A NIGHT TO REMEMBER...

IT WAS A NIGHT IN 1969...IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAD EVER SET FOOT ON CALIFORNIA SOIL. THE GW WERE IN LOS ANGELES, I BELIEVE, TO APPEAR ON AMERICAN BANDSTAND. WE HAD ALREADY HAD "THESE EYES" AND I THINK "LAUGHING / UNDUN" HAD BEEN RELEASED, BUT THE DATES ARE A BIT FUZZY.
WE CAME INTO TOWN FROM THE AIRPORT AND CHECKED IN TO THE TRAVEL LODGE ON SUNSET, RIGHT NEAR LA BREA, AT ABOUT NINE IN THE EVENING. I HAD NEVER SEEN L.A. BEFORE. I WAS ENTHRALLED...
I WANTED TO GO OUT SIGHT SEEING, BUT THE OTHER THREE GUYS WERE JUST NOT INTERESTED.
SINCE BEING A SMALL KID IN THE NORTH END OF WINNIPEG, I HAD BEEN A HUGE FAN OF "77 SUNSET STRIP". SAW EVERY SINGLE EPISODE. ONE OF MY HEROES HAD BEEN EDD "KOOKIE" BYRNES. HE PARKED THE CARS AT DINO'S LOUNGE ON SUNSET. THAT WAS THE FIRST THING I WANTED TO SEE.
SO I LEFT THE HOTEL ALONE AND WALKED WEST ON SUNSET, TOWARD THE OCEAN. IT'S A PRETTY FAIR HIKE FROM LA BREA TO WHERE DINO'S USED TO BE, BUT I WALKED BRISKLY AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, THERE I WAS, STANDING ON THE HALLOWED GROUND OF DINO'S PARKING LOT. THAT FANTASY BEING FULFILLED, I CONTINUED WEST ON SUNSET TOWARDS THE WHISKEY A GO GO. I JUST HAD TO SEE THE PLACE THAT HAD HOUSED SUCH BANDS AS THE DOORS, THE BYRDS, BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD AND A HOST OF OTHERS.
FINALLY GOT THERE ABOUT HALF PAST MIDNIGHT. WHATEVER BAND HAD PLAYED THAT NIGHT WAS ALREADY FINISHED...MOST OF THE REMAINING CROWD WAS EITHER DRUNK OR PRETTY BUZZED ON SOMETHING. ERIC BURDON WAS THERE OVER IN A CORNER, SLOUCHED BEHIND A TABLE WITH SOME FRIENDS. I DRANK IN THE VIBES FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES, MILLING OVER IN MY MIND THE COUNTLESS GOLDEN MOMENTS IN POP MUSIC THAT HAD OCCURRED IN THE TINY CLUB.
ABOUT ONE IN THE MORNING I DECIDED I'D HAD MY FUN AND LEFT THE WHISKEY TO HAIL A CAB BACK TO MY HOTEL. RIGHT OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR ON SUNSET THERE WERE ABOUT THREE OR FOUR CABS, VERY UNUSUAL FOR LOS ANGELES. I JUMPED INTO ONE AND BEFORE I COULD SAY "I'M GOING BACK DOWN SUNSET TO THE TRAVEL LODGE AT LA BREA", THE CAB DRIVER SAID "SO...I GUESS YOU'RE GOING TO THE BIG PARTY TOO..."
WELL, I'M NOT A COMPLETE FOOL, SO I REPLIED..."YEAH".
SO NOW HERE I AM, BEEN IN LOS ANGELES FOR A TOTAL OF ABOUT FOUR HOURS IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, AND I'M ON MY WAY TO THE "BIG PARTY" UP IN THE HILLS. WE STARTED TO WIND UP THE ROADS OF THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS. TEN MINUTES INTO THIS CAB RIDE I DECIDED TO COME CLEAN WITH THE DRIVER. I TOLD HIM THAT I WASN'T REALLY INVITED TO THE "BIG PARTY", BUT IF HE'D TAKE ME THERE, I'D PAY MY FARE, AND THEN MAYBE HE COULD WAIT AND SEE IF I GOT IN. HE AGREED.
WE FINALLY ARRIVED AT A HOUSE THAT LOOKED LIKE THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES MANSION. I GOT OUT, PAID THE DRIVER AND TOLD HIM TO WAIT FOR ME IF I DIDN'T MANAGE TO GET IN.
I RANG THE DOORBELL OF THE HUGE FRONT DOOR AND SOME LOON OPENED IT AND SHOUTED "COME ON IN..."
SO MUCH FOR THE CAB DRIVER WAITING...THERE WAS NO NEED FOR THAT NOW.
THE SCENE WAS INSANE...NAKED PEOPLE IN THE POOL, PEOPLE SWILLING LIQUOR AND SNORTING COKE EVERYWHERE, AND JUST NOISE, NOISE, NOISE. I HAD BEEN IN CALIFORNIA FOR A TOTAL OF ABOUT FOUR HOURS, AND HERE I WAS AT SOME WING DING UP IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS. SOME GUY WITH A BRITISH ACCENT TOLD ME TO FOLLOW HIM TO THE KITCHEN FOR A BEER, WHICH I DID QUITE WILLINGLY. SO...NOW I AT LEAST HAD A BEER.
I WALKED AROUND, KIND OF INTIMIDATED, NOT KNOWING A SOUL IN THE HOUSE. THERE WAS A SMALL, CUT OFF UPRIGHT PIANO IN THE CORNER OF THE MAIN LIVING ROOM, SO I SAT DOWN ON THE BENCH, PUT MY BEER DOWN AND STARTED TINKERING SOFTLY, DOWN IN THE RANGE OF MIDDLE C. NO ONE COULD HEAR ME ANYWAY, SO THIS WENT ON FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES.
VERY UNOBTRUSIVELY, SOMEONE SAT DOWN NEXT TO ME ON THE PIANO BENCH, AND STARTED TINKERING SOFTLY ON THE UPPER REGISTER BESIDE ME. I DIDN'T LOOK UP FOR A FEW MINUTES, BUT WHEN I DID, I THOUGHT THIS GUY LOOKED KINDA FAMILIAR...ANOTHER GLANCE, AND SURE ENOUGH, IT WAS JIM MORRISON...BLACK JEANS, DARK BROWN SUEDE BOMBER JACKET, FULL BEARD AND LOTS OF HAIR...CLASSIC JIMBO...
NO ONE ELSE IN THE ROOM SEEMED TO KNOW IT WAS HIM...EITHER THAT OR THEY WERE ENTIRELY UNINTERESTED.
I SWILLED THE REST OF MY BEER AND ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED ONE...YOU SEE, BY NOW, I KNEW WHERE THE BEERS WERE. JIM FOLLOWED ME TO THE FRIDGE IN THE KITCHEN AND WE GRABBED TWO COLD ONES. NOW...THIS WAS NOT LONG AFTER JIM'S TROUBLE IN MIAMI. THE DOORS HADN'T PERFORMED IN A WHILE, AND I THINK THE TRIAL WAS STILL PENDING. I DIDN'T WANT TO GET IN HIS FACE, BUT I HAD TO ASK HIM "SO, MAN, WHAT ABOUT MIAMI...A LOT OF SHIT...? WHAT'S HAPPENING...?"
HE JUST GRINNED ONE OF THOSE FABULOUS "JIMBO GRINS" AND SAID "OH, IT'LL BE ALL RIGHT..."
WE BOTH WENT BACK TO THE PIANO BENCH, BUT THIS TIME WE JUST SAT DOWN AND DRANK OUR BEERS. ABOUT THIS TIME, TWO YOUNG HOLLYWOOD STRUMPET TYPES CAME UP TO JIM AND SAID "IT'S TIME TO GO, JIM..." HE PULLED SOME KEYS OUT OF HIS POCKET AND STARTED TO MAKE HIS WAY TO THE FRONT DOOR. HE'D HAD A FEW AND I THOUGHT HE SHOULDN'T BE DRIVING. OUT OF THE F*&@*G BLUE I JUST SAID "HEY MAN, DON'T DRIVE...LET ME DRIVE...I'LL TAKE YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, AND YOU CAN DROP ME OFF THERE...I'LL GET BACK HOME LATER..."
TO MY AMAZEMENT, HE HANDED ME THE KEYS AND SAID "OKAY, LET'S GO..."
THE TWO GIRLS LED JIMBO TO HIS CAR (AT LEAST I ASSUMED IT WAS HIS)...IT WAS A SHINY SILVER GTO WITH A BLACK VINYL ROOF. HE OPENED THE TRUNK TO REVEAL A HUGE ALUMINUM WASHTUB FILLED WITH ICED MILLER HIGH LIFE BEERS. HE AND THE GIRLS GRABBED ONE APIECE AND THE THREE OF THEM CLIMBED INTO THE BACK SEAT. I GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL AND STARTED TO DRIVE.
NOW THE LAST THING JIM HAD TO HEAR AT THIS POINT WAS THAT I WAS THE BIGGEST DOORS FREAK IN NORTH AMERICA AND THAT I KNEW EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM. HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT ALL THIS WAS MEANING TO ME, BUT I NEVER EVEN LET ON THAT I WAS A MUSICIAN. SILENCE FOR A WHILE...JIM WOULD OCCASIONALLY SAY "TURN RIGHT HERE" OR "JUST KEEP GOING DOWN THIS STREET"...I HAD NO IDEA IN HELL WHERE I WAS DRIVING, AND I WAS NEW TO L.A. AND THERE WAS LIQUOR IN THE CAR, SO I JUST DROVE CAUTIOUSLY LIKE A LIMO DRIVER. ONCE IN A WHILE JIM WOULD SAY TO ONE OF THE GIRLS "SOME FOR THE DRIVER, SOME FOR THE DRIVER" UPON WHICH ONE OF THE GIRLS WOULD HAND ME ONE OF THE BEERS SO I COULD DOWN A SIP.
AFTER A WHILE THE CONVERSATION STARTED.
MY GOD HE WAS ARTICULATE...EVEN HALF DRUNK, HE WAS MORE LUCID AND INTELLIGENT THAN NINETY PER CENT OF ALL THE PEOPLE I'VE EVER MET IN THIS LIFETIME.
HE WAS SO WELL READ...HE TALKED ABOUT GREAT AUTHORS...MARK TWAIN, RUDYARD KIPLING, LEWIS CARROL AND MANY OTHERS I CAN'T RECALL NOW. HE TALKED ABOUT THE UNIVERSE AND ITS SIZE...HE TALKED ABOUT THE GREAT PAINTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE ERA...HE TALKED ABOUT GREAT POETS, TOUCHING FROM TIME TO TIME ON WILLIAM BLAKE AND MAYBE BEAUDELAIRE...I'M RECALLING WHATEVER I CAN REMEMBER AFTER ALL THESE YEARS...
EVERY TIME THEIR BOTTLES WERE EMPTY, I WAS TOLD TO PULL OVER AND STOP, WHEREUPON ONE OF THE GIRLS WOULD GET OUT AND BRING IN ANOTHER FEW MILLER HIGH LIFES FROM THE TRUNK. THIS WENT ON FOR HOURS. THE THREE OF THEM WERE GETTING DRUNKER AND FRIENDLIER IN THE BACK SEAT...
IT WAS ALL SO SURREAL...MY FIRST NIGHT EVER IN LOS ANGELES, AND I WAS CHAUFFERING THE LIZARD KING AROUND ON HIS TURF. JUST ABOUT SUNRISE, THE THREE OF THEM SUDDENLY SAID THAT THEY "HAD TO GET BACK TO THEIR PLACE" WHATEVER THAT MEANT. I JUST SAID "OKAY, I'LL GET OUT HERE...JIM, LET ONE OF THE GIRLS DRIVE..." I GOT OUT OF THE GTO ON VENTURA BLVD. IN THE VALLEY, ONE OF THE GIRLS GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL, AND I WATCHED THE GTO PULL AWAY WESTWARD ON VENTURA...AND THAT WAS THAT.
I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH MONEY IN MY POCKET, AND I HAD TO TAKE A COMBINATION OF BUSSES AND A CAB TO GET BACK TO OUR TRAVEL LODGE HOTEL. HELL, I'D ENDED UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HILL. I WAS A LONG, LONG WAY FROM BACHMAN, PETERSON, AND KALE...
WHEN I FINALLY GOT BACK TO THE TRAVEL LODGE, THE SUN WAS UP...IT WAS THE NEXT MORNING. WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO ME HADN'T REALLY SUNK IN YET...I TOLD THE WHOLE STORY TO THE OTHER THREE THAT MORNING...I DON'T THINK KALE AND PETERSON BELIEVED ME FOR A SECOND...I THINK RANDY BELIEVED ME, BUT HE DIDN'T SAY MUCH...THE DOORS HAD NEVER REALLY MEANT MUCH TO THE OTHER GUYS. I WAS YOUNGER, AND I HAD DONE ACID, SO THE GAP BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE OTHER THREE WAS ENORMOUS AT THAT PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME.
JUST OVER A YEAR LATER, JIM MORRISON WAS GONE...FOREVER...
YEARS LATER, I BECAME PART OF A WEEKLY BUNCH OF NBA FANATICS WHO WOULD ALL GET TOGETHER ON SUNDAYS TO WATCH MICHAEL JORDAN ON TELEVISION WHENEVER WE GOT THE CHANCE. ONE OF THIS GROUP WAS RAY MANZAREK. WHEN I TOLD HIM ABOUT MY NIGHT WITH JIM, HE TOLD ME "HELL MAN, YOU SPENT MORE TIME WITH JIM THAN ALMOST ANYBODY..."

