Brokaw Should Have Talked To Me

By Tom D'Antoni

My ex-brother-in-law gave me my first hit of LSD. He drove us toward Western Maryland, I think. I didn't notice the scenery too much because the clouds wouldn't stop changing into figurative sculpture, organizing themselves into moving morphing dancing figures for what seemed like hours.

I don't remember talking to him. I know we ended up at a party, or was it people just hanging out, musicians maybe, in a hippie apartment in the building next door to mine. I brought the clouds in with me, it seemed. They could have had them painted on the walls. There could have been black lights. All I knew was that they were there and rounded out my first psychedelic experience.

That's how I ended up as editor and publisher of Baltimore's underground/hippie paper of record, "HARRY." Yes, all caps, no I don’t have room to tell you why the name.

We printed the going rate of dope and baited the cops and lived what we preached. I spent the summer of 1970 walking around without shoes.

To our everlasting shame, P.J. O'Rourke wrote for the paper.

In July of that year I wrote in the July 17,1970 issue of HARRY:

"Scene: July4. The Lincoln Memorial—it's alabastard columns and its simple dignity—symbolic. It's like the Parthenon, the Coliseum and the Reichstag—symbolic of an empire. Undimmed by human tears but goddamned sooty from the pollution.

Pan back: The army chorus, senators, congressmen, Kate Smith, bob Hope, the army band, 4,000 hard hats, Nixon freaks, flag freaks, God's own prophet—the gospel of America incarnate—Billy Graham, a huge American flag and your mother and father on the steps in front of the memorial. They are singing the Star Spangled Banner, which as you know, is the former national anthem. Some guys somewhere in the back of the memorial are firing a fifty-six gun salute.

Pan back further: Two thousand freaks on the banks of the reflecting pool doing a number of interesting things including: (a) giving the scene in front of them (1) the fist and (2) the finger; and (b) just sitting there saying, "far out, far fucking out!"

It seems we had the smoke-in after all.

Right and Wrong ripped us off and the "movement heavies" couldn't get it together, so we did what we've always done from Woodstock to the last Balto-Cong demonstration in May—we just did it ourselves—TOGETHER.

There was no admission, there were no fences, no speeches, no collections, no march routes and NO fucking marshals.

People started arriving as early as Thursday and the D.C. free community put them up until The Big Day. Some crashed on the grounds of the Washington Monument on Friday night. Unfortunately, they were forced to play a rather unfriendly game of hide and go gas with the local constabulary. I heard they didn't mind too much, though. Matter of fact, some of the people I talked to kind of dug it. Of course, they were stoned when I talked to them.

I arrived at dawn—stoned. There were about three hundred freaks there—including a large contingent of Yippies who were painting people's faces with orange and blue war paint. I got some of the blue but none of the orange.

Everyone was sitting on the lawn in front of the Washington Monument smoking them funny looking cigarettes and puffing on pipes. I joined them. Fast.

Was the dope good? Let me put it this way—I took fifteen pictures before I realized I had no film in my camera. Yeah, it was good dope.

By nine o'clock the crowd numbered around a thousand—all stoned. The Billy Graham Honor America Before It Honors You, Buddy Day ceremonies were getting ready at the Lincoln Memorial so I walked over to the area of the press trailer so I could get press credentials. I was prevented from doing so by a cop.

"I can't even get to the press trailer to see whether I can get credentials?" I said.

"That's right."

"Oh."

I was really stoned.

After an uneventful stroll around the reflecting pool and Lincoln Memorial—well, I did rip off an American flag from a vendor and tied it upside down around my arm—I walked back to the Washington Monument grounds and found the number of freaks had almost doubled. Upon visiting the Yippie tent (a large tree) somebody laid a tab of that dynamite white acid on me—FREE. Yippies are like that.

From then on things became a little strange. Let's see—I remember ripping off a vendor for a box of Crackerjacks. I remember that.

Well, I trucked on over the Lincoln Memorial again and found that there were lots of freaks in the reflecting pool. Just then Deliverance Billy and Friends cranked up their Gods and began their show.

