Roads and Roads - Season 2 - Episode 7

[00:00:00][music] [music] [music] Walking down that [singing] lonesome [music] road, set my soul on fire.

[00:00:21]Thinking [music] back before I left, the passions I desire.

[00:00:28]Can you help me anymore?

[00:00:31]>> I know you hate when I turn it off.

[00:00:34]>> We'll just pick it up later.

[00:00:36]>> We'll put it on the next time. We always hate to >> We'll let it run 5 seconds longer.

[00:00:41]>> It's such a great song.

[00:00:43]>> Welcome to the Roads and Road podcast here. So happy to be with you. Here we are in season two.

[00:00:49]>> Wow.

[00:00:50]>> Episode number seven.

[00:00:52]>> Whoa. We sure hope you all enjoyed that retrospective jump back in time on our last podcast. Uh it was so well put together and um well, I hope they everybody out there in the podcast world enjoyed it as much as we did because it was really uh it was a nice remembrance of the times and uh and getting through some uh tough times out there and uh and we did it and here we are.

[00:01:20]>> Here we are.

[00:01:21]>> So, thanks again for tuning in. Glad to be with you today. Good to have you here, Orma. Look at you. Good to see you, my brother. Look at you. Look at you.

[00:01:29]>> So, anyhow, I want to thank everybody for tuning in also for the great questions that have been coming in.

[00:01:34]We've been getting so many questions.

[00:01:36]It's almost dominating the show.

[00:01:38]>> Yeah. And and some really excellent ones, I must say. Some really great ones. So, thank you for keeping that up and coming in. And as always, if you'd like to send in a question that I could ask Yorma, just send it to me, John fur peace ranch.com, and and we'll get to it in a future program. We're going to try to catch up, Yor, on some questions today because even the last time we were there, there were ones left over and stuff. So, we're kind of getting caught up here today and and um we'll take it from there. But anyhow, let me start here with you or that someone is talking about blessed it be his point a little head which would obviously be a good one for us to do a full album thing on when we uh get past some of these questions because what a great record. We've talked about that what a great live record is, but the the uh writer is asking about how did you come up with the title of the record? If you could talk about the cover art, the insert print, and uh thoughts on the LP in general.

[00:02:42]>> Refresh my memory.

[00:02:43]>> All right. [clears throat] Cover art.

[00:02:45]>> No record.

[00:02:46]>> Oh. Oh, bless its point. Little head.

[00:02:49]>> Pointed.

[00:02:50]>> Pointed. Yes.

[00:02:51]>> Okay. So, so I wasn't involved in a lot of that stuff. Um, but in my opinion, um, it's a great live album.

[00:03:03]The airplane was we were at our peak as a performing band at that time, luckily captured, uh, for the record. And the funny thing is about that cover. Well, let me ask you, when you look at that cover, what do you think?

[00:03:20]Well, first of all, tell the folks if they haven't seen the cover. The cover is a banquet table.

[00:03:24]>> Banquet table >> at the old Jefferson Airplane Mansion, 2400 Ful Street.

[00:03:28]>> Okay.

[00:03:28]>> And all these bottles of wine and stuff.

[00:03:30]And Jack is there. He's I think he's at the first seat to the right when you look at the picture.

[00:03:36]>> Yeah.

[00:03:36]>> And he's got his head down and his hands around the bottle as if he has passed out. So, and that's and it's very funny.

[00:03:43]We laugh at it. But as Jack points out, were he were he here? What is wrong with that picture that you weren't sitting next to him?

[00:03:52]>> No. [laughter] >> That you didn't have a bottle in your hand.

[00:03:56]>> None of the bottles are open.

[00:03:58]>> Ah, >> see that's really nice. You have to really take a look at that record cover to notice that. See, that's that is the great stuff you get in this podcast.

[00:04:08]Stuff you never heard about before.

[00:04:09]>> That's like a Jeopardy question. You know >> it. That would be Hey, Jefferson Airplane Jeopardy.

[00:04:15]This is a great idea. We'll work on that next episode. Okay. Later. Later.

[00:04:20]>> Okay. Back to the record. So, yeah.

[00:04:22]Yeah. So, I Yeah, it was always funny to see Jack on the cover and um >> I bet he's been asked that question about that a lot through his lifetime.

[00:04:32]>> Oh, I bet he has.

[00:04:33]>> About that album cover. How about the how to came [clears throat] up with the title of the album, Yarma? Oh, you know, it was just one of those things that, you know, if you could talk about one of your friends that had irritated you in some minute way, you go, "Oh, well, bless his pointed little head."

[00:04:49]>> Mhm. Did that come from a book or anything?

[00:04:51]>> I have no idea. Somebody said it and >> Grace loved it. And >> is it a code word for something? It >> is not.

[00:04:58]>> Okay. All right. Uh, >> right. It's like Yeah, man. It's like Jefferson Airplane was a code word for a road clip. Not >> that's not true.

[00:05:10]>> No.

[00:05:11]>> And uh not my word.

[00:05:12]>> You know, we talked about this in the last in the uh in the May episode about the the record as far as the live record. We were talking and I I said I'd put it in one of my top 10 live records of all time, you know, and you I'm inclined to you talking about what a great record. And we also talked about someone asking if there were extra tracks because you did record a bunch of nights and right and we talked about maybe that's something at some point they'll make a uh >> you know a extended release of and put everything in there but what what a great record. So before we move on we've talked about the cover and stuff but and how about your feeling you feel the band was at its peak when that was >> as a performing band. Yeah we were hot man. Um, >> all right.

[00:05:57]This, uh, next question came in from a, uh, long time Jefferson Airplane fan that saw you in Dallas. And, uh, >> what year?

[00:06:07]>> You know, 1969, I believe, is what they said.

[00:06:11]>> And they said the show ended with Paul saying, "We're going to leave you with some religion."

[00:06:19]and it followed Yorma playing Good Shepherd. Their question was, "Is that something that you close shows with?" uh Good Shepherd at any kind of like um >> not regularity.

[00:06:32]>> Not normally speaking. No. And we're going back a lifetime. So, it's hard to, you know, to bet the farm on all this stuff. But, uh that normally that would have not have been a show closer. Would have been some >> other side of this life, some wild Jefferson Airplane jam. So, that's pretty cool actually. Yeah. And uh you know, funny as you that you'd say that because uh a follow-up question is um did the Jefferson Airplane have any one song in particular that you like to open the shows with?

[00:07:01]>> Oh boy. I sure wish we had Paul to talk to about that. Um generally speaking, and this is just my personal memory, other side of this life. Yeah, it's >> Paul. But Paul always did the set list and he was a really he was great doing set list and uh they always worked. But I think I think if if you were to go do a statistical >> Mhm.

[00:07:25]>> you know spreadsheet of how many what open I would say.

[00:07:28]>> Yeah. And it seems like on on a lot of the live stuff you do hear a good way to start the show.