TO THIS DAY, I FEEL IT WAS THE MUSIC GODS GIVING ME A SMALL GIFT TO REWARD MY FASCINATION WITH MUSIC IN GENERAL, IN PARTICULAR THE DOORS AND JIM'S WORK. IT WAS A NIGHT TO REMEMBER...AND I WILL REMEMBER IT ALWAYS...

GL & GH...
B.C.

ALBUM VERY SOON NOW...

GOT THE IDEA FOR "PRETTY PICTURES" FROM SOME MOVIE I SAW YEARS AGO, WHEREIN A YOUNG GIRL WAS ABUSED, TORTURED, AND THEN ALWAYS LOCKED UP IN A SMALL CLOSET...THROUGH ALL THIS ORDEAL, THE ONLY WAY SHE STAYED ALIVE AND REASONABLY COHERENT WAS TO "LIVE IN PRETTY PICTURES" IN HER HEAD. SOMETIMES I DON'T THINK THINGS THROUGH...JUST "GET THEM OUT" AND LEAVE THEM THAT WAY...I ALMOST DID THAT WITH "PRETTY PICTURES"...UP UNTIL THE VERY END, I HAD SUNG "YOU RULE BY FEAR, YOU RULE BY PASSION..." (KINDA THINKING ABOUT GUYS LIKE SADDAM HUSSEIN...) AND HERE I WAS SORT OF "SPEAKING" TOWARD THOSE GUYS, INSTEAD OF SPEAKING TOWARD THE LISTENER...DORK !!! DUH !!!
DURING THE FINAL MIXING DAYS, I WENT IN AND RE SANG THOSE WORDS, DIRECTING THEM THIS TIME TOWARD THE LISTENER, AND SAYING "YOU-ARE-RULED-BY-FEAR-YOU-ARE-RULED-BY-PASSION...AND THAT ISN'T OKAY..."
SEE, NOW IT AT LEAST MAKES SOME SORT OF SENSE...(DORK !!!)
I WOULD HAVE REGRETTED LETTING IT GO WITHOUT ADDRESSING THAT LITTLE TIDBIT...
I WAS HAVING A LISTEN TO ATG TONIGHT IN THE GOOD SONYS, AND I MUST SAY, THERE'S NOT MUCH I WOULD CHANGE, EVEN IF I STILL COULD...PRETTY WELL GOT THE ALBUM I WANT HERE AT THIS TIME...
I THINK YOU'LL ALL LOVE THE VIDEO THAT ACCOMPANIES THE ALBUM...
LIL HAS SWORN ME TO SECRECY ABOUT IT, BECAUSE THERE ARE A FEW SPECIAL SURPRISES, BUT THIS MUCH I CAN HONESTLY, ARTISTICALLY SAY...SHE HAS CAPTURED THE VERY CORE ESSENCE OF THE MAKING OF THIS ALBUM, AND ALSO CAPTURED THE ESSENCE OF EACH OF THE CARPET FROGS...THE BOYS ARE GOOD ON CAMERA...THEY'RE SMART, AND THEY'RE VERY, VERY GOOD PLAYERS...EVEN GABE FROM ROCKET POST DIGITAL IN TORONTO, WHO IS A MUSICIAN HIMSELF, AND DID SOME FINAL TWEEKING ON THE DVD SOUNDTRACK, REMARKED WHAT A TASTY PLAYER TIM BOVACONTI IS...
VISUALLY, YOU WILL BE TAKEN RIGHT TO BLUE MOON, AND WILL RE-LIVE SOME OF THE FINAL MASTER VOCAL TRACKS AND GUITAR SOLOS (ACTUALLY CAPTURED WHILE THEY WERE DONE)...
AND FOLKS, THERE'S LOTS OF SHENANIGANS...LOTS....AND LOTS OF SWEARING...JUST HONEST STUFF THAT HAPPENS DURING MONTHS OF LONG DAYS (MORE LIKE NIGHTS...LOL).
I'M SWORN NOT TO REVEAL ANYTHING MORE, BUT SUFFICE TO SAY, IT'S OVER SIXTY MINUTES OF REAL LIFE, CAPTURED VERY, VERY PROFESSIONALLY AND INTERESTINGLY BY YOU ALL KNOW WHO...
I HAVE TO FLY AGAIN TOMORROW...REHEARSING THE TUNES FROM ATG...GETTING THEM "STAGE READY"...WE'RE GONNA DO "ROLLAWAY" WITH ALL THE FROGS STANDING UP DOWN FRONT AND YOURS TRULY ON PIANO...
BOUT TIME THERE WAS A BEAUTIFUL SONG ABOUT A ROLLAWAY BED...
THANKS TO ALL FOR THE COMMENTS AND REVIEWS...THIS IS THE TIME TO SPREAD THE WORD...GOD, TONIGHT I WAS REHEARSING AT MY LITTLE PIANO FOR THE HMV SIGNING THING...I'M SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT THREE SONGS ALONE AT THE PIANO...TONIGHT I ACTUALLY TRIED TO POUND OUT USA ALL BY MYSELF...IT MIGHT BE OKAY, JUST FOR A ONE TIME THING...GOOD GRIEF...A BRAND NEW HELL...NEW AND DIFFERENT PRESSURES...OH WELL, AT LEAST IT KEEPS THE MIND ALIVE AND THE HEART RATE UP...
ABOVE THE GROUND SOLO SOUNDS OKAY, THOUGH...SO I'LL DEFINITELY DO THAT ONE...MIGHT EVEN SING "MARKET MY LETTERS" IF IT DOESN'T PISS OFF THE RECORD COMPANY, SEEING AS IT'S NOT ON ATG...
DECISIONS, DECISIONS...
NO REST FOR THE SHALLOW AND IRRESPONSIBLE...
BY THE WAY...ABOUT THE TORONTO INTERVIEW...CALM DOWN, FOLKS...WE ALL DON'T LIVE THE SAME LIVES...MAN, SOME OF YOU GET FAR TOO EXCITED ABOUT HONESTY...
GOD, IF I CAN'T SAY WHAT I WANT, WHAT THE FUCK IS THE USE OF DOING INTERVIEWS ANYWAY...PEOPLE WANT YOU TO BE HONEST, BUT ONLY IF IT FITS THEIR LITTLE "PRETTY PICTURE"...
CALM DOWN, KIDS...I'M SIXTY...AT THIS POINT, I SAY WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT...IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE SIXTY, YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...IF YOU'RE NOT, AND YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THINGS I SAY, THEN GO SOMEWHERE ELSE...OR SIMPLY, JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP...
NEWCASTLES AND JOINTS DON'T MAKE PEOPLE GO TO SCHOOL AND MOW DOWN THIRTY OF THEIR CLASSMATES...WOULDN'T IT BE CUTE IF I JUST SAID HOW CLEAN I AM...WOULDN'T IT BE CUTE IF I WALKED AROUND SAYING "FRIG THIS" AND "GOSH DARN IT"...WOULDN'T IT BE CUTE IF WE ALL JUST SAID SOME PRAYERS AND WENT TO BED WITH THE BEST OF INTENTIONS...I GUESS IT WOULD, BUT THEN WHERE WOULD CNN FIT IN...?
THERE I GO AGAIN, PLACING FAR TOO MUCH IMPORTANCE ON MYSELF...SORRY, BUT IT JUST GETS TO ME SOMETIMES...SORRY...
ROCK ON...
B.C.

