:35,160 --> 01:08:39,840 Speaker 1: And I'm listening to him. I'm going that sounds pretty good. 1056 01:08:39,960 --> 01:08:43,120 Speaker 1: You know, those aren't bad, And he goes, yeah, the 1057 01:08:43,200 --> 01:08:46,960 Speaker 1: guys that have the studio up in San Mateo and 1058 01:08:46,960 --> 01:08:50,640 Speaker 1: and there look there they're they're letting bands come up 1059 01:08:50,680 --> 01:08:54,000 Speaker 1: and and do demos, you know, And so I go, 1060 01:08:55,439 --> 01:08:58,680 Speaker 1: I guess wouldn't be named Marty and Paul. They ya, 1061 01:08:58,760 --> 01:09:01,080 Speaker 1: those are the guys. I go, how did you find 1062 01:09:01,439 --> 01:09:04,800 Speaker 1: how'd they find you? And he goes, Skip found they 1063 01:09:04,800 --> 01:09:10,840 Speaker 1: found Skip, and Skip found us and took and brought tom. 1064 01:09:11,120 --> 01:09:13,280 Speaker 1: It was Tom John and I think at that time 1065 01:09:13,280 --> 01:09:15,960 Speaker 1: it was before Dave Chobrin they had made this demo. 1066 01:09:16,560 --> 01:09:19,280 Speaker 1: I go, yeah, I met those guys and they go, yeah, well, 1067 01:09:19,320 --> 01:09:22,799 Speaker 1: you know, we might be able to do some more demos. 1068 01:09:22,840 --> 01:09:25,960 Speaker 1: We're just kind of waiting to hear back. He goes, 1069 01:09:26,360 --> 01:09:29,479 Speaker 1: you would you want to, you know, play on something, 1070 01:09:29,520 --> 01:09:32,040 Speaker 1: and saying if if we get another opportunity, I go, 1071 01:09:32,120 --> 01:09:35,400 Speaker 1: of course, you know that that would be wonderful. So 1072 01:09:35,520 --> 01:09:38,840 Speaker 1: I don't know. A few weeks later, Tommy calls me 1073 01:09:38,840 --> 01:09:43,679 Speaker 1: and says, Skip just called us. He said we should 1074 01:09:43,720 --> 01:09:46,439 Speaker 1: get up to the studio right away. He goes, they 1075 01:09:46,439 --> 01:09:48,679 Speaker 1: want to do they want to do some more demos, 1076 01:09:49,640 --> 01:09:54,040 Speaker 1: And I go, really now and he goes yeah. I goes, wow, 1077 01:09:54,960 --> 01:09:57,519 Speaker 1: I got a gig. I'll cancel my gig and you 1078 01:09:57,560 --> 01:10:00,840 Speaker 1: know we'll go do it. So so we drive up 1079 01:10:00,880 --> 01:10:07,599 Speaker 1: to San Mateo and there's Skips there and and Marty 1080 01:10:07,680 --> 01:10:10,559 Speaker 1: and Paul and we set up and we talked through 1081 01:10:12,040 --> 01:10:14,479 Speaker 1: you know, what we're going to do. And so they say, well, 1082 01:10:14,640 --> 01:10:17,559 Speaker 1: you know, we have a deal here. If if we 1083 01:10:17,640 --> 01:10:22,960 Speaker 1: give you the free studio time, you have to sign 1084 01:10:23,040 --> 01:10:25,360 Speaker 1: this contract with us that we're going to be your 1085 01:10:25,439 --> 01:10:32,320 Speaker 1: representatives and that whatever we whatever these demos are, that 1086 01:10:32,439 --> 01:10:37,599 Speaker 1: we own them, uh in the capacity that we're allowed 1087 01:10:37,640 --> 01:10:41,839 Speaker 1: to shop them for you. And so that sounded reasonable 1088 01:10:41,880 --> 01:10:44,400 Speaker 1: to me. I didn't that we don't mean better offers. 1089 01:10:44,439 --> 01:10:47,360 Speaker 1: So so we went ahead and signed the contract and 1090 01:10:47,360 --> 01:10:49,439 Speaker 1: then we go and start doing demos. So over a 1091 01:10:49,520 --> 01:10:53,840 Speaker 1: period of three or four days, I guess, we threw 1092 01:10:53,880 --> 01:10:56,519 Speaker 1: these demos together. It was a couple of songs of 1093 01:10:56,560 --> 01:11:02,920 Speaker 1: mine and then four songs of Tom's. So, uh, weeks 1094 01:11:03,280 --> 01:11:07,879 Speaker 1: go by. We heard the demos, we were like, wow, 1095 01:11:08,800 --> 01:11:11,479 Speaker 1: those sound really good. We we never thought we could 1096 01:11:11,520 --> 01:11:15,840 Speaker 1: sound that good. And we're going, yeah, wow, amazing. You know, 1097 01:11:17,120 --> 01:11:20,479 Speaker 1: maybe maybe something will happen. You know, when we're playing 1098 01:11:20,560 --> 01:11:23,080 Speaker 1: the demos for all our friends, you know, and they're 1099 01:11:23,120 --> 01:11:26,400 Speaker 1: all going, wow, you guys are that sounds really good, man, 1100 01:11:26,439 --> 01:11:31,120 Speaker 1: you guys, you guys are really going to do something. So, um, 1101 01:11:31,280 --> 01:11:34,759 Speaker 1: weeks go by, months go by, we don't hear anything. 1102 01:11:35,520 --> 01:11:39,720 Speaker 1: I guess nothing's going to happen. And and then all 1103 01:11:39,760 --> 01:11:43,360 Speaker 1: of a sudden we get a call from the studio 1104 01:11:43,360 --> 01:11:46,320 Speaker 1: and they say, look, we got some interest from some 1105 01:11:46,520 --> 01:11:50,720 Speaker 1: different parties. A and M as interested in it. They're 1106 01:11:50,760 --> 01:11:54,639 Speaker 1: the first ones that called us. And so we spoke 1107 01:11:54,760 --> 01:11:58,960 Speaker 1: to producer at A and M. And at that point 1108 01:11:59,040 --> 01:12:03,880 Speaker 1: we we would have taken anything, you know. And uh, 1109 01:12:05,000 --> 01:12:08,960 Speaker 1: then we here that well, um, a couple of guys 1110 01:12:08,960 --> 01:12:11,840 Speaker 1: from Warner Brothers that want to come and see you 1111 01:12:11,840 --> 01:12:16,120 Speaker 1: guys play somewhere. People from and M. I think we 1112 01:12:16,160 --> 01:12:20,320 Speaker 1: did alive in the studio where we played for them. 1113 01:12:20,360 --> 01:12:22,080 Speaker 1: We set up and then we did, you know. We 1114 01:12:22,280 --> 01:12:26,400 Speaker 1: ran through a few songs and uh it was a 1115 01:12:26,479 --> 01:12:29,519 Speaker 1: producer of note I can't remember his name. Was it 1116 01:12:29,640 --> 01:12:35,280 Speaker 1: David Anderley? It was not David Anderley, it was I'd 1117 01:12:35,280 --> 01:12:36,880 Speaker 1: know the name if I saw it. I think I've 1118 01:12:36,880 --> 01:12:40,479 Speaker 1: seen it not that far in the in the past. 1119 01:12:40,600 --> 01:12:45,640 Speaker 1: But um, so then we hear that there are a 1120 01:12:45,720 --> 01:12:48,799 Speaker 1: couple of guys from Warner Brothers are coming, So they're 1121 01:12:48,800 --> 01:12:52,480 Speaker 1: going to come and see us play at the Chateau Liberty, 1122 01:12:52,560 --> 01:12:54,679 Speaker 1: which is this club we've been playing in the Santa 1123 01:12:54,720 --> 01:12:59,360 Speaker 1: Cruz Mountains, which is kind of a hippie biker bar 1124 01:13:00,160 --> 01:13:05,880 Speaker 1: really kind of ah a great place to hear music, 1125 01:13:05,920 --> 01:13:13,639 Speaker 1: but it's you know, a psychedelic inferno. And we're sort 1126 01:13:13,680 --> 01:13:17,280 Speaker 1: of arguably the house band that we play there all 1127 01:13:17,320 --> 01:13:21,200 Speaker 1: the time, but they love us there. We packed the 1128 01:13:21,280 --> 01:13:24,519 Speaker 1: place and it's a small place, I mean full up. 1129 01:13:24,520 --> 01:13:26,880 Speaker 1: It would be you know, three people, maybe three or 1130 01:13:26,880 --> 01:13:29,960 Speaker 1: four people, and they would be spilling out the doors, 1131 01:13:30,400 --> 01:13:33,600 Speaker 1: and we used to pack them in. I mean literally, 1132 01:13:34,240 --> 01:13:38,599 Speaker 1: you know, people were packed shoulder to shoulder in the club. 1133 01:13:40,000 --> 01:13:47,360 Speaker 1: So in walks ted Templeman and Lenny Warrenker and I 1134 01:13:47,600 --> 01:13:51,639 Speaker 1: one of them was wearing like a white cardigan sweater 1135 01:13:54,040 --> 01:13:59,640 Speaker 1: with with uh, you know, penny loafers and you know, 1136 01:14:00,520 --> 01:14:03,240 Speaker 1: Teddy had you know, longish hair, but not long. It 1137 01:14:03,360 --> 01:14:06,960 Speaker 1: was kind of like and and and Lenny is like 1138 01:14:07,479 --> 01:14:12,160 Speaker 1: straight as an arrow, and and he's I think his 1139 01:14:12,400 --> 01:14:15,479 Speaker 1: his his sweaters like draped over his shoulders and the 1140 01:14:15,520 --> 01:14:18,320 Speaker 1: sleeves are tied front of that kind of thing. And 1141 01:14:18,520 --> 01:14:23,160 Speaker 1: they're looking around and here's like the Hell's Angels and uh, 1142 01:14:23,200 --> 01:14:26,760 Speaker 1: you know, hippies with you know, beards down to their 1143 01:14:26,840 --> 01:14:32,400 Speaker 1: waist and you know, chicks with their boobs tips hanging out. 1144 01:14:32,600 --> 01:14:37,600 Speaker 1: And I mean it's a scene right and drinking and 1145 01:14:37,600 --> 01:14:40,880 Speaker 1: and it's loud in there. And we were in there, 1146 01:14:41,120 --> 01:14:45,759 Speaker 1: and by that time I had an electric guitar and 1147 01:14:45,920 --> 01:14:48,439 Speaker 1: that I had bought from the bartender, so I got 1148 01:14:48,439 --> 01:14:50,920 Speaker 1: my ample and we're turned as loud as we could go, 1149 01:14:51,360 --> 01:14:55,840 Speaker 1: and we're blasting, we're rocking hard, you know, and I 1150 01:14:55,880 --> 01:14:58,400 Speaker 1: look over and you could see these guys. They stand 1151 01:14:58,400 --> 01:15:02,680 Speaker 1: out like a spotlights on and their eyes are as 1152 01:15:02,840 --> 01:15:05,439 Speaker 1: big as saucers. And I'm looking at and they're kind 1153 01:15:05,439 --> 01:15:09,439 Speaker 1: of like look, you know, looking cursory back and forth, 1154 01:15:09,560 --> 01:15:14,599 Speaker 1: like oh man, what have I got myself into? So 1155 01:15:14,680 --> 01:15:19,439 Speaker 1: they're they're at They sit there through really the entire set. 1156 01:15:19,520 --> 01:15:21,559 Speaker 1: We do a whole set there there the whole time, 1157 01:15:22,040 --> 01:15:24,920 Speaker 1: and then finally, at some point, you know, we take 1158 01:15:24,920 --> 01:15:28,040 Speaker 1: a break, we go over and meet and they're really nice, 1159 01:15:28,080 --> 01:15:33,080 Speaker 1: you know, very you know, complimentary. Man, you guys sound good. 1160 01:15:33,200 --> 01:15:37,479 Speaker 1: We heard your demos. We really we really liked the band. 1161 01:15:37,920 --> 01:15:42,240 Speaker 1: And my memory is somebody said we really like to 1162 01:15:42,280 --> 01:15:47,439 Speaker 1: sign you guys. And we had talked to the people 1163 01:15:47,479 --> 01:15:49,479 Speaker 1: at A and M and they had never said, we 1164 01:15:49,600 --> 01:15:53,760 Speaker 1: really like to sign you guys. And UM, as far 1165 01:15:53,800 --> 01:15:57,040 Speaker 1: as I was concerned, A and M was a great label, 1166 01:15:57,080 --> 01:16:05,600 Speaker 1: but Warner Brothers was, you know, a staple in entertainment industry, 1167 01:16:06,000 --> 01:16:09,680 Speaker 1: from films to some of the people that I that 1168 01:16:09,800 --> 01:16:13,639 Speaker 1: I had admired were on Warner Brothers at the time. 1169 01:16:14,960 --> 01:16:18,599 Speaker 1: So we didn't take us long to decide, Yeah, Warner 1170 01:16:18,600 --> 01:16:21,800 Speaker 1: Brothers is where we would want to be, so that 1171 01:16:22,360 --> 01:16:26,720 Speaker 1: that's how we started. And you know, I think it 1172 01:16:26,760 --> 01:16:29,759 Speaker 1: was just a you know, one of those random things 1173 01:16:29,840 --> 01:16:33,880 Speaker 1: where our demo tape ended up at the right place. 1174 01:16:34,080 --> 01:16:38,080 Speaker 1: Ted was had had been his job was kind of 1175 01:16:38,120 --> 01:16:41,760 Speaker 1: listening to new music that was being sent in through 1176 01:16:42,120 --> 01:16:45,759 Speaker 1: from different artists, and ours happened to be in the pile. 1177 01:16:45,840 --> 01:16:48,439 Speaker 1: And from what he told me, he listened to you know, 1178 01:16:49,000 --> 01:16:55,040 Speaker 1: fifty plus artists today sending material. And he told me 1179 01:16:55,080 --> 01:16:58,080 Speaker 1: the way he listened to music was he listened to 1180 01:16:58,280 --> 01:17:01,920 Speaker 1: the first song and he would listen for you know, 1181 01:17:02,000 --> 01:17:06,080 Speaker 1: thirty seconds to a minute, and if it, if it 1182 01:17:06,320 --> 01:17:09,599 Speaker 1: kind of he liked it, he would go on and 1183 01:17:09,640 --> 01:17:11,360 Speaker 1: get to the middle of it and listen to some 1184 01:17:11,479 --> 01:17:16,599 Speaker 1: of that, and that was it. If if he liked it, 1185 01:17:17,800 --> 01:17:20,160 Speaker 1: he knew it, and then he would go on and 1186 01:17:20,240 --> 01:17:23,320 Speaker 1: listen to the whole thing. But he said, if it 1187 01:17:23,360 --> 01:17:28,120 Speaker 1: didn't hit him within that first thirty seconds to a minute, 1188 01:17:28,920 --> 01:17:32,639 Speaker 1: it wasn't probably going to get go much further than that. 1189 01:17:32,960 --> 01:17:38,920 Speaker 1: So sort of neat knee jerk reactions to the music, 1190 01:17:39,040 --> 01:17:42,680 Speaker 1: which is I think probably how it really still is 1191 01:17:43,360 --> 01:17:49,920 Speaker 1: that way in the music industry. Um, I find myself 1192 01:17:50,880 --> 01:17:55,160 Speaker 1: listening that way a little bit. I listened further because 1193 01:17:56,040 --> 01:17:59,240 Speaker 1: these days because I hear things that you know, maybe 1194 01:18:00,120 --> 01:18:02,800 Speaker 1: there's something there that maybe I don't like it right away, 1195 01:18:02,840 --> 01:18:06,240 Speaker 1: but if I give myself a chance, uh, you know, 1196 01:18:06,439 --> 01:18:10,519 Speaker 1: there's there is something much deeper that you can discover 1197 01:18:10,640 --> 01:18:13,360 Speaker 1: if you give yourself a chance. But anyway, that that 1198 01:18:13,439 --> 01:18:23,200 Speaker 1: was our our experience. So the two of them produce 1199 01:18:23,280 --> 01:18:26,519 Speaker 1: your first record, which I'm sure is a thrill You're High, 1200 01:18:27,240 --> 01:18:32,160 Speaker 1: has the single Nobody Everything Stiffs Okay, even though Nobody 1201 01:18:32,280 --> 01:18:36,639 Speaker 1: is your set opener, now set opener of your box set? 1202 01:18:37,000 --> 01:18:40,280 Speaker 1: What goes through your head? And then how much pressure 1203 01:18:40,439 --> 01:18:42,720 Speaker 1: is there for the second album? I don't think we 1204 01:18:42,720 --> 01:18:51,400 Speaker 1: were surprised necessarily. Um, it's you know, we were well 1205 01:18:51,439 --> 01:18:55,719 Speaker 1: aware of how it works, how the music business works, 1206 01:18:55,720 --> 01:18:58,280 Speaker 1: and all the stories with that. People like to tell 1207 01:18:58,320 --> 01:19:00,920 Speaker 1: you right away, you know, and don't don't get your 1208 01:19:00,960 --> 01:19:05,439 Speaker 1: hopes up, kid. Um. And so when it didn't really hit, 1209 01:19:06,000 --> 01:19:10,680 Speaker 1: I kind of thought to myself, well, boy, that was 1210 01:19:10,720 --> 01:19:15,840 Speaker 1: a great chance we had. And and we got to 1211 01:19:15,880 --> 01:19:18,200 Speaker 1: make an album. How many bands get to do that 1212 01:19:18,280 --> 01:19:21,479 Speaker 1: on a major label. You know, I'll always be able 1213 01:19:21,520 --> 01:19:25,839 Speaker 1: to pull that album out and say, see look what 1214 01:19:26,040 --> 01:19:30,880 Speaker 1: I did. I did once, you know. And but we 1215 01:19:31,000 --> 01:19:35,800 Speaker 1: still love playing together, and so we didn't really give up, 1216 01:19:35,920 --> 01:19:42,479 Speaker 1: we thought, you know, um, Personally, I believed in Tommy Johnston. 