image courtesy of www.thesmokintoasters.com
www.myspace.com/thesmokintoasters

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xzRjFi3z_7g
Topper Price on stage @ Scott Boyer Benefit

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tMDOPQLV-fw
Over 4 minutes of Topper @ Sloss Furnace

image courtesy of Jim Lancaster http://playgroundrecordingstudio.com/
Kalantan was the one of the first exotic dancers Finley Duncan hired to perform in Duncan's Bar & Restaurant in Valparaiso.

image courtesy of

http://www.alabamablues.org/topper.htm

Hey Roberto,
just learned that Topper Price has just died in B'ham.
thought you'd want to include it in your blog -

http://www.al.com/entertainment/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/117947670541900.xml&coll=2


http://www.alabamablues.org/topper.htm

~Igor

"Topper died last night early in the evening, about 8 or
9. Overdose. RIP... He's to be buried in Mobile where
his daughter and father (only living relatives)
live but I hear there's to be a benefit here
to help with the burial costs.
He had no assets or insurances."

TOPPER PRICE
Harp player and vocalist Topper Price has played with Dickie Betts of The Allman Brothers Band and continues to make guest appearances with artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Albert Collins, and The Band, as well as countless regional acts like the Subdudes, The Radiators, and most recently Brother Cane. For more than 20 years, Topper has performed in bands like Cowboy, The Convertibles and others. Topper currently performs with his band the Upsetters at venues and festivals across the southeast, such as the Howlin’ Wolf Blues Festival in West Point, Mississippi.



This term "flock of gnats" really captured my imagination because I used to use it with Topper Price ever time I'd see him.

Man, I hugged his neck at the Crawfish Festival last month.

I used to tell him, "Topper,you walk in a room,
you got so many GODDAMN guardian angels around you
it looks like a flock of gnats!"


Now dis whut I'm talking 'bout:

All I know is that you jackasses couldn't defend this county from a flock of gnats, what with "Cut and Run" Murtha and "Where can I go to surrender" Kerry leading you guys.

So content yourself with your fantasies about "red coated pansy" Republicans and this administration, while the grownups take care of business.

Get bent.

Trying to keep them all straight is like trying to nail down a flock of gnats, and their detrimental psychological effects ...

Sincerely, Big Mo, one of the rag-tag "religious extremists"

P.S. - I just have to wonder why people like you come to sites like this anyway. Do you like pretending you're superior? Do you like acting like a jerk (or being one)? Do you think you're actually convincing anyone with cracks about religious extremists and "pansy assed redcoats" and assorted crap like that?


from http://byroncking.blogspot.com/2006_02_19_archive.html

Into your eyes. Into your ears. Into your head. Into your mind. Over and over. Over. Over. Nagging. Nagging. Buzzing. Buzzing. Piercing. A Piercing flock of gnats flying around your head. Slicing through your mind. All at once. It is cutting. It is burning. Slicing through your mental landscape. You try earplugs, mp3 players. Space. Pure Space. Wall space. Pillow space.

Try and tune it out. Piercing. Nagging. Buzzing. Over and over. Over and over. Slicing through your physical landscape. No thoughts can manifest, but escape. You can't Hide. You can't Run. It grows louder. Louder. Louder. Hours. Hours and hours. It controls you. It breaks you. It makes you. Welcome to the sounds of your seven month old infant girl. Your little angel. Welcome to parenthood.



The "gnat" or "gnattius annoyingashellus" is so friggin stupid that it forgets where its at every .000003 seconds, so it is forced to circle and attempt to regain its bearings. The only problem is that the gnat forgets it is circling to familiarize its location before it completes one millionth of a circle, and therefore restarts the the "familiarization of location" circle constantly. Nearby gnats are often intrigued by this circling motion and interpret it as a sure sign of a gnat that knows what the hell is going on, and flock to it almost instantaneously, thus drawing more curious gnats in at an exponential rate, and producing the "flock of gnats

That is totally fascinating. I need to google my own rebs.