INTERVIEW TWO WEEKS AGO

Go to Google News

Burton Cummings in an interview with The Canadian Press in Toronto on Monday October 6, 2008. Cummings bares his soul on his first solo disc in 18 years. At double-album length, "Above the Ground" features frank lyrics on politics, career ups and downs and Cummings' struggle with fame. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
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Burton Cummings bares soul on frank new disc, 'Above The Ground'
1 hour ago
TORONTO — When he's alone, Burton Cummings can become consumed by the past.
He says he ruminates on his fame, the drug-fuelled hippie days, friends that he's lost. A few years back, such reflective moments might have pulled him into depression, says the legendary rocker. But lately, they've served as musical inspiration, resulting in Cummings's most candid album yet.
"Above The Ground" is Cummings's first solo release in nearly 20 years, a 19-track opus with remarkably frank lyrics that delve into life in California ("Couldn't face the folks/tired of bein' the butt of jokes"), disillusionment with show business ("I knew someday the music might get evil/I knew someday I'd be a helpless pawn") and the consequences of a life of excess ("Been wakin' up with my nose in the eggs now/And I suppose that I could use a shower").
While many of his rock 'n' roll contemporaries from the 1960s have quit drinking and drugging, the former Guess Who frontman admits he still indulges in both.
"I still drink, I still drink with great gusto, whether it's a problem or not, that's really other people's opinion," Cummings says during a recent interview in a posh hotel lobby.
"I still stay up and I like to smoke a joint and I don't go nuts anymore.... I think when you reach a certain age, you have to kind of grow up professionally and personally and I'm kind of trying to stay positive about everything now and focus on the future and this record is a big part of that. I know how lucky I am. Not everybody gets to have a new release at this stage in life."
The comments came just as one of Cummings's former party pals - shock rocker Alice Cooper - happened to walk into the hotel, stopping by to shake hands with his old friend. Cooper has been dry for more than two decades.
Another friend of Cummings, Guess Who guitarist Kurt Winter, had his own bout with substance abuse and died in 1997 of kidney failure.
Still shaken by that death, Cummings wanted to honour his late bandmate on the new album with the track "Kurt's Song."
The moustached singer says the new disc marks the first time he's written all material on his own, and he found the experience to be a cathartic one.
"Lyrically, I think it's the strongest album I've ever done because I am not pretending in any way, I am not trying to be anything I'm not," he says.
"The lyrics just deal with having lived now six decades, a reflection back on a very interesting life - ups and downs, triumphs and failures and the title really comes from that old joke: 'Every day above the grass is a good day.' ... I feel pretty ambitious still, for an old codger my age."
By Cummings account, he's "lived 50 lifetimes by most people's standards."
There may be some hyperbole there, but there's no disputing that the Winnipegger is among the most successful rock singers to ever come from Canada.
With the Guess Who, Cummings's soulful voice was at the forefront of a string of international chart-toppers in the '60s and '70s including, "American Woman," "No Time," "No Sugar Tonight," and "These Eyes."
Cummings's early solo successes include the '70s rock radio classic "Stand Tall," but he hasn't put out his own disc of material since 1990's "Plus Signs." More recently, he has reunited with his Guess Who partner Randy Bachman for last year's cover album "Jukebox" and fan-friendly greatest-hits tours as the Bachman-Cummings Band.
Cummings says he pursued a solo disc when Bachman was sidelined by shoulder trouble last November. While the project gave him a chance to explore guarded parts of his persona, it allowed for some fun, too, such as the album's bizarre tribute to a rollaway bed, called "Rollaway." Now 60, Cummings says he's grateful for having led a charmed life overall, but there's been disappointment, too, and he's only recently been able to view darker times as opportunities to grow.
"I think what happened is, five or six years ago I got to a point in my life where I started being more appreciative of what I did have and started worrying less and less, if at all, about what I didn't have," says Cummings, dressed all in black in loose jeans and a long-sleeved shirt thrown over a Doors T-shirt.
"Once I got to that point, life got a little bit less complicated mentally for me and I think that's where I am now and probably where I'll stay."
Cummings says he hopes the disc gives longtime fans a sense of his rocky relationship with stardom and his struggle to remain as artistically honest as he can.
"I've been knocked down a few times career-wise and I've had unbelievably heart-breaking failures - things that I put out that I thought were going to just take the world by storm and they did exactly the opposite," Cummings says of his decades-long music career.
"And I think what makes you strong is getting back up from those times you get knocked down. And everytime I was able to do that, I thought, 'OK, this will creep intrinsically into my songwriting,' and I think it has."
"Above the Ground" comes out Tuesday.
___

AMAZON

HI TO ALL...JUST A QUICK NOTE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN (IF YOU WISH) GO TO AMAZON AND LEAVE COMMENTS OR REVIEWS OF WHAT YOU'VE HEARD SO FAR FROM ABOVE THE GROUND...OUR INTERNET TEAM IS REALLY WINDING UP A LOT OF THINGS AT ONCE THESE DAYS...CLOSE TO RELEASE DATE NOW...VERY EXCITING FOR YOURS TRULY...VERY BUSY THOUGH...ENDLESS HOURS ON THE PHONE TALKING TO REVIEWERS AND CRITICS...ALL GOOD NEWS THOUGH...THEY SEEM TO LIKE MY LYRICS A LOT THIS TIME ROUND...MAYBE ALL THESE SIXTY YEARS OF LIFE ARE SURFACING IN THE SONGS...

AMAZON.CA PRE-ORDER LINK

GL & GH...
LITM...
PEACE HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE...
B.C.

THIS IS FOR REAL

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to update you on a few things. We have the Fire OG Kush back in stock for now. It's as great as ever. We have a wonderful Organic Afgoo which is a full indica.(evening, sleep, pain) as well as a Purple Bubba Kush which is an indica as well. We just got in a strain called "Trash" which is Trainwreck crossed with Hash Plant. It's an indica dominant strain that is organic as well and beautiful and frosty. Honey Buds are here, a couple kinds of hash and maybe the strongest edibles in town. Edibles are $12 and $8. We now only have two strains that are at $65 an eighth while everything else is $60 or below. I've been adding photos to our menu on our website. Check it out.
Please remember our new hours are:
Monday thru Friday 11am til 8 pm
Saturday from 11am til 6 pm
Closed Sundays