There was one disturbance at the Lincoln Memorial end of the reflecting pool when the cops used horses to keep the freaks from storming the ceremonies. Couple of people got kicked in the head by the horses.

I got off.

I'm afraid you're going to have to ask your friends about the details of what happened after that because—well, I know what I saw but it's hard to tell how accurate any of this is..

For instance, I don't think the Lincoln Memorial really turned into the Reichstag. I mean there really weren't any Nazi flags, were there?

As far as I can figure out, there was some head busting and gassing. This may have been caused by thinks like Yippies liberating a giant supermarket opening floodlight, tossing it in the reflecting pool and using it as a raft.

By the way, there was a huge thunderstorm—high winds, lightning, and lots of rain. We caused that. There was so much fucking freak energy that it directed itself upward and the heavens broke loose on Bob Hope's festivities. Well, it's a nice thing to believe, anyway.

One disturbing thing—and I have no logical basis for this statement—it's just a vibe I felt. This is going to be the last D.C. good time demonstration. Don't ask me why.

So it was fun. It was also a microcosm. It was a confrontation on an intellectual level with the empire when we smoked dope at the base of the Washington Monument with a couple hundred cops watching, and later when we skirmished with them.

It was a confrontation on a personal level when we had to deal with the straights who were there personifying our cultural struggle first and our relationship to our families second. It's quite easy to talk about smashing the state, but doing it when you're face to face with the "ordinary" silent majority is another thing altogether.
I wonder—when faced with this kind of confrontation—how many of us would stick our thumbs in our mouths and curl up in a mentally fetal position.

I sure don't have the answer to that."

Looking back is a bitch. I can report, however, that I still write in the same voice, I just spell better due to computers. I smell better, too. Also, that in the midst of all the hippie-cop violence, and tripping my brains out, I managed to find my car and drive back to Baltimore. One wrong turn took me in front of St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a mental institution (the one they keep John Hinckley in). I saw what it was and quickly got away from it as fast as I could.

I must say, I always enjoyed my LSD hallucinations, no matter how horrifying. I mean, I knew that the origin was inside my head. I still enjoy the inside of my head from time to time.

I knew I was ok when I spotted Nipper, the big RCA dog, on top of the building at the edge of downtown Baltimore. THAT was NOT a hallucination.

And by the way, I don't regret a thing except my naivety.

This also appears on huffingtonpost.com

Old scores and hurt feelings

I got this today from Delmark Goldfarb:

Hello Tom:
I respect you integrity a lot, so I have to share this concern with you.
Regarding your piece on the award at the fest . . .
following the first fest, there were NO lawsuits or challenges.
Never any legal action. Ever.
Accusations like that are hard to rise above. And when they are repeated, it gets distorted further.
It's not helpful to have that on the internet. I cannot link to it for any reason.
I'd be happy to clarify it for you, there's plenty of public record.
BUT there was never any lawsuit. Not one.
Your piece states that there were lots of 'em. Quite a difference.
I don't lay out the tale unless someone asks.
Later,
Del

I replied:

I'm sorry the facts are wrong. I didn't make it up. I don't make things up. Why would you even say something like that.
I don't remember exactly who said that to me, it was a couple of people as I remember. Seemed to be common knowledge.
Of course, I don't know if what you're saying is any truer than what I was told. I suspect it is.
I think the recognition you got at this year's Blues Festival says it all.

So there you have it. Nobody reads this blog anyway.