[00:07:33]>> Great. It was a long jam. They the vocalist >> I love that beginning part.

[00:07:37]>> Yeah. The vocalist got a chance to to get their harmony sound down. all that stuff. You know, the thing is also, you know, we take for granted the way modern technology has made it possible to really easy capture you multiple vocal harmonies and stuff like that. This was Flintstones back in those days and then the singers had to really work together to make it work.

[00:08:02]>> First song was always good because they could test all the correct different vocal ranges and see how everything was.

[00:08:07]So like a sound check as you get going >> a little further.

[00:08:12]>> Uh again along the same lines sometimes the these questions have been great and they kind of team together so I put them here together. What were your set lengths like as the Jefferson airplane?

[00:08:22]And also was it typical to take a intermission or was it usually playing straight through?

[00:08:27]>> That's a good question. As far as the intermission, I honestly do not remember uh whether we did or we didn't. But I'm inclined to think in that era, we probably would have not taken an intermission.

[00:08:38]>> Mhm.

[00:08:38]>> Unless it was unless the the promoter had built it into the show for some reason or other. Uh, in set lengths, I would say 90 minutes, some sometimes more because a lot of those songs, I mean, you could look at a set list that Paul would draw up and it would it'd be a finite number of songs, but a lot of the songs had really extended jam. So, it could be a long show >> right now. Now, Yarm, you know, in these days and having uh you've got off a recent tour with you, I know that a lot of the promoters are very specific on your entry time and show ending time.

[00:09:11]Were you under the same kind of direction back in those times?

[00:09:15]>> No, it was u start time. Do they want you sharply on the stage or they >> Well, everybody wanted you sharply on the stage, but it wasn't as uh precise as it is today.

[00:09:25]>> Okay. All right.

[00:09:28]That was a good question. Put a few put a few things in there.

[00:09:34]>> Yeah, this is this was kind of interesting because it's it's not per se it was not per say a question but a statement but I thought it was worth repeating because it is a very cool thing about your your not only your career but your hot tuna. But they pointed out that hot tuna was one of the earliest of the San Francisco bands. of course coming out the end of the 60s with the Jeffson Airplane >> and that at this point you are the last of the truly intact original bands from San Francisco.

[00:10:07]>> Wow.

[00:10:08]>> I started thinking about that and the the fact that the words in there are that truly intact with original members.

[00:10:15]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:10:15]>> And I thought that was a pretty neat thing to point out.

[00:10:18]>> Yeah. I guess uh I guess first we need to point out that we're still alive.

[00:10:24]That's a good thing.

[00:10:25]>> It is a good thing.

[00:10:26]>> Yeah, you're doing good.

[00:10:27]>> Thanks, man.

[00:10:28]>> Yeah.

[00:10:29]>> Um and and not only just being alive, but we're still able to do what we do in a in a high functioning kind of way.

[00:10:38]>> Yeah.

[00:10:38]>> Uh because a lot of the a lot of our compatriots are either no longer with us or don't play anymore.

[00:10:44]>> That's very true, Yorman. That's why I thought it was a very cool thing to point out that Yeah. Cuz you you know, you're approaching 60 years with almost hot tuna here. So, you're right. I mean, you know, it's still a couple to come, but that's a long time to keep the band together. It >> did.

[00:10:59]>> Yeah. You guys have done good >> without one band meeting.

[00:11:03]>> That's why that's the secret of a good band, you know.

[00:11:06]>> Well, I just wanted to say that because I thought it was such a great thing that they pointed out and I thought, you know, that is true. You think back of all those great West Coast bands and while some of the lead members are still there like say Carlos Santana is still doing it but as far as the people around him it's I don't know if there would be any original members in his group at this point.

[00:11:24]>> Yeah. You know >> I mean you know Carlos is God bless him is >> certainly one of the oldest if not the oldest thinking about it intact San Francisco band.

[00:11:34]>> Mhm. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:11:36]>> Yeah. He's been doing a long time too.

[00:11:38]>> Yeah. Yeah. You know, sometimes these questions I almost hesitate to ask you, but I I wanted just to to, you know, respect the uh the listener that took the time to send it in, but they were talking about the Jefferson Airplane reunion and they had tickets to see you in Atlanta and the show was cancelled and they wondered >> what show was this >> in Atlanta, Georgia. And I knew this would be a hard one to pull out if you'd remember anything like that. But I was wondering, was show cancellations ever a thing that would happen to you guys?

[00:12:06]>> Very rarely. I I have no recollection of this, but uh [clears throat and cough] excuse me, but um if this person says it happened, it probably did. And the answer is I I wouldn't know why. It could be a lot of reasons, but but lack of ticket sales.

[00:12:21]>> I mean, I I just have no recollection of it.

[00:12:24]>> We We really didn't uh >> as a rule, you pretty much made everything.

[00:12:28]>> Yeah, we pretty much made every show we were booked to do, so I can't help there. But uh >> Right. All right. We're moving on.

[00:12:34]>> Yep. Moving on.

[00:12:37]All right.

[00:12:39]Yeah. Now, this is this was a Okay. One of our one of our listeners, Mark, says that one of his favorite tunes by the Jeffson Airplane was Hey Frederick.

[00:12:52]Ask Yma about that recording and the song. What do you have to think about?

[00:12:57]>> I had nothing to do with addicts playing the guitar. I'm guessing that Hey Frederick sounds like a Grace jam song and I don't I I don't even remember whether it has lyrics or not. If it does, I bet she was scatting them or or writing it on the spot.

[00:13:10]>> Yeah.

[00:13:11]>> All right.

[00:13:12]>> Yeah. The airplane, you know, in addition to being a really good band when we were doing song arrangements and stuff like that, just because of the nature of the way we played, we're we're a good quote unquote jam band also because we listened well. And so a lot of nifty stuff popped up. I'm I imagine that Hey Frederick was probably something out of a studio jam and >> it snipped in there.

[00:13:36]>> It snipped in there. Yeah.

[00:13:38]>> You know, when you were talking earlier about Paul doing the sets, it was Paul pretty much the guy that did sets and and >> how about as far as you know, showing it to Marty or Grace or you? Was that anything that you see what you thought about it?

[00:13:51]>> I would never have been a part of that discussion. That's singer stuff.

[00:13:55]>> Mhm. And I was totally okay with that as well, you know.

[00:13:58]>> Uhhuh.

[00:13:58]>> Uhhuh. Because, >> you know, the the Airplane was a great band in a lot of ways. All the members were were were fine musicians. But in terms of a show, I think most people want to hear songs, you know, >> and that's where the singers came in, >> right?

[00:14:17]>> Because they wrote and sang songs, >> right? Well, that says a lot that you guys had Paul, you know, you felt comfortable enough with what he did [clears throat] >> to do the sets and then uh just just kind of fell right along with >> Yeah, you know, bands, anybody that's been in a band will know regardless on what level or how long will know exactly what what I'm talking about. Whole keeping a band together is tough.