THE ABOVE WAS RELAYED TO ME BY A GOOD FRIEND HERE IN L.A. TODAY. FOLKS, I CAN VIVIDLY REMEMBER A TIME WHEN WE WOULD SIT IN DIM LIGHTS, PLAY MUSIC INCREDIBLY SOFTLY, AND SPEAK ALMOST IN WHISPERS, AFTER PUTTING WET TOWELS ALL AROUND DOORWAYS IN HOTELS OR APARTMENTS FOR FEAR OF GOING TO JAIL FOR A JOINT. THE ABOVE BULLETIN WAS SENT OUT BY www.greenhouseherbs.com
AN ACTUAL GREEN LADY STORE, RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT. I (AND ANYBODY CURRENTLY READING THIS) MUST ADMIT WE LIVE IN AN AGE OF EXTREME CHANGE...I GUESS PART OF IT IS, I'M ALMOST 61...SURE, I'M BOUND TO HAVE SEEN CHANGE...HELL, WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TELEVISION TILL I WAS ABOUT 8. I NEVER EVEN LAID EYES ON A BLACK PERSON TILL I WAS ABOUT 7 OR 8 YEARS OLD. WE NEVER LOCKED OUR DOORS AT NIGHT...(YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, BURTON...WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY...WHAT'S YER POINT...?"
IT'S JUST THAT I WAS REALLY, REALLY INTO WHAT GRASS DID FOR ME, AND IT WAS THE LEAST HARMFUL OF ALL, YET IT REALLY GAVE YOU MAXIMUM BENEFIT...FIRSTLY, TO REALIZE THAT THE GREEN LADY STORE ACTUALLY EXISTS IN THIS UNIVERSE (IT'S ABOUT 10 MINUTES FROM MY HOME), AND THEN TO SEE THAT THEY'RE PUTTING OUT BULLETINS ABOUT THE "LATEST AND GREATEST STRAINS..."
WELL, I GUESS I REALLY AM GETTING OLD (IN YEARS, HOPEFULLY NOT "UPSTAIRS" )
I ONCE WATCHED AN INTERVIEW WITH GREGORY PECK AND THEY TOUCHED UPON THE SUBJECT OF "CHANGE"...
HE SAID "YOU KNOW, ALL LIFE IS BASED ON CHANGE"...
NEVER FORGOT THAT...
HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD...
BE WELL...
B.C.

A LINE FROM A SONG

AN ALBUM BY BUTTHOLE SURFERS FROM 1996 CALLED "ELECTRICLARRYLAND" HAS A CUT ON IT CALLED "PEPPER"...ONE LINE ALWAYS STUCK WITH ME...

"YOU NEVER KNOW JUST HOW YOU LOOK THROUGH OTHER PEOPLES' EYES..."

SNACK FOR THOUGHT...
BE WELL ALL...
B.C.