My KMHD Playlist 8-4-07

10:00 PM Wayne Horvitz Duke Monolgue
10:03 PM Lester Bowie Waterfall When the Spirit Returns
10:08 PM Art Ensemble of Chicago Suite For Lester Tribute To Lester
10:14 PM Anachronic Jazz Band Giant Steps Blues to Bechet
10:20 PM Klezmocracy Reslolution Unrelesed Courtney Von Drehle tune
10:28 PM 3 Leg Torso Divertissments For Performing Bears 3 Leg Torso
10:31 PM Motion Tro Tango Motion Trio
10:34 PM Jamie Stillway Madelein's Sin Mell Of a Hess
10:37 PM Topiary Kings Richard's Garden unreleased
10:40 PM Billy Tipton Saxophone Quartet Fat Bearded Lady Walks the Tightrope Sax House Courtney von Drehle tune
10:44 PM Jimmy T99 Nelson Meet Me With Your Black Dress On
10:50 PM Jimmy T99 Nelson Wee Baby Blues unreleased David Vest, piano
10:55 PM Jimmy T99 Nelson The Devil's Sending Up a Blessing To You

11:02 PM Darrel Grant From "Spirit" CD release concert 12/12/02 Oregon Art Beat Archives
11:34 PM Pink Martini Everywhere Hey Eugene!
11:37 PM John Abercrombie Vingt Six The Third Trio
11:42 PM Solomon Burke Don't Give Up On Me Don't Give Up On Me
11:45 PM Mary Flower Three Sisters' Waltz Instrumental Breakdown
11:49 PM Gabriela Ecos de Allia Atras Viento Rojo Bill Frisell: music Tom D: reading
11:55 PM Anat Fort Morning: Good A Long Story

12:02 AM Keith Jarrett The Entire Koln Concert

Watching My TV Stuff Here

I've been putting up here all the stories and ephemera I've recently placed on YouTube. I may continue to do that but not as much. If you'd like to keep current with what I'm putting up you can click on the link in the links section (scroll down down down).
Here it is if you want to bookmark it:
My YouTube Channel

My KMHD Playlist 7-28-07

And a big thanks to Belinda and Melissa Underwood aka Beliss for driving out to the station and spending time with me on the air!

10:00 PM Wayne Horvitz Duke Monologue
10:03 PM Red Garland Ron Carter Philly Joe Jones Railroad Crossing Crossings
10:08 PM Eberhard Weber Syndrome Stages of a Long Journey Carla Bley tune
10:17 PM Bleliss Baby Cop Beliss
10:22 PM Beliss Goin' Down Beliss
10:35 PM Belinda Underwood Midnight Snatcher Unreleased
10:40 PM Joanna Newsom Three Little Babes The Milk-Eyed Mender Beliss' choice set
10:43 PM The Poppy Family Where Evil Grows A Good Think Lastq same
10:45 PM Bobbie Gentry Refractions An American Quilt samr
10:48 PM Curtis Mayfield The Other Side of Town Curtis samr
10:53 PM Klezmocracy Adventures of a Solioquy unreleased Joe Janiga tune

11:03 PM Reggie Houston From Oregon Art Beat Live at the Candlelight in Portland
11:21 PM Eberhard Weber The Colors of Chloe Stages of a Long Journey
11:30 PM John Abercrombie Number 9 The Third Quartet
11:36 PM Anat Fort Just Now, Var 1 A Long Story
11:40 PM Kurt Elling Where Are You My Love Nightmoves
11:45 PM Stefano Battaglia Canzone di Laura Betti Re: Pasolini
11:49 PM Enrico Rava Todamor The Words and the Days
11:56 PM Dino Saluzzi/Anja Lechner Tango a mi padre Ojos Negros

12:02 AM Herbie Hancock Piano Intro/Maiden Voyage/Nefertiti V.S.O.P Vinyl
12:26 AM Herbie Hancock Toys/You'll Know When You Get There same
12:49 AM Herbie Hancock Hang Up Your Hang Ups same