[00:14:38]There's always all kinds of discussions and egos and this and that and the other thing. And the airplane had all this, too. But, you know, when in terms of of doing sets and playing songs, you know, if I wasn't a prolific songwriter, but if I had a song, I always got to do it.

[00:14:54]You know, Mart Marty Paul and Grace obviously were the main main writers and singers for for most of the songs, but everybody got a shot.

[00:15:03]>> Mhm. Were there any times that something might be thrown in? Uh, okay. Thank you. Uh, were there any times, yman, that something might be thrown in that you'd say, "God, I I feel uncomfortable with that or or >> I don't recall that actually. I I don't think that uh I mean, if you know, depending on who was throwing the song at us, they'd want they'd want the band to be able to nail the song. They wouldn't throw a song that we couldn't do." Well, >> that's >> How about surprise songs? Like, would you would you ever throw like a tobacco road in there from that first record?

[00:15:37]>> Oh, not without rehearsing it.

[00:15:38]Absolutely not.

[00:15:39]>> Okay. So it wasn't anything like kind of a surprise to you.

[00:15:42]>> Nothing wrong.

[00:15:43]>> I mean that would be that would be a potential train wreck. You know that's not a jam song. That's a song song.

[00:15:48]>> Yeah. Yeah. You got to know where that's going.

[00:15:51]>> All right. Very good. Uh >> I just saw a note come off off there from our producer. The producer was talking about the >> the show in Atlanta >> could have very well been a Jefferson Starship concert, not a Jefferson Airplane concert. So maybe that had something to do why you didn't remember it. [laughter] >> Otherwise, I'm sure you would have remembered.

[00:16:14]>> I don't I don't remember it.

[00:16:16]>> All right. Well, this here is a good time to talk about this. Um, you're going to the Danube. Uh, and I wonder if there's any seats.

[00:16:25]>> I wonder if there's any even cabin space on that boat left for people because I know last time we talked about there's very little. And from what I've heard, there's, you know, just about 10 a dozen dozen spaces left. So, uh, anybody out there, but you army, the question came in. It's most likely because we talked about it back in that >> how many V pastries could we eat >> the May the May broadcast. How did where did this idea come from? Was this a Jack Cassidy Yor Macauan collaboration where you thought about doing something like this? How how did this come about?

[00:16:59]>> Oh, it probably came in a discussion with Vanessa. I mean, you know, people have been in the business as long as you're always looking for something to do. I mean, on on the one level, for me, the gigs are more than enough cuz I just love to play. But, you know, people like to have a little bit of fun and u our demography, thank goodness, at this point, our fans can afford to spend a little money to have some fun. So, think about uh a river cruise on the Danube. This is not going to be up and down, back and forth. I imagine there'll be some sort of like a major seismic activity where that to happen. So >> nice and smooth.

[00:17:37]>> So we'll be on this boat cruising up and down the Danube eating pastries, schnitles.

[00:17:44]>> Going to be hard to play the blues.

[00:17:46]>> Maybe I'll learn how to yodel when I'm there.

[00:17:48]>> All right.

[00:17:50]Well, uh >> this could be fun. It's going to be fun.

[00:17:53]>> And I know you're not a giant fan of those giant boats. This is kind of really cool cuz it's a real nice size >> and and having known people have taken those kind of trips. They say it's like a completely >> It looks like a lot. I mean, it's something I've never done. So, it's almost the kind of thing that we go, you know, Vanessa, we've got a little vacation time. Why don't we take a trip on the Danube?

[00:18:13]>> That's how it came together.

[00:18:15][clears throat] >> That's a wonderful idea. You remember we could do it and get paid at the same time?

[00:18:19]>> Hey, that sounds even better. And a lot of people could have a good time being on >> Yeah, it's going to be it's going to be a good time.

[00:18:26]>> The the size of the crowd I think sounds just wonderful.

[00:18:29]>> Castles.

[00:18:30]>> Well, I know you won't probably be able to give me an answer to this, but I since the man asked this, I >> Where is the super secret preflat rehearsal taking place? And he promises if we let the word out, he won't let anybody know.

[00:18:46]>> Whose question is this? [laughter] >> Can't tell.

[00:18:50]>> Can't talk about that. Sorry, we're going to >> super secret.

[00:18:53]>> Super secret means super secret.

[00:18:56]>> You know, >> you're almost like, "What? What rehearsal? We don't have to rehearse."

[00:19:00]>> Ah, Jack will probably stop by and visit me and we'll get together and tell some jokes, play a couple songs.

[00:19:11]>> Well, letting you know once again because the time does fly that there are still spaces on that Danube trip, but they are running low. And uh if you're hottuna.com. Go to hottuna.com and the information is there on that tour page and log in and check it out and there's all kinds of information show you how great the cruise is and itinerary and stuff. So check that out.

[00:19:34]>> It's going to be a lot of fun.

[00:19:35]>> Well, you still can.

[00:19:36]>> It's going to be fun.

[00:19:38]>> Okay.

[00:19:39]What prompted or inspired >> uhoh >> hot tuna to shift direction in the mid70s that commenced with America's choice >> oh >> in the in the in the era that has been called the rampage years and in particular this was a good question not only talking about the inspiration and the direction that prompted but how it also related to your approach to playing your tone tone in playing the jamming the amplification changes going into that direction.

[00:20:14]>> So there aren't any real answers to a lot of those questions. Uh, I think Jack and I just uh, you know, I was so fond of of Cream when they came out and I just really loved at the time I thought that they done the best job of any modern artist of that time uh, reinterpreting acoustic blues in in an extremely electric format. I don't think anybody's done it better. Uh it was just exciting stuff and uh and you know to be able to play music like that with the airplane was like depending on the ear was a five or six piece band you know and it functioned as one but uh but in power trios or things like that it's a different animal alto together you know you got to got to cover a lot of sonic space and in order to do that you need to move air which uh which the guys that spearheaded that like Hrix and Clapton a lot of those guys of that era did it with a big amp amplifiers and you know we we went that way also. I mean it was just a lot of fun to do physically. A lot of fun.

[00:21:17]>> Very very physical. You know you could have you could you could feel the the compression of the sound waves in your chest when you're playing when you're playing that loud stuff like that. It's a lot of fun.

[00:21:27]>> That feels good. [laughter] >> It felt good at the time. I probably think I was having a heart attack today.

[00:21:33]But yeah. and Yor, as far as the jamming, the improvisation stuff, that was just something you guys let just what we did. Just let it go, right? That was part of Jack and I listen to each other really well. Uh, you know, everybody brings to the table, what they bring to the table. And by that, I mean, you know, whatever your your learning experience in music, not just stuff you played, but things you listen to, things that influence your uh, you know, your creative life in the music that you play. And for me, [clears throat] excuse me, for me growing up in a family that listened to a lot of a lot of classical music, I heard a lot of those kind of harmonies and stuff, which doesn't mean I played like a classical player, but again, just stuff that I listen to. A lot of a lot of the stuff that I did is bluesoriented, but a lot of it wasn't, too.