PONDERLUST

SOMEONE ASKED ME ABOUT MY THOUGHTS ON EXISTENTIALISM AND HOW IT CREPT INTO SOME SONGS...BIG CANVAS, LOTTA PAINT, BUT HERE ARE A FEW TIDBITS...
FIRSTLY, WHAT IS EXISTENTIALISM...WELL, THE WAY I SEE IT, IT'S THE EVER PRESENT ANALYSIS OF EXISTENCE...A STATE OF MIND ALMOST OVERLY CONCERNED WITH EXAMINATION OF ONE'S OWN EXISTENCE, ONE'S OWN ACTUAL "BEING" (USED HERE AS A VERB, NOT A NOUN). BEFORE I EVEN WENT TO KINDERGARTEN AT LUXTON, I WAS VAGUELY AWARE OF THE CONCEPT OF "FREEZING TIME". I GOT THIS FROM MY MOTHER'S COLLECTION OF 78'S.
LONG BEFORE WE HAD TELEVISION, I WOULD CLIMB UP ON A CHAIR, PUT ON ONE OF MY MOTHER'S RECORDS, CRANK UP THE OLD GRAMOPHONE AND PLUNK THE NEEDLE DOWN ONTO THE EDGE...THE SONG WOULD PLAY, AND I WOULD GRAB THE NEEDLE AND PLUNK IT DOWN AGAIN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RECORD. AT THIS EARLY STAGE OF LIFE, I REALIZED THAT A PORTION OF TIME HAD BEEN "FROZEN" ON THAT RECORD. ALL I HAD TO DO TO RE-LIVE IT WAS PLUNK THE OLD NEEDLE DOWN AGAIN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RECORD. NOW, THAT'S NOT EXISTENTIAL PER SE, BUT IT LEADS TOWARD THE CONCEPT. FOR INSTANCE...I KNEW IN MY LITTLE HEAD THAT I COULD GO OUTSIDE INTO THE YARD, BUT IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE THAT AGAIN, I WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK INSIDE, AND "GO OUT INTO THE YARD AGAIN"...I WOULD HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. BUT ON THE RECORD, THE "RE-DOING" OF THE ACT HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE FOR ME BY THE PEOPLE IN THAT STUDIO...SO A PIECE OF THEIR LIVES HAD BEEN FROZEN IN TIME, AND THE LISTENER WAS ABLE TO EXPERIENCE IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN AT WILL.
I ONCE HEARD OR READ THIS..."A COW KNOWS HOW TO EAT GRASS, BUT IT DOESN'T KNOW THAT IT KNOWS..."
NOW SEE, HERE WE GET CLOSER TO THE CENTER OF THIS.
I WAS ALWAYS FASCINATED BY THE NIGHT. IF I WAS COMING HOME TO 97 FROM THE DELUXE THEATRE WITH MY MOM AND AUNT PAT AFTER DARK, I FOUND A DIFFERENT ENERGY IN THE AIR...AND I KNEW IT...DAMNED WELL KNEW IT, WITHOUT EVER A DOUBT...AT A VERY YOUNG AGE, THE POWERS THAT BE WERE MAKING THEMSELVES KNOWN TO ME.
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE DEVERONS, THE INCREDIBLE FOCUS SOME OF US HAD STILL OVERWHELMS ME. EDD SMITH AND I SPENT UNTOLD HOURS LISTENING, TALKING, AND DREAMING ABOUT RECORDS...AND MAKING RECORDS...AND "WHAT WAS IT LIKE THAT DAY IN THE STUDIO FOR CLIFF AND HANK"...WE REALLY WERE IN A "THEATRE OF THE MIND". MAYBE BECAUSE WINNIPEG WAS SO REMOTE THE DREAMS TOOK ON A GREATER LIFE. WHEN I HEARD BOBBY DARIN AND BOBBY RYDELL AS A KID ON LANSDOWNE, I COULD ALMOST SMELL WHAT THE STUDIO MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE THE DAY THEY CUT THOSE RECORDS.
IN EARLY 1961, MY FRIEND ISRAEL LUDWIG WAS HAVING A PARTY IN HIS PARENTS' BEAUTIFUL BIG HOUSE ON SCOTIA. THE MRACLES HAD JUST RELEASED "SHOP AROUND" ON MOTOWN RECORDS AND I LOVED IT...LOVED IT TO THE POINT THAT I LEARNED EVERY TINY DETAIL OF SMOKEY'S SINGING AND PHRASING ON THE ENTIRE RECORD. I HAD A COPY OF IT, AND SO DID ISRAEL. FOR ALMOST A WEEK BEFORE THE PARTY, I GOT MY LIP SYNC CHOPS TOGETHER SO I HAD "SHOP AROUND" DOWN PERFECTLY. PRIDED MYSELF ON THE FACT THAT EVEN SMOKEY COULDN'T DO IT ANY BETTER IF HE WAS ON AMERICAN BANDSTAND.
NOW, WHAT THE HELLL DOES ALL THIS DRIVEL MEAN...? WELL, IT'S THE "DRIVE" OR "FOCUS" I'M TRYING TO EXPLAIN HERE. WITH THAT DRIVE AND FOCUS COMES A PRICE...AND THE PRICE I PAID WAS QUESTIONING...ONCE I HAD THAT SHOP AROUND LIP SYNC DOWN PERFECTLY, I LOOKED AT MYSELF IN THE MIRROR AND LAUGHED AS IF TO SAY "WELL, SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN...?"
ONCE WHEN I WAS VERY SMALL, I WAS LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AT A SPARROW...IT WAS JANUARY IN WINNIPEG AND IT WAS ABOUT THIRTY BELOW, AND I WONDERED HOW THIS TINY BIRD COULD JUST SIT THERE AS THOUGH EVERYTHING WAS JUST FINE. THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME...EVERYTHING WAS JUST FINE. OR, AT LEAST EVERYTHING WAS JUST AS IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE...
I DON'T KNOW IF I'M EXPLAINING MYSELF PROPERLY HERE, SO I'LL TRY AGAIN...
