Good Vibrations
The great Beach Boys' single from October 1966, of course. I remember when this sweet psychedelic 3 minute 37 second mono opus came out of the metallic dashboard speakers for the first time ...WHOA ! It was stunning, even considering that I had already seen The Grateful Dead a couple times , had taken LSD and been to the Fillmore Auditorium and seen Muddy Waters ( which changed my life) and the Quicksilver Messenger Service and the psychedelic light show, the smells of patchouli oil and incense and munching on an apple, pleasantly stoned from a reefer. Bill Graham put out an oval galvanized tub of cold ripe Red Delicious apples for all patrons to take on their way into the hall... (that tradition , is continued even til this day at the Fillmore)... that 45 RPM record, Good Vibrations was a revolutionary sound for its time...In finishing Hollywood Eden by Joel Selvin, the book that Johnny Stallion gifted me, the making of Good Vibrations is explored as the climax of the book, along with Jan Berry's recovering from the Corvette crash on Dead Man's Curve...Brian Wilson , the genius songwriter of The Beach Boys was filled with self doubt over this song, spending hours and days in the recording studio going over and over the song...the rest of the band , out touring, balked at Brian's new direction and Brian's friend David Anderle encouraged him to go forward with his exciting dream sound...( more on David in the Autobiography section)...Brian finally decided to go forth, forcing the band to harmonize Mike Love's hastily penned lyrics and a monster classic song was born... band members knew this single would make or break their careers , and thank God for all of us, the band released this musical gem...now we have this fabulous tune that I never tire listening to...BTW that theremin- like sound was an apparatus used in 50's horror movies like Ed Wood/ Bela Lagosi / Boris Karloff vehicles...
Speaking of picking up good vibrations, the pandemic's end is sight...the light at the end of the tunnel ain't a locomotive, but shiny, happy people beginning to feel free, mask less and enjoying their leisure, dining out , hanging in the parks, and living life... Here in Marin County, Larkspur, Fairfax, Mill Valley, Sausalito and San Rafael are jammed with diners sitting outdoors enjoying their dinners , lining up for ice cream cones and even attending dance recitals and music events on outdoor stages... San Francisco Giants have fans at their beautiful ballpark as do the Golden State Warriors have fans in attendance at their state of the art arena just down the street, music festivals are starting to announce lineups...so players: Get your chops up !...Record producer Keith Olson passed away last week... he worked with many bands including, my old faves and colleagues, Sons Of Champlin and Santana...he is famous for uniting Stevie Nicks and her boyfriend Lindsay Buckingham with John Mc Vie and Mick Fleetwood to form the superstar , hit making version of Fleetwood Mac... a personal note : Frumious Bandersnatch, my 60's band , played a gig once with Fritz ( with Buckingham and Nicks) at Palo Alto's Gunn High...never saw superstardom coming their way... you rarely do... Olson brought out their best.
Just read of Charles Grodin's passing at 86 ..damn we're gettin' old !...Loved Grodin in The Heartbreak Kid(1972) and Midnight Run(1988)...his deadpan style of humor had broad appeal...He acted in the Broadway hit Same Time Next Year, eliciting strong praise from NY Times critic Clive Barnes... i drove Clive from SFO in the early 90's to downtown San Francisco and we had a marvelous chat on theatre...Wendy Phillips, daughter of my teacher, Wendell Phillips, had a nice role in Midnight Run as De Niro's ex wife. Wendell was very proud...there's always a connection... heh heh heh heh heh...also Mr . Personality, Lloyd Price passed on, he was a smooth , sometimes crooning soul singer...love singers like that... Bobby " Blue " Bland, Brook Benton, and Al Green being personal favorites.
Potpourri : Oakland A's owner Fisher has been negotiating with Las Vegas since 2019 ...let's face it, Oakland sports fans will get fucked again when the A's depart...the town ( Oaktown) doesn't deserve it...the SF Giants playing great baseball lately ,displaying unusual home run power led by Yaz ( Mike Yastrzemski , Carl's grandson) a fan favorite and Brandon Crawford...another big fan fave, retired outfielder Hunter Pence, has been appearing on TV doing commentary...drove his sis once and told her how beloved Hunter was by the fans , but she already knew...Golden State Warriors playing just terrific, gutsy , clutch basketball and play their first playoff game against the LA Lakers tomorrow...found a Corporation that rivals AT&T for being the most hateful fucked up enterprise on Earth...Fast-track which monopolizes toll collecting on Bay Area bridges... the pandemic killed of the remaining toll collector jobs...I loved the human interaction and sometimes humor and good vibes on these cash exchanges...gone now. They have high tech cameras that shoot your license plate and you get a bill in the mail... one of my $6.00 toll checks was lost in the mail and they called me a " violator" for "toll evasion "and tacked on an insanely exorbitant " fine " it takes about 20 to 30 calls over four days to get through to live agent , after being on hold for an hour...the only alternative to that bullshit is get an electronic device on your windshield and allow them into your bank account ...sorry just can't do that... my B of A unemployment debit card was hacked again for the second time, another ordeal...oh well it's Gov't money ...thanks again Joe !...Grandville, Michigan is where these hackers come from...they go to a store called Meijers to make purchases and drain my card of cash; dirty motherfuckers... well, into my fourth Carl Hiaasen novel gifted me by Johnny Stallion...called Razor Girl , more wild and improbable Florida hi-jinks with an environmental message... having a Hiaasen book on your stack is like having a carton of ice cream in your freezer...you just can't resist its calling for you... My high school buddy, Charlie Hager and wife Ellen suggested an electronic device called TV Ears ( ear buds while TV is muted) to solve my late night viewing problem with my lunatic upstairs neighbor ...a hundred and fifty bucks for this experiment ...we'll see... BTW I sent three Hiaasen books to Charlie in Florida , as it is only poetic and fitting that the books should wind up in the Sunshine State.