[00:22:23]>> Okay. Does that make any sense?

[00:22:25]>> Yeah. Yeah, it does. You are. Of course.

[00:22:27]It always makes sense.

[00:22:29]Now another another again this same topic coming up with another question here talking about seeing you long time Jefferson Airplane hot tuna fan mid70s shows wild very intense uh very loud very long and uh this particular writer said that he thinks it was the loudest concert he'd ever been to were uh all all those things as far as the intensity. It just it just part of how you guys were playing at that point.

[00:23:02]>> Listen, it it also has the fact that has to do with the fact that we were young back then. I wouldn't want to subject myself to that kind of physical onslaught today.

[00:23:11]>> It take a lot, right?

[00:23:13]>> Yeah.

[00:23:13]>> Yeah.

[00:23:14]>> But I mean, at the time it was like, bring it on.

[00:23:19]>> And of course, >> turn it up.

[00:23:20]>> And of course, you were noted for long, long shows as well. Well, as my ex-wife Margaret made you rest in peace, she used to say, "You play such long shows because you're afraid to come off stage and face me." [laughter] >> Well, well, there might have been some truth in that.

[00:23:37]>> Really? We'll talk about that in a future episode. Yeah. Okay, Yorma. Now, this is a great question here for you.

[00:23:46]>> And once again, I think in our last episode, we had a man from Paris that had written. This comes from Lars from Valt Valtz, Norway. Is that the correct?

[00:24:00]>> How's it spelled?

[00:24:01]>> V A L D E S. Is that how you'd say that?

[00:24:04]>> Yeah. Belz, I guess. Yeah.

[00:24:05]>> Norway.

[00:24:06]>> He's >> What's the Lord have to say?

[00:24:08]>> He's inquiring about Qua and the song Hamard Prominade. If that has anything to do with the town Hamar in Norway, any kind of thing on that.

[00:24:22]Hammer actually. Yeah.

[00:24:25]>> Yeah. Uh >> had you spent time up there or just remember the name?

[00:24:30]>> I was uh it was 1970.

[00:24:34]It was in the early '7s and we had uh we had gone to we were just starting to do that speed skating thing and we went to Scandinavia because seemed like the right place to go to do stuff like that. But but at that time they didn't have a lot of artificial rings. Now they're all artificial. And so when we went to Hammer, uh even though it was still in the dead of winter, it was like a spring thong.

[00:25:04]There was no ice anywhere, mud, >> things starting to grow, stuff like that. So So what we did instead of skating or doing anything like that was take long walks.

[00:25:17]Hence >> prominade >> Hummer prominade.

[00:25:20]>> Ah so through that town, huh?

[00:25:22]>> Correct. And that's and then I was there when I wrote that song.

[00:25:27]>> Nice little town or it's big city or >> it's a bigger town now than it was back then. Back then it was as little north of Oslo. I couldn't tell you the population, but of basically at that time I I doubt that it had more than two streets in town. I'm sure it's a lot bigger today. I'm sure it's a bedroom community for Oslo.

[00:25:44]>> Yeah. again from Lars again.

[00:25:49]quir >> qua is the same as the word what in many parts of Norway was that a consideration >> it was not >> did you know that did you know that at all >> uh I didn't >> see from now on when you tell me say something I can't understand what you're saying I'm going go >> so what I'm going to tell you is so we were uh I was driving down the street and one of the old cars, I think it was a 40 Buick, I forget, some bantique car that I had driving down Market Street, just came down off the hill, right down at the bottom where the trolley tracks came out of the tunnel, there used to be a karate dough and I remember I was sitting there and I looked over to my right and there was a window and all these doe's, you know, you could see the guys practicing and breaking [ __ ] and all that stuff And I looked over there and there was a pile of boards or bricks or something like that and there was Mickey Hart of all people.

[00:26:56]>> And as I looked at him, he it looked like >> and what I thought it looked like he said was [laughter] >> the truth comes out.

[00:27:07]>> Thanks.

[00:27:08]>> So Mickey [clears throat] Hart was break doing the break and how he was one of the guys over there.

[00:27:11]>> He was a big uh martial art back in those days. Yeah.

[00:27:15]>> Wow. Very very interesting.

[00:27:16]>> Yeah. Good job, buddy.

[00:27:18]>> Yeah. So, there you have it, my friends.

[00:27:20]The real story behind the title, Qua.

[00:27:23]>> Yep. There you go.

[00:27:25]>> Well, this next question was really a great question because it brought up um >> brought up a lot of things to think about and um and I did some research on it as well. And for this one, y I need to play something on the radio here for you. Let's have a listen >> so that you uh help to bring back the merry. It's just a short song. We might even let it just play through here. But let me uh let me tune it in here and uh see if you remember this one. Y I won't even [music] [music] twins of the trade. come to the poet's room talking about [music] the problems of the leaf and yes it'll be back soon.

[00:28:21]There used to be [music] tons of gold and green coming up here [music] from [singing] Mexico.

[00:28:34][music] [singing] But Mexico is under the [music] thumb of a man we call Richard and his mom to call himself king.

[00:28:46]But he's [music] a small man. And he doesn't know a thing about how [music] to deal for you.

[00:28:54]Oh dear.

[00:28:57]You are now living [music] you were alone everywhere just [music] waiting for a couple and God knows how far you go for your Mexican [music] song.

[00:29:17]You're a legend now for your righteous go.

[00:29:22]There were a half a million [music] people in the dark. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Oh, [music] I love that out you had there. Well, Yarma, is that a good memory?

[00:30:00]>> Well, so >> did that flashback >> and Charlie, twins of the trade. That's how it starts as I recall.

[00:30:06]>> Yeah.

[00:30:07]>> So, everybody knows who was. And uh yeah, Charlie, he never had any last name that I knew of, but uh he was a was a dope smuggler and he brought up a bunch of really high-end pot in these uh bags that used to trans transport dried ice in >> which is why that airplane publishing company was called Ice Bag after that.

[00:30:31]>> Wow. Another Jeopardy question.

[00:30:34]>> Yeah.

[00:30:35]>> Yeah. Oh boy.

[00:30:36]>> And yeah, he was a >> We have to get Ken. And like I said, this was I wasn't close to him. Paul was. I suspect there might have been some bad juju connect some of the stuff cuz these these guys weren't like here, you know, your your brother Al smuggling something up from somewhere else. This was >> heavy duty.

[00:30:54]>> The heavy duty [ __ ] Yeah.

[00:30:56]>> Who knows who knows what happened to them all. But uh but yeah, so there's a there's a memory for you for that one.