AFTER OUR GUESS WHO TRIP TO JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA IN 1972, I CAME HOME TO WINNIPEG VERY SICK. SOME MILK I'D DRUNK IN JAPAN HADN'T BEEN PASTEURIZED AND I CAUGHT SOME TYPE OF INTESTINAL PARASITE...JUST FUCKING GREAT...ASIAN BUGS BREEDING INSIDE OF ME...JUST FUCKING GREAT...I SPENT CHRISTMAS IN THE HOSPITAL THAT YEAR WHILE THE DOCTORS RAN COUNTLESS TESTS ON WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME. I REALLY CAME TO THINK I MIGHT BE DYING. THEY TOOK SALIVA AND URINE AND STOOLS AND BLOOD FROM ME AND SENT THEM AWAY TO SOME LAB AND DID MORE TESTS AND FED ME SULFA DRUGS AND SUCH, AND I JUST GOT SICKER AND WEAKER AND MORE DEPRESSED AND SCARED...AND THE PAIN...OH BROTHER...KNIVES ALL DAY...NOT TROLLING FOR SYMPATHY HERE...WE ALL KNOW PAIN...JUST LETTING YOU KNOW THAT I KNOW...WHILE I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL, I READ "ONE, TWO, THREE...INFINITY" BY GEORGE GAMOW. NOW, BY THIS TIME I HAD DONE A LOT OF ACID AND MESCALINE AND OTHER STUFF, BUT THAT BOOK SEEMED TO PUT A LOT OF EXPERIENCES TOGETHER IN A PLACE WHERE I COULD REALLY PERUSE THEM. ONE OVERWHELMING THING THAT BOOK DID FOR ME WAS PUT THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE SLIGHTLY MORE INTO PERSPECTIVE. I REMEMBER A DRAWING ON A PAGE OF THE BOOK. OUR SUN WAS REPRESENTED AS ONE DOT, THE SIZE OF A SINGLE DOT MADE BY A BALLPOINT PEN. THE REST OF THE ENTIRE PAGE WAS ENGULFED BY A HUGE CIRCLE, REPRESENTING ONE OF THE SMALLER STARS KNOWN TO MAN...NEVER BEFORE THAT MOMENT HAD I CONTEMPLATED SIZE TO THAT EXTENT. TO THIS DAY, I HAVE TROUBLE THINKING IN TERMS OF "LIGHT YEARS"...THINK OF IT FOR A MOMENT...LIGHT TRAVELS AT 186,000 MILES PER SECOND. SO HOW FAR IS THAT IN A YEAR...DO THE MATH...THEN THE SCIENTISTS TELL US THAT CERTAIN STARS ARE "MILLIONS" OF LIGHT YEARS AWAY...IT'S TOUGH TO GRASP THE CONCEPT OF THAT MUCH DISTANCE. SO OF COURSE, THE QUESTION FOLLOWS..."WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN...?"
OUR EARTH IS JUST EXACTLY THE RIGHT DISTANCE FROM THE SUN...JUST EXACTLY...MUCH CLOSER AND WE WOULD FRY...MUCH FURTHER AND WE WOULD FREEZE...NOW...OUR MOON IS EXACTLY THE RIGHT DISTANCE FROM THE EARTH...JUST EXACTLY...IF THE MOON WERE MUCH FURTHER AWAY, EARTH WOULD SPIN SO RAPIDLY THAT "EVERYTHING WOULD FLY OFF INTO SPACE"...THE CHANCES OF THIS HAPPENING BY ACCIDENT ARE SLIM TO NONE...SO, IS OUR WHOLE SOLAR SYSTEM JUST SOME COMPLEX "CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENT" ? AND BY WHOM OR WHAT IS THIS EXPERIMENT BEING CARRIED OUT...?
THE EASY ANSWER IS A GOD OR POWER OF SOME KIND...BUT WE'LL NEVER REALLY KNOW. IF WE'LL NEVER REALLY KNOW ALL OF THIS, THEN WHY WERE WE GIVEN THE POWER TO WONDER ABOUT IT ? OR MAYBE NOT "GIVEN" THE POWER, BUT SOMEHOW CAME TO HAVE IT...
SO, BEING IN THE HOSPITAL AND BEING SO SICK AND CONFRONTING THE FACT THAT I MIGHT BE "MOVING ON" SOON, I CAME TO A DEEPER REGION OF THOUGHT. A YEAR EARLIER,
ON "SO LONG BANNATYNE", WE DID A CUT CALLED "LIFE IN THE BLOODSTREAM". I NEVER SHOULD HAVE DONE IT IN DOO WOP STYLE...IT CLOUDED THE WORDS AND MOST PEOPLE DIDN'T GET WHAT I WAS GOING FOR. WE DID A SHORT MOVIE (THEY WEREN'T CALLED "VIDEOS" YET) FOR "LAUGHING" IN 1969. THE COMPANY THAT DID IT WERE CALLED "THE UNDERGOUND VEJETABLES" OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO. ONE OF THESE GUYS HAD DONE A LOT OF ACID AND HE AND I WERE TALKING ONE DAY ABOUT THE UNIVERSE AND "WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN" KINDA STUFF...HE SAID "WHAT IF IT'S ALL A NATURAL PROGRESSION IN OUR IMAGE...?" HE MEANT THAT OUR ENTIRE UNIVERSE COULD BE A SINGLE CELL IN A HUMAN BODY SOMEWHERE. THAT SINGLE THOUGHT ALMOST KNOCKED ME DOWN THAT DAY...ALMOST KNOCKED ME OFF MY FEET.
AND I WROTE "I HOPE THE LITTLE BOY DON'T FALL AND SKIN HIS KNEE" ...MEANING THAT SOMEWHERE, IN SOME "OTHER UNIVERSE", A KID COULD BE OUT PLAYING AND FALL DOWN, AND SKIN HIS KNEE, AND IN OUR UNIVERSE THERE WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC HAPPENINGS...PLANETS COLLIDING, STARS AND COMETS EXPLODING, ETC...YOU GET THE DRIFT...
AND THEN THERE WAS THE MIRROR...OH GOD, YESSSSS....THE MIRROR...MANY PEOPLE ALWAYS TOLD ME TO "STAY AWAY FROM THE MIRROR ON ACID"...AND FOR A LONG TIME I DID...BUT THEN ONE NIGHT I DIDN'T...AND IT WAS ALMOST THE END OF ME. TOO DEEP...FAR TOO FUCKING DEEP...TREADING IN AREAS NOT MEANT TO BE EXPLORED...AT LEAST NOT BY ME...
AT ONE POINT THERE WAS NO REFLECTION. I WAS CLEARLY SEEING THE WALL AND SHOWER CURTAIN THAT WERE BEHIND MY BACK...NO REFLECTION...AT THAT POINT I "ASSUMED" THAT THE "OTHER BURTON FROM THE MIRROR" HAD SOMEHOW ESCAPED FROM "THAT UNIVERSE" AND WAS COMING INTO MINE TO "TAKE MY PLACE"...OH YEAH, THAT'S A CHEERY THOUGHT...SO THEN, WHERE WOULD I END UP...?
GREAT THINKERS HAVE PONDERED MUCH MORE THAN THIS FOR CENTURIES. I DON'T MEAN TO BE "FALSELY CEREBRAL" HERE OR ARROGANT IN ANY WAY...BUT THE THOUGHTS PLAGUE ME SOMETIMES..."PONDERLUST" IS ALL ABOUT THAT...HOW SOMETIMES THE MIND JUST DOESN'T TURN OFF...I WISH I COULD JUST "TURN MY HEAD OFF" AND GO AND LIE DOWN AND FALL ASLEEP THE WAY SO MANY PEOPLE DO...I DEEPLY ENVY THAT. KEITH RICHARD SAID ONCE, WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS INCREDIBLE, SUSTAINING SUCCESS, THAT "PERHAPS IT'S ALL PRE-ORDAINED"...WHO KNOWS...? BUT I AM STILL AND WILL ALWAYS BE DEEPLY FASCINATED WITH THE ANALYSIS OF EXISTENCE...LIFE IS NOT SO SIMPLE AS SOME WOULD MAKE IT SEEM.