Even More of My TV Stories

Steve Reich with 3rd Angle Music Ensemble Part 1



Steve Reich with 3rd Angle Music Ensemble Part 2



The Making of Defiant Requiem Part 1



The Making of Defiant Requiem Part 2



Cybele & Boteilus



Ron Rogers



David Friesen



David Delamare

Playlist from my KMHD radio show. 7-14-07

10:00 PM Wayne Horvitz Duke Monologue
10:03 PM Rahsaan Roland Kirk Bright Moments Bright Moments
10:17 PM Tom Waits & the Kronos Quartet Diamond In Your Mind Healing the Divide
10:22 PM Arto Lindsay Tone Prize
10:27 PM Auditory Sculpture/Keith Schriener eye, ear and nose candy Sessions at East
10:31 PM Tom Waits & the Kronos Quartet Lost In the Harbor Healing the Divide
10:41 PM David Murray Black Saint Quartet Sacred Ground Sacred Ground
10:47 PM John Boutte At the Foot of Canal Street At the Foot of Canal Street
10:54 PM Greg Goebel Moon and Sand/Say Yes Unreleased

11:01 PM Pink Martini Sympatique Art Beat Archives Bite of Oregon
11:07 PM Pink Martini Flying Squirell same same
11:12 PM Pink Martini Hang On Little Tomato same
11:17 PM Charles Mingus Scenes In the City Symposium of Music and Poetry
11:31 PM Glen Moore Bloomination Nude Bass Ascending
11:37 PM Savath & Savalas Era Tu Golden Pollen
11:40 PM Midnight Siren Take a Stand Instead of Sleeping
11:43 PM 3 Leg Torso Danza Lucumi Astor In Paris
11:49 PM Keith Jarrett Trio I Remeber Clifford Still Live
11:56 PM Duoglide Virtual Seduction Song Noir

12:01 AM Gil Evans Orchestra La Nevada/Where Flamingos Fly/Bilbao Song/Stratu Out of the Cool
12:34 AM Gil Evans Orchestra Moon Taj/Pots/Angor Wat/ Into the Hot

More of My Stories

March Fourth Marching Band



China Forbes



Noah Mickens



Portland Art Center



David Delamare

Playlist from my Blues Festival radio show. 7-7-07

As I said on the air, I broke all the rules, inluding my own. Back next week to whatever passes for normal on my show.
I dedicated this show, on the air, to Peter Dammann.

10:01 PM Little Richard Rip It Up The Essential Little Richard
10:03 PM Chris Kenner Land of A Thousand Dances More New Orleans Party Classics
10:06 PM Wild Magnolias Party Life Is A Carnival
10:11 PM The Dirty Dozen Brass Band Ain't Nothing But a Party Medicated Magic
10:18 PM Eddie Bo Hook & Sling The Hook & Slng
10:22 PM Amos Milburn Chicken Shack Boogie Crescent City Gold
10:26 PM Mavis Stapes/Staples Singers Pray On My Child Peace In the Neighborhood
10:30 PM David Vest Try Not To Kill ME Serve Me Right to Shuffle
10:33 PM Charmaine Neville Band with Reggie Houston and Amasa Miller The Right Key But the Wrong Keyhole Doctors, Professors, Kings and Queens
10:38 PM John Boutte A Change Is Gonna Come At the Foot of Canal Street
10:46 PM John Lee Hooker One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Chill Out
10:49 PM Norman Sylvester Hard Times Rose City Blues Festival
10:53 PM Red Hot Blues Singers Flood In the Basement Blues Hot Off the Press
10:56 PM Percy Mayfield Danger Zone Walking On a Tightrope

11:01 PM Allen Toussaint All of It Connected
11:05 PM (Everybody Wanna Get Rich) Rite Away Dr. John Desitively Bonneroo
11:07 PM All I Do Every Day The Meters Kickback
11:12 PM John Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen Ain't Nuttin Nice Pin Your Spin
11:16 PM Papa Grows Funk Fish-Eyed Fool Live at the Leaf
11:24 PM Funky Meters Keep On Marching Fiyo at the Fillmore
11:31 PM John Boutte Someone To Watch Over Me At the Foot of Canal St.
11:36 PM Dr. John Since I Fell For You Goin' Back to New Orleans
11:39 PM Johnny Adams Down That Long Lonely Road Louisiana Spice
11:44 PM Irma Thomas Ruler of My Heart Finger Poppn' and Stompin' Feet
11:47 PM Slim Harpo Rainin' In My Heart The Best of Slim Harpo
11:49 PM Allen Toussaint With You In Mind The Allen Toussaint Collection
11:55 PM Alex Spearman Mama Ka Toka Laka Poo Poo Ya New Orleans Popeye Party

