Stories: Not Too Far From The Ocean
The End of Polio? • I Was a Long-boarder • The Draft: What's Your Problem? • Timothy Leary? • To Ski or Not to Ski • Butch and Sundance • Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! • Arrivals • It's Just a Car • Fish On! • Music Musings • Walter Mitty Redux • Clamming and Crabbing • Grandpop: Can We Talk?
Music Friends:
Michael • Mark Perlman • Mark Jurey
Music Musings: Mark Perlman
I recall the first time I was truly turned on by music was in 1963 (I was 13) when the Beatles came out on the Ed Sullivan show. I immediately started to grow out my hair and eventually bought Beatle boots. I tried the guitar but found I didn’t have the discipline to go anywhere in that direction, so I became another passionate fan.
The video below are The Beatles perfroming,"All My Loving" from the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964 after a brief introduction from Ed Sullivan—classic.
Bob Dylan and The Stones:
In 1965, "Mr. Tambourine Man " by Bob Dylan, and, "I Can’t Get No Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones were released. They both became anthems for the rebellion that was growing inside me when I was 15. Dylan and the Stones became instrumental in helping me get through my turbulent adolescence. I felt I had kindred spirits in the world, and I played their records until I wore out the grooves. They also accompanied my introduction to The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
Three From Woodstock:
As the '60s wore on, my love for music multiplied, eventually leading me to Woodstock in the summer of 1969. I was working at a hot dog joint in Atlantic City, and a hippie I hardly knew came up to me while I was working and said,
"You wanna go see the Rolling Stones?"I immediately told my boss I quit, and we hitchhiked to Woodstock. As it turned out, The Rolling Stones weren't even on the ticket, but I got way more than I bargained for. We didn't have tickets, so we crashed the fences and saw everyone from Santana to Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, and just about all my musical idols. It was also the first time I did LSD and took up smoking weed for many years to come.
I was supposed to be saving money for college the coming fall, but I hitchhiked home without a quarter to my name and somehow lost all my clothes and measly belongings. Obviously, my parents were irate and shocked at my shoulder-length hair and ripped jeans. I clearly remember going to college that fall with clear ideas of the parties to follow.
Staying on Course:
My future tastes in music stayed on course as I rejoiced in the music of Springsteen (the best solo live concert I ever saw), to the Who, The Byrds, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, and the Clash, to name a few. I eventually saw everyone I admired, with the exception of the Beatles.