1217 01:19:42,840 --> 01:19:46,200 Speaker 1: You know, I believe I still believe he's a great, 1218 01:19:47,120 --> 01:19:52,519 Speaker 1: uh songwriter, a great singer, a great stylist, a great poet. 1219 01:19:53,720 --> 01:20:00,679 Speaker 1: So to me that that, you know what, was meant 1220 01:20:01,080 --> 01:20:04,000 Speaker 1: so much to me. And I just at that time, 1221 01:20:04,479 --> 01:20:07,479 Speaker 1: at that moment in time, I knew he had other 1222 01:20:07,680 --> 01:20:10,000 Speaker 1: great songs that he would write. I just knew it. 1223 01:20:10,080 --> 01:20:13,519 Speaker 1: And I was still writing, and I felt like I 1224 01:20:13,560 --> 01:20:17,599 Speaker 1: was getting better as a writer, and uh and I 1225 01:20:17,760 --> 01:20:22,360 Speaker 1: and the whole process is a gift. You know what 1226 01:20:22,400 --> 01:20:26,320 Speaker 1: I mean. Music is and was has always been a 1227 01:20:26,320 --> 01:20:29,400 Speaker 1: gift for me. It's something that I didn't do because 1228 01:20:29,439 --> 01:20:33,080 Speaker 1: I thought I was going to be Liberaci. I did 1229 01:20:33,160 --> 01:20:37,320 Speaker 1: it because I love Liberacci. So you know, I want 1230 01:20:37,720 --> 01:20:42,080 Speaker 1: I wanted to be able to do that much. I 1231 01:20:42,120 --> 01:20:45,120 Speaker 1: wanted to be able to play and have fun and 1232 01:20:46,280 --> 01:20:49,280 Speaker 1: if if there was any success that came with it, 1233 01:20:49,760 --> 01:20:52,240 Speaker 1: that was just frosting on the cake for me. So 1234 01:20:54,080 --> 01:20:56,240 Speaker 1: I didn't know how long I would feel that way. 1235 01:20:56,320 --> 01:20:59,120 Speaker 1: I mean, I obviously there's a point in your life 1236 01:20:59,120 --> 01:21:02,240 Speaker 1: where you're going to go, you know, give it up. 1237 01:21:02,920 --> 01:21:06,600 Speaker 1: You know you're not gonna make it. So but you know, 1238 01:21:06,640 --> 01:21:11,360 Speaker 1: I never happened. We kept on going and uh but 1239 01:21:11,680 --> 01:21:15,120 Speaker 1: initially it was simply because I loved what we were doing. 1240 01:21:15,400 --> 01:21:19,320 Speaker 1: And and really through the years we've had moments where 1241 01:21:19,360 --> 01:21:24,400 Speaker 1: we we haven't done quite as well. Um I could 1242 01:21:24,439 --> 01:21:26,320 Speaker 1: say that now you know we're not. We haven't had 1243 01:21:26,360 --> 01:21:29,280 Speaker 1: big hit records for a long time. You know, who cares. 1244 01:21:29,360 --> 01:21:32,680 Speaker 1: It's about whether or not somebody wants to come to 1245 01:21:32,760 --> 01:21:35,280 Speaker 1: your gig and see a play, and whether or not 1246 01:21:36,120 --> 01:21:39,680 Speaker 1: you know you can afford to pay the guys to 1247 01:21:39,680 --> 01:21:43,360 Speaker 1: to to show up, you know. Um, so that it's 1248 01:21:43,400 --> 01:21:45,760 Speaker 1: still kind of the same for me, But back then 1249 01:21:45,800 --> 01:21:49,280 Speaker 1: it was it was simply just believe in in in 1250 01:21:49,800 --> 01:21:53,439 Speaker 1: the Tommy, particularly as an artist. I knew that he 1251 01:21:53,479 --> 01:21:55,840 Speaker 1: was going to write some good songs that I would 1252 01:21:55,920 --> 01:21:58,920 Speaker 1: enjoy playing. You know, So the second album comes out, 1253 01:21:58,920 --> 01:22:02,080 Speaker 1: I'd be pretty close to tension. If I ever read 1254 01:22:02,120 --> 01:22:06,000 Speaker 1: anything about the first Black and White album cover that album, 1255 01:22:06,040 --> 01:22:08,719 Speaker 1: I don't remember. And I'm living in the hinter land 1256 01:22:09,280 --> 01:22:13,040 Speaker 1: and out of nowhere. Listen to the music just black 1257 01:22:13,120 --> 01:22:15,120 Speaker 1: you're reading about everywhere there's this band that do be 1258 01:22:15,120 --> 01:22:18,080 Speaker 1: brubh blah blah blah blah. When you were cutting that album, 1259 01:22:18,400 --> 01:22:21,200 Speaker 1: did you know that? Listen to the music, man, this 1260 01:22:21,240 --> 01:22:24,400 Speaker 1: is gonna be our ticket to paradise. I don't think 1261 01:22:24,400 --> 01:22:27,479 Speaker 1: you can predict things like that. I certainly knew it 1262 01:22:27,520 --> 01:22:31,320 Speaker 1: was a good song, and I knew that for our 1263 01:22:31,439 --> 01:22:35,320 Speaker 1: band anyway, I don't think it it's funny because I 1264 01:22:35,360 --> 01:22:39,120 Speaker 1: don't think our music is quite like a lot of 1265 01:22:39,120 --> 01:22:44,479 Speaker 1: other bands. You know, we're a little more We're like 1266 01:22:44,600 --> 01:22:47,439 Speaker 1: the the White Eisley Brothers, you know what I mean. 1267 01:22:48,040 --> 01:22:53,040 Speaker 1: In a way, we're kind of um. You know, you 1268 01:22:53,040 --> 01:22:56,080 Speaker 1: could just you look at bands from the era, they 1269 01:22:56,320 --> 01:23:01,920 Speaker 1: weren't doing quite as much UH pop R and B 1270 01:23:02,320 --> 01:23:06,000 Speaker 1: maybe as we were doing at that time. A lot 1271 01:23:06,040 --> 01:23:11,760 Speaker 1: of the music was more h I'm not sure. I 1272 01:23:12,400 --> 01:23:15,160 Speaker 1: can't even you know, I can't even tell you what 1273 01:23:15,320 --> 01:23:17,360 Speaker 1: was going on in the music world. But I knew 1274 01:23:17,400 --> 01:23:21,200 Speaker 1: that we were we had a different take on what 1275 01:23:21,240 --> 01:23:25,200 Speaker 1: we were doing and who we were. UM. Even as 1276 01:23:25,560 --> 01:23:29,120 Speaker 1: as big a fans of the Moby Grape as we were, 1277 01:23:29,479 --> 01:23:32,559 Speaker 1: we weren't like the Moby Grape in that regard. We 1278 01:23:32,560 --> 01:23:38,720 Speaker 1: were different, a different kind of a band. UM. But 1279 01:23:38,920 --> 01:23:42,000 Speaker 1: I knew that that song listen to music, I just 1280 01:23:42,080 --> 01:23:45,120 Speaker 1: knew it was a good song, and I knew it 1281 01:23:45,240 --> 01:23:50,280 Speaker 1: was as far as what we were presenting, it was it. 1282 01:23:50,280 --> 01:23:54,920 Speaker 1: It exemplified the kind of music that we were doing. UM. 1283 01:23:55,560 --> 01:23:58,439 Speaker 1: And in a certain sense, that was an extension of 1284 01:23:58,560 --> 01:24:02,040 Speaker 1: a song like Nobody. UM. We had another song on 1285 01:24:02,080 --> 01:24:04,559 Speaker 1: that record called Feeling Down Farther. I think it was 1286 01:24:04,640 --> 01:24:10,840 Speaker 1: more of a direct um result or not result, but 1287 01:24:11,240 --> 01:24:14,160 Speaker 1: much more related to that that kind of a riff. 1288 01:24:15,120 --> 01:24:19,000 Speaker 1: But the riff was so catchy when I heard it, 1289 01:24:19,040 --> 01:24:23,639 Speaker 1: I thought, well, that that is who Tom is as 1290 01:24:23,680 --> 01:24:27,760 Speaker 1: a guitar player he has that, you know, it's sort 1291 01:24:27,760 --> 01:24:32,080 Speaker 1: of a signature kind of a way of playing. And 1292 01:24:32,640 --> 01:24:36,880 Speaker 1: I loved that aspect I was so you know, it 1293 01:24:36,920 --> 01:24:41,800 Speaker 1: was really uplifting for me personally to hear him recognizing 1294 01:24:42,000 --> 01:24:46,960 Speaker 1: that aspect of himself that he did so well, and so, 1295 01:24:47,320 --> 01:24:49,200 Speaker 1: you know, I felt it was really good. And then 1296 01:24:49,680 --> 01:24:53,120 Speaker 1: as a song, I just loved the you know, being 1297 01:24:53,160 --> 01:24:57,840 Speaker 1: an old hippie and as as much of a hippie 1298 01:24:57,880 --> 01:25:01,080 Speaker 1: then as I ever was, you know, it really had 1299 01:25:01,120 --> 01:25:07,920 Speaker 1: a message that of goodness and peace and brotherhood that 1300 01:25:07,920 --> 01:25:11,080 Speaker 1: that I believed and still believe in at the time. 1301 01:25:11,400 --> 01:25:13,680 Speaker 1: And uh, you know, I was able to jump in 1302 01:25:13,880 --> 01:25:17,960 Speaker 1: head first and help to make it as as good 1303 01:25:17,960 --> 01:25:20,640 Speaker 1: as we could possibly make it. So the song that 1304 01:25:20,800 --> 01:25:23,280 Speaker 1: I play most on the album at this point in 1305 01:25:23,360 --> 01:25:26,240 Speaker 1: time that really resonates and I'm not blowing smoke up 1306 01:25:26,240 --> 01:25:29,920 Speaker 1: your grass is to Loose Street, which is your song? 1307 01:25:30,280 --> 01:25:33,000 Speaker 1: Tell me the backstory on that. We had been on 1308 01:25:33,040 --> 01:25:38,519 Speaker 1: the road with Mother Earth nineteen seventy one. I think 1309 01:25:38,560 --> 01:25:41,479 Speaker 1: we went out on the road with them, traveling around 1310 01:25:41,520 --> 01:25:45,599 Speaker 1: the country, and my memory is we did end up 1311 01:25:45,600 --> 01:25:49,040 Speaker 1: in New Orleans briefly. I think we did a date there, 1312 01:25:49,680 --> 01:25:53,680 Speaker 1: I want to say, with Alice Cooper and UH and 1313 01:25:53,800 --> 01:25:58,599 Speaker 1: Mother Earth maybe the three of us, and we were 1314 01:25:58,720 --> 01:26:02,320 Speaker 1: we had done a tour called the Mother's Brothers Show, 1315 01:26:02,400 --> 01:26:06,240 Speaker 1: which was a series of dates sponsored by Warner Brothers. 1316 01:26:06,520 --> 01:26:11,280 Speaker 1: We both were UH kind of new acts for the label, 1317 01:26:11,640 --> 01:26:15,720 Speaker 1: and they were those are the days when they were 1318 01:26:15,840 --> 01:26:19,599 Speaker 1: trying to break their acts in you know, different you know, 1319 01:26:19,760 --> 01:26:22,240 Speaker 1: going out at different ways. But anyway, they put up 1320 01:26:22,240 --> 01:26:24,720 Speaker 1: the money for this tour and we went all over 1321 01:26:24,760 --> 01:26:29,120 Speaker 1: the country, did about thirty shows maybe something like that, 1322 01:26:29,560 --> 01:26:31,519 Speaker 1: and we ended up in New Orleans. Well, of course, 1323 01:26:32,120 --> 01:26:33,960 Speaker 1: anyone that's been to New Orleans and knows what a 1324 01:26:33,960 --> 01:26:38,280 Speaker 1: wonderful town it is, and so I basically fell in 1325 01:26:38,320 --> 01:26:42,240 Speaker 1: love with it. So months later, after you know, the 1326 01:26:42,320 --> 01:26:49,519 Speaker 1: album had um had kind of stiffed. I think by 1327 01:26:49,600 --> 01:26:53,800 Speaker 1: that time, we were still booking shows everywhere, and we 1328 01:26:53,920 --> 01:27:02,200 Speaker 1: got this offer to play these various venues around the South, 1329 01:27:03,040 --> 01:27:07,680 Speaker 1: and so we ended up somehow we went down to 1330 01:27:07,800 --> 01:27:11,479 Speaker 1: New Orleans and we stayed in town there and then 1331 01:27:11,479 --> 01:27:14,360 Speaker 1: we went out and we played these you know, Baton 1332 01:27:14,479 --> 01:27:19,519 Speaker 1: Rouge and these little parishes that were had clubs, and 1333 01:27:19,560 --> 01:27:22,679 Speaker 1: we were able to make enough money to we wandn't 1334 01:27:22,720 --> 01:27:24,439 Speaker 1: make a lot of money, but we're able to make 1335 01:27:24,520 --> 01:27:30,759 Speaker 1: money to UM pay for our overhead. And we took 1336 01:27:30,920 --> 01:27:34,080 Speaker 1: albums down there, and we went into a record store 1337 01:27:34,160 --> 01:27:38,640 Speaker 1: there and we tried to sell some albums in the 1338 01:27:38,800 --> 01:27:41,719 Speaker 1: in the area. I don't know if we ever did. 1339 01:27:42,000 --> 01:27:43,519 Speaker 1: I think we went to ended up in a record 1340 01:27:43,520 --> 01:27:46,640 Speaker 1: store like Spinal Tap and nobody nobody even came, you know. 1341 01:27:48,080 --> 01:27:52,559 Speaker 1: But so we're down there for quite a few days, 1342 01:27:52,880 --> 01:27:58,240 Speaker 1: and I think we had already begun working on the 1343 01:27:58,280 --> 01:28:04,000 Speaker 1: album to Lose Street, and I was walking just you know, 1344 01:28:04,040 --> 01:28:10,360 Speaker 1: walking around town and experiencing like a tourist New Orleans, 1345 01:28:10,479 --> 01:28:14,639 Speaker 1: and you know, eating at the gumbo shops and uh, 1346 01:28:14,680 --> 01:28:16,880 Speaker 1: you know, down in the French Market and taking the 1347 01:28:16,880 --> 01:28:23,560 Speaker 1: street car and so on. And UM came away from 1348 01:28:23,600 --> 01:28:29,680 Speaker 1: that experience just in love with New Orleans as as 1349 01:28:29,720 --> 01:28:35,000 Speaker 1: a town, the people, the scene. UM and and wrote 1350 01:28:35,040 --> 01:28:41,120 Speaker 1: that song and we went into the studio in San Francisco. 