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ROCK’S IN MY HEAD- CHAPTER 31: BACK TO SCHOOL: SENIOR YEAR (Part1)

29 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by MICHAEL C. HODGKISS in #WhiteBoyBlues, CSNY, Democratic Convention Chicago 1968, Elektra Records, Fillmore East, Indie records, Jac Holzman, MC5, Rock music, Stooges, Uncategorized

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ROCK’S IN MY HEAD- CHAPTER 31: BACK TO SCHOOL: SENIOR YEAR (Part1)

With only one full day of my senior year of high school under my belt I needed a rest so I took the afternoon off from work and travelled back to The Pavilion grabbing tickets at the door to see The MC-5, The Stooges with David Peel and The Lower East Side. These bands, two from Detroit, and Peel from NYC,were not my usual fare of British blues bands or San Franciscan hippies. These guys were what has been called “radical chic”. After seeing a TV news segment about The Stooges I knew that this band intrigued me and I should make an attempt to see them LIVE whenever they hit town. This particular show was enlightening to say the very least. It started late, finished later, and the crowd, not as dense in population as the Led Zeppelin show a week earlier, can best be described as “crazy”, made up of mostly drunken guys,who were also very high and a bit dirty, so my outfit for the evening did NOT fit in. But, did I fit in either? That was the question.

The Stooges had a nice droning sound with a lead singer with….ah, charisma? Eventually he had no shirt and pants that barely stayed on his hips while shaking his skinny ass toward the crowd. His performance had every one’s attention…I WANNA BE YOUR DOG, 1969 OKAY, What were they doing? What were they saying? I didn’t exactly know what was happening musically but I knew this was different, very, very different.

The stars of the evening,The MC5 were awesome, almost in the way The Who did it for me a few months previously. These guys were loud, fast, riotous, revolutionary, all with a coordinated choreography. The dance steps were just as amazing as the music was loud. I took something away from this show… on the car ride home I heard a new Creedence song on the FM radio and thought to myself, “What is that shit?”, yeah, The 5 and Stooges helped steer me in new direction; guitars, bass and drums…loud and louder if possible, and the lead singer doesn’t necessarily need to know how to sing. Who needs love songs anyway? And I needed to skip school the next day.

It was about this time that I thought I should buckle down for my last year of high school. I survived so far with a B+ average which should have been higher but I didn’t care. I had all the necessary credits to graduate already chalked up except English 12. Religion and PE were required but didn’t count as full credit courses. To fill my schedule I continued taking art classes and two history electives. My schedule had a study hall every other day first period which would be a problem for my brother as I would like to hit the diner those morning. If he rode with me in the car, it was the diner for him too. I didn’t mind paying the 25 cents school fines for being late, and an additional 25 cents for signing in while being out of uniform as my tie and jacket would remain in my locker.

At this time a bunch of us planned on attending TEN YEARS AFTER at FILLMORE EAST. I grabbed some good Orchestra tickets for the Saturday night early show fully anticipating another great night of scorching TEN YEARS AFTER blues/rock. The show was as advertised, great. The Flock, a horn ensemble with a violin player to boot opened the festivities for the evening and closed their set with a KinKs tune, TIRED OF WAITING. Very cool. Mother Earth was next up. “Boring as boring can be”is the way I described that act to my friends. Still to this day one of my all time LEAST FAVORITE ACTS is Tracy Nelson fronting MOTHER EARTH.

TYA, that’s what was printed on the buttons we were handed as we entered the venue, rocked the house (Spoonful,Good Morning Little School Girl, I Can’t Keep From Crying, Hobbit,Help Me and of course I’m Going Home, the same exact set as played a few weeks ago in Freeport (and I bet same set they played at Woodstock) with a few Chuck Berry encores thrown in. TYA did Chuck Berry better than Chuck Berry. Alvin Lee was tearing it up, Leo Lyons’ head bouncing along to his bounding bass, Chick Churchill standing, clapping, leading the audience from atop his Leslie, and Ric Lee pounding out the back beat. Sold, they were my new FAVORITE  live band, a sentiment which could change nightly. Sweating we hit the night air totally satisfied and spent. The gang walked slowly through the Village proudly wearing our TYA buttons.

 

A few days later I took the program from the show to school. A (attractive) female classmate who paid no attention to me the last three years noticed the program, perused it, and we, she and I, became instant music buddies, opening a whole conversation with a whole new sphere of friends for me. Ah, senior year was not going to be a drag after all. Not only did I feel differently, the way I was seeing things or being seen was different.

The following weekend we two, my girl and I, were back at the same hall, almost the same orchestra seats as the TYA show, middle section a few rows back from the stage to see Crosby Stills Nash who now added Neil Young.This show was originally schedule as CROSBY,STILLS and NASH for August but was postponed. Now, a month after Woodstock here they were as CSN&YOUNG. Ahhhhh… The opening act, Lonnie Mack playing his Flying V Gibson was very tasty, and of course he did his version of Memphis.