"AND THOSE QUESTIONS....YEAH THOSE QUESTIONS, THEY CAN TEAR YOU DOWN..."

I HAVEN'T EXPLAINED MYSELF VERY WELL HERE. (I JUST RE-READ WHAT'S ABOVE) AND IT SEEMS LIKE SO MUCH GIBBERISH RIGHT NOW...BUT I'LL GIVE IT ANOTHER TRY TOMORROW.
BY THE WAY, THOSE OF YOU INTERESTED IN ATG, I THINK YOU'LL REALLY LIKE THE VIDEO...IT'S OVER AN HOUR LONG AND LIL HAS REALLY CAPTURED IT...THE MAKING OF THE ALBUM...I JUST WATCHED IT AGAIN, AND I WAS RIGHT BACK THERE AT BLUE MOON. YOU REALLY GET A SENSE OF ALL THE GUYS TOO...DAVE LOVE HAS EMERGED AS A "VIDEO PRESENCE"...SOME VERY SILLY, FUNNY STUFF FOR ALL TO SEE...AND SOME OF THE ACTUAL MASTER TAKES CAPTURED FOREVER...SEE, THERE'S THAT "FREEZING TIME" THING AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME WITH VISUALS.
SOME OF THE BOVACONTI GUITAR STUFF IS REALLY CAPTURED BEAUTIFULLY...GREAT WATCHING !!!

THIS WHOLE "EXISTENTIALISM" THING...IT'S A LOT OF GROUND THAT'LL NEVER BE COVERED...

GL & GH...
LITM...
PEACE HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE...
B.C.

OH ONCE BEHELD

OH ONCE BEHELD...
A SHINING MORNING SO REPLETE WITH HOPE
THAT NONE PERSUADED SHADE, NOR WOULD TO DO...
WHEN FORTUNE SMILED...
AND DEWDROPS FROM SOME HEAVEN FELL IN SILENCE
AND BREATH ANOTHER SMALLEST OF THE MERCIES...
AND DAY WAS LONG...
AND NOON WOULD COME AND LINGER IN THE TREES
FOR SMILING WAS A TREASURE ALL ITS OWN...


OH ONCE BEHELD...
A PROMISE IN A WHISPER MEANT FOR ONE
AND PICTURES ALL ATTACHED WITHOUT REGRET...
FOR MEMORIES LIVE...
IN SACRED CENTER CREVICE WELL PROTECTED
TO NURTURE AND BE NURTURED FOR THEIR SAKE...
THE WALK OF TIME...
A RAVAGE ON THE SENSES OF OUR MOTHER
A RIPPING VINDICATION OF HER PLIGHT...


OH ONCE BEHELD...
A VISION SO ENRAPT IT BE OF LIGHT
A LIGHT SO BRIGHT THAT WITH IT WHITE IS DARK...
AND UPWARD RISE...
TOWARD AN UNKOWN BECKONER OF TRUST
FOR KNOWING ALL IS SENSE AND PREORDAINED...
THE TREE OF LIFE...
A NEVER ENDING GATHERING OF WILL
TO SEND ANOTHER THOUGHT OF THANKS UPSTAIRS...

OH ONCE BEHELD...