1351 01:28:41,680 --> 01:28:46,920 Speaker 1: Wally Hiders and Warners had been dumb enough to give 1352 01:28:47,000 --> 01:28:50,759 Speaker 1: us a budget, and we ended up in the studio 1353 01:28:50,880 --> 01:28:53,800 Speaker 1: there as our own producers. We decided we could do 1354 01:28:53,840 --> 01:28:57,479 Speaker 1: it better than than Ted and Lenny and we UH 1355 01:28:58,760 --> 01:29:02,360 Speaker 1: started recording songs, and out of all those songs, I 1356 01:29:02,360 --> 01:29:05,400 Speaker 1: think we got three songs that ended up on Talu Street, 1357 01:29:05,840 --> 01:29:12,040 Speaker 1: one being Talu Street, another something White Sun, and then 1358 01:29:12,600 --> 01:29:16,439 Speaker 1: this song called snake Man that Tommy wrote, and they 1359 01:29:16,439 --> 01:29:20,519 Speaker 1: were all ended up on the album, almost abbreviations of 1360 01:29:20,560 --> 01:29:23,720 Speaker 1: what we had actually done in San Francisco, except for 1361 01:29:23,800 --> 01:29:28,360 Speaker 1: Toulu Street. And I had written that song and we 1362 01:29:28,400 --> 01:29:32,040 Speaker 1: went in and recorded it, and I had been playing 1363 01:29:32,080 --> 01:29:35,200 Speaker 1: the flute. Somebody gave me a flute, and I had 1364 01:29:35,439 --> 01:29:38,280 Speaker 1: learned to play taught myself to play the flute, and 1365 01:29:38,320 --> 01:29:41,080 Speaker 1: we got UH. We had the record of the song 1366 01:29:41,160 --> 01:29:44,160 Speaker 1: and I and I I realized it was in a 1367 01:29:44,240 --> 01:29:46,240 Speaker 1: key that was good for the flute, and I said, 1368 01:29:46,240 --> 01:29:49,280 Speaker 1: the guys, the guys cure if I try a flute 1369 01:29:49,320 --> 01:29:51,360 Speaker 1: on this song. So I went in and I played 1370 01:29:51,400 --> 01:29:53,600 Speaker 1: the flute on it, and it was kind of the 1371 01:29:53,680 --> 01:29:57,840 Speaker 1: perfect tonality and kind of mood for the song. So 1372 01:29:57,880 --> 01:30:00,840 Speaker 1: it ended up on the record as well. UM and 1373 01:30:00,880 --> 01:30:04,000 Speaker 1: then we've recorded that song, did the background vocals, the 1374 01:30:04,040 --> 01:30:08,760 Speaker 1: three of us, and it was myself, Tom and Dave 1375 01:30:08,840 --> 01:30:12,040 Speaker 1: Shogren and Dave was our bass player at the time, 1376 01:30:12,160 --> 01:30:16,760 Speaker 1: and he ended up playing acoustic guitar, and he did 1377 01:30:17,160 --> 01:30:21,080 Speaker 1: picking guitar with mine as well, which was really added 1378 01:30:21,120 --> 01:30:24,599 Speaker 1: to it. I never realized he could do that until 1379 01:30:24,640 --> 01:30:27,680 Speaker 1: we did that record, and then so that ended up 1380 01:30:27,920 --> 01:30:31,000 Speaker 1: being on the album. In the end, Ted said, yeah, 1381 01:30:31,040 --> 01:30:33,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna put that out that on the record as well, 1382 01:30:34,439 --> 01:30:38,240 Speaker 1: and then we as we did the record, we realized 1383 01:30:38,320 --> 01:30:41,679 Speaker 1: it was a real reflection of our love for Southern 1384 01:30:41,760 --> 01:30:46,639 Speaker 1: music because there's so much on there. The blues based, 1385 01:30:47,479 --> 01:30:51,519 Speaker 1: uh and some kind of folky based stuff, but all 1386 01:30:51,520 --> 01:30:57,960 Speaker 1: of it reflects kind of that Southern mentality and our 1387 01:30:58,360 --> 01:31:01,040 Speaker 1: experience in the South. You know, I think we all 1388 01:31:01,200 --> 01:31:05,200 Speaker 1: we all loved it h and had not we were 1389 01:31:05,240 --> 01:31:09,120 Speaker 1: really California guys when we got down there. We weren't 1390 01:31:09,160 --> 01:31:13,840 Speaker 1: California guys anymore. We were Southern guys. We kind of 1391 01:31:13,960 --> 01:31:17,559 Speaker 1: we didn't reinvent ourselves. I think we found ourselves who 1392 01:31:17,600 --> 01:31:21,040 Speaker 1: we who we had been all along, and uh, you know, 1393 01:31:21,080 --> 01:31:24,439 Speaker 1: that's kind of where we are today. The second album, 1394 01:31:24,640 --> 01:31:27,000 Speaker 1: you almost can't ask for more success, but the third 1395 01:31:27,080 --> 01:31:32,240 Speaker 1: album becomes ubiquitous with China Grove and Long Train Running. 1396 01:31:33,000 --> 01:31:36,360 Speaker 1: But my favorite song on that album is the open 1397 01:31:36,479 --> 01:31:38,839 Speaker 1: or natural thing. And if you go into the credits, 1398 01:31:39,280 --> 01:31:43,599 Speaker 1: it's Robert Margloff and Malcolm cec. Of course we're famous 1399 01:31:43,600 --> 01:31:47,200 Speaker 1: for working with Stevie Wonder. How did those guys get involved? 1400 01:31:47,640 --> 01:31:52,519 Speaker 1: We heard that Stevie Wonder album. Um, I want to 1401 01:31:52,560 --> 01:31:54,320 Speaker 1: say songs in the Key of Life, but it might 1402 01:31:54,320 --> 01:31:56,280 Speaker 1: have been something. I think it was talking book at 1403 01:31:56,320 --> 01:31:59,000 Speaker 1: that point. That's right, That's right, that's it was. And 1404 01:31:59,200 --> 01:32:04,960 Speaker 1: uh was just the most amazing record and the you 1405 01:32:05,000 --> 01:32:09,160 Speaker 1: know whatever Stevie wondered us, it's amazing. But uh that 1406 01:32:09,520 --> 01:32:12,519 Speaker 1: he for the first time, and I'm sure we had 1407 01:32:12,640 --> 01:32:17,040 Speaker 1: heard the synthesizer before in music, but he it was 1408 01:32:17,080 --> 01:32:20,960 Speaker 1: at the forefront of his record, and uh, you know, 1409 01:32:21,120 --> 01:32:24,960 Speaker 1: start reading about it. I'm sure there was articles written 1410 01:32:25,000 --> 01:32:29,120 Speaker 1: about it, and we heard about these guys and we 1411 01:32:30,400 --> 01:32:36,320 Speaker 1: mentioned it Ted, Ted, we'd really like to graduate to this, 1412 01:32:37,800 --> 01:32:41,680 Speaker 1: you know, this instrument, and I don't know how we 1413 01:32:41,720 --> 01:32:44,280 Speaker 1: can do it, how we can incorporate it into our music, 1414 01:32:44,320 --> 01:32:50,200 Speaker 1: but we really feel strongly about moving in that direction. 1415 01:32:50,320 --> 01:32:54,240 Speaker 1: What do you think? And he said, absolutely, I know 1416 01:32:54,320 --> 01:32:57,479 Speaker 1: about it as well, and uh, let's do it. So 1417 01:32:57,520 --> 01:33:01,280 Speaker 1: we contacted them. I'm sure Ted contacted them because as 1418 01:33:01,320 --> 01:33:05,479 Speaker 1: a producer. He was always at the forefront of helping 1419 01:33:05,600 --> 01:33:12,439 Speaker 1: us to contact our resources and musicians and pull it 1420 01:33:12,439 --> 01:33:16,200 Speaker 1: all together. He had this assistant, Benita Brazier, who was 1421 01:33:16,920 --> 01:33:24,720 Speaker 1: this incredible assistant of his who was really um instrumental 1422 01:33:24,800 --> 01:33:27,080 Speaker 1: and and doing so much for us. She's the one 1423 01:33:27,080 --> 01:33:29,240 Speaker 1: who helped us put that album covered together for the 1424 01:33:29,280 --> 01:33:34,440 Speaker 1: Captain and me among other things. But anyway, we contacted 1425 01:33:34,680 --> 01:33:39,960 Speaker 1: UH Robert and Malcolm and and they came and brought 1426 01:33:40,439 --> 01:33:49,200 Speaker 1: this This UH structure was huge. Um it was probably 1427 01:33:50,320 --> 01:33:53,680 Speaker 1: you know, three ft high and four ft wide, and 1428 01:33:53,760 --> 01:33:58,720 Speaker 1: it had all these plugs and they were you know, um, 1429 01:33:59,160 --> 01:34:06,120 Speaker 1: quarter inch plugs like guitar type plugs, and that you 1430 01:34:06,160 --> 01:34:09,280 Speaker 1: would they would plug. And then and then there was 1431 01:34:09,320 --> 01:34:12,320 Speaker 1: a keyboard in front and a small keyboard. It was 1432 01:34:12,479 --> 01:34:18,720 Speaker 1: maybe you know, a third of an actual piano keyboard 1433 01:34:18,920 --> 01:34:23,880 Speaker 1: what you'd see a normal keyboard would be. And and 1434 01:34:23,880 --> 01:34:26,479 Speaker 1: then they would take the plugs and they would plug 1435 01:34:26,560 --> 01:34:33,400 Speaker 1: from one junction point to another in this UH the structure, 1436 01:34:34,200 --> 01:34:38,440 Speaker 1: and it would create waveforms. And every time they plugged differently, 1437 01:34:38,600 --> 01:34:40,240 Speaker 1: it would come up they'd come up with a new 1438 01:34:40,280 --> 01:34:45,920 Speaker 1: waveform UH different. It was how they plugged it as 1439 01:34:45,960 --> 01:34:50,920 Speaker 1: to how the the tones would change. So for a 1440 01:34:50,960 --> 01:34:53,320 Speaker 1: low tone, they would plug it a certain way. For 1441 01:34:53,360 --> 01:34:55,439 Speaker 1: a high tone, they'd plug it a certain wave for 1442 01:34:55,880 --> 01:35:02,400 Speaker 1: you know, uh, for a a waveform that was uh, 1443 01:35:02,439 --> 01:35:04,920 Speaker 1: you know, spiked kind of a form, they plug it 1444 01:35:04,960 --> 01:35:10,479 Speaker 1: a certain way. So every form had a certain h 1445 01:35:11,439 --> 01:35:13,800 Speaker 1: and they knew it. They knew the formula for how 1446 01:35:13,840 --> 01:35:17,120 Speaker 1: to how to make the sounds, and so they just 1447 01:35:17,160 --> 01:35:19,000 Speaker 1: started doing it. Well, what do you how do you 1448 01:35:19,040 --> 01:35:20,640 Speaker 1: like this sound? How do you like that sound? What 1449 01:35:20,680 --> 01:35:22,080 Speaker 1: do you what do you think of this sound? And 1450 01:35:22,160 --> 01:35:25,320 Speaker 1: we would play, you know, we got to play the keyboard. 1451 01:35:25,400 --> 01:35:28,400 Speaker 1: We would play, or they would play, somebody would play 1452 01:35:28,560 --> 01:35:32,360 Speaker 1: until we found that sounds that we that were generated 1453 01:35:32,520 --> 01:35:36,240 Speaker 1: from this U synthesizer that we liked. And in that 1454 01:35:36,439 --> 01:35:39,240 Speaker 1: with natural thing, it was a horn sound. I'm sure 1455 01:35:39,280 --> 01:35:43,959 Speaker 1: Tom said, do you have something that's more brassy sounding 1456 01:35:44,080 --> 01:35:48,080 Speaker 1: or horn like? And I'm sure he had something in mind, 1457 01:35:48,160 --> 01:35:52,519 Speaker 1: something you'd heard on Stevie's record or something, And so 1458 01:35:52,600 --> 01:35:55,040 Speaker 1: they came up with that horn sound for us, and 1459 01:35:55,240 --> 01:35:57,519 Speaker 1: Tom said, I love that. That's that's it, that's it. 1460 01:35:58,000 --> 01:36:01,920 Speaker 1: And so Tommy played that he uh, and all you 1461 01:36:01,920 --> 01:36:05,160 Speaker 1: could play was one note at a time in order 1462 01:36:05,200 --> 01:36:07,600 Speaker 1: to get a chord. You'd play that one note and 1463 01:36:07,640 --> 01:36:12,240 Speaker 1: then you'd have to double that note using another key 1464 01:36:12,280 --> 01:36:15,000 Speaker 1: on the keyboard to get a harmony, and then you 1465 01:36:15,120 --> 01:36:17,479 Speaker 1: just build it up until it made a complete chord. 1466 01:36:17,960 --> 01:36:21,640 Speaker 1: So I think that's probably three notes to build that. 1467 01:36:21,800 --> 01:36:25,800 Speaker 1: But by spreading it, you know, across the mix, it 1468 01:36:25,840 --> 01:36:28,720 Speaker 1: makes it sound huge. And you know, Don Landy was 1469 01:36:28,800 --> 01:36:33,760 Speaker 1: really good at product producing, making more out of a 1470 01:36:33,800 --> 01:36:36,519 Speaker 1: sound than you had so with reverb and effects and 1471 01:36:36,560 --> 01:36:40,200 Speaker 1: so on. So um, anyway, that's how that song was. 1472 01:36:40,439 --> 01:36:44,519 Speaker 1: That sound was created and we ended up using I 1473 01:36:44,560 --> 01:36:48,479 Speaker 1: think we used it on three different tracks on the record. 1474 01:36:49,439 --> 01:36:54,519 Speaker 1: Uh Salsie Midnight Lady was another track, and there's something 1475 01:36:54,560 --> 01:36:57,400 Speaker 1: else on that record. I don't remember those two songs. 