The week of the Led Zeppelin show in May I had purchased a new pair of boots from a shoe shoppe on West 8th Street, a few doors down from Orange Julius and ElectricLady Studio. The night of CSN&Y I was wearing these boots and my girlfriend noticed Graham Nash had on the same identical boots. At seventeen years of age, sitting at a Fillmore show with a slight glow on, listening to Graham’s Nash playing his  acoustic guitar, while wearing the same boots as me,yes, life was great.

CSN played Suite:Judy followed by a few tunes before Neil joined in as did a bass player and drummer. The highlights were Broken Arrow, Wooden Ships and the closer, Down By The River. Again I brought the program to school, and met some more like minded classmates. My new music buddy (female) from last week invited me to smoke a joint behind the school at lunch. Somehow, I should have sensed that this might not be a good thing. Not that smoking a joint behind the school was a new thing to me but with this girl…

NEWS: What the hell is going on? Chicago is at it again, this time it’s the WEATHER UNDERGROUND- a radical group known as The Weatherman- who are demonstrating in protest of the CHICAGO EIGHT TRIAL. The National Guard is called in.

Hundreds of THOUSANDS of people are demonstrating against the WAR and in baseball world the NY METS win the WORLD SERIES, 4 games to 1, over the Baltimore Orioles.YOU GOTTA BELIEVE.

ON THE BARRICADES:Chicago @ 50

25 Saturday Aug 2018

Posted by MICHAEL C. HODGKISS in Democratic Convention Chicago 1968, Uncategorized

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ON THE BARRICADES:Chicago @ 50

Five decades after anti-war activists and Chicago police clashed in a dramatic sequence of protests that took place in the city during the August 1968 Democratic National Convention, another generation of pacifists are planning a demonstration against “war and police violence.”

“We are not aiming for a nostalgia event,” said Andy Thayer of the Chicago Committee Against War and Racism, which is organizing the coming protest, slated for Aug. 25.

“Then, people were protesting the longest-ever war,” at the time the Vietnam War, Thayer said. But now, in Afghanistan, “We’re currently involved in America’s longest-ever war.”

The Aug. 25 event will start at noon . The group has obtained a permit, according to Thayer and city records, and will gather at Daley Plaza. A number of speakers — including Vince Emanuele, Marine Corps veteran and anti-war speaker, and Kathy Kelly of the organization Voices for Creative Non-Violence — are scheduled to address attendees.

After the rally, the group plans to march through the Loop to the Gen. John Logan statue in Grant Park, a focal point of the 1968 protests, according to the group’s website.

“Chicago ’68 was pivotal,” Thayer said. “The lessons are important to relearn today.”

eolumhense@chicagotribune.com

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD: Chapter 22- UP AGAINST THE WALL and THE WHITE ALBUM

20 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by MICHAEL C. HODGKISS in Democratic Convention Chicago 1968, Rock music, The Beatles, The Yippies, Uncategorized

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ROCK’S IN MY HEAD: Chapter 22- UP AGAINST THE WALL and THE WHITE ALBUM

The television event of the summer was THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION held in Chicago during August of 1968.

First,we had the Hippies, then the Death of The Hippies, followed by the arrivals of THE YIPPIES. According to my Dad you could assume someone was a “hippie” by their longish hair, their horrific odor, wearing jeans and having sandals on their feet. But these YIPPIES were a completely different classification.

The Youth International Party aka The YIPPIES started, according to folk lore, in 1967 when Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman and a few knuckleheads got together to discuss world events and how they wanted to bring attention to what was happening in the world and in politics. Their tactics, at first very peaceful, involved techniques known as street theater,which was fun in the making. Their goal was to ever so slightly mock the populous apathy in asking to make changes, then slowly gain their support in hopes of eventually having a majority asking for  mass changes in issues regarding war, poverty, civil rights, etc.

The first major step in gaining recognition was a “YIP-IN”, sorta like the be-ins of the summer before, only this one was held in Grand Central Station. Hundreds showed up and all was peaceful until a large black banner appeared on the station wall declaring “UP AGAINST THE WALL MOTHERFUCKER” boldly written in red. Then, some guy climbed up the clock tower and removed the hands from the famed clock. By this time the police had had enough. It was not so peaceful anymore.

The YIPPIES next move was a YIP-OUT, a legitimate protest to be held in Central Park, complete with all the necessary permits, insurance riders, bathroom facilities, etc. and ‘with the graces of NYC’. This endeavor was a bit more tranquil and quite successful. The Yippies now made plans to take “this show” on the road, to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. Articles were written for underground newspapers, hand bills put up in major cities asking folks to come to Chicago where it was falsely alleged by the opposition that the Yippies were planning on dosing the city’s water supply with top grade LSD and then they would storm the convention floor, all not true. Mayor Richard J. Daly of famed Chicago lore was not too pleased with the Yippies plans and as more and more “Yippies” arrived he declared “law and order will prevail”.

