Gremmie

I was never a big enough Ventures groupie to keep up with their bios. I only have a few of their earliest albums. Didn't even know that the bassist took over on rhythm guitar, or that the drummer died, until just recently. I work with a guy who roadied for them on one tour in the late 1970s and got all the gossip. He's also a drummer and claims to have played a few gigs when their drummer was too sick to leave the hotel, but he's famous for his tall tales.

"Walk Don't Run" was just amazing to hear in 1960. Dwayne Eddy and Chuck Berry had already rehabilitated the guitar and made it the signature instrument of rock and roll instead of the piano or the tenor sax, but we never heard anybody play like the Ventures.

I bought my Mos-Rite 35 years ago when it wasn't a classic. Their engineering was terrible, even the Ventures hated it and couldn't wait to be released from their contract. I put on a Badass bridge so it would sound decent, so it isn't quite a collector's item any more. When I take it into a music store everybody says, "Oh look, a museum piece." I don't know if they mean me or my axe.

I forgot about the Ash Grove burning down. Saw some great shows there in the 1960s, Leo Kottke, Buffy Ste. Marie, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Merle Travis, Jim & Jean, Southwind, Pacific Gas & Electric, Johnny Otis.

Do yourself a favor and keep your chops up even if you're not playing out. I promise that one day you'll wake up with a burning desire to get back into your music before it's too late. You will not want to spend five years getting back in shape so a band will be willing to take you on!

I lived in Zip 90038 from 1967 to 1977. Just across the city line from what is now West Hollywood. Spent many happy evenings at the Ash Grove. One of my most memorable nights was when Linda Ronstadt opened for Kris Kristofferson at the Troubador. I remember seeing Ian Drury and the Blockheads there too, also Captain Beefheart. We don't have any kids so we never had any reason to grow up. This year I saw Sheryl Crow, the Cult, the Lilith Fair and a bunch of other concerts. The year before my concerts included Apocalyptica, Alice in Chains and Zappa Plays Zappa. Next month I'm going to see Lissie. And I'm still in a rock and roll band.