1476 01:36:57,439 --> 01:37:01,720 Speaker 1: Those two songs, it stands out in the tracks, so 1477 01:37:01,760 --> 01:37:06,439 Speaker 1: you can really hear what the synthesizers doing. But it 1478 01:37:06,560 --> 01:37:09,840 Speaker 1: was life changing from us, you know. So you go 1479 01:37:10,040 --> 01:37:15,240 Speaker 1: from nowhere to somewhere to being so ubiquitous. This is 1480 01:37:15,320 --> 01:37:18,880 Speaker 1: now and we have Friday and Saturday night music shows 1481 01:37:18,920 --> 01:37:21,719 Speaker 1: on TV. You're on those that there's almost a Doobie 1482 01:37:21,760 --> 01:37:26,000 Speaker 1: Brothers backlash because you're so big what's it like on 1483 01:37:26,040 --> 01:37:29,479 Speaker 1: the other side of the footlights? Okay, what's it like 1484 01:37:29,640 --> 01:37:33,680 Speaker 1: being in the middle you're finally making some money in retrospect, 1485 01:37:33,760 --> 01:37:36,200 Speaker 1: when you're ripped off where you're so busy working that 1486 01:37:36,200 --> 01:37:37,880 Speaker 1: you didn't know which end was up? What was it 1487 01:37:37,920 --> 01:37:41,799 Speaker 1: like for you? Boy? Good question. You know, I think 1488 01:37:43,240 --> 01:37:47,120 Speaker 1: I was so happy just to have some success at 1489 01:37:47,120 --> 01:37:52,160 Speaker 1: what we were doing. I don't ah, certainly, you know, 1490 01:37:52,240 --> 01:37:56,960 Speaker 1: you get tired, and you know, things get a little 1491 01:37:58,479 --> 01:38:06,679 Speaker 1: you know, um foggy as it were. But I enjoyed 1492 01:38:06,680 --> 01:38:08,840 Speaker 1: every minute of it. I just kind of went, you know, 1493 01:38:08,920 --> 01:38:11,439 Speaker 1: this is what we worked towards. And I knew I 1494 01:38:11,560 --> 01:38:16,160 Speaker 1: always in the back of my mind, I always felt, well, 1495 01:38:16,160 --> 01:38:18,439 Speaker 1: this you know, it took us a long time to 1496 01:38:18,479 --> 01:38:21,160 Speaker 1: get here, but at any moment, you know, it could end, 1497 01:38:21,479 --> 01:38:25,160 Speaker 1: and so you know, enjoy every moment of it, get 1498 01:38:25,240 --> 01:38:29,240 Speaker 1: get the most out of it that you can. Um. 1499 01:38:29,439 --> 01:38:32,800 Speaker 1: I I really didn't second guess it. You know, I 1500 01:38:32,840 --> 01:38:38,639 Speaker 1: recognized that it was probably taking away from other aspects 1501 01:38:38,640 --> 01:38:41,720 Speaker 1: of my life that I was missing, you know, some 1502 01:38:41,880 --> 01:38:45,719 Speaker 1: of the some of the ride, but I really didn't 1503 01:38:45,720 --> 01:38:47,680 Speaker 1: care to be honest with the music. Was I was 1504 01:38:47,760 --> 01:38:54,200 Speaker 1: married to music? And everything else sort of took a 1505 01:38:54,200 --> 01:39:01,280 Speaker 1: back seat. So I think I just enjoyed every bit 1506 01:39:01,320 --> 01:39:06,360 Speaker 1: of it, you know, I mean, I love to travel. 1507 01:39:06,840 --> 01:39:08,800 Speaker 1: I got to go back to New Orleans. I love 1508 01:39:08,880 --> 01:39:16,280 Speaker 1: that I go there a lot. Still, Um, I loved California, 1509 01:39:16,400 --> 01:39:19,240 Speaker 1: so you know, I got to got to see California 1510 01:39:19,360 --> 01:39:22,200 Speaker 1: for you know, the place it really is. You know, 1511 01:39:22,280 --> 01:39:26,120 Speaker 1: most people, you know, you live one place and it's 1512 01:39:26,160 --> 01:39:28,880 Speaker 1: a it's a great state to live in. But you know, 1513 01:39:29,000 --> 01:39:32,040 Speaker 1: to to get around and see from one end to 1514 01:39:32,080 --> 01:39:35,479 Speaker 1: the other, and to see the whole planet from one 1515 01:39:35,560 --> 01:39:40,320 Speaker 1: end to the other became, you know, something that I 1516 01:39:40,800 --> 01:39:46,559 Speaker 1: never in my wildest imagination could have could have foreseen. Um. 1517 01:39:46,600 --> 01:39:50,960 Speaker 1: You know, I'm a hopeless collector. I collect stuff, right, 1518 01:39:51,920 --> 01:39:56,200 Speaker 1: I collected stamps when I was a kid. So I 1519 01:39:56,240 --> 01:40:00,760 Speaker 1: saw the planet in little you know, one by one 1520 01:40:01,040 --> 01:40:07,000 Speaker 1: squares for a good portion of my child my life. 1521 01:40:07,520 --> 01:40:13,240 Speaker 1: And to be you know, seeing places that I've only 1522 01:40:13,280 --> 01:40:18,360 Speaker 1: seen in postage stamps, you know, was beyond what I 1523 01:40:18,360 --> 01:40:21,760 Speaker 1: had ever hoped for. So you know, I love what 1524 01:40:21,960 --> 01:40:31,160 Speaker 1: I do. You know, I love what we do. Okay, 1525 01:40:31,200 --> 01:40:35,000 Speaker 1: Captain Me almost couldn't be more successful. Doobie Brothers, one 1526 01:40:35,000 --> 01:40:37,280 Speaker 1: of the biggest beings in the land. You put out 1527 01:40:37,280 --> 01:40:39,880 Speaker 1: the next album, What were one's vices are now habits? 1528 01:40:39,960 --> 01:40:43,519 Speaker 1: I don't care what anybody says. It's the Apotheosius, the 1529 01:40:43,640 --> 01:40:46,679 Speaker 1: best album from that era, and there was a lot 1530 01:40:46,840 --> 01:40:50,120 Speaker 1: of print type about it. And the song is going 1531 01:40:50,160 --> 01:40:53,120 Speaker 1: to be another Park another Sunday. You know, Tom has 1532 01:40:53,160 --> 01:40:56,680 Speaker 1: told me that, you know, their issues with radio stations 1533 01:40:56,760 --> 01:40:59,519 Speaker 1: took it off because you know, what's the lyric in 1534 01:40:59,560 --> 01:41:04,200 Speaker 1: the song. Whatever its stalls. The album comes out in February, 1535 01:41:04,760 --> 01:41:09,679 Speaker 1: all of a sudden November, Blackwater comes on and then 1536 01:41:09,760 --> 01:41:13,240 Speaker 1: just sustains it becomes a classic. So just a few 1537 01:41:13,320 --> 01:41:16,599 Speaker 1: questions on that album. One did you feel the pressure? Two? 1538 01:41:16,600 --> 01:41:21,679 Speaker 1: Were you disappointed? Three? Tell me the backstory on Blackwater? Well, 1539 01:41:21,720 --> 01:41:24,519 Speaker 1: you know that that album, Uh, it took a long 1540 01:41:24,560 --> 01:41:28,400 Speaker 1: time to get going. Um, and I think there was 1541 01:41:28,439 --> 01:41:32,080 Speaker 1: a certain disappointment obviously. You know when you're a musician 1542 01:41:32,680 --> 01:41:36,880 Speaker 1: an artist that you know you've been riding the gravy 1543 01:41:36,920 --> 01:41:42,599 Speaker 1: train for a while and then suddenly it's like, where's 1544 01:41:42,680 --> 01:41:47,120 Speaker 1: the hit? You know, I don't think I worry about 1545 01:41:47,160 --> 01:41:53,240 Speaker 1: the hit. I think I you The whole thing for 1546 01:41:53,320 --> 01:42:01,680 Speaker 1: me personally is the act of creativity. So I worry. 1547 01:42:01,479 --> 01:42:04,479 Speaker 1: I worried more about the fact that will we be 1548 01:42:04,560 --> 01:42:09,720 Speaker 1: able to continue our creative process, because you know, I hit, 1549 01:42:10,120 --> 01:42:15,200 Speaker 1: HiT's a hit, but it's just another song that we made. 1550 01:42:15,400 --> 01:42:19,120 Speaker 1: Albums we didn't make, you know, hits. We wanted to 1551 01:42:19,120 --> 01:42:24,920 Speaker 1: make records, and you get a hit. It's the thing 1552 01:42:25,000 --> 01:42:31,040 Speaker 1: that drives your career. And so the career being making music. 1553 01:42:31,360 --> 01:42:34,880 Speaker 1: You know, it's not making hits or making money, it's 1554 01:42:34,920 --> 01:42:40,919 Speaker 1: making music. And so I that's probably was, if anything, 1555 01:42:40,960 --> 01:42:43,479 Speaker 1: that's probably the thing that I was most concerned about. 1556 01:42:43,479 --> 01:42:45,800 Speaker 1: I wanted to keep making music, certainly want to make 1557 01:42:45,800 --> 01:42:49,120 Speaker 1: a living, but you know, how much money do you need? 1558 01:42:49,200 --> 01:42:51,719 Speaker 1: Who cares? You know, it's more about are you happy 1559 01:42:51,840 --> 01:42:54,840 Speaker 1: and are you doing the thing something that you love? 1560 01:42:55,520 --> 01:42:58,639 Speaker 1: And so that was a concern to me. So when 1561 01:42:58,800 --> 01:43:02,439 Speaker 1: when the record petered out a little bit, I kind 1562 01:43:02,439 --> 01:43:05,880 Speaker 1: of thought, well, you know, we gotta go back in 1563 01:43:05,960 --> 01:43:10,200 Speaker 1: and make another record. That's all, you know, the big deal. 1564 01:43:10,439 --> 01:43:14,120 Speaker 1: You know, that's what we would want to do. And 1565 01:43:14,160 --> 01:43:16,960 Speaker 1: if you know, how many of those are we going 1566 01:43:16,960 --> 01:43:18,960 Speaker 1: to get a chance to do, we better do it 1567 01:43:18,960 --> 01:43:21,559 Speaker 1: while we have a chance. So so I was ready 1568 01:43:21,600 --> 01:43:24,760 Speaker 1: to kind of go back in. I was right, you know, 1569 01:43:25,000 --> 01:43:28,439 Speaker 1: writing more songs myself, and I think Tommy was probably 1570 01:43:29,080 --> 01:43:31,360 Speaker 1: you know, we probably had that discussion at some point. Yeah, 1571 01:43:31,360 --> 01:43:33,320 Speaker 1: it looks like we're maybe not going to get a 1572 01:43:33,400 --> 01:43:35,200 Speaker 1: hit off this record. Maybe we need to, you know, 1573 01:43:35,479 --> 01:43:39,120 Speaker 1: get go in and write some more songs. And then 1574 01:43:39,400 --> 01:43:43,559 Speaker 1: we were we were in Europe, I think, doing we 1575 01:43:43,560 --> 01:43:47,400 Speaker 1: we got this invite to do this again. Warner Brothers 1576 01:43:47,400 --> 01:43:50,400 Speaker 1: are so innovative in terms of what they do and 1577 01:43:50,439 --> 01:43:53,120 Speaker 1: at that time how much money they were spending on 1578 01:43:53,160 --> 01:44:02,120 Speaker 1: their artists. They took the Doobie Brothers, Little Feet, Tower Power, Montrose, 1579 01:44:04,080 --> 01:44:09,519 Speaker 1: uh Graham, Central Station, and a band called Bonnaru to 1580 01:44:09,680 --> 01:44:16,000 Speaker 1: Europe to do this tour. Um. And we were there 1581 01:44:16,000 --> 01:44:20,160 Speaker 1: doing that tour when one day somebody came in and said, hey, 1582 01:44:20,960 --> 01:44:24,559 Speaker 1: looks like you got a hit. Really, what what's going on? 1583 01:44:24,680 --> 01:44:30,519 Speaker 1: They said Blackwater? I go, I don't think so, you know, 1584 01:44:30,760 --> 01:44:35,320 Speaker 1: we all we're looking at another song. I was anyway 1585 01:44:35,760 --> 01:44:39,400 Speaker 1: thinking there's other songs that could be hits off the record. 1586 01:44:39,439 --> 01:44:43,559 Speaker 1: That wasn't one of them. Um. But I kind of 1587 01:44:43,680 --> 01:44:46,519 Speaker 1: took you with a grain of salt, because you know, 1588 01:44:46,560 --> 01:44:50,200 Speaker 1: people say stuff like that doesn't mean it's true, and 1589 01:44:50,960 --> 01:44:53,479 Speaker 1: we just kind of continue the tour and you know, 1590 01:44:53,560 --> 01:44:56,840 Speaker 1: we're it was good news if it was true, but 1591 01:44:56,920 --> 01:45:00,519 Speaker 1: if it wasn't true, you know, we're here are doing 1592 01:45:00,600 --> 01:45:04,559 Speaker 1: something really cool that we love and with all these 1593 01:45:04,600 --> 01:45:08,559 Speaker 1: great bands. And so it turns out it was true. 1594 01:45:08,600 --> 01:45:10,680 Speaker 1: We got back and the record was getting played. It 1595 01:45:10,800 --> 01:45:14,599 Speaker 1: was just, you know, a big surprise, and I told 1596 01:45:14,600 --> 01:45:17,880 Speaker 1: the guys see all along, I was it was me, 1597 01:45:18,080 --> 01:45:23,240 Speaker 1: it was but you know, so that we lucked out 1598 01:45:23,320 --> 01:45:26,559 Speaker 1: on that one. How was that song created? Kind of 1599 01:45:26,560 --> 01:45:28,800 Speaker 1: the same way to Louse Street was created? The song 1600 01:45:28,840 --> 01:45:33,720 Speaker 1: to Louse Street down in New Orleans. Um, I had, 1601 01:45:33,800 --> 01:45:36,920 Speaker 1: I had the riff and I played it for Ted 1602 01:45:37,000 --> 01:45:39,080 Speaker 1: in the studio one time. I think we were making 1603 01:45:40,200 --> 01:45:42,720 Speaker 1: uh we were in the studio doing the Captain and 1604 01:45:42,760 --> 01:45:45,599 Speaker 1: the album and I had that riff way back then 1605 01:45:46,320 --> 01:45:49,840 Speaker 1: and I was fiddling around between takes on something else. 1606 01:45:49,880 --> 01:45:53,120 Speaker 1: I was putting some guitar on something and I was 1607 01:45:53,600 --> 01:45:56,840 Speaker 1: fiddling with the riff and that's what is that? And 1608 01:45:56,840 --> 01:45:59,640 Speaker 1: I go, just, you know, some riff that I have, 1609 01:45:59,680 --> 01:46:03,600 Speaker 1: and that's really cool. You should think about writing a 1610 01:46:03,640 --> 01:46:07,160 Speaker 1: song with that. And I go, yeah, I'd like to 1611 01:46:07,320 --> 01:46:11,240 Speaker 1: I don't know, you know, I've been trying so anyway, 1612 01:46:11,280 --> 01:46:15,439 Speaker 1: got down to New Orleans and still fiddling around with 1613 01:46:15,479 --> 01:46:22,000 Speaker 1: that riff. And really I have always kind of written 1614 01:46:22,040 --> 01:46:27,479 Speaker 1: songs in two different ways. One way, I'll write, you know, 1615 01:46:27,840 --> 01:46:31,960 Speaker 1: chords and try to lay lyrics on top of that 1616 01:46:32,520 --> 01:46:36,600 Speaker 1: with melodies and other what times I'll write poetry and 1617 01:46:36,640 --> 01:46:39,040 Speaker 1: then bring the poetry back and see if I can 1618 01:46:39,120 --> 01:46:42,320 Speaker 1: fit it in somewhere with with something I'm working on. 1619 01:46:42,840 --> 01:46:46,760 Speaker 1: In the case of Blackwater, I started writing images and 1620 01:46:47,520 --> 01:46:52,639 Speaker 1: poetic themes, and I think the first thing I remember 1621 01:46:52,720 --> 01:47:00,280 Speaker 1: writing was I was going up to the uptown on 1622 01:47:00,280 --> 01:47:06,799 Speaker 1: on the street car goes up St. Charles Uptown towards uh. 1623 01:47:07,120 --> 01:47:11,760 Speaker 1: I think it's two lane University up there, and I 1624 01:47:11,840 --> 01:47:14,360 Speaker 1: was riding on the car and it was raining outside, 1625 01:47:14,600 --> 01:47:16,759 Speaker 1: and I had a piece of paper and I always 1626 01:47:16,800 --> 01:47:19,639 Speaker 1: used to carry a pad and paper around within those days. 1627 01:47:19,720 --> 01:47:22,559 Speaker 1: I wrote, if it rains, I don't care, don't make 1628 01:47:22,600 --> 01:47:24,759 Speaker 1: no difference to me. I'll take I'm taking that street 1629 01:47:24,760 --> 01:47:28,240 Speaker 1: car that's going uptown And that was the beginning of 1630 01:47:28,280 --> 01:47:30,920 Speaker 1: the song. That's kind of how it started. And I 1631 01:47:30,960 --> 01:47:32,840 Speaker 1: got to the laundry mat I was going uptown to 1632 01:47:32,880 --> 01:47:38,400 Speaker 1: do my laundry, and uh, I started continuing to write 1633 01:47:38,439 --> 01:47:42,120 Speaker 1: stuff and and wrote some more images. And you know, 1634 01:47:42,240 --> 01:47:46,240 Speaker 1: I always loved you know, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn 1635 01:47:46,320 --> 01:47:50,439 Speaker 1: and the books. And I wrote something about, you know, 1636 01:47:50,800 --> 01:47:55,360 Speaker 1: building a raft and and you know, floating on the Mississippian. 