[00:31:02]Yeah. This song, Mexico, that we just listened to, this song was only issued as a single. It was only issued as a single >> with the uh great song, Have You Seen the Saucers on the Bside, >> right?

[00:31:16]>> And uh yeah, I p had to pull out my Early Flight album here to check this out, but it was it was good cuz I was wondering about the timing on that. And it it says that Mexico was recorded in uh February 16th of 1970. It's so cool that you have those kind of information.

[00:31:31]Yeah, we love stuff like that.

[00:31:32]>> February February 1970. And what what they had said is that uh at that time >> the Jefferson Airplane wasn't doing much recording. So RCA wanted to put out something. So they put out a single >> the uh Have you seen the Saucers, which they, you know, was a big new Paul song, drifting back to his sci-fi, love the music and and just a great great uh you know, epical Jefferson Airplane song.

[00:32:00]and then putting Mexico on the back there. And um the uh the song uh was, you know, Grace talking about a operation called Operation Interception.

[00:32:15]>> Intercept.

[00:32:15]>> Intercept, which was something the US government was doing at the time. And as you said, they made a point of saying there was some very highgrade Mexican marijuana coming up at that time.

[00:32:27]>> Yeah. And they also at that time the paraquat thing started >> right >> and uh so you know all those things combine and um and you have grace uh grace on piano and all the scene there.

[00:32:41]Now, I did bring in the Tamarin book, which I've referenced before, Jeff have to say, >> because it I it's it's really such a uh we've talked about before, such a great such a great biography of the band. And um you know he he well uh he was just talking about that the Mexico uh released by RCA with no new album on the horizon and that it was banned from the radio stations due to its drug content and and never really received any play other than as we've talked about before the FM underground stations were played >> and uh I imagine obviously you were aware of that.

[00:33:24]>> To be honest with you, I have no recollection of it.

[00:33:26]>> It's not something I think would have concerned me personally much of that time.

[00:33:30]>> Um, but thrilled about it.

[00:33:34]>> Hard to say. Let me ask myself >> self. No. [laughter] >> But however, all those things were kind of like red badges of courage, you know.

[00:33:45]>> Yeah.

[00:33:45]>> Yeah. The government hates me. Wow.

[00:33:47]That's fantastic.

[00:33:48]>> That's what I was That's what I was kind of thinking there. But uh yeah, and uh the apparently, you know, the the Richard Nixon the whole the whole process there, they were really, you know, really clamping down on that that whole thing. And it's it's really odd in our time >> to think about a song like that would be banned because of talking about >> it's, you know, it's hysterical.

[00:34:12]>> It shows you that it really shows you the difference in the times that you >> Exactly. Like for example, uh we were Lester and I were driving uh into town to into Athens to see a movie last night and we're driving up the street and there's there's a pot dispensary. I think I think what do we got? Four pot dispensaries in Athens.

[00:34:33]>> Wow. Five. I hear five.

[00:34:35]>> Could be. I don't know. But my my point being >> these are different times. It went from uh smuggling dope up in ice bags to h just going down to the dispensary and uh sampling a bud here or there, you know.

[00:34:51]>> Let me ask you, this is completely off script here, but since you brought it up, >> when you were young like that, did you like when I was younger in college and stuff, there were times I always thought that marijuana would get legalized a lot sooner than it did >> that and when you were a young guy like that, did you have any thoughts that that that would ever happen? Well, when I was a young guy like that, a pot bust was a serious felony. You were going to prison.

[00:35:12]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:35:13]>> Not to jail. You were going to go to prison. So, so yeah, I mean, the way things have evolved over the years, it's like, yeah, >> kind of hard for you to believe how much it's evolved.

[00:35:21]>> Oh, you could you imagine that at one time?

[00:35:24]>> I mean, it's, you know, it's over half a century, so it's it's easy to wrap your head around it now. But I remember back in San Francisco in the day and like I said, if you were if you took a pot bus and it wouldn't take very much, you could wind up in San Quentin.

[00:35:42]>> Yeah. Not a good place to be.

[00:35:43]>> Or back. One of those places.

[00:35:44]>> Yeah. Not a good place to be.

[00:35:46]>> Yeah. And and as we've talked about that before, Chester Power Powers, Dino Valenni really uh for a pot bust and and uh sold his rights to that get together song to get the money to get get out of jail, you know, >> to think that that that was that was the case back then.

[00:36:05]>> Uh Yarma the uh the Tamaran book. One thing I wanted to mention is they they mentioned at this time that it seemed that the uh the airplane, you know, would you could just get these two singles together for a release that there were signs already that things were kind of like breaking up. Uh and and this this one thing in particular, uh that Steve Barn card I you know, >> engineer. Yeah.

[00:36:31]>> Y >> uh his comment was the band was already falling apart. Jack came in and took five days to do a bass part. Yarma came in and did his part. Paul was pretty much running the show and Grace was hanging out and grossing everyone out.

[00:36:45]Uh, interesting.

[00:36:47]>> That pretty much says it all.

[00:36:48]>> Does that say it all there?

[00:36:49]>> It pretty much.

[00:36:50]>> So, so at at that time, yeah, cuz I I think really after that, uh, I mean, you got 30 seconds a live record coming out, but uh, and and I guess that and have you seen the saucers was done live on that record? Yeah.

[00:37:05]>> Yeah. Uh this is the this is the early flight record which also came out at about that time because once again RCA felt they had to do something >> right >> since the band at that time wasn't producing anything to put a record out.

[00:37:22]Right.

[00:37:23]>> So what we have here is a compilation >> which is very very cool by the way.

[00:37:27]>> It's a good compilation.

[00:37:29]>> Uh early flight it's called. And while a lot of this stuff is the very early stuff, 65, 66, 68 period there. You know, you do have Mexico, which is a recording in 70 and then have you seen the saucers is 70 as well.

[00:37:42]>> I found it interesting this song called Up and Down, which is one of your brother's songs that you guys end up doing there.

[00:37:49]>> Yeah. And uh so it it was a real nice collection of different things uh the early flight album cover here and it took the and then aside from all like the alternate takes it did take that 45 and put it on a record for once and as and as RCA was so good to point out a collection of songs never before released on an album.

[00:38:12]So you >> anything need to sell records.

[00:38:15]>> They they do that a lot these days, but you guys were kind of early on doing these unreleased track thing here. Think about it. What a nice collection of And this has some great, you know, some of those great >> B. you think about the airplane at the time. I mean, like I said, I' I'd hard be hard to put u, you know, to put dates and statistics on this, but but there was a time when Airplane was arguably one of the biggest bands in the United States, you know, and in in a in a more adult mindset, you know, instead of just wandering away from the band like Jack and I both did when that time came, we probably would have done a Farewell album, a farewell to all that stuff that the adults do with records and stuff like that. But, you know, that's not how it was back then. I mean, the one of the things I think that was exciting to me when it worked was the family aspect uh both good and bad uh of the airplane, the airplane members, you know, creatively working together on the road, stuff like that. And when that began to dissipate, it was like, you know, I don't think I gave her any thought to it. I thought, well, you know, big commercial band, we should do a farewell thing. I just figured >> it just kind of >> I'm done.