12:00 AM Neville Brothers Congo Square/Can't Stop Da Funk/Ball of Confusion Live at Jazzfest 2005
12:30 AM Neville Brothers Big Chief/Tell It Like It Is/Iko Iko/Brother John Live at Jazzfst 2005

 

 

 

 

And then it ended. Six days of much more than blues. As Chirs Thomas King likes to say, "I don't give a damn what the purists say, they wouldn't know the blues if it bit em anyway."
Early on, I decided not to write a lot about the music, but just comment once in a while and show you pictures. I'll have some more to say later after I've processed.

The Neville Brothers Close the Festival

Nuff Said.

 

 

 

 

Almost Done

I'm not preturbed, really. Ok, some.

 

The Nevilles had already started at the other end of the Festival. At the A&E stage Janice Scroggins and Louis Pain work out something before Linda Hornbuckle's band started.

 

And I introduced them.

 

And the dancing started immediately.

 

"Voices of the Wetlands" set

"Voices of the Wetlands" was formed at least a year before faulty construction of the levees caused New Orelans to be destroyed. Their point was that because the wetlands south of the city had been ignored and exploited for profit there was a much greater danger of flooding.
Yeah, I know. Brownie's boss and the feds in general had dropped the ball on this for decades.
Nothing has gotten any better. But voices must still be raised.

 

Members include, Cyril Neville, Tab Benoit, Anders Osbourne, Jumpin' Johnny Sansone, Wayne Thibodoux and others.

 

 

 

Before "Voice of the Wetlands" set

New Orleans legends Big Chief Monk Boudreaux of the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians and Cyril Neville.

 

 

A gator on the amp.

 

Paul deLay Tribute

The last Paul deLay band. They've released a live album, "The Last of the Best." David Vest announced to the crowd that Paul was back on top, that the album had gone to #1 on the Amazon Live Blues Albums list.

 

 

 

Two great piano players backstage after the set: Janice Scroggins and David Vest.

 

Backstage Before the Paul deLay Tribute

David Vest and Duffy Bishop.

 

Peter Dammann joined the schmooze.

 

D.K. Stewart did too.

 

This is Jean Kempe-Ware, one of the unsung heroes of the Blues Festival. She is in charge of media relations for the Oregon Food Bank. I've dealt with media relations people for decades and I have to say she is one of the most talented, most thorough, nicest and most patient I've ever met. And she actually loves the music, too!

 

Gospel Time

Linda Hornbuckle, Janice Scroggins et all inspired those inspirable and musically pleased everyone else.

 

 

Sunday 7/8/07---The Final Day!

At 11:30am, before the gates opened, Gary Houston and Ron Rogers act like they like each other. They actually do.

 

At noon, I introduced Ocean 503, from Portland.

 

This is Tim Rutter, manager of the Miller Stage. Both Jim and Bill at the Credit Union stage did fabulous jobs. Never a cross word, always getting things on and off on time...and great guys.

 

Dick Potts, Mac Potts and Ben Rice were everywhere!

 

4 p.m.

Reggie Houston and Charmaine Neville renew their collaboration of over 20 years.

 

...along with Amasa Miller, co-leader of her band, also up from New Orleans for the Festival.

 

...as Reinhard Melz, the best second-line drummer in town, kicked off on the one and let the boogie do the rest. (James Brown said that.)

 

After the cruise, this familiar face and ears was by the fountain. He was not invited to participate in the festival, thank God..

 

3:15 p.m.

The city gleamed from the stern

 

...another stern...Fred Stern the rainbow maker.

 

On the middle deck, one man had on his dancing shoes.

 

While David Vest and family got ready for Reggie and Charmaine.