Jimmy Dean

I got bored watching this VH1 documentary on heavy metal so I decided to google my g-g-grandfather who was born in Washington County, Georgia in 1818.
Found this document on the Internet prepared by my g-g-grandfather J. Y. Register for a widow's claim filed for settlement:
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/al/coffee/military/civilwar/mt41.txt

Register of Claims of deceased Officers and Soldiers from Alabama
which were filed for settlement in the Office of the Confederate
States Auditor for the War Department

By Whom Presented: Ardilla Green, Widow
When Filed: Dec. 17, 1863
Comptroller:
When reported to: Oct. 11, 1864
When returned: Oct. 28, 1864
Number of settlements:
Certificates: 19950
Amount found due: $169.96

Hill Hospital
Ringgold, GA.
Oct. 17th, 1863

Sir,

W.A. Green, Private 25th Ala. Co. “K”, died this day in Hospital of
Virlinus Sclopeticum.
Effects – Six Dollars and fifty cents ($6.50)

Very Respectfully,
Your Obedient Servant
W.J. Burt Asst. Secy
                    in Charge of Hospital


The State of Alabama, Coffee County

On this the 4th day of December A.D. 1863 before me, J.Y. Register,
a Justice of the Peace, in and for said State and County, personally
appeared Ardilla Green of Coffee County, and made oath according to
law, the same is the wife of William A. Green, a private of Company
(K) Captain D.C. Monroe in 25th Regiment Alabama Volunteers, that the
said William A. Green volunteered at Elba on the 20th day of January
1862 for three years or the war, and continued in actual service until
the 17th of October A.D. 1863 at which time he the said William A.
Green did die at Ringgold, Geo. of wounds received at the battle of
Chickamauga on the 20th of September 1863 leaving a wife and three
children and that she is therefore the only person fully entitled to
receive the pay or arrears of pay, commutation, bounty and c., that
may be found due said deceased William A. Green from the Confederate
States and that she authorizes J.Y. Register to apply for and receive
for her sole benefit whatever may be due to said William A. Green by
reason of service rendered by him in the army of the Confederate
States, to whose recipe shall be a full acquittance and discharge
against me for the same.

And at the same time, also appeared Stephen Hawkins and T.H.
Yarborough who after being duly sworn that they are acquainted with
the said Ardilla Green and knew the said William A. Green, deceased,
and that the facts as sworn to by the said Ardilla Green are
substantially true, and they are not interested in this claim.

Ardilla Green (her mark) L.S.
Stephen Hawkins L.S.
T.H. Yarborough L.S.

The foregoing affidavit were subscribed and sworn to before me, on the
day and year the same bears date and I certify that I know affiant to
be credible, that the applicant is the person she represents herself
to be and that I have not interest in the prosecution of said claim.

J.Y. Register, J.P.

The State of Alabama, Coffee County

I Rowling W. Starke Judge of the Court of Probate in and for the county
and state aforesaid hereby certify that J.Y. Register, Esq. whose
genuine signature appears to the foregoing affidavit and certificate
of acknowledgement was at the time of signing the same and is now an
acting Justice of the Peace duly commissioned and qualified, and that
full faith and credit are due his official acts, and further, that
this is a Court of record having a Seal, and that I am ex-officio
keeper thereof.

Given under my hand and official Seal at office this 7th day of
December A.D. 1863

R.W. Starke, Judge of Probate

The Confederate States

To: Ardilla Green, Widow of William A. Green, deceased, late Private
of Capt. D.C. Monroe’s Co. K., 25th Regt. Ala. Vols.

For pay of said deceased from June 30, 1863 the date of last payment
to Oct. 17, 1863, the date of his death  3 mos. & 17 days
                                               $39.23
>From Oct. 62  to Oct. 63 – 12 mos at $134.13   -      $134.13
Commutation for clothing – 10 days at 24 cts per day            2.10
    $136.23

Clothing Drawn              -$12.00 124.23

Amt. in hands of Israel Gibbons Capt. & Post L.M. (no amount listed)
Rec’d of W.J. Burt Asst Secy Hill Hospital Ringgold, Ga.
                                                        6.50

                                                      $169.96

As per Report of Lieut. E.E. Yonge & Israel Gibbons Capt. & Post L.M.