[00:39:30]>> Yeah. Yeah. You know, you there's something kind of cool organically about, you know, the way you just did it. You know, it just kind of just kind of morphed and happened.

[00:39:39]>> Yeah. We could have had like five farewell tours.

[00:39:41]>> Yes. You could have played >> years of saying goodbye.

[00:39:44]>> Too bad they didn't have the sphere back then. You could have done like a month of a farewell tour, you know?

[00:39:48]>> Right. Every night a new farewell.

[00:39:50]>> There you go.

[00:39:52]Okay. Well, that Mexico very interesting, great song. You know, it does have the typical Jeffson Airplane, you know, >> fight for the fight for the issues and the revolution at the time. Stick it to the man. Sticking it to the man. That little Richard. Yes.

[00:40:09]>> Uh, question here coming in. Yorma asking if you have some reflections on the 1996 Hot Tuna lineup, which they pointed out was a longlasting lineup featuring, of course, you and Jack.

[00:40:22]Michael Fallsano, Harvey Sorgan, and Pete Sears.

[00:40:26]>> Yeah. So, I mean, if you know, Michael and I have been friends for wow, going way back into the early 70s, and we played a lot of music together outside of that format. And uh I guess when the time came together to do something, we needed a band. And those are the guys that we had in our family we've been playing with. So that's what we went with, you know.

[00:40:55]>> Mhm.

[00:40:55]>> It's a good bunch of players.

[00:40:57]>> Mhm.

[00:40:58]>> How about the difference you and Jack when you're just doing the duo thing and then you have to think about a full band?

[00:41:02]>> Well, it's a whole different animal. I mean, uh, you know, uh, as a duo, there's a lot more freedom certainly for probably more for Jack than for me. Um, whereas in a band, people have roles to fulfill. And >> adding adding musicians to that mix, you aren't like saying a keyboard, you know.

[00:41:25]Is that changed things up a lot for you as far as how you have to think of playing in the >> Well, I don't think I thought about it like that, but of course it does. And uh, and I remember that when you have a keyboard in a band, it becomes a keyboard band.

[00:41:39]Uh, and >> you think it actually takes over? I'm ab yes under most circumstances except when you have a Pete Sears in the band you know Pete is just uh because he plays a lot he plays a lot of instruments really well and his his musical taste was always impeccable and you know whether he was playing playing a bass part or a keyboard part or an accordion part it was just always the right stuff I mean Pete Pete brought so much to the table always and uh in his ability ability to to make it work with whatever the the format of the band was, not just with us because he's played with a lot of people.

[00:42:17]>> Sure.

[00:42:18]>> Always brilliant. Brilliant.

[00:42:20]>> Now, you did have keys with Nick Buck at one point.

[00:42:23]>> We do. Well, that's going back earlier.

[00:42:25]That's that's considerably >> Was that just a little bit or studio?

[00:42:29]>> No, we uh trying to think if if Nick ever went on >> I think he's on the double dose, isn't he?

[00:42:34]>> He's on double dose. Yeah, he was he was he was on the on the road with us briefly. Nick was one of these guys that uh that he's from New Orleans. We met him, really great player, brought a lot to the table in a lot of ways. And it was just fun playing with him. And I remember he had uh in that era when we were doing that, I think he had an early Overheim um synthesizer or some part. I mean, today, you know, my daughter's got a keyboard that would mop the floor up of all these keyboards we're talking about back then.

[00:43:06]But back then it was all pretty pretty wild stuff. And uh Nikki Nick liked to jam and and to have what he brought to the table was a lot of fun. I remember Ken Pazani.

[00:43:19]He's a >> poster artist.

[00:43:21]>> Poster artist back then. He's a >> writer.

[00:43:23]>> He's a writer in LA now. Yeah.

[00:43:25]>> Hey Ken, how you doing buddy? Anyway, Ken uh he did I remember he did a poster for us and uh I forget exactly there was a little there's a little dialogue thought balloons, you know, speech balloons and uh and one of the characters was was asking Nick to to make a dragon sound and what's and and Nick's little thought was one head or two.

[00:43:50]>> That's a good keyboard player. What do you think as [clears throat] far as piano over organ? Do you have any preference as far as >> the the style? You know, a lot of the rock bands focus more on an organ sound instead of the pianist.

[00:44:02]>> I don't know. It's it's not either >> one good for you.

[00:44:05]>> You know, I'm a guitar player, you know, and uh we've experimented with a lot of stuff. Basically left to my own devices.

[00:44:12]Unless I was hired to work on somebody else's project, it would be a guitar bed.

[00:44:17]>> Okay.

[00:44:19]All right. We're gonna move to the Nebworth Festival in 197 >> Hot Tuna played again. A question here.

[00:44:27]>> We did >> a short seven song set and question is was this festival a part of a European tour you were doing or was it specifically to go over for network?

[00:44:39]>> So I was that the same time as the aisle of white? I think it might have been. I don't know. We'd have to look it up. But anyway, uh yeah, I mean, hot tuna was we were moderately big dogs in the States back in those days and we took all of our equipment to Europe.

[00:44:58]>> Wow.

[00:44:58]>> You know, I was playing through out like four four double stacks jackhead. I mean, we we took >> And that stuff all flown over your >> Oh, you know something? Probably.

[00:45:06]>> Yeah.

[00:45:07]>> Sure. It cost a lot of money. We took all our [ __ ] with us. I mean, if you look at the uh there's a bunch of photographs online. And you see the Nevorth Festival >> of Jack's brother Michael tuning stuff up just dwarfed by this pile of this tower of equipment.

[00:45:22]>> Yeah, it looked like a lot of speakers, amplifiers and stuff.

[00:45:26]>> Uh, >> good stuff.

[00:45:27]>> The uh the same questionnaire said that he saw Hatuna a couple weeks after this >> at a place called the Music Inn in Lennox, Massachusetts.

[00:45:39]and he says, "Does y have any thoughts on this legendary legendary outdoor venue?"

[00:45:45]>> No.

[00:45:45]>> No.

[00:45:46]>> Okay.

[00:45:46]>> I just It's not ringing any bells. Sorry about that.

[00:45:49]>> That's a long time ago as well. You >> It was a long time ago.

[00:45:52]>> Uh now the Nebworth thing, back to the Neborth were just seven songs. Was that like a structured thing because of how many people were on the festival?

[00:46:00]>> I'm sure that they just said here's the time you got and >> do that.

[00:46:03]>> It's left to our own devices because we could still be playing.

[00:46:06]>> Yes. You'd go on and on and on. Yeah.

