Tracy Thomas, Our Girl from Hollywood
I can’t decide whether I’m more tired or more cold. We (me and my roommate and the former bass player for the Quick Silver Messenger Service, who is currently homeless) just moved into a house in world-famous LAUREL CANYON, where the stars live (except Mark and Fang); tired from carrying 900 bags and boxes up fourteen stairs or cold because I forgot to have the gas turned on. In either case, picture me typing on the bar (color me blue), trying to squeeze all the names I can into the ridiculous amount of space I get (ahem.)
Faces I saw when not trying to negotiate the fantastic curves on the road to home: five LOVE, four BYRDS, three TURTLES, two MONKEES, and a GENE CLARK in his blue MC.
Remember a couple of months ago when I was worried about not being old enough to get into clubs? Well, now there’s practically no clubs to worry about getting into. The Trip, where we spent many long hours and long green grooving on the SPOONFULL [sic] (still in striped tee shirts), PAUL BUTTERFIELD (before San Francisco discovered them), the now-defunct GRASS ROOTS, and the everchanging BYRDS gone, of all things, LATIN. The Whisky is going Motown and probably over 21 as well. It’s Boss has closed down completely, although there are rumors that it might be reopened as “Cyro’s” in honor of its original name, Ciro’s, and its first rock group, the Byrds. The Sea Witch is still with us, but Pandora’s Box will go soon. All in all, you may as well stay home of an evening, for what it’s worth.
Poor SONNY AND CHER—They were very upset about the hassle over their riding on a float in the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade, A not-so-sunny Sonny told me that tale: “First of all, we were invited to ride on the Monterey Park float. Then, one Saturday night, we went down to Pandora’s Box while there was a demonstration going on. We had heard a lot about the problems on the Strip and wanted to see for ourselves before we formed any opinions. But three of the five City Councilmen decided that our going there meant full support and that they didn’t want anyone ‘like that’ on their float. So they voted us off. It was not only a personal blow to me and Cher, but almost an insult to the teenagers who were using peaceful means to try to win their rights.” The story had a happy ending, however. An insurance company asked the duo to ride on their float, which they did. “It was awfully cold,” said Sonny, “but fun.”
I saw MARK LINDSAY at Genie the Tailor’s (she’s the girl who first outfitted Mark in the polka-dot Tom Jones shirts and made the latest set of Raider costumes) right after a conspiratoral [sic] session between the two, “We’re discussing my ‘new look’,” Mark whispered. “Don’t tell anyone—it’s going to be…” Now you didn’t really expect me to tell you, did you) I mean a promise is a promise. But I will say that it has been inspired by one of the top movies of 1966.
All those presents that BBS MIKE LOVE and AL JARDINE bought in Europe are being put to good use now: the first Beach Boys babies have arrived; a boy for Al and Linda, a girl for Mike and Suzanne. It’s been difficult for anyone to get hold of them because they’re always in the middle of feeding or they can’t talk because the baby’s finally asleep, but the new BB album “Smile” is coming along just the same (I can hear Brian roaring, “Baby or no baby, recording must go on!”) with so many weird effects, I don’t know where to start. How ’bout with the one that features singing in Hawaiian?
If you are not already a devoted BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD fan (and why aren’t you?) the news that one of them is responsible for PETER TORK being a Monkee should endear them to you forever (you are a Peter Tork fan, aren’t you?). Pete explained, “I knew Stevie (Stills) when I was living in the Village. When he saw the ad for tryouts for the Monkees, he phoned me immediately and said I should go. I thought, ‘I’m sure,’ but he called me again the day of the interviews and said, ‘Go.’ So I did and here I am.” Thanks, Stevie…
Speaking of the Buff Spri (and you knew I couldn’t go much longer without doing so), their record “For What It’s Worth” was a hit, despite the fact that it was great and so were they, in New York, at Ondine’s. It was quite lonesome and quiet here without them, but our feelings were partially assuaged by the discovery of a new group, THE OMNIPRESENT DAFFODIL, a fabulous fivesome. More about them in the future.
THE STONES were in town over the holidays, but their only public appearance was when Bill Wyman went to Maverick Flats, a new key club in south Los Angeles.
A pleasant diversion was handsome and smoldering NEIL DIAMOND, who played at the Hullabaloo (there’s a club I forgot to mention and now, forget that I mentioned it). I found it difficult to believe that he’s only 22, but he said he’s been writing for five years and that he was a contract composer when he was still in high school, and that checks. “I was thrilled because I had my own little office with a piano and a phone,” he recalled. “Next door there were these two middle aged men who were writing pretty music, but I always wanted to say to them, ‘Wow man, it’s just not commercial.’ Later I learned that they were writing what turned out to be a smash Broadway musical. Oh well…”
We heard that KEITH (of 98.6 fame) has moved into a new apartment in New York. When will he take our hints and get an apt. in H’wood?
Where has New York been hiding the YOUNGBLOODS all this time? They came out to visit and to play a few gigs and to win our hearts. They succeeded. Especially Banana, the piano player, and Jesse, the lead singer, and Jerry, the lead guitarist, and Joe, the drummer. They promised to come back and don’t think we won’t hold them to it!
Baby Byrd Michael spent Christmas with his grandmother in Seattle, while David (Indianapolis 500) Crosby looked morose—he totaled his beloved Porsche.
A car or Car we see a lot of is the burgundy job MICKY MONKEE tears around the hills in. May we see the inside some time?
The LOVIN’ SPOONFUL’S producer Erik Jacobsen (congrats on “Hums”) spent several weeks here recording the SOPWITH CAMEL, who are just as cute and nice and talented as their name implies.
Speaking of the Stones…