B.C. AUG. 8 2008

THE BLOTTERS

OKAY...SO HERE WE GO...
IT'S 1969, LATE OCTOBER OR EARLY NOVEMBER. I'M LIVIN' WITH GARY MA CLEAN AND ANOTHER GUY NAMED DARYL. THE THREE OF US HAVE SOMEHOW SHMOOZED OUR WAY INTO A PRETTY HIGH END APARTMENT BLOCK NEAR OSBORNE VILLAGE IN WINNIPEG. NOW FOLKS, BEAR WITH ME... IT'S 1969, AND ACID IS A PRETTY BIG THING. NO BIG DEAL, IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY WE KNOW SEEMS TO BE DOIN'...I'M WELL INTO IT BY THIS TIME, AND MA CLEAN HAS DONE A FEW TRIPS HIMSELF, SO WE'RE NO STRANGERS TO THE STUFF.
OUR FRIEND LEON, WHO WAS KNOWN TO PEDDLE VARIOUS GOODIES FROM TIME TO TIME COMES OVER TO THE APARTMENT ONE NIGHT AND HE HAS SOME BLOTTERS...WELL, NOT JUST SOME...A LOT... OF COURSE, MA CLEAN WITH HIS HEADBAND AND ME WITH MY ATTITUDE AND SUCH ARE DYIN' TO TRY SOME, SO WE EACH CHEW UP A BLOTTER...NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS FOR A WHOLE HOUR, SO WE EACH CHEW ANOTHER. LEON WAS PROBABLY WELL INTO IT BEFORE HE EVEN CAME OVER, SO HE CASUALLY CHEWS A COUPLE MORE HIMSELF...MA CLEAN AND I START TO GET MILD LIFT-OFF, BUT FOR SOME REASON WE DECIDE WE WANT MORE, SO WE EACH CHEW TWO MORE.
AND WE'VE GOT BEERS, SO WE'RE PROBABLY SLOWING THINGS DOWN ANYWAY WITH THE COLD BLUES...
THIS ACTUALLY WENT ON FOR A WHILE...NOT KIDDING AT ALL...WE JUST KEPT CHEWING MORE BLOTTERS...LITTLE TRIPPY, BUT WE'RE POUNDIN' BEERS PRETTY GOOD BY THIS TIME, SO ALL THINGS ARE SLIGHTLY OFF KILTER.
TRUTH BE TOLD, BETWEEN THE THREE OF US, WE DID 27 BLOTTERS...
I KNOW I WAS GOOD FOR AT LEAST 7 OR 8 MYSELF THAT I CAN RECALL.
WELL, LEMME TELL YA...WHEN IT ALL HIT, WE WERE NOT OF THIS PLANE...
OKAY, SO WE'VE TRIPPED BEFORE, WE ALL KNOW HOW IT IS WHEN YOU'VE DONE A BIT TOO MUCH...NO NEED FOR PANIC...WE JUST HAVE TO WAIT IT OUT AND ENJOY IT...SO WE DID...LISTENED TO MUSIC ALL NIGHT AND WATCHED THE WHITE WALL UPON WHICH OUR SPECIAL ACID LIGHT WAS THROWING A SPECTACULAR, GOD-LIKE SERIES OF NEVER ENDING, EVER CHANGING COLOUR PATTERNS AND BURSTS...ALWAYS SEEMED THEY WERE IN PERFECT TANDEM WITH THE MUSIC...
AND NIGHT TURNED TO DAY...AND WE SEEMED TO BE GETTING EVEN HIGHER AS THE SUN SHONE. OUTISDE, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WERE STARTING THEIR DAY ACROSS THE STREET, ERECTING A 34 STORY HIGH RISE, AND TO WATCH THIS ON ACID WAS FASCINATING. OF COURSE THE COMPARISON TO "WORKERS" IN THE ANIMAL WORLD WAS OBVIOUS, BUT MAN...WE WERE ENJOYING THE SHOW...
AND THE DAY WENT ON...AND ON....AND ON...........BY AROUND DINNER TIME, WE WERE NOWHERE WITHIN THE REALMS OF ANYTHING WE KNEW ANYMORE. THERE WAS NOTHING MUCH LEFT TO HANG ONTO...MUSIC HAD LONG SINCE BECOME LESS THAN IMPORTANT, FOOD WAS NEVER EVEN A PASSING THOUGHT, TELEVISION ONLY CONFUSED AND SCARED US, SO IT WAS OFF...AND THEN CAME THE UNTHINKABLE THOUGHT THAT WE MIGHT JUST BE LIKE THIS FOR GOOD...AND THEN IT GOT DARK AGAIN...AND THAT MANIFESTATION JUST FUELED THE THOUGHT THAT WE WERE INDEED "LIKE THIS FOR GOOD"...
NOT A PRETTY THING...OH, NO...AND THIS WENT ON FOR A LONG TIME YET...AND IT GOT LIGHT AGAIN...AS GOD IS MY PRESENT WITNESS, I DON'T (TO THIS VERY DAY) KNOW HOW IN HELL WE GOT THROUGH THAT SECOND NIGHT OF DARKNESS...BUT THE SECOND MORNING, EVERYTHING TURNED TO "WARM ORANGE"..."PERFECTLY WARM WATER"..."PUDDING"..."CLOUDS"..."KLEENEX"...AND I GUESS AT THAT POINT WE HAD COME DOWN FROM THE IMPENDING OVERDOSE, LIVED THROUGH IT, AND MOVED ON TO THE BESTEST ELLE-ESSE-DEEE TRIP ANY (OR MOST) OF YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE...
THAT WAS THE DAY I FIRST REALLY SAW CLOUDS (FOR WHAT THEY WERE)...
JUST OUR CARPET...JUST OUR HUGE WINDOW...JUST THE FACT THAT MAN HAD LEARNED HOW TO MAKE GLASS...JUST THE FACT THAT OUR FRIEND LEON WAS NOW ATTEMPTING TO "SLEEP UP ON THE WALL"...AND THEN, ONCE THAT "SECOND DAY" WAS UNDERWAY, MA CLEAN PUT ON OUR VINYL LP OF "THE FIFTH AVENUE BAND"...FAST FREIGHT FIRST (NOT MY FAVE)...ALTHOUGH IT WAS GALLWAY'S BAND, I THOUGHT THE REAL SINGER WAS JON LIND...AND WE LISTENED MORE...AND THEN CAME ON "ONE WAY OR THE OTHER"...AND I KNEW WHAT I "SEEMED TO BE BORN TO DO"...AFTER PETER'S "GOOD LADY OF TORONTO", JON LIND CAME BACK AS THE LEAD SINGER ON "EDEN ROCK"...GOOD GOD...WHAT A GROUP...WHY IN GOD'S NAME WASN'T THIS BAND HUGE...????????
IT WASN'T JUST THE ACID...I'VE LISTENED TO THIS ALBUM (AND NOW IMPORTED DISC FROM JAPAN) HUNDREDS OF TIMES, STRAIGHT AND OTHERWISE...
I JUST THANK GOD SOMETIMES THAT THE FIRST TIME I EVER GOT TO EXPERIENCE IT I WAS OUTSIDE TRIPPED OUT RIGHT SIDE UP...!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ACID CHANGED ME...MADE ME MORE OF A THINKER...NOW I'M NEVER EVER, EVER SAYING OR ADVISING TO DO IT...TRUTH BE TOLD, IT'S FAR TOO HEAVY A DRUG FOR MANY PEOPLE... I'M ONLY RECOUNTING A PART OF MY PAST...I GUESS I WAS ALWAYS EXISTENTIAL, BUT I THINK MY ACID EXPERIENCES PUSHED THAT ALONG QUICKLY AND EXTREMELY...
WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD DAY AND A HALF ONCE WE WERE NEAR EARTH AGAIN, AND THEN SLOWLY AND AGONIZINGLY WE CAME DOWN...THE CRASH WAS MONSTROUS...HEADACHES, FORGETFULNESS,
CONFUSION...AFTER THAT MUCH, OUR POOR BODIES HAD SOME CATCHING UP TO DO...BUT WE MADE IT THROUGH...
I DON'T KNOW FOR THE LIFE OF ME WHAT EVER PROMPTED US TO GO THAT FAR...WE COULD EASILY HAVE "SLIPPED AWAY"...I'LL TELL YOU THIS MUCH...WHEN THE MUSIC DOESN'T DO IT FOR YOU, YOU'RE IN FOR A ROUGH TIME...BIG TROUBLE..."A LOT OF SECOND GUESSING"...
SOMETIMES I SHUDDER WHEN I THINK OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE DID...THEN I REMEMBER THE MOTLEY CRUE BOOK AND THE ANTHONY KIEDIS BOOK, AND I SAY TO MY SELF "COMPARITIVELY, WE WERE CHOIR BOYS..."
EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE, BOYS AND GIRLS. THIS EVENT WAS ALMOST FORTY YEARS AGO, SO THIS NEWS IS SO OLD, IT'S GOT COBWEBS..
INTERESTING THOUGH...
ENOUGH FOR NOW...
LOVE YA IF YOU'VE PUT UP WITH ME LONG ENOUGH TO READ THIS FAR...

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL !!!!!!!!!!

B.C.