Howdy, hip happies! I’m in a good mood, in case you couldn’t guess from that kray-zee salutation! Why am I in a good mood? You might well arsk…
It’s been a happening month in ol’ H’wood, what with Monkees showing up everyplace we went and the Whisky featuring the Buffalo Springfield and the Byrds, both in one week, and Jackson Brown returning (victorious) from New York, and Mama Cass getting up and around after giving forth with a beautiful little girl named Owen (as mentioned in the story on Cass on page 55). But to begin at the beginning…
Remember last month, when I said that Monday nights are not the greatest for happenings? Well, forget it! Our favorite folk club hasn’t let us down since that night we followed P. Tork in and watched him sing. He is becoming a regular performer there, along with such faves as Jim Valley (who is so beautiful you have to see him to believe it!) (You have seen him? Well then, you know what I mean!) and Phil Ochs and Tim Buckley and Penny Nichols and the Lewis and Clark Expedition and where was I?
Oh, yes! Jim Valley. First of all, Harpo asked me to tell all of you that have written to him since he left the Raiders that he will try to answer all your mail before the summer is over, but, believe me, there are thousands of letters! Well, anyway, on Monday night, he was wearing one of the new outfits Genie the tailor made for him. It’s cream colored with lots of beading around the neck and across the shirt.
The same night, Phil Ochs (who is Genie’s cousin) sang some of his songs for a television crew that was there. He had to sing “I Ain’t A Marchin’ Anymore” about three times, for the cameras, and I could have listened to it a thousand times! Phil is looking for a house in this area so you will be reading more about him here…
The next Monday night, I almost fell off my chair when Mike Nesmith came in, wearing a MONKEE T-SHIRT! (I mean, Mike Nesmith looks great in a t-shirt, but a MONKEE T-SHIRT!!) He sat with his friends, the Boomer brothers, who are in a group called the Lewis and Clark Expedition. John London, Mike’s stand-in on the Monkee set, plays bass for the group and they all wear the same kind of suede jackets that Neil Young of the Buffalo Springfield wears…
We (ahem) regulars of the Monday Nite Hoot are pretty familiar with Tim Buckley tunes, but, unfortunately, we had never seen the real thing until that night. (It was rather embarrassing, you see, to stare at the beautiful little boy who kept walking in front of us and finally ask the guy next to me who he was and have the guy look at me like I had just returned from two years in Frostbite Falls and say, “That’s Tim Buckley.”) Well, you can bet that, once having set baby blues on that creature, I won’t soon forget who he is! We even drove all the way to the Paradox in Orange County to see him a few days later, only to be completely crushed by the fact that he didn’t even notice… (Did you know that Tim and Jim Fielder of the Buffalo are old friends from way back? I didn’t.)
Did you know (since I’m on that subject) that Almo and Elmo of “When the Good Sun Shines” are actually Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon, formerly of the Magicians? Ann Sternberg of the UFO says that they always used to make up names for each other in the old days in New York, and that Almo and Elmo are only two examples… (Gordon and Bonner also wrote and produced the Turtles’ hits “Happy Together” and “She’d Rather Be with Me.”)…
About those old days in New York: Jackson Brown, who is one of the most beautiful song writers/boys around, has returned from his adventures in the east. He says he’s not recording or performing or doing anything in particular, but he’s having a great time…
I didn’t mean to leave you hanging there about the Whisky a Go Go! I just kind of got off the track. Well, between two top Motown acts, there seemed to be a six-day gap, so owner Elmer Valentine signed the Byrds to hold forth at the club. All of Hollywood was buzzing about the possibility of a real happening and the place was packed with stars and press and kids from the canyon and… the Byrds didn’t show up. Jim sent a note from his mother saying that he was too sick to play, so who should take their place but the (fab) Buffalo Springfield!! (I almost forgot the name, it’s been such a long time.) Anyway, they were fab, simply fab, even though they didn’t do any of their new songs. By the time you read this, you should be well on your way to memorizing all the songs on their new album. (That is assuming that you have learned all of the ones on their first album. You have got their first album, haven’t you?)
The Byrds did show up later that week, though, and the Buffalo skipped merrily off to Quicksand, Oklahoma or somewhere like that. Jim (McGuinn) looked none the worse for wear, and (are you ready for this?) they were actually good!! On the bill was the Doors, who really should take a happy trip once in a while…
Oh, how could I keep you in suspense like this??? (It must be my Scorpio sadism.) Who should casually walk by my table and sit down right next to me (he even brushed my jacket) but Davy Jones! Wow! I mean, really, two Monkees in just one week, and three in a month!! As I leaned over to pick up my cool, who should lean over to pick up his wallet (no, I didn’t pick his pocket!) but DAVE CLARK!! He had come with Davy’s party, along with David Pearl and Chip Douglas. Davy really seemed to enjoy the Buffalo, but then I suppose that’s just because Peter’s been talking of nothing else…
I suppose it’s old news now that Fang and Smitty and Drake have formed a new group, after leaving the Raiders. That leaves only Paul and Mark to hold down the somewhat crumbling fort… (Flash! There are three new Raiders! Freddy Weller, Charlie Coe, and Joe, Jr.)
I could go on like this forever, but I’ve got to get back to the old school books, since it’s that time of the year again. So, Hwood Underground and all my fab friends at sea, fare thee well!