1637 01:47:55,479 --> 01:47:58,200 Speaker 1: And I had heard the term black water somewhere and 1638 01:47:58,240 --> 01:48:02,880 Speaker 1: it really was really in regards to the Mississippi River 1639 01:48:03,120 --> 01:48:06,080 Speaker 1: Old black water. And I don't know whether I heard 1640 01:48:06,160 --> 01:48:10,000 Speaker 1: a song or a poem or a story, and so 1641 01:48:10,040 --> 01:48:14,960 Speaker 1: I incorporated that into it as well. And then I 1642 01:48:15,000 --> 01:48:18,759 Speaker 1: wrote the song and came back and put it together 1643 01:48:18,800 --> 01:48:22,120 Speaker 1: in the studio, you know, as as we usually do 1644 01:48:22,160 --> 01:48:24,920 Speaker 1: with things, you know, we kind of either rehearse a 1645 01:48:24,960 --> 01:48:26,800 Speaker 1: little bit and then we go in the studio. And 1646 01:48:27,200 --> 01:48:29,280 Speaker 1: but a lot of it came together in the studios 1647 01:48:29,439 --> 01:48:33,160 Speaker 1: as it as it turned out. Um, but I had 1648 01:48:33,880 --> 01:48:35,880 Speaker 1: I had the lyrics, and I had the melodies, and 1649 01:48:35,960 --> 01:48:38,840 Speaker 1: I had the guitar changes in the chords and so 1650 01:48:38,880 --> 01:48:41,280 Speaker 1: on going in and then it was just a matter 1651 01:48:41,320 --> 01:48:46,599 Speaker 1: of nuance and arrangement these songs. This is almost fifty 1652 01:48:46,680 --> 01:48:49,160 Speaker 1: years ago, and I vividly have a memory of the 1653 01:48:49,200 --> 01:48:52,479 Speaker 1: song was living in Los Angeles and I went to 1654 01:48:52,520 --> 01:48:55,479 Speaker 1: live with these guys because my sister moved where I 1655 01:48:55,520 --> 01:48:57,800 Speaker 1: was living with her and another woman. And I lived 1656 01:48:57,800 --> 01:48:59,800 Speaker 1: with these guys all of three weeks. But we were 1657 01:49:00,000 --> 01:49:04,000 Speaker 1: going up in my car. Blackwater came on and different 1658 01:49:04,000 --> 01:49:05,439 Speaker 1: people in the car. There were three people the car 1659 01:49:05,479 --> 01:49:09,240 Speaker 1: were seeing different parts and it was a good car stereo. 1660 01:49:09,320 --> 01:49:11,479 Speaker 1: You could hear, you know, the left and right. Whose 1661 01:49:11,520 --> 01:49:14,400 Speaker 1: idea was to do all that? I had the idea 1662 01:49:14,720 --> 01:49:21,920 Speaker 1: for singing around like that. I I didn't think it 1663 01:49:21,960 --> 01:49:25,920 Speaker 1: would go into an acapella section, which I which I love, 1664 01:49:26,400 --> 01:49:31,320 Speaker 1: and that was really Ted's idea I had. My concept 1665 01:49:31,479 --> 01:49:34,519 Speaker 1: was it was going to go into a you know, 1666 01:49:35,439 --> 01:49:38,160 Speaker 1: five piece Dixie Land band. So I was going to 1667 01:49:38,280 --> 01:49:43,160 Speaker 1: take the guitars and everything to a clarinet, uh, you know, 1668 01:49:43,600 --> 01:49:48,920 Speaker 1: a trumpet, a tube, a band joe, that kind of thing, 1669 01:49:48,960 --> 01:49:54,760 Speaker 1: and do a traditional dixieland uh kind of an arrangement 1670 01:49:54,880 --> 01:49:59,200 Speaker 1: behind it while singing those vocals. And Ted said, well, 1671 01:49:59,240 --> 01:50:03,519 Speaker 1: that's a it's a cool idea, But do you mind 1672 01:50:03,600 --> 01:50:06,360 Speaker 1: if I if I try some other ideas that I 1673 01:50:06,400 --> 01:50:08,559 Speaker 1: have And I go no, of course not, because by 1674 01:50:08,640 --> 01:50:13,040 Speaker 1: that time we had recognized Ted's it was a brilliant 1675 01:50:13,040 --> 01:50:17,320 Speaker 1: producer and that you know, when Ted said something, listen 1676 01:50:17,400 --> 01:50:19,640 Speaker 1: to what he's saying, because you know, it could be 1677 01:50:19,680 --> 01:50:24,960 Speaker 1: a really good idea. And so um, we decided that 1678 01:50:25,479 --> 01:50:29,280 Speaker 1: it would be better as an acapella thing, and uh, 1679 01:50:30,880 --> 01:50:32,840 Speaker 1: I didn't Again, I didn't think it would break down 1680 01:50:32,880 --> 01:50:36,719 Speaker 1: totally to an acapella because it really I always envisioned 1681 01:50:36,760 --> 01:50:40,880 Speaker 1: at least some rhythm or something going on, and it 1682 01:50:40,920 --> 01:50:45,080 Speaker 1: works perfectly in that and that doing that, it's really 1683 01:50:45,080 --> 01:50:50,000 Speaker 1: that street corner thing that I love. That anyway, And 1684 01:50:50,000 --> 01:50:54,679 Speaker 1: and then Ted brought in um someone to play viola 1685 01:50:54,760 --> 01:50:58,760 Speaker 1: on it, which I thought was Again I wasn't sure 1686 01:50:58,800 --> 01:51:02,960 Speaker 1: about the instrument because you know, violin is something I 1687 01:51:03,000 --> 01:51:06,919 Speaker 1: always was familiar with, but viola that's a little darker. 1688 01:51:06,960 --> 01:51:11,120 Speaker 1: And why why a viola instead of a of a violin? 1689 01:51:11,280 --> 01:51:14,200 Speaker 1: And and is it going to be a Cajun thing 1690 01:51:14,360 --> 01:51:16,000 Speaker 1: or what are you gonna do? Well, it turns out 1691 01:51:16,040 --> 01:51:18,440 Speaker 1: it's really not a Cajun thing. It's really more melodic 1692 01:51:18,560 --> 01:51:23,320 Speaker 1: and totally different. And Ted had been producing this band 1693 01:51:24,080 --> 01:51:29,120 Speaker 1: Chunky Nova and Ernie, so that is no v I 1694 01:51:29,160 --> 01:51:32,840 Speaker 1: can't remember how you pronounce her lasting narvo narvo or 1695 01:51:32,880 --> 01:51:36,840 Speaker 1: something like that, Um playing the viola, and of course 1696 01:51:36,840 --> 01:51:39,000 Speaker 1: when I heard it, I flipped. I thought, oh my god, 1697 01:51:39,120 --> 01:51:43,360 Speaker 1: this is so perfect. This is exactly where it should go, 1698 01:51:43,760 --> 01:51:48,559 Speaker 1: and the right instrument, the right player, every you know, 1699 01:51:48,840 --> 01:51:52,120 Speaker 1: just was like, you know, a dream come true for me. Okay, 1700 01:51:52,160 --> 01:51:55,839 Speaker 1: the next album once again, my favorite song is yours. 1701 01:51:55,920 --> 01:51:57,840 Speaker 1: Not that it was the one on the radio, but 1702 01:51:58,000 --> 01:52:02,880 Speaker 1: well I told you it was Nils fan Dangle. Tell 1703 01:52:02,960 --> 01:52:06,519 Speaker 1: me the story of Niels fan Dango. Oh gosh. Well, 1704 01:52:06,680 --> 01:52:10,679 Speaker 1: I was a huge fan of Jack Caro Whac and 1705 01:52:11,000 --> 01:52:15,639 Speaker 1: all those guys had a presence there in San Jose 1706 01:52:15,760 --> 01:52:18,800 Speaker 1: and the Santa Cruz Mountains with unbeknownst to me, I 1707 01:52:18,840 --> 01:52:22,040 Speaker 1: always thought they were, you know, San Francisco, the the 1708 01:52:22,120 --> 01:52:26,920 Speaker 1: Beat generation. And I learned that Neil Cassidy. In fact, 1709 01:52:27,000 --> 01:52:30,360 Speaker 1: I saw Neil Cassidy at that venue I was talking 1710 01:52:30,400 --> 01:52:34,080 Speaker 1: about with where I went to see Janis Joplin. There 1711 01:52:34,160 --> 01:52:40,439 Speaker 1: was Neo Cassidy walking around with a washing machine and 1712 01:52:40,560 --> 01:52:42,920 Speaker 1: some kind of a tube going to some kind of 1713 01:52:42,960 --> 01:52:48,719 Speaker 1: a gas mask that he had. Just a crazy, crazy artist, 1714 01:52:49,600 --> 01:52:57,040 Speaker 1: you know, nonconformist guy. Um. But as I read those books, 1715 01:52:57,080 --> 01:53:01,439 Speaker 1: I recognize that Neil Cassidy was this really character. Of course, 1716 01:53:01,800 --> 01:53:06,640 Speaker 1: and then later on when I began reading, uh, you 1717 01:53:06,640 --> 01:53:09,519 Speaker 1: know about the electric kool Aid ascid test, and I'm 1718 01:53:09,560 --> 01:53:12,960 Speaker 1: trying to think, I I learned about Neil Cassidy before 1719 01:53:13,000 --> 01:53:18,000 Speaker 1: I even read that book. He was a legend in 1720 01:53:18,800 --> 01:53:22,080 Speaker 1: where I lived around the area there as to being, 1721 01:53:22,520 --> 01:53:25,840 Speaker 1: you know, the just this character, and everybody talked about 1722 01:53:25,880 --> 01:53:28,920 Speaker 1: everybody seemed all of my a lot of musician friends 1723 01:53:28,960 --> 01:53:32,439 Speaker 1: and people in the literary community, they all knew Neil. 1724 01:53:32,640 --> 01:53:36,759 Speaker 1: I never knew him, although I saw him the one time, 1725 01:53:36,800 --> 01:53:41,120 Speaker 1: but everybody had a story about Neil Cassidy. You know, 1726 01:53:42,400 --> 01:53:49,520 Speaker 1: he talks a mile a minute. He juggles uh uh hammers. 1727 01:53:49,600 --> 01:53:55,639 Speaker 1: You know what do you call it? Huge? Uh? My 1728 01:53:55,680 --> 01:54:00,920 Speaker 1: mind's are blank, but you know, sledge hammers. He juggled sledgehammers. 1729 01:54:00,920 --> 01:54:05,760 Speaker 1: I'm trying to visualize this guy. He takes more speed 1730 01:54:06,200 --> 01:54:09,679 Speaker 1: than anybody and stays up for a week and then 1731 01:54:10,120 --> 01:54:12,519 Speaker 1: he sleeps for a week. And he could take more 1732 01:54:12,600 --> 01:54:15,240 Speaker 1: or less d than anyone and drive a bus. And 1733 01:54:15,280 --> 01:54:20,840 Speaker 1: I was just like, what is superhuman? Crazy artist? You 1734 01:54:20,880 --> 01:54:26,360 Speaker 1: know what is this? And so um, I'm living in 1735 01:54:26,439 --> 01:54:30,920 Speaker 1: Las Gatis and I'm I'm at a club and I 1736 01:54:31,000 --> 01:54:32,840 Speaker 1: have a friend that plays in a band, and I 1737 01:54:32,880 --> 01:54:36,720 Speaker 1: go to see this band and and I hear and 1738 01:54:36,760 --> 01:54:38,440 Speaker 1: I hear the band, I go, well, these guys are 1739 01:54:38,440 --> 01:54:42,120 Speaker 1: pretty good and and I'm sitting there and uh, after 1740 01:54:42,200 --> 01:54:44,720 Speaker 1: they took a break, this guy walks out of the 1741 01:54:44,720 --> 01:54:47,600 Speaker 1: band who was playing the guitar in the band. He goes, uh, hi, 1742 01:54:48,520 --> 01:54:52,760 Speaker 1: you don't know me. My name is John Cassidy, you know, 1743 01:54:53,720 --> 01:54:58,280 Speaker 1: and uh you might know my dad, Neil. And I 1744 01:54:58,400 --> 01:55:02,960 Speaker 1: and uh so, I'm so I'm meeting Neil's son John. 1745 01:55:03,120 --> 01:55:08,400 Speaker 1: You can be becoming good friends. And and he goes, 1746 01:55:08,920 --> 01:55:11,520 Speaker 1: you need to meet my mom, you know, Caroline, you 1747 01:55:11,600 --> 01:55:13,960 Speaker 1: need to meet my mom. So at some point. And 1748 01:55:14,120 --> 01:55:20,280 Speaker 1: my my girlfriend's brother Bill, he's an author, he wrote 1749 01:55:20,280 --> 01:55:22,640 Speaker 1: an author. He wrote a book called be Nut Content. 1750 01:55:23,520 --> 01:55:29,160 Speaker 1: And he's a friend of Ken Ken Kesey. And so 1751 01:55:29,640 --> 01:55:37,120 Speaker 1: there's this just you know, serendipity about you know, Neil Cassidy. So, um, 1752 01:55:37,160 --> 01:55:39,600 Speaker 1: I have this riff and this is one of those 1753 01:55:39,640 --> 01:55:44,040 Speaker 1: instances where I'm having this song, this you know, musical 1754 01:55:44,160 --> 01:55:47,520 Speaker 1: thing that I'm thinking, you know, I want to write 1755 01:55:47,840 --> 01:55:50,200 Speaker 1: something like the Almond brothers. You know, I want to 1756 01:55:50,200 --> 01:55:54,680 Speaker 1: write something with rhythm and fast and you know, bluesy 1757 01:55:54,960 --> 01:55:58,800 Speaker 1: and and stuff and so uh then I started thinking 1758 01:55:58,800 --> 01:56:02,720 Speaker 1: about Neil. And the song is fast, but it gets 1759 01:56:02,760 --> 01:56:07,080 Speaker 1: faster one of the great things about it. And I'm thinking, 1760 01:56:07,920 --> 01:56:11,520 Speaker 1: this reminds me of Neil Cassikia and so I think, 1761 01:56:11,560 --> 01:56:14,640 Speaker 1: I gotta, I gotta write a song with Neil and 1762 01:56:14,720 --> 01:56:18,040 Speaker 1: it it's really not about Neil. It's really about about me, 1763 01:56:18,640 --> 01:56:21,680 Speaker 1: about my experience, but he is part of He is 1764 01:56:21,920 --> 01:56:26,280 Speaker 1: part of my experience. So um, and I find out 1765 01:56:26,320 --> 01:56:28,680 Speaker 1: he lived up in the Santa Cruz Mountains where I lived, 1766 01:56:28,840 --> 01:56:31,320 Speaker 1: and not far from where I lived, and and John 1767 01:56:31,360 --> 01:56:33,520 Speaker 1: and I were talking, you know, and he's telling me 1768 01:56:33,600 --> 01:56:36,840 Speaker 1: things about him, and then I'm reading about, you know, 1769 01:56:36,880 --> 01:56:39,320 Speaker 1: where he lived in Las Gados and how he lived 1770 01:56:39,720 --> 01:56:42,640 Speaker 1: in the Santa Cruz Mountains and what he did and 1771 01:56:42,640 --> 01:56:46,240 Speaker 1: and and it all kind of came together as a 1772 01:56:46,240 --> 01:56:49,919 Speaker 1: as a little tribute, if you're will, to Neil Cassidy. 