Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
I wish that they’d swoop down in a country lane / Late at night when I’m driving / Take me on board their beautiful ship / Show me the world as I’d love to see it / I’d tell all my friends but they’d never believe me / They’d think that I’d finally lost it completely / I’d show them the stars and the meaning of life / They’d shut me away / But I’d be alright / Alright / I’m alright / Alright
You can call a great band “a great band”—but what of a band like Greta Van Fleet? Well, maybe? Isn’t a bit late for Pitchfork to be flying the banner for rock ‘n’ roll? Who am I to judge, but when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll, I ain’t no spring chicken. I’ve seen a few shows. Been at it, livin’ and breathing it…yep, all the way.
At some point this week I felt seasick and stupid. But I heard Ty Segall’s cover of, “Class War,” an old Dils song, and it reminded me of early days. The summer of ’77, much of it spent at my dad’s attic apartment in Pacific Heights, San Fransisco. How my old man landed in SF in the ’70s is a long story.
For most of his 84 years dad’s been a die-hard New Yorker, but there we were—father and son in the Bay. I was 16 and had recently discovered Max’s, CBGBs, and punk rock. Thirsty for it, I combed all the SF newspapers and record shops for clues and landed on Broadway in North Beach at a cool club called The Mabuhay Gardens. It was a place in time. It was there I saw The Dils—they were not much older than me and could barely play a note. They were a cool combination of pissed off and just having fun. They also looked amazing and left a lasting impression.
Years later I would meet with them (Tony & Chip Kingman), eat at my restaurant, and offer to put them in the studio to re-record acoustic versions of their ’70s punk songs. It was one my first attempts to get into the music biz.
There were some frustrating moments this week. My daughter turned 24 and her B Day was not so happy, but hearing Ty sing Tony Kingman gave me hope. You know, Ty carrying the flag for real rock ‘n’ roll…blah blah… “And then there is you.” Tell me, what does it all mean?
Hey it’s 2018, so I’ll take whatever I can.
Idelic Single of the Week: Ty Segall – Class War
Seems crazy, but I was at this show 41 years ago.
