Subject: RE: Merlin Banjo (and the Chicago Folk Scene)
From:
GUEST,Guy Guilbert
Date: 10 Sep 06 - 03:38 AM
Hi every one. I will try to answer some question above that were posted earlier this year.
Norm: Yes, I am not DEAD! Sorry to disappoint you. Ha! I had an aortic dissection three years ago and had open heart surgery to replace part of my aorta.
Frank; before I started lessons at The Old Town School Of Folk Music, in '57? 58?, my mother, one day, was strolling down North Ave. when a man came up to her and asked directions for TOTSOFM. She said, 'Follow me,' and led him down the block, in the building, and up the three flights. Seems everybody was waiting for this guy, for when he walked in the room, an audience of people stood and applauded him. He grabbed a guitar, jumped on stage, and Big Bill Bronzy started to sing. My mother was stunned. Frank, you probably remember his first performance there???
Yes Frank, I did go to some Gate hoots but never saw you there. Never saw Gibson either. I think you both were busy with other things by then. The School for one. I don't think Spanky ever went to the hoots there, but she did hang at the bar...a lot. In fact, that's where I first met her and where our torrid love affair began. Whew!
Spanky MC FARLANE now lives in Ferndale, CA, which is right below Eureka, CA. She just bought a house, sings at some open mics. In fact, I just saw her a couple of weeks ago. We played a lot of cards.
Spanky was in The Mamas And Papas for 11 or 12 years. There were MANY tours.
A important song in my song-set was, "The Rock Island Line," Lonnie Donnigan's version. Joe Klee was always putting me down for doing it. What a guy.
The Fickle Pickle: That was a big hang for Spanky, McGuinn, Ray Tate, Joe Klee, Mike Settle, Dave Brian (later Dave Blum of The Second City) me, and god knows who else. Mike Bloomfield was NEVER there when it was MY HANGOUT. He worked there later; was the doorman, seat sitter. (I produced a radio spot for Country Club Malt Liquor with Mike and Nick Gravenitus(sp). We prerecorded all the track but him. He came in listened to the tracks once, laid his guitar against the amp and created a howling feedback, yelled to start the tape recorder, and blistered a guitar passage on a spare track-IN ONE TAKE!)
I played at the Pickle with The Frets several times, with the late, great John Carbo and Lou MacDonald. This was right after I took McGuinn's place in the group. Great times. Would all go to a pancake house after hours and meet up with the likes of the Clancy Brother and that ilk. Goggies-right down the street. Does anybody remember the Goggie-burger? Mmmm.
Here's a story: Ray Tate calls me and says we have a gig playing behind the Clancys because Tommy Makem(sp) had hurt his hand and couldn't play banjo. Ray was playing banjo and I bass. This was at the Roosevelt Auditorium. I take a cab to the gig, get out, and enter the place. Later, I'm on stage with everyone, plunking away. The Clancys are singing it up big. All of a sudden, my bass strings are soft, spaghetti. I look down and my bridge had collapsed 90 degrees. Flat. Nothing. Flop, flop. Bonnie Kolac was in the house and swears I said, 'Oh, fuck!' Anyway, the audience in the first row saw it, started laughing, second row starts laughing, and like dominos, each row picks up on it. I'm standing there mugging, of course. The Clancys know nothing except for the laughter, and not the reason why. FINALLY they turn and see me, shrugging. The place went up for grabs. I slink off stage, and realizing I can't fix the bridge (it takes a special tool to put it back on), grab a guitar and return to the stage to huge applause. Apparently I had knocked the bridge goofy when getting out of the cab. Duh.
Bruce Langhorn lives here in LA. I saw him about 4 years ago at a gig with Peter Elbling. He's looking good. I did an album in '62 in NY with him backing Inman & Ira. He doesn't remember. Oh, well. Later, gUy
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