Gi-Mongous ( a Hiaasen word) Pandemic Viewing update : Saturday Night Live: This season had a very talented and mostly funny cast especially Kenan Thompson and Kate McKinnon...this cast loves to do Broadway musical style song and dance group numbers and they're pretty damn good at it...The Ritchie Boys segment on 60 Minutes a couple weeks ago was just magnificent and enthralling...during WWII thousands of German Jews expatriated from the Fatherland , joined the US Army as soldiers specializing in intelligence and interrogation and their valuable work was only recently revealed. The survivors are now in their 90's and the interviews with them were just fascinating. True American heroes... The Godfather Part II ( 1974)... concentrated on Pacino and Keaton this time and Coppola's use of extras and the staging of the group scenes...saw Al Pacino play Teach in Mamet's American Buffalo in 84 at San Francisco's Curran Theater. He was little chubby that day, but the short fella won my eternal respect as a great actor...that said, Tony Amendola , in the very same role, over at Berkeley Rep was superior. Amendola is an unsung and excellent thespian... Looking For Mr. Goodbar (1977) A Diane Keaton acting tour de force in a very uneven picture which I had never watched til now. Keaton plays a shy and sensitive teacher of handicapped children by day , and a wild coke snorting libertine at night. She is fearless in her nudity ( unless her booty was a body double) and gave this role her all. Much respect for her talent and courage . Richard Gere debuts as a sleazeball lowlife who is quite annoying in an inconsequential performance...The Big Picture (1989) An early Christopher Guest film satirizing Hollywood and the travails of a young hotshot director ( Kevin Bacon) trying to get his vision for a movie done and all the insurmountable obstacles faced until they disappear , of course, in ironic fashion...playing six degrees, I have to say that Kevin Bacon finally beat me down with his acting, to buy his character, renegade Boston FBI agent Jackie Rohr, on season 2 of City On A Hill ( Showtime). The writing and direction and cast contributed to the artistic success of this series as well...Shameless ( Showtime) a guilty pleasure, had to watch the series finale, though I had quit watching the show a while back. Bidding adieu to Frank Gallagher( Bill Macy) and his offbeat and twisted family and friends was fun...Silverado (1985) Lawrence Kasden's attempt at a big Western that falls a little flat...I dug the late Brian Dennehy's work though and Danny Glover's as well... Danny is a great guy and started out as San Francisco cabbie doing theatre and whatever acting gigs he could score... Anatomy Of A Murder (1959) An Otto Preminger directed courtroom classic with Jimmy Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzera and George C. Scott.Excellent movie ! ... funny story : my old man, George Nixon, was in the gallery of a celebrity golf tournament ( post Patton) and called out to George C. Scott " say ' son of a bitch ', George ! " Scott replied " I said it a few times back on the last green ! " eliciting a laugh...Slightly Scarlet ( 1956) A big screen technicolor attempt at film noir with two buxom, sexy redheads playing sisters ( Rhonda Fleming ,Arlene Dahl) it fails as a movie, but a feast for the eyes ...Hannah And Her Sisters ( 1986) A Woody Allen Comedy with three sisters (Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Diane Weist) and the neurotic and over thinking, philandering husbands (Michael Caine, Max Von Sydow and Woody )...It is very New York City and quite funny. My fave bit is Woody going through a health crisis, seeks to convert from Judaism to Catholicism. He comes home with shopping bag and unloads a framed picture of Jesus, a large crucifix, and a huge jar of Hellman's mayonnaise and a loaf of Wonder Bread ...laff riot ! ...my only complaint is too much brown. Brown costumes all over the movie. i realize that the color brown is film friendly, but can't stand too much of it. My quirk.
Songs Of The Day : Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Lloyd Price & Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc
Autobiography: Back in the 90's Holywood still ...Driving my Greenblatts gig, had many deliveries to A&M records lot on La Brea, all pleasant , except for one delivery to a rap label there where a Suge Knight type called me a motherfucker and stiffed me for no reason after delivering a large lunch order... don't care for most rap and hip hop, preferring Blues and old school R&B.... you know, music of substance...I will say I had a pleasant encounter with a cat while servicing Greenblatt's cigar humidor one evening ,when this raspy voiced fellow struck up a pleasant conversation " my name's Tony " he said and shook my hand . It was Tone Loc...Once, I was called to deliver two cases of expensive French Bordeaux wine in wooden boxes to the office of David Anderle on the A&M lot. The gatekeeper gave me the office number and I schlepped the cases with my hand truck to the office number the guard gave me. I knocked and the door was open , but nobody there...there was no desk , just a stereo set with speakers on the floor with cushions spread about and an ashtray with butts and roaches, and a poster on the wall...something wasn't right , so I didn't leave the Bordeaux and investigated...It turned out the office I was directed to was David Anderle JUNIOR, obviously a stoner/slacker... heh heh heh... got the wine order to David's secretary in the big office, David Anderle was then the head of A&M... and in later weeks made several deliveries of fine wines to his West Hollywood home. David was a mensch, a really agreeable guy. The last time I brought cases of wine, I hung out a little bit, bullshitting with David and the leader of the Gin Blossoms ( forgot his name)...I had no idea Anderle was close friends with Brian Wilson, but now it makes perfect sense... David died in 2014 0f lung cancer, I sadly learned( To Be Cont.)