Payable to Ardilla Green Widow Coffee Co., Ala.
Care of Capt. H. Fowler Agent for Ala.
Box 1508 Richmond, Va.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Second Auditor’s Office

October 11th 1864

R.F. Gordon, Clerk

Comptroller’s Office
Oct. 28th, 1864
P.H. Pendleton, Clerk

I also found this land sale on the Internet:
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~dobson/al/alcoffee.htm
E-274: Coffee Co. AL, 18 June 1859, Daniel Duncan and wife Mary (X) Duncan to J.Y. Register for $60, SE 1/4 NW 1/4 and NE 1/4 SW 1/4 Sec.25 T3 R21, 80 acres; no wit. (FHL film 1,031,290) (MAD: 1850 Pike Co. AL census, 1860 Henry Co. AL census)

In 1895 my g-g uncle J.F. Register was the pastor of six different Baptist Churches in both Alabama & Florida:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~fljackso/sandycreek.htm

Church Directory 1895 Pastors and their addresses     Members

Pilgrims Rest   GJ Canant         Dale, Al            ?
Hurricane       JF Register       Holmes, Fl          48
Pleasant Grove  John Patten       Holmes, Fl          81
Shiloh          James Blount      Geneva, Al          99
Union           JF Register       Geneva, Al          ?
Spring Creek    JLC White         Geneva, Al          39
New Teamon      S Willerford                          66
Pleasant Hill   James Blount      Geneva, Al          ?
Christian Home  GJ Canant         Geneva, Al          ?
Leonia          JF Register       Holmes, Fl          53
Elbethel        HS Nichols        Geneva, Fl          46
New Prospect    JF Register       Geneva, Al          38
Zion Hill       S Willerford      Geneva, Al          28
Fellowship      James Blount      Geneva, Al          6
New Hope        JF Register       Holmes, Fl          65

Here's the story of how J.F.Register was drafted into the Confederate Army:

The capture of the Bloomer led to a lot of my ancestors having to join the
Confederate army. The incident is hilarious but the consequences
were horrific.

Any chance the " Bloomer " could have been used in blockade running?

The "Bloomer" was a 130 ton sidewheeler with high pressure engines.
It had a hole in one of its boilers and was moored at the wharf
at river junction in Geneva. On Sunday afternoon, December 28,
1862, two groups of Yankees(25 men of the 91st New York Volunteers
commanded by Lieutenant James H. Stewart and the crew of the
blockading schooner "Charlotte" commanded by Acting Master
Elias D. Bruner) repaired the boiler, fired the engines
and started down the Choctawhatchee for Pensacola.
The Army and the Navy fought over this prize of war
but the U.S. Claims Court at New Orleans awarded
the steamboat to Master Bruner and his crew.
The U.S. government paid them $5,100 for the ship and
it joined Admiral Farragut's Northern Gulf Blockading
Squadron and saw service in Pensacola Bay, Santa Rosa Sound,
Choctawhatchee Bay and in the salt raids in the St. Andrews
Bay area.

Governor Shorter used this incident as a propaganda tool to encourage enlistment
in Southeast Alabama. I'm pretty sure this was the first time
Alabama had been invaded by Yankees so Shorter played up the fact
that "the back door to Alabama stood open to invaders."
A good description of the "Bloomer Incident" is found in E.W. Carswell's Holmesteading,
a history of Holmes County, Florida.

This information concerns my g-great uncle, John Forsyth Register's unit,
the 6th Alabama Calvary.
Excerpt of a letter from Mark Curenton
to Ron Jones dated 12 Apr 1999:

“What this blurb does not mention is the reason that the 6th Alabama Cavalry was
transferred from Clanton’s brigade to north Alabama. Clanton’s brigade, consisting of the
57th Alabama Infantry, the 61st Alabama Infantry, the 6th Alabama Cavalry, the 7th Alabama
Cavalry, Clanton’s battery and Tarrant’s battery, was organized in early 1863 as a direct
result of the raid by Union forces through Walton County in December of 1862. This raid
resulted in the capture of the steamboat Bloomer on the Choctawhatchee River just south
of Geneva, Alabama. This brigade served in west Florida and south Alabama to guard
against future raids. By December of 1863 morale in the brigade was so low that there was
open talk of laying down their guns and going home. On January 5, 1864, sixty men out of
300 stationed at Gonzales, Florida mutinied and refused to serve any more. They were all
swiftly arrested. The Confederate command broke up the brigade and transferred the
regiments to different commands to prevent any further occurrence of mutinous conduct.”