[00:46:08]When you talk about flying all that equipment over, I bet it did cost a pretty to bring that you the chances back then because you're talking 1976, which is literally 50 years ago, um you probably would have a very hard time finding a backline like that in Europe, you know, like like in these days where you >> we would have done we wouldn't have done it anyway. You would have done it. You weren't >> we were in a position of power. I mean, if we had to do something like that today, we would use backline because that's what everybody does. But back in those days, I mean, our sound man required.

[00:46:38]>> You had to have the right element.

[00:46:40]>> Exactly. Perfect.

[00:46:41]>> And and we were, you know, in a position of some powers or said, "We want the amps, fly them over."

[00:46:47]>> And all the necessary step down transformers since the power was like 240 there and everything that we had was like 110 or 120. Did this take a big contingent for you to go to like Europe for something like that as far as your helpers, your your >> Well, we had we had Jack's older brother. We had Jack's younger brother.

[00:47:08]We had Jack's older brother, Chick's friend, Paul Dowel. I think that was pretty We had this We had this other guy that worked for us for a while. I have no idea what happened. His name is Daget.

[00:47:20]Some guy from Texas. We We had when we needed We had a team of droids, you know.

[00:47:25]>> Mhm. take care of everything.

[00:47:26]>> Yeah, >> you need that.

[00:47:29]>> Yeah, you do.

[00:47:30]>> You know, we've talked about this Rampage years because it seems to keep coming up and stuff and and here's another question that has come up and asking, is there any possibility of the Hot Tuna show broadcast from WNEWM >> at the Palladium 1976 being released?

[00:47:48]And the point is, and this has been said again for a lot of tuna fans, they feel and they have labeled this as one of the legendary hot tuna shows.

[00:48:00]Do you have any recollections on that show? And >> I just remember we were we were hot in that era and like specifically no in that era. Yes, we were we were having it.

[00:48:10]>> Palladium was a place you'd play pretty regularly, right?

[00:48:13]>> Right.

[00:48:13]>> Was that pretty much your New York City venue, New York venue? Oh, for a while we did a bunch of things. The Palladium that become the Academy of Music or was it? I forget.

[00:48:25]>> But yeah, that was one of those famous rock halls, stuff like that.

[00:48:30]>> All right, I tell you, we've been getting a lot of great questions. So, good. We're cutting through them all today. We're going to be get on something here nugget next time.

[00:48:39]>> Uh, they saw a clip of Hot Tuna on the Midnight Special.

[00:48:44]>> Sure.

[00:48:45]>> 1974.

[00:48:47]Right.

[00:48:47]>> Does your have any recollections about the experience and what they saw was only two songs being I uh I see the light and the hama prominade.

[00:48:59]>> Right.

[00:48:59]>> And was that just two songs they took out or were you just directing?

[00:49:03]>> I have no recollection of that. They >> they the midnight special did it. It was like a a a show gig, >> right? And I'm sure they did the whole show, but those are the ones that >> selected, >> saw the light of day. Yeah.

[00:49:18]>> How was that doing a show like that for TV at that time for you?

[00:49:21]>> Yeah. Just just just play the gig.

[00:49:24]>> Yeah. Cuz that was kind of I do remember the midnight special. They brought a lot of cool stuff on and people don't realize how hard it was back then to see some of that stuff where it's so easy that today you turn on YouTube and you go down. In fact, some of these questions have come because people have seen things on YouTube >> and talking about that and this this is definitely old guy stuff. You know, listen, YouTube is great and you you you and I go down the rabbit hole all the time. We look at all this kind this and that and the other thing, but in some ways and again the pin are like [ __ ] Everybody's got one, but uh in some way it just it makes the living in the moment aspect of it just a little less important. You know, >> are we glad these things live in YouTube? Absolutely. You know, but in terms of having it dominate your creative life, it's like go see a live show, you know.

[00:50:22]>> Yeah. Yeah. True. Uh then again, I gotta say I'm always knocked out by that YouTube thing because >> I am. Listen, as am I.

[00:50:32]>> For someone that wasn't around to see maybe Miles Davis in 1959 and there's a concert with him, it's just like a That's awesome. I agree.

[00:50:40]>> And even with you know, you know, some of the Jefferson Airplane stuff we were talking about, someone had asked about that Martha video and I talked to you about it. You weren't. So the one in Griffith Griffith Park to >> and to see that again and see you guys so young and the music and stuff. It's like wow this >> Yeah. And then there's that.

[00:50:56]>> So yeah, there's that aspect about it. I I agree with you. You can't get lost down the rabbit hole. But boy, there's a lot of fun stuff.

[00:51:02]>> No, there's a lot of fun stuff.

[00:51:04]>> And I I I think it beats, you know, watching Friends, you know, you know, year after year on the reruns or something, you know, going down there [clears throat] just regular.

[00:51:14]>> No, I think it's great this stuff is out there for a lot of reasons. And uh you know, one of the things that's funny is like sometimes when Jack and I resuscitate a song we haven't played in years, I do what the kids would do. I go to YouTube, find a version of us the way that I like and >> Mhm.

[00:51:29]>> and and pick the stuff.

[00:51:31]>> It's really a really amazing source of stuff.

[00:51:34]>> Totally. Absolutely.

[00:51:34]>> Even Even, you know, uh last month when you came by and we were talking about that Elizabeth Cotton, that Washington blues.

[00:51:42]>> Oh my god.

[00:51:43]>> And and I was I was uncertain of what you were talking about. you said, "Here, bring it up on YouTube and there you got her, you know, from decades ago." Did we talk about this before the >> we touched base on a little bit about the the the song and stuff and the fact how much >> since you mentioned it again >> how much you liked her and stuff but that to see that is that's for me is the greatest thing is some of the old black and white stuff because I mean even you know a guy like Benny Goodman they got live shows with him and it's just >> we need to get our listeners to get out there again and check out Elizabeth Cotton Washington Blues you know most of the time we've said this before you think about Liv Cotton as as freight trainer one of those sort of simplistic two-finger picking things. Washington blues finger style players.

[00:52:27]>> Serious business.

[00:52:28]>> Hang on to your hands. Serious business.

[00:52:29]>> Hang on to your hats. This is serious business.

[00:52:31]>> Yeah. And it's really something to watch how she's playing with that guitar upside down.

[00:52:35]>> Upside down. I mean, >> right. Not rerungrung so that her her fingers play the bass notes and ah it's crazy. It's just crazy. So that's >> Elizabeth Cotton Washington Blues. Check it out.

[00:52:45]>> Yeah. Check it out. That's a really cool thing. And of course, we love YouTube because it has the Fur Peace channel on there. And >> really?

[00:52:52]>> Yeah. We have our, you know, we got our own channel now, Yarma. And not only all those great quarantine shows we did over the years that uh you can still access up there. In fact, it was it was neat when I looked at the uh podcast from, you know, this this month here. The comments were really really neat to see how many people felt like it brought him back to that that whole thing we did during during that quarantine concert time. So >> yeah, YouTube is awesome.