1773 01:56:50,080 --> 01:56:53,600 Speaker 1: So it's it's about both of us. It's about my 1774 01:56:53,720 --> 01:56:56,560 Speaker 1: love for that area and and I know he loved 1775 01:56:56,560 --> 01:56:59,640 Speaker 1: that area. He he ended up coming back again and 1776 01:56:59,680 --> 01:57:03,000 Speaker 1: again to last get us Okay, the line going back 1777 01:57:03,040 --> 01:57:06,360 Speaker 1: to my mountain, the home Loma Creata. Was that your 1778 01:57:06,400 --> 01:57:10,240 Speaker 1: life or his both? I think, you know, Loma Priata 1779 01:57:10,280 --> 01:57:13,040 Speaker 1: is the like, like the highest peak there in the 1780 01:57:13,080 --> 01:57:16,160 Speaker 1: Santa Cruz Mountains. I think there's a you know, some 1781 01:57:16,240 --> 01:57:22,840 Speaker 1: kind of defense Department of Defense thing up on top 1782 01:57:22,880 --> 01:57:27,960 Speaker 1: of the mountain, you know. But Loma Priata is kind 1783 01:57:28,000 --> 01:57:32,080 Speaker 1: of a part of the Santa Cruz Mountains that you know, 1784 01:57:32,120 --> 01:57:34,360 Speaker 1: a lot of people refer to as thea. It's up 1785 01:57:34,400 --> 01:57:39,120 Speaker 1: near Loma Prieta. There's a road Lama Priata. There was 1786 01:57:39,160 --> 01:57:42,400 Speaker 1: a train station in Loma Priata and the eighteen hundreds. 1787 01:57:42,400 --> 01:57:45,000 Speaker 1: You know, it's just kind of an iconic part of 1788 01:57:45,040 --> 01:57:49,720 Speaker 1: that area. So you know, I lived near there and 1789 01:57:49,960 --> 01:57:52,800 Speaker 1: and Neo Cassidy lived there at one time as well, 1790 01:57:52,920 --> 01:57:56,920 Speaker 1: near there, so uh so we both ended up going back. 1791 01:57:57,600 --> 01:58:00,960 Speaker 1: So okay, needless to say, Tom get it's sick. Michael 1792 01:58:01,040 --> 01:58:03,120 Speaker 1: McDonald comes in, You make a couple of oubs. I 1793 01:58:03,160 --> 01:58:06,640 Speaker 1: remember buying that album to Drive Cross Country Taken to 1794 01:58:06,720 --> 01:58:09,040 Speaker 1: the to the Streets and just being shocked like it 1795 01:58:09,080 --> 01:58:13,280 Speaker 1: was a different band that had some success than the 1796 01:58:13,960 --> 01:58:17,360 Speaker 1: Living on a Fall line. Did Minute Pie Minute comes out? 1797 01:58:18,040 --> 01:58:21,280 Speaker 1: And it's it's almost more successful than The Captain and me. 1798 01:58:21,560 --> 01:58:24,040 Speaker 1: Did you have any idea that that album was going 1799 01:58:24,080 --> 01:58:28,320 Speaker 1: to break through that way? Not at all. No, U. Yeah, 1800 01:58:28,400 --> 01:58:32,800 Speaker 1: you always hope that the records are going to do well. Um. 1801 01:58:33,040 --> 01:58:38,160 Speaker 1: I I love the songs on the record, although you know, 1802 01:58:38,200 --> 01:58:42,040 Speaker 1: there was a lot of tension probably making the record, 1803 01:58:42,160 --> 01:58:49,120 Speaker 1: and I know for a fact that Mike felt very 1804 01:58:50,440 --> 01:58:55,760 Speaker 1: um ambivalent about about the record itself. You know, he 1805 01:58:55,800 --> 01:59:00,280 Speaker 1: didn't feel that he'd achieved at the time. Mean, we 1806 01:59:00,600 --> 01:59:04,480 Speaker 1: talked about it openly, that he he was achieving the 1807 01:59:06,680 --> 01:59:09,520 Speaker 1: music that he had set out to, you know, or 1808 01:59:10,520 --> 01:59:12,840 Speaker 1: not that he had set out, but he didn't feel 1809 01:59:12,880 --> 01:59:15,200 Speaker 1: that he had risen to the occasion as much as 1810 01:59:15,360 --> 01:59:19,640 Speaker 1: as he hoped. And I can't. I kept tell him that, Mike, 1811 01:59:19,680 --> 01:59:23,240 Speaker 1: you know, it's brilliant. You know, the songs are great. 1812 01:59:23,400 --> 01:59:25,520 Speaker 1: You did a great job. You're saying you're butt off. 1813 01:59:26,640 --> 01:59:29,120 Speaker 1: Really you have nothing to be worried about with this. 1814 01:59:29,280 --> 01:59:32,120 Speaker 1: I I go, you know, and I think there was 1815 01:59:32,160 --> 01:59:37,000 Speaker 1: a little um insecurity in terms of you know, we 1816 01:59:37,040 --> 01:59:40,440 Speaker 1: had had this success with taking to the streets. Living 1817 01:59:40,480 --> 01:59:44,200 Speaker 1: on the fault Line is arguably probably our least successful 1818 01:59:44,240 --> 01:59:48,600 Speaker 1: record beyond our very first album. Although it's one of 1819 01:59:48,640 --> 01:59:56,200 Speaker 1: my favorite records, it's such an obtuse uh musical venture, 1820 01:59:56,400 --> 01:59:59,520 Speaker 1: you know. Really it's nothing like being we ever did 1821 01:59:59,560 --> 02:00:03,480 Speaker 1: before or after it, although there are you know, songs 1822 02:00:03,560 --> 02:00:08,160 Speaker 1: that certainly fit within our you know, scope of creativity. 1823 02:00:08,200 --> 02:00:14,800 Speaker 1: But it was crazy, you know, experimental record. We did 1824 02:00:14,800 --> 02:00:18,880 Speaker 1: a lot of experimenting. But minute by minute I I 1825 02:00:18,920 --> 02:00:22,200 Speaker 1: thought it was a great record, and particularly I felt 1826 02:00:22,320 --> 02:00:28,120 Speaker 1: Mike's songs were of it had risen to another level. 1827 02:00:28,320 --> 02:00:33,400 Speaker 1: You know, I just you know, it was very mature 1828 02:00:34,120 --> 02:00:37,680 Speaker 1: on his part, you know, with a song like minute 1829 02:00:37,720 --> 02:00:42,960 Speaker 1: by Minute, I just felt like, um, with that interesting opening, 1830 02:00:43,440 --> 02:00:50,960 Speaker 1: and that it was really bluesy, the kind of music 1831 02:00:51,040 --> 02:00:55,720 Speaker 1: that you know, we sort of are known for. He's 1832 02:00:55,760 --> 02:00:58,760 Speaker 1: singing the blues on that record, and but it was 1833 02:00:58,800 --> 02:01:04,200 Speaker 1: a little more jazzy, which I at that point in 1834 02:01:05,240 --> 02:01:08,760 Speaker 1: my presence in the band, I was kind of shooting 1835 02:01:08,800 --> 02:01:11,600 Speaker 1: for a little bit more. You know. We certainly did 1836 02:01:11,640 --> 02:01:14,840 Speaker 1: some rock and country and all kinds of things, but 1837 02:01:15,560 --> 02:01:18,200 Speaker 1: I love the kind of jazz tinge things that we 1838 02:01:18,200 --> 02:01:22,880 Speaker 1: were doing at the time. I'm kind of a you know, 1839 02:01:23,120 --> 02:01:26,240 Speaker 1: if not a great jazz player at least a real 1840 02:01:26,360 --> 02:01:30,920 Speaker 1: jazz fan. So I liked that we were experimenting in 1841 02:01:30,920 --> 02:01:33,560 Speaker 1: that direction, and I felt on that record we were 1842 02:01:33,600 --> 02:01:36,800 Speaker 1: doing that. At the same time, I felt a song 1843 02:01:36,960 --> 02:01:41,600 Speaker 1: like What a Fool Believes was just a great uh 1844 02:01:41,800 --> 02:01:45,560 Speaker 1: contemporary pop kind of a of a song that that 1845 02:01:45,800 --> 02:01:52,640 Speaker 1: still had a legitimacy as a musical uh presentation. I thought, 1846 02:01:52,680 --> 02:01:59,320 Speaker 1: you know, it was really some serious chord structure and 1847 02:01:59,520 --> 02:02:05,600 Speaker 1: rhythmic properties there and just great. We all participated, we 1848 02:02:05,680 --> 02:02:09,360 Speaker 1: all saying we all you know, did our usual contributions, 1849 02:02:09,560 --> 02:02:12,880 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, it was meaningful for me as 1850 02:02:13,000 --> 02:02:16,280 Speaker 1: a as a part of that, you know. And what 1851 02:02:16,640 --> 02:02:19,760 Speaker 1: where There are songs on records that I never even 1852 02:02:19,800 --> 02:02:25,360 Speaker 1: played on, and some that I never sang on, not many, 1853 02:02:25,480 --> 02:02:29,200 Speaker 1: but some, and you always feel a little left out, 1854 02:02:29,360 --> 02:02:32,480 Speaker 1: you know. But on on that record, you know, we've 1855 02:02:32,480 --> 02:02:36,480 Speaker 1: all participated, and you know we were we were here 1856 02:02:36,520 --> 02:02:38,880 Speaker 1: and there and everywhere, and I like that. I love 1857 02:02:39,400 --> 02:02:42,720 Speaker 1: that opportunity, and it's it just makes you feel part 1858 02:02:42,720 --> 02:02:46,600 Speaker 1: of the part of the whole. And but but I 1859 02:02:46,640 --> 02:02:49,360 Speaker 1: love the album, you know, as as much as as 1860 02:02:49,520 --> 02:02:54,120 Speaker 1: as is insecure as we were about it, I really 1861 02:02:54,120 --> 02:02:57,840 Speaker 1: liked the record. Okay, let's talk about something really important. Okay, 1862 02:02:57,880 --> 02:03:00,920 Speaker 1: you make that album, you make the sub to Queen album, 1863 02:03:01,000 --> 02:03:04,880 Speaker 1: You cut your hair. You were legendary for your long year. 1864 02:03:04,960 --> 02:03:08,240 Speaker 1: You cut your hair and then eventually you grew it back. 1865 02:03:08,720 --> 02:03:11,200 Speaker 1: What's going on there? Well, you know I hadn't cut 1866 02:03:11,200 --> 02:03:17,160 Speaker 1: my hair in like forever, and so, um, I thought, well, 1867 02:03:17,240 --> 02:03:23,360 Speaker 1: now that we're firmly established, maybe I can change something 1868 02:03:23,640 --> 02:03:27,760 Speaker 1: and it'll be uh something to talk about. You know, 1869 02:03:28,400 --> 02:03:32,200 Speaker 1: we're always We had a great publicist at that time, 1870 02:03:32,320 --> 02:03:34,840 Speaker 1: David Guest. I don't know if you're familiar with David. 1871 02:03:35,160 --> 02:03:38,240 Speaker 1: David Guests who married Lizamanel. Yeah, I wish he was 1872 02:03:38,280 --> 02:03:40,520 Speaker 1: still around for you to do an interview with him, 1873 02:03:40,560 --> 02:03:45,600 Speaker 1: because it would be a real something special. But he 1874 02:03:45,720 --> 02:03:52,040 Speaker 1: was just a madman. But you know, just cutting my 1875 02:03:52,120 --> 02:03:55,680 Speaker 1: hair was something he could use to to make publicity 1876 02:03:55,680 --> 02:03:58,480 Speaker 1: out of. So you know, that was a good something 1877 02:03:58,520 --> 02:04:01,200 Speaker 1: to do, and then you know, it's just something to try. 1878 02:04:02,240 --> 02:04:05,840 Speaker 1: At that time, I think it was the beginning of um, 1879 02:04:05,880 --> 02:04:08,360 Speaker 1: you know, kind of alternative music too. You know, there 1880 02:04:08,440 --> 02:04:12,440 Speaker 1: was especially where I lived. I was living in the 1881 02:04:12,440 --> 02:04:15,240 Speaker 1: Santa Cruz area at that time, and there were a 1882 02:04:15,280 --> 02:04:18,480 Speaker 1: lot of uh, you know, sort of punk bands going 1883 02:04:18,520 --> 02:04:21,720 Speaker 1: on and stuff, and I sort of went, well, these 1884 02:04:22,040 --> 02:04:24,320 Speaker 1: these guys are my friends. You know, I want to 1885 02:04:24,360 --> 02:04:27,200 Speaker 1: be I want to be a punk too. So I 1886 02:04:27,240 --> 02:04:30,640 Speaker 1: always was a punk anyway, but um so that was 1887 02:04:30,720 --> 02:04:33,400 Speaker 1: part of it, you know, just kind of wanting to 1888 02:04:33,520 --> 02:04:36,160 Speaker 1: do something different. And then once I had done it, 1889 02:04:36,200 --> 02:04:39,000 Speaker 1: I realized, oh, jeez, you know, I got a comb 1890 02:04:39,280 --> 02:04:42,960 Speaker 1: combe this stuff, this hair, and so then I thought, 1891 02:04:43,280 --> 02:04:45,960 Speaker 1: you know it, some was so much easier having a 1892 02:04:45,960 --> 02:04:47,640 Speaker 1: longer hair. All I had to do is brush it, 1893 02:04:47,840 --> 02:04:50,840 Speaker 1: and uh, I have to you know, jel it or 1894 02:04:50,880 --> 02:04:53,560 Speaker 1: you know, do anything to it. So I kind of, 1895 02:04:53,600 --> 02:04:57,200 Speaker 1: you know, and I'm you know, I'm really I'm really 1896 02:04:57,200 --> 02:05:01,440 Speaker 1: not a punk. I'm a hippie. So okay, So you 1897 02:05:01,480 --> 02:05:05,440 Speaker 1: have this tour with Michael McDonald and Tom and then 1898 02:05:05,560 --> 02:05:10,720 Speaker 1: COVID happened. Presently you're doing a residency in Vegas. Is 1899 02:05:10,760 --> 02:05:14,680 Speaker 1: it a matter of satiating the fans or as long 1900 02:05:14,720 --> 02:05:17,040 Speaker 1: as you can sell tickets, Mike will go out with you. 1901 02:05:17,960 --> 02:05:20,280 Speaker 1: Or is there no plan or is this a one 1902 02:05:20,360 --> 02:05:23,120 Speaker 1: time deal? What's going on? I don't think there's any plan. 1903 02:05:23,960 --> 02:05:27,400 Speaker 1: I had mentioned Mike years and years ago, I said, 1904 02:05:27,400 --> 02:05:30,560 Speaker 1: you know, would you ever want to come and do 