Peaceful large scale protest marches happened at first. Jerry Rubin did nominate PEGASUS THE PIG for President.  After a few days of police  along with the National Guardsmen interacting with the Yippies ( mostly everyone outside was considered  a Yippie by law enforcement) a young boy was killed after he attempted to shoot at a Chicago officer. AND….all hell broke loose. The television coverage was mind boggling. Tear gas, riot gear, police lines, barbed wire barricades, and billy clubs pounding men and women’s skulls. Even newsman Dan Rather took a beating on the convention floor. The Democrats made speeches from the floor in protest as to what was happening in the streets, calling the police tactics GESTAPO like. All were asking for the “gestapo” to back down. But,  Chicago PD and others thought someone (The Yippies) must pay.

At first The Trial was given the title “the Chicago Eight” which featured that lovable clown Abbie Hoffman, his bearded sidekick Jerry Rubin both representing the Yippies, seated along side Bobby Seale of Black Panther fame, joined by future politician Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, and Lee Weiner. This cast of characters, was charged by the federal government with “conspiracy, inciting to riot” and numerous other lesser charges.

Bobby Seale claiming he was not permitted to choose his own lawyer was eventually removed for this trial after being bound and gagged by court officers. His wish to be removed was granted. “Your brother’s bound and gagged and they chained him to a chair, won’t you please come to Chicago”- Graham Nash wrote.

So the 8 became The Seven. Ironically, the judge’s last name was Hoffman but no relation to our star Abbie as the judge indicated during his opening statement. Abbie immediately replied,” Dad, Why have you forsaken me?”. Abbie was a hit with the crowd but not so much with “His Honor” as  Judge Hoffman was a noted stickler for proper court room protocol. “Julie” as the boys called him throughout the trial was no match for the boys and he had to endure their four and 1/2 months of court room shenanigans. One morning Abbie Hoffman arrived in judicial robes and sat at the defense table. When JULIE thought this was disrespectful to the court he requested  Abbie remove the garment to which he did only to find that Abbie had a Chicago police uniform under it.

Bobby Seale got four years for contempt which was later reversed. Most all of the remaining seven were convicted of something, most of crossing state lines to incite a riot, but after exhausting appeals, etc, all were reversed. The finding was that Judge Hoffman was biased to the defendants. Point goes to The Yippies.

September of 68 I was working after school and weekends at Dubbings Electronics, a factory making cassette and 8 track tapes. Cassettes were new to the music business at this time and Dubbings had the market pretty well covered. Their major clients included Vanguard, Elektra, Capitol Records and all their minor labels. Needless to say my music collection grew substantially each and every afternoon by at least one or two cassettes. Blues, folk, rock, jazz, whatever I could fit in my boot I took home; Country Joe, Dave Van Ronk, Quicksilver, Butterfield, Frank Sinatra, Doc Watson, Buffy St. Marie, Ian & Sylvia, Skip James, Steve Miller and others all found their way into my room.And here I met Pete, a long haired guy working in INVENTORY. Every afternoon as soon as I arrived we were expected to count out the labels for the evening shift. Upstairs with no supervision, we counted.

After being there only a few weeks, Ruthie who worked in the “Mastering Lab” called me over to hear something she thought was unique, that is, something strange to her 50 year old ears. The“lab”she worked in was a climate controlled, sound proofed room with thick glass windowed partitions. Basically it was an air tight room, locked, with a red light blazing DO NOT ENTER over the door. One had to wear white gloves and coveralls to enter the room. Coming into the Inventory Department where I worked, Ruthie slipped a cassette into one of our machines and attached her very expensive headphones over my ears. Upon hearing the sounds, I was at first perplexed but knew instantly what it must be. “They say it’s your birthday.” It sounded like The Beatles. Then, “Number nine, number nine” over and over with a cacophony of sounds, screams, horns, etc. Smiling I answered with more of a question, THE BEATLES ? I proposed. She then with her white gloves on, removed the cassette from the apparatus and put in another cassette…. HELTER SKELTER….THE BEATLES ,YES IT’S THE BEATLES. She informed me it was a company hush hush job, no one was to know what we were putting together, not even her supposedly but she had her suspicions and needed “verification” which was ME.  No labels, no inserts, just a number 4XWL stamped on the cassettes, which was to be a double cassette set. One million cassettes (half a million packages to market) was to be produced and stored until November 15 shipping. The entire factory, two shifts, was working on one project and I guessed who and what it was. Needless to say Ruthie slipped me a few early finished cassettes during week one, no labels just 4XWL which I knew meant The Beatles (The WHITE ALBUM), to share with my friends, friends who were skeptical at first but after a little while….yea man, The Beatles.

1968: My collection was now mostly albums (vinyl) and many cassettes, with an occasional single thrown in. White Album AKA The Beatles, Hendrix’s Electric LadyLand,THE STONES Beggar’s Banquet (loved it), Odyssey and Oracle(which I bought on a lunch hour after seeing the cover in a record store on Wall Street- I loved The Zombies), THE KINKS Village Green Preservation Society, THE BAND Big Pink,Waiting For The Sun by The Doors,  Lady Soul(my brother’s), SUPER SESSION, SweetHeart Of The Rodeo Big Brother’s Cheap Thrills, CREAM’s double lp set Wheels On Fire, Small Faces Ogden’,s Nut Gone Flake, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s first to name a few.

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