May 10, 2013

The Fahey episodes:

In early 1964, I began recording John Fahey, in a recording studio which I had built in the basement of my parents house in Silver Spring, Maryland. I should point out at this point, that the house involved here, was that of my Father, a well respected and multiply honored Physician, who had a small functional office in the house, mostly for treating family and close family friends. He also had two large offices off premises....all of you had dads and so you're fully aware of how brittle dad relationships can get, particularly if you're living at home which I was (again) after a several year absense. To say that my Dad/Son relationship was non-existant would be to overstate the case :-) We agreed upon virtually nothing, and my anti war position, brought us to screaming debates at the dinner table, so to suggest to you that access to and use of the studio
was always on the verge of total collapse is an understatement, it was like walking on eggs.

Having established the background, now begins the Fahey episodes:

During those early 1964 sessions, which I was hired by Takoma Records to record, I made it quite plain to John that certain things were "Out of Bounds", in my Dads house, particularly My Dad's Office area, and most importantly, my Dad's (behind Curtains) medications...inviolable, because any tampering or theft by him of my Dad's meds, etc. could cost him his medical license!
He basicly obeyed the rules except for one 30 second incident where I found him transfixed in front of the curtains...."warning sign"!

In late 64 I was once again hired by Takoma to record Skip James, Skippy came with Fahey, Bill Barth, Firk a photographer & one other who I can't remember, Once again I delivered my,by now, memorized "canned wrap" about the forbidden area, the session began, and almost immediately, Barth left, ostensibly to go to the bathroom, after almost 10 minutes of absense, felt the need to check on Barth, and found him up to his elbows in Dad's medications, I searched him removed the medications and threw him out of the house---banned forever!
Later that evening, I accidentally caught John pulling back the curtains, I grabbed his arm and told him, that ONE MORE TIME, he like Barth would be banned forever.
The following day, was the final James Recording session...only four persons present.....everything went Very well until about 7PM, Fahey had disappeared, and had been gone for awhile, I turned the tape recorder on playback, and while everyone listened I went in search of John, I found him behind the curtains, and it was then curtains for him, I serched him and then trew him out, but he now had to wait outside until the session was over, because he was Skippy's ride home.

(To be continued- "Fahey poisons Nick Perls pets")- again be VERY CAREFUL whom you allow as an unmonitored guest to crash at your house no matter how talent a musician)