1905 02:05:30,600 --> 02:05:33,760 Speaker 1: a tour with us? Because I think it would be 1906 02:05:34,120 --> 02:05:37,840 Speaker 1: just a great thing for for our audiences. You know, 1907 02:05:37,920 --> 02:05:41,120 Speaker 1: when we're doing gigs, you know, fans come up to 1908 02:05:41,200 --> 02:05:43,280 Speaker 1: gonna Have you talked to Mike lately as Mike can 1909 02:05:43,320 --> 02:05:45,000 Speaker 1: ever come back and play with you guys? And I go, 1910 02:05:45,840 --> 02:05:48,600 Speaker 1: he does, you know, gigs with us once in a while, 1911 02:05:48,680 --> 02:05:51,240 Speaker 1: or or we're playing somewhere and he's around, he comes 1912 02:05:51,280 --> 02:05:53,680 Speaker 1: and sits in. But I don't know, I don't know 1913 02:05:53,680 --> 02:05:56,960 Speaker 1: if that will ever happen, you know, because Mike likes 1914 02:05:56,720 --> 02:06:00,120 Speaker 1: the way it the way he does it. And so 1915 02:06:00,200 --> 02:06:02,120 Speaker 1: I mentioned to him one time he had he was 1916 02:06:02,160 --> 02:06:04,840 Speaker 1: living in uh he had bought a place over in 1917 02:06:04,920 --> 02:06:07,839 Speaker 1: Maui and we hung out there, used to go surfing 1918 02:06:08,680 --> 02:06:12,080 Speaker 1: once in a while, and I said, you know, would 1919 02:06:12,080 --> 02:06:14,320 Speaker 1: you ever feel like coming and doing some kicks with 1920 02:06:14,400 --> 02:06:16,840 Speaker 1: us and do a tour? I have to do a 1921 02:06:16,840 --> 02:06:18,760 Speaker 1: big tour, you know, just something to go out and 1922 02:06:19,240 --> 02:06:22,600 Speaker 1: do a few dates and the fans would flip and 1923 02:06:22,760 --> 02:06:24,520 Speaker 1: he goes, no, I'd love to do that. You should, 1924 02:06:24,720 --> 02:06:28,920 Speaker 1: We should do something like that. And so we kind 1925 02:06:28,920 --> 02:06:32,560 Speaker 1: of never did it, you know, we just kind of decided, 1926 02:06:32,560 --> 02:06:34,240 Speaker 1: and every once in a while I'd see, might go 1927 02:06:34,560 --> 02:06:36,800 Speaker 1: still up for coming and doing some gigs with us? Yeah, 1928 02:06:36,920 --> 02:06:39,360 Speaker 1: just let me know whenever, you know. And so finally 1929 02:06:39,440 --> 02:06:42,000 Speaker 1: I went to the guys. I said, you know, Mike 1930 02:06:42,400 --> 02:06:44,920 Speaker 1: keeps telling me come out and do some gigs with us. 1931 02:06:45,000 --> 02:06:47,200 Speaker 1: Would that be something that would be cool with you guys? 1932 02:06:47,240 --> 02:06:51,400 Speaker 1: And John and Tom said yeah, sure, you know, ask him, 1933 02:06:51,480 --> 02:06:53,360 Speaker 1: you know when when you'd like to do that. And 1934 02:06:54,160 --> 02:06:56,040 Speaker 1: so that's kind of how it came about. It was 1935 02:06:56,080 --> 02:06:59,360 Speaker 1: really informal, and and then we just we knew it 1936 02:06:59,360 --> 02:07:02,480 Speaker 1: would be, you know, something cool that people would really like. 1937 02:07:02,680 --> 02:07:06,600 Speaker 1: And so at that point, we know the pandemic hit, 1938 02:07:06,840 --> 02:07:10,000 Speaker 1: and I think we kind of that we're on the 1939 02:07:10,040 --> 02:07:13,440 Speaker 1: cusp of doing it in the pandemic hit, and we said, well, 1940 02:07:13,520 --> 02:07:17,600 Speaker 1: you know, we have to postpone it, and so we did. 1941 02:07:17,640 --> 02:07:20,640 Speaker 1: We postponed it, and then as we postponed it, you 1942 02:07:20,680 --> 02:07:22,760 Speaker 1: know more, we kept getting more and more offers people, 1943 02:07:22,880 --> 02:07:24,720 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you gotta come here, you gotta come and 1944 02:07:24,760 --> 02:07:27,280 Speaker 1: play it. You guys should come and play there. So 1945 02:07:27,360 --> 02:07:29,360 Speaker 1: we ended up playing, you know, booking a lot of 1946 02:07:29,400 --> 02:07:32,320 Speaker 1: shows and uh, you know, Mikey, sure you want to 1947 02:07:32,320 --> 02:07:35,080 Speaker 1: do this. He says, yeah, this is this is cool. 1948 02:07:35,160 --> 02:07:37,400 Speaker 1: You know, well we'll have a lot of fun, and 1949 02:07:38,080 --> 02:07:41,360 Speaker 1: I don't have to work so hard. You know, it 1950 02:07:41,440 --> 02:07:43,720 Speaker 1: has a lot of work getting out there, you know, 1951 02:07:44,560 --> 02:07:47,600 Speaker 1: shouldering all that, and and Tommy's had to work hard, 1952 02:07:47,680 --> 02:07:50,120 Speaker 1: you know, his shoulders most of the most of the 1953 02:07:50,160 --> 02:07:54,680 Speaker 1: songs for the night. So this has been in some 1954 02:07:54,760 --> 02:07:57,440 Speaker 1: sense a bit you know, we're gonna be older guys. 1955 02:07:57,480 --> 02:08:00,440 Speaker 1: It's nice to have a little bit of cushion, you know, 1956 02:08:01,200 --> 02:08:03,520 Speaker 1: help each other out a little bit so that that 1957 02:08:04,080 --> 02:08:06,720 Speaker 1: you know, it's in some ways a lot of fun 1958 02:08:06,960 --> 02:08:10,320 Speaker 1: in that regard, just because we we can in what 1959 02:08:10,520 --> 02:08:13,600 Speaker 1: we've extended the show. You know, we we actually were 1960 02:08:13,600 --> 02:08:15,560 Speaker 1: playing about a two and a half hour show, almost 1961 02:08:15,600 --> 02:08:19,760 Speaker 1: three hours. We're down here working in Las Vegas. They 1962 02:08:19,760 --> 02:08:21,600 Speaker 1: don't want us to play that long. They want people 1963 02:08:21,600 --> 02:08:25,680 Speaker 1: to get back out on the slot machines. But we're 1964 02:08:25,680 --> 02:08:27,920 Speaker 1: still playing an hour, a little more than an hour, 1965 02:08:28,080 --> 02:08:30,520 Speaker 1: or I'm sorry, a little more than two hours here. 1966 02:08:31,840 --> 02:08:33,880 Speaker 1: But it's a good show. We get to do all 1967 02:08:33,920 --> 02:08:37,240 Speaker 1: the songs that all the hits that people you know 1968 02:08:37,320 --> 02:08:39,480 Speaker 1: that they got to hear the hits, and and then 1969 02:08:39,520 --> 02:08:41,600 Speaker 1: we sprinkle in a few of the songs that you know, 1970 02:08:41,640 --> 02:08:44,680 Speaker 1: we enjoyed playing and some deep cuts and stuff, some 1971 02:08:44,680 --> 02:08:48,800 Speaker 1: stuff we've never played ever. And then, uh, we have 1972 02:08:48,880 --> 02:08:52,160 Speaker 1: this new album out that we put out and it 1973 02:08:52,280 --> 02:08:57,360 Speaker 1: was October of last I think was October October. Yeah, 1974 02:08:57,680 --> 02:08:59,760 Speaker 1: and so we're doing a few songs. We do three 1975 02:09:00,320 --> 02:09:03,280 Speaker 1: from from the new album. So that's that's really a 1976 02:09:03,360 --> 02:09:05,960 Speaker 1: treat for us to do some new music as well. 1977 02:09:06,040 --> 02:09:09,680 Speaker 1: So we're really, uh, I mean, we're having the time 1978 02:09:09,720 --> 02:09:12,520 Speaker 1: of our lives. You know. It's never would have thought 1979 02:09:12,640 --> 02:09:17,440 Speaker 1: in a million years, fifty years from more than fifty 1980 02:09:17,520 --> 02:09:19,320 Speaker 1: years from the time we put it together, that we'd 1981 02:09:19,320 --> 02:09:22,480 Speaker 1: still be out here doing it and having the fun 1982 02:09:22,560 --> 02:09:26,839 Speaker 1: we're having being able to And I gotta say again 1983 02:09:26,920 --> 02:09:29,720 Speaker 1: for me that it's it's all selfish. You know. I 1984 02:09:29,760 --> 02:09:35,640 Speaker 1: get to play with great musicians, singing and playing songs 1985 02:09:35,680 --> 02:09:40,640 Speaker 1: that are you know, iconic in in uh the American 1986 02:09:40,800 --> 02:09:44,360 Speaker 1: soundscape these days. You know, I mean we never never, again, 1987 02:09:44,400 --> 02:09:46,880 Speaker 1: I never really would have thought that we would have 1988 02:09:46,960 --> 02:09:50,040 Speaker 1: ever made this kind of musical impact as as a band. 1989 02:09:50,720 --> 02:09:53,080 Speaker 1: And uh, to be able to be a part of that, 1990 02:09:53,200 --> 02:09:55,360 Speaker 1: and to me, it's like a you know, it's a 1991 02:09:55,360 --> 02:09:59,720 Speaker 1: gift for me personally. I get to do work in 1992 02:09:59,760 --> 02:10:05,240 Speaker 1: this dream band with these fabulous musicians, and our music 1993 02:10:05,520 --> 02:10:09,880 Speaker 1: is certainly popular music, but it's it's much more complicated, 1994 02:10:09,880 --> 02:10:13,480 Speaker 1: I think than the average songs that are that are 1995 02:10:13,560 --> 02:10:16,560 Speaker 1: out there on the radio or that have been um 1996 02:10:17,640 --> 02:10:20,800 Speaker 1: and and you know there are certainly there are other bands, 1997 02:10:21,120 --> 02:10:26,880 Speaker 1: yes Kansas, you know STEVEE. Dan that write music that 1998 02:10:27,080 --> 02:10:34,520 Speaker 1: is equally interesting and complicated. But I love the fact 1999 02:10:34,560 --> 02:10:38,680 Speaker 1: that the music is challenging and even after playing songs 2000 02:10:38,680 --> 02:10:41,000 Speaker 1: for years and years, I still have to think about 2001 02:10:41,040 --> 02:10:47,960 Speaker 1: what I'm doing and that really makes for a great 2002 02:10:49,280 --> 02:10:51,920 Speaker 1: enjoyment for me every night. I don't you don't go 2003 02:10:51,960 --> 02:10:54,280 Speaker 1: out there just taking over. Oh I know this stuff 2004 02:10:54,320 --> 02:10:56,400 Speaker 1: so well. I have to worry about it. You know. 2005 02:10:56,480 --> 02:11:00,400 Speaker 1: The intricacies of the music are such that you can 2006 02:11:00,440 --> 02:11:04,440 Speaker 1: play a thousand times and still it's it's challenging. If 2007 02:11:04,440 --> 02:11:07,360 Speaker 1: you're not paying attention, you're going to screw up. And 2008 02:11:07,440 --> 02:11:12,040 Speaker 1: so uh, you know, I'm always deep into it, every song, 2009 02:11:12,320 --> 02:11:15,760 Speaker 1: every everything, all night long. It's just it's it's a 2010 02:11:15,800 --> 02:11:19,440 Speaker 1: good thing for you know, keeping your brain active. You know, 2011 02:11:19,680 --> 02:11:24,440 Speaker 1: as as you get older, I'm still always thinking. Another 2012 02:11:24,560 --> 02:11:28,040 Speaker 1: question though, this is very significant in the Doobies career, 2013 02:11:28,840 --> 02:11:31,920 Speaker 1: is you had this manager, Bruce Cone. He had a 2014 02:11:32,040 --> 02:11:34,600 Speaker 1: very high profile and a lot of managers do not 2015 02:11:35,160 --> 02:11:37,840 Speaker 1: so that people in the who are just fans are 2016 02:11:37,840 --> 02:11:40,600 Speaker 1: aware of him. He's part of the legacy in terms 2017 02:11:40,600 --> 02:11:44,400 Speaker 1: of bringing the band back together for charity things. You 2018 02:11:44,680 --> 02:11:49,080 Speaker 1: ultimately switch to irving A's Loss operation, and in addition, 2019 02:11:49,120 --> 02:11:53,080 Speaker 1: in the book, Bruce is really not mentioned. How did 2020 02:11:53,120 --> 02:11:57,360 Speaker 1: you decide to switch managers and what is the difference 2021 02:11:57,440 --> 02:12:00,320 Speaker 1: with the new managers opposed to the old. Well, you know, 2022 02:12:00,320 --> 02:12:04,520 Speaker 1: I'm not really supposed to disclose, you know, Well, we'll 2023 02:12:04,520 --> 02:12:07,800 Speaker 1: talk about what you can. I'm not trying to you know, yeah, 2024 02:12:07,840 --> 02:12:10,879 Speaker 1: I will because you know, Bruce was a great manager. 2025 02:12:10,920 --> 02:12:12,440 Speaker 1: I think he did a great job for the band. 2026 02:12:12,800 --> 02:12:17,360 Speaker 1: We we had, you know, a lot of success with 2027 02:12:17,360 --> 02:12:21,760 Speaker 1: with Bruce, and you know, he was a great person. 2028 02:12:22,640 --> 02:12:27,840 Speaker 1: Um at a point there was there were some um 2029 02:12:28,600 --> 02:12:34,200 Speaker 1: disagreements and we've found ourselves in a predicament where we 2030 02:12:34,200 --> 02:12:37,760 Speaker 1: we had to make a change and it didn't It 2031 02:12:37,840 --> 02:12:43,400 Speaker 1: wasn't something that I guess I should speak for myself, 2032 02:12:43,440 --> 02:12:47,280 Speaker 1: and it wasn't something that I that I looked forward 2033 02:12:47,320 --> 02:12:53,880 Speaker 1: to at the time. Um, but it was necessary. It 2034 02:12:54,000 --> 02:13:00,200 Speaker 1: was an impast that came about and we we had 2035 02:13:00,240 --> 02:13:08,080 Speaker 1: to make the change. And we I've known Irving really. 2036 02:13:08,080 --> 02:13:15,000 Speaker 1: I met Irving through Mike McDonald. Mike introduced me to 2037 02:13:15,040 --> 02:13:19,840 Speaker 1: Irving gosh over thirty years ago, forty years ago, something 2038 02:13:19,880 --> 02:13:26,320 Speaker 1: like that. And naturally everyone is aware of Irving's abilities 2039 02:13:26,520 --> 02:13:31,120 Speaker 1: and presence in the in the music industry. And when 2040 02:13:31,200 --> 02:13:37,760 Speaker 1: we when we signed with Irving, it was, you know, 2041 02:13:38,080 --> 02:13:46,120 Speaker 1: something that for myself it was like wow, you know, 2042 02:13:46,720 --> 02:13:54,440 Speaker 1: he's like this incredible person, both as as a business 2043 02:13:54,560 --> 02:13:57,160 Speaker 1: entity and as a person in general. He's kind of 2044 02:13:57,200 --> 02:14:05,960 Speaker 1: a guru to me musicians. And we had reached a 2045 02:14:06,080 --> 02:14:12,880 Speaker 1: point in our um in our career with Bruce where 2046 02:14:12,920 --> 02:14:19,680 Speaker 1: we've kind of hitting a stagnant point and I think 2047 02:14:19,960 --> 02:14:24,400 Speaker 1: probably the band was on the verge of just retiring, 2048 02:14:24,680 --> 02:14:31,520 Speaker 1: you know, and um, we we made the break with 2049 02:14:31,640 --> 02:14:35,480 Speaker 1: Bruce before. We didn't go to Irving and say we 2050 02:14:35,560 --> 02:14:39,680 Speaker 1: want to make this break. We made the break earlier 2051 02:14:39,760 --> 02:14:43,120 Speaker 1: on and we kind of managed ourselves for a while 2052 02:14:44,560 --> 02:14:47,720 Speaker 1: because we could. We were you know, had enough knowledge 2053 02:14:47,760 --> 02:14:51,520 Speaker 1: at that point to continue with with what we were doing. 