[00:53:20]>> It is nice to have that there. And uh like I say, if you did have some time you wanted to spend passing it, you surely could waste time a lot more than turning in there.

[00:53:29]>> I don't consider that wasted.

[00:53:31]>> No, I'm saying you could rather than turning on to YouTube. I don't consider that you could waste time doing something real stupid instead of say something like that. You this next question was such a good question and indeed we're getting toward the end of our show here. Boy, I can't believe how fast these shows go by.

[00:53:47]>> Oh my god. you know, I guess because we're having such a good time and because we've been getting some good questions in here and uh this was a this was a really good question and I I think so because it uh that's why I actually printed the whole thing because rather than me trying to surmise the question, I thought I'd I'd read it to you and it's it's of some length here and it's a good question that I would have thought to maybe ask you myself.

[00:54:12]>> Lay it on me. I have read and heard that many 60s rockers, particularly from California, don't particularly care for the term psychedelic rock or acid rock to describe late60s rock and roll. I disagree. I think it is an excellent way to characterize the style of rock and roll in the same way you would use rockabilly or southern rock. I have heard you say, however, that psychedelic drugs were not necessary for the creation of this music, which I wholeheartly agree. Your fellow rock and roll comrade, Barry, Bay Area rock veteran Barry Melton, agrees as well and made this comment in 2005 interview for Vintage Guitar magazine. I told you it was a good question.

[00:55:02]quote, "I've talked to folks about this in the past, and I think the San Francisco sound is really a folk rock sound in all fairness, and if drugs had an influence on the sound, it was to push it over into the improvisational side of things, very much in the manner of jazz or blues. But it took these kinds of jazz and blues liberties, liberties and sensibilities to push folk music into the improvis improvis improvisational zone. You've got to understand that different people chose different idioms during the folk music movement of the early 60s and for me it was the blues. Very cool comment by Barry.

[00:55:45]>> Yeah. And actually well said Barry. Well said buddy. Um I think what we had there uh in that era is we had a bunch of m musicians in the San Francisco Bay area of whom Barry was one uh who were really artful players uh and who were not not confined by whatever their source was. I mean I didn't come into being an electric guitar player from playing electric blues guitar. It was not something I was interested in. I had been playing finger style, blues, gospel, blah blah blah on the acoustic guitar for a number of years. But uh when I got I was so fortunate as a as a young guitar playing artist to be in a band like Jefferson Airplane, which was not a blues band, and where we had so many people that wrote songs with really interesting chord changes and stuff like that, and they gave the members of the band the freedom to find something to play. It wasn't like, whoa, man, you just did this and that. I mean, listen, we learned how to do that on the job.

[00:56:51][clears throat] Excuse me. And um yeah, to have an opportunity to do that with with world class creative artists like that, I mean, you just how lucky do you have to get, you know?

[00:57:01]>> Mhm.

[00:57:02]>> And uh we just had a format where that we had these great singers and under normal circumstances, I mean, if you think about a band like the Mamas and the Papas, they're playing with world class musicians, too. Well, when did you ever hear them step out? I'm not saying they didn't, but I I just not >> a completely different thing.

[00:57:20]>> But, you know, I mean, here we had, you know, for the most part really complex three-part harmonies and a band that played its ass off all the time.

[00:57:30]>> Now, the the comment about the folk rock, it's kind of true in some ways, right? Because everybody was kind of coming from folk backgrounds and then electrified. And with the >> electrification >> in our world, absolut in our world, absolutely. uh you know we categories are so funny and and and what did the term folk rock mean? Who knows, you know, but there's no question that a lot of the musicians that became successful, you know, rock musicians that came out of San Francisco started came out of a folky background, you know, you know, folk music, it's it's powerful music. It's not like u you know, it's not lightly undertaken either, right? You know, it's it's an idiom I think that translated really nicely, >> thank goodness, into an electric format.

[00:58:17]>> Yeah. And that seems to be what Barry is saying also that depending on who was listening at different ways they could take the folk thing there.

[00:58:24]>> We're going to have to wrap up this show, but I want to go back I want to go back to his first question because the people talking about psychedelic rock and acid rock. Of course, when I was growing up, that's terms you'd hear. Oh, that's acid rock or psychedelic. Did you did you not like the coinage of those words? Personally, >> I don't think I I don't personally think I gave it a second thought.

[00:58:42]>> No thoughts.

[00:58:43]>> Um, and if you think about I guess there were some bands back in those days where the where the band members did a lot of psychedelics.

[00:58:56]That was not my path, you know, >> even though they have the Jefferson Airplane looking back at it historically is certainly a psychedelic band, whatever the hell that means, you know.

[00:59:06]So, so I guess for me it's just um a good psychedelic band's got to start with a good songs and a bunch of good players to leave enough room so that when they're not supporting the song that they can improvise in some sort of a constructive way without just you know right yeah and I I personally think that the improvisation aspect of things was >> part of what made it so psychedelic using that word you know experimental adventurous you the playing was adventurous going in different directions and stuff that but I also kind of wondered if in some cases when you talk about acid rock if it was something that meant like rock was good for people that might be experimenting you know >> I would never have thought that >> you would have thought that >> I mean I think it'd be it was it almost became like industry terms >> yeah that that's a great >> I mean look people have been getting high for a really long time John and I know this comes as a shock to you but >> I I I never heard about that. [laughter] >> All I know is Bill Clinton didn't inhale. [laughter] >> But anyway, >> well, he never inhaled, I don't think, did he?

[01:00:12]>> No. No, he didn't inhale. No.

[01:00:14]>> Well, anyhow, you we got to wrap it up, but what a great way to wrap it up. Now, you know, I gotta say once again, I I may not take many questions for the next thing, but please send them in because we'll keep them keep them in tart for when you because this is the second episode in a row >> where I had brought this Filillmore record in and I wanted to talk to you about the we didn't even get to about the Filillmore days with the Jefferson Airplane. And I'm thinking maybe for our next episode, we'll just need to talk about the Filillmore because I I want I want to talk to you about looking at the looking at the paperwork. It's so great in that box set of the Filillmore. They have every show that they ever did at the Fillmore. And I was looking at the year uh 1966 and the Jeffson Airplane played the Filillmore 42 times in that year >> and and I've got some of the great combinations that you played with, but boy, I we're going to talk about the Filillmore West next time. So, yeah, that'd be great. Be sure to tune back in and we always appreciate you tuning in.

[01:01:14]Bless up. Have a great day.

[01:01:17]>> Let's leave them with some good music.

[01:01:23]>> [music] >> Walking [music] down [singing] that lonesome road, set my soul on fire.

[01:01:38][music] Thinking back before I [singing] left the passions [music] I desire.

[01:01:46]Can you help me anymore?