2054 02:14:52,120 --> 02:14:54,880 Speaker 1: And we did that for a while. Uh, and then 2055 02:14:55,000 --> 02:14:57,240 Speaker 1: of course we knew we were we would be out 2056 02:14:57,360 --> 02:15:01,920 Speaker 1: searching for someone to represent, and we spoke to several 2057 02:15:02,360 --> 02:15:05,919 Speaker 1: different a lot of different people before we made the decision. 2058 02:15:06,920 --> 02:15:11,800 Speaker 1: But when we found Irving would be interested, that was 2059 02:15:12,040 --> 02:15:15,120 Speaker 1: we knew that that would be a great place for us. 2060 02:15:15,200 --> 02:15:18,840 Speaker 1: Just for me again, once again, I kind of speak 2061 02:15:18,880 --> 02:15:22,280 Speaker 1: for myself on this. I'm a California guy. That the 2062 02:15:24,680 --> 02:15:30,200 Speaker 1: Irving's business is based in California. UM, I want to 2063 02:15:30,240 --> 02:15:35,920 Speaker 1: stay within that context. You know, I feel like we're 2064 02:15:36,200 --> 02:15:41,640 Speaker 1: a California band and who thinks they're from New Orleans. 2065 02:15:43,800 --> 02:15:48,760 Speaker 1: But you know, so it has been really invigorating for 2066 02:15:48,800 --> 02:15:53,120 Speaker 1: the band to be working with Irving and Kareem Karmi, 2067 02:15:53,320 --> 02:15:58,960 Speaker 1: who is really our day to day uh management. Kareem 2068 02:15:58,960 --> 02:16:06,440 Speaker 1: works for Stop Management, And it's been, you know, I 2069 02:16:06,480 --> 02:16:09,440 Speaker 1: don't know, really a shot in the arm. You know, 2070 02:16:09,520 --> 02:16:15,880 Speaker 1: we're really being more creative, more enthusiastic about what we're doing. UM, 2071 02:16:16,600 --> 02:16:20,720 Speaker 1: having a vision for the future that we kind of 2072 02:16:20,720 --> 02:16:23,680 Speaker 1: had begun to dissipate a little bit. I think we 2073 02:16:23,840 --> 02:16:29,480 Speaker 1: kind of you know, it wasn't that we were it 2074 02:16:29,520 --> 02:16:31,960 Speaker 1: was we were done or anything, but I think we 2075 02:16:32,000 --> 02:16:38,680 Speaker 1: had felt like, well we're going to probably at least yeah, 2076 02:16:38,720 --> 02:16:41,400 Speaker 1: I think we probably might have been done as a band, 2077 02:16:41,959 --> 02:16:44,959 Speaker 1: and we would certainly go on to continuing to be 2078 02:16:45,879 --> 02:16:51,080 Speaker 1: musicians and to write and try to be creative. But um, 2079 02:16:53,120 --> 02:16:56,600 Speaker 1: there it is. That's really where we ended up. Okay, 2080 02:16:56,760 --> 02:17:00,680 Speaker 1: you've been making music professionally for over five two years. 2081 02:17:01,480 --> 02:17:03,880 Speaker 1: You know we had VH one behind the music. The 2082 02:17:04,040 --> 02:17:07,600 Speaker 1: stories are legend of the people being ripped off or 2083 02:17:07,640 --> 02:17:12,199 Speaker 1: blowing all their money signing bad deals. The Doobie Brothers 2084 02:17:12,200 --> 02:17:16,280 Speaker 1: has never been a small group. How have you done 2085 02:17:16,320 --> 02:17:18,959 Speaker 1: financially over the years and where are you at now? 2086 02:17:19,280 --> 02:17:25,280 Speaker 1: I've certainly made some bad decisions financially. Yeah, it kind 2087 02:17:25,280 --> 02:17:28,560 Speaker 1: of comes goes with the territory. I think musicians or 2088 02:17:28,720 --> 02:17:33,280 Speaker 1: musicians first, and and that's our weak point. You know, 2089 02:17:33,480 --> 02:17:37,200 Speaker 1: people can talk you into doing things because they know 2090 02:17:37,320 --> 02:17:42,000 Speaker 1: you're you know, you're you're busy tuning your guitar. But 2091 02:17:42,080 --> 02:17:47,000 Speaker 1: I mean I've signed bad publishing deals, and you know, 2092 02:17:48,920 --> 02:17:56,000 Speaker 1: I've had people who have done nothing and then sued 2093 02:17:56,040 --> 02:17:59,600 Speaker 1: you because they can. And then you have to waste 2094 02:17:59,640 --> 02:18:04,120 Speaker 1: all your time and on something that really if if 2095 02:18:04,280 --> 02:18:07,120 Speaker 1: if you went before a jury or something they would 2096 02:18:07,120 --> 02:18:10,680 Speaker 1: never prevail, but you realized by that time you went 2097 02:18:10,720 --> 02:18:13,120 Speaker 1: to a jury, you'd lose way more money than it 2098 02:18:13,160 --> 02:18:17,880 Speaker 1: took you to get there. So those things happen. I've 2099 02:18:17,879 --> 02:18:20,640 Speaker 1: tried to be conservative in terms of of who I 2100 02:18:20,680 --> 02:18:28,039 Speaker 1: am financially, I don't you know, I don't have private 2101 02:18:28,120 --> 02:18:36,080 Speaker 1: jets and limousines and a lot of expensive jewelry or 2102 02:18:36,200 --> 02:18:41,080 Speaker 1: you know, just you know, bad bad drug habits and stuff. 2103 02:18:41,120 --> 02:18:44,840 Speaker 1: You know, I've tried to be aware of uh, you know, 2104 02:18:45,640 --> 02:18:51,240 Speaker 1: myself and the people around me. Um and I and 2105 02:18:51,320 --> 02:18:54,160 Speaker 1: I haven't been afraid to work, you know, I Uh, 2106 02:18:54,520 --> 02:18:58,360 Speaker 1: we're working. Is is good. It's good for all of us, 2107 02:18:58,400 --> 02:19:01,880 Speaker 1: you know, to continue to to do what we love 2108 02:19:01,920 --> 02:19:04,240 Speaker 1: to do, not take it for granted and just go well, 2109 02:19:04,280 --> 02:19:07,440 Speaker 1: you know that it used to be fun, more fun. 2110 02:19:07,560 --> 02:19:10,280 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna I'm not going to subject myself to that. 2111 02:19:10,800 --> 02:19:13,760 Speaker 1: To me, you just hang in there and do it. 2112 02:19:13,840 --> 02:19:17,680 Speaker 1: And uh, you know is that old adage if if 2113 02:19:17,720 --> 02:19:19,840 Speaker 1: you do something you love, it's going to come back 2114 02:19:19,879 --> 02:19:22,119 Speaker 1: to you. And that's that's really the way it's been 2115 02:19:22,200 --> 02:19:25,199 Speaker 1: for me. Uh, financially, you know, I'm not the richest 2116 02:19:25,200 --> 02:19:27,080 Speaker 1: guy out there. I'm not the poorest guy out there. 2117 02:19:27,080 --> 02:19:29,200 Speaker 1: I'm kind of in the middle, and and that's really 2118 02:19:29,200 --> 02:19:32,320 Speaker 1: where I want to be. I don't I don't. I 2119 02:19:32,320 --> 02:19:36,400 Speaker 1: don't have this, you know, I don't have I don't 2120 02:19:36,440 --> 02:19:39,320 Speaker 1: need to make a lot more money. And it's not 2121 02:19:39,360 --> 02:19:41,640 Speaker 1: about making money, you know, if you can survive, and 2122 02:19:42,280 --> 02:19:44,360 Speaker 1: you know, I don't have a lot of debts, thank god, 2123 02:19:45,360 --> 02:19:49,680 Speaker 1: you know, I do own my home. Um, that's really 2124 02:19:49,720 --> 02:19:53,160 Speaker 1: all I want out of life. I have a wonderful family. 2125 02:19:53,240 --> 02:19:59,039 Speaker 1: I have children, I have grandchildren. That's that's those are 2126 02:19:59,080 --> 02:20:03,240 Speaker 1: the real Uh, that's the real wealth, you know, and 2127 02:20:03,360 --> 02:20:09,280 Speaker 1: your health. Having your health is health is wealth. So 2128 02:20:09,920 --> 02:20:12,240 Speaker 1: you know I'm I'm a rich man. Okay, So you 2129 02:20:12,320 --> 02:20:15,480 Speaker 1: mentioned your wife and the motorcycles earlier. Is this have 2130 02:20:15,600 --> 02:20:18,279 Speaker 1: were you married before? Is this your one and only wife? 2131 02:20:18,320 --> 02:20:21,240 Speaker 1: I have had two marriages. My first marriage was to 2132 02:20:22,640 --> 02:20:27,119 Speaker 1: a gal that I spoke about, her brother, Bill Cradock. 2133 02:20:28,320 --> 02:20:34,720 Speaker 1: Diane was my first wife, great wonderful person. Um, and 2134 02:20:35,000 --> 02:20:37,640 Speaker 1: we still, you know, are good friends and stay in touch. 2135 02:20:38,520 --> 02:20:43,560 Speaker 1: I am married to Chris Summer Simmons. We've been married 2136 02:20:43,600 --> 02:20:54,199 Speaker 1: for thirty two years and got three children and three grandchildren, 2137 02:20:54,320 --> 02:21:00,320 Speaker 1: and UM, It's been a a wonderful relationship we've we 2138 02:21:00,400 --> 02:21:05,039 Speaker 1: met through motorcycling. We met that Sturgis, South Dakota, the 2139 02:21:05,160 --> 02:21:11,760 Speaker 1: motorcycle rally there. She came to a fundraiser that we 2140 02:21:11,760 --> 02:21:15,640 Speaker 1: were the Doobies were doing for the Fight against US 2141 02:21:15,800 --> 02:21:22,680 Speaker 1: Muscular Dystrophy that Harley supports and supported then still support. 2142 02:21:23,760 --> 02:21:28,360 Speaker 1: And I was the the chairman of the Biker's Fight 2143 02:21:29,080 --> 02:21:34,160 Speaker 1: Against Muscular Dystrophy and I was given a press conference. 2144 02:21:34,200 --> 02:21:38,440 Speaker 1: The band was there um to play and I was 2145 02:21:38,440 --> 02:21:41,360 Speaker 1: doing a press conference with the head of marketing for 2146 02:21:41,400 --> 02:21:46,119 Speaker 1: Harley Davidson talking about, you know, the concert and our 2147 02:21:46,160 --> 02:21:51,360 Speaker 1: efforts on behalf of the Muscular District Association. And she came. 2148 02:21:52,640 --> 02:21:56,920 Speaker 1: She had a motorcycle magazine called Harley Women, and she 2149 02:21:57,040 --> 02:22:00,200 Speaker 1: and her partner came to cover the press conference for 2150 02:22:00,240 --> 02:22:05,400 Speaker 1: the magazine, and I was introduced to the head of marketing, 2151 02:22:05,480 --> 02:22:14,360 Speaker 1: Clyde Vesseler, and we became friends and have been together 2152 02:22:14,360 --> 02:22:18,039 Speaker 1: ever since. Chris and I we she she We went 2153 02:22:18,040 --> 02:22:22,800 Speaker 1: out to Sturgis that night or the next I was 2154 02:22:22,840 --> 02:22:24,840 Speaker 1: that night. We went out Sturgis to the to the 2155 02:22:24,959 --> 02:22:29,400 Speaker 1: rally and hung out and walked around and bought some 2156 02:22:29,520 --> 02:22:32,400 Speaker 1: t shirts and just got to know each other. And 2157 02:22:32,440 --> 02:22:35,039 Speaker 1: we've been together ever since. It's amazing. So, what's the 2158 02:22:35,120 --> 02:22:38,520 Speaker 1: key to being together when you're on the road, etcetera. 2159 02:22:38,600 --> 02:22:41,320 Speaker 1: You know, the rock and roll road is it has 2160 02:22:41,600 --> 02:22:45,440 Speaker 1: littered with divorces. How do you keep together? She has 2161 02:22:45,520 --> 02:22:49,760 Speaker 1: traveled with me a lot from time to time. When 2162 02:22:49,800 --> 02:22:54,440 Speaker 1: my children were small, they accompanied us on the road. 2163 02:22:54,480 --> 02:22:56,280 Speaker 1: We took them on the road with us on the bus. 2164 02:22:56,600 --> 02:22:58,520 Speaker 1: They all of their bunks. They loved that, you know, 2165 02:22:58,600 --> 02:23:04,920 Speaker 1: camping out with the Doobie brothers on the bus. Um. 2166 02:23:04,959 --> 02:23:11,640 Speaker 1: So that's helped. Um. We share so many common interests 2167 02:23:12,560 --> 02:23:17,480 Speaker 1: and spend a lot of time together all all the time. 2168 02:23:17,480 --> 02:23:20,200 Speaker 1: You know, when we're when I'm not working, we're together 2169 02:23:20,560 --> 02:23:26,640 Speaker 1: when I'm working. She comes, um, and you know, I'm 2170 02:23:26,680 --> 02:23:29,480 Speaker 1: I love that. I mean, we just have a wonderful relationship. 2171 02:23:29,560 --> 02:23:33,240 Speaker 1: It's probably the most important thing in my life really 2172 02:23:33,440 --> 02:23:37,080 Speaker 1: is my marriage and my children. So you say, okay, 2173 02:23:37,120 --> 02:23:40,600 Speaker 1: you're rich because of that. We're rich in information you 2174 02:23:40,720 --> 02:23:43,000 Speaker 1: having taken the time to tell us all these stories 2175 02:23:43,040 --> 02:23:46,360 Speaker 1: in depth. Thanks so much for doing this. Thank you, Bob, 2176 02:23:46,440 --> 02:23:49,960 Speaker 1: Thank you for having me. I've enjoyed it, spilling my guts. 2177 02:23:51,840 --> 02:23:54,080 Speaker 1: You know the other thing. I'm a huge Doobies fan. 2178 02:23:54,360 --> 02:23:57,879 Speaker 1: You know that I have too good two things Don Handley, 2179 02:23:57,959 --> 02:24:00,640 Speaker 1: the End of the Innocence and the do Be Brothers. 2180 02:24:00,840 --> 02:24:02,680 Speaker 1: When it's like they're just in my head, they just 2181 02:24:02,760 --> 02:24:05,360 Speaker 1: click through. And that's not blowing smoke up your grass either. 2182 02:24:05,879 --> 02:24:09,000 Speaker 1: And on that note, I'll leave it again. Thanks again, 2183 02:24:09,040 --> 02:24:11,920 Speaker 1: pat Hey, thank you, Bat great talking to you. Until 2184 02:24:11,959 --> 02:24:14,160 Speaker 1: next time. This is Bob left Sex