My g-great uncle, John Forsyth Register, enlisted in Company "K" in the 6th Alabama Calvary
in April of 1863 at Geneva, Alabama. He was honorably discharged from the Confederate Army on
May 5, 1865 and took the oath of allegiance at Montgomery on May 30, 1865. John was elected
the second sheriff of Geneva County on November 7, 1871.
The community of Leonia in northern Holmes County, Florida,
is named after his first wife. He was a Missionary Baptist
preacher for 43 years and according to my family's papers,
he recorded more members into the Baptist Church
than any other Baptist minister who lived in the Geneva area.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6th Alabama Cavalry Regiment
The 6th Alabama Cavalry was organized near Pine Level,
early in 1863, as part of Brig. Gen'l James H. Clanton's brigade.
Recruits were gathered from Barbour, Coffee, Coosa, Henry, Macon,
Montgomery, Pike, and Tallapoosa counties. It was first engaged
near Pollard with a column of the enemy that moved out from
Pensacola. Ordered then to North Alabama,
the 6th was concerned in several skirmishes near Decatur,
with small loss. During the Atlanta-Dalton campaign,
the regiment served for several weeks as part of Brig.
Gen'l Samuel W. Ferguson's and Brig. Gen'l Frank C. Armstrong's
brigades, losing quite a number. A portion of the regiment
resisted Maj. Gen'l Lovel H. Rousseau at Ten Islands,
losing a number killed and captured. Transferred to West Florida,
the 6th fought Maj. Gen'l Frederick Steele's column at
Bluff Springs, under orders from Col Armstead, and its loss
was severe, especially in prisoners. The remnant fought Maj.
Gen'l James H. Wilson's column, and laid down their arms
at Gainesville, fewer than 200 men.

Field officers: Col. Charles H. Colvin, Lt. Col. Washington T. Lary
(captured at Ten Islands); Major Eliphalet Ariel McWhorter
(captured at Ten Islands, Bluff Springs);
and Adjutant Joseph A. Robertson


Here's a picture of the monument of a mass grave of 6000 Confederate
dead that includes the remains of my g-great uncle William Duncan
Register.His name can be found on the monument.This is the largest
Confederate burial ground in all of the North.

THE STORY OF MY G-GREAT UNCLE W.D. Register's UNIT'S CONFEDERATE FLAG:

This flag was made by Miss Martha Crossley, Miss Queen Gamble and other
ladies of Perote, Pike County, Alabama. It was presented to the company in
September 1860 on the steps of the Methodist Church in Perote.
The flag was presented by Miss Crossley and received for the
company by M. B. Locke. The Perote Guards were sent to Pensacola,
Florida where they became part of the 1st Alabama Infantry.
Upon receipt of a regimental flag, the company flags were placed
with the regimental quartermaster for safe keeping.

The 1st Alabama Infantry surrendered on April 7, 1862 at Island No.
10. Following the surrender, the flag was taken from the company
baggage by members of the 15th Wisconsin Infantry
and eventually carried back to Wisconsin.
Learning of the flag's location Dr. Thomas Owen,
Director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History,
requested its return in the summer of 1903.
Ruben G. Thwaites, Secretary of the State Historical Society
of Wisconsin, replied on June 19, 1903 that he felt the Society
would be quite willing to return the flag.
This, however, would require a resolution by their
legislature which did not meet again until January 1905.
On March 15, 1905 Lieutenant and Acting Governor R. M. Cunningham
requested that the flag be returned to Alabama.
Joint Resolution Number 29-S of the Legislature of the State
of Wisconsin, April 13, 1905 approved the return of the flag.

THE HISTORY OF MY G-GREAT UNCLE, WILLIAM DUNCAN REGISTER'S, UNIT

First Alabama
Infantry Regiment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was the first regiment organized under the act of the State
legislature authorizing the enlistment of troops for twelve months.
The companies rendezvoused at Pensacola in February and March 1861,
and about the 1st of April organized by the election of regimental
officers. Transferred to the army of the Confederate States soon
after, it remained on duty at Pensacola for a year. It was chiefly
occupied in manning the batteries and took part in the bombardments
of November 23, and January 1, 1862. A detachment was in the night
fight on Santa Rosa Island. Being the oldest regiment in the 
Confederate service, it was first called on to re-enlist for the war
, at the end of the first year, and seven of the companies did so.
Ordered to Tennessee, the regiment, 1000 strong, reached Island Ten
March 12, 1862. In the severe conflict there, all but a remnant of
the regiment were captured. Those who escaped were organized into
a battalion, which was part of the garrision at Fort Pillow,
and afterwards fought at Corinth. Those captured were exchanged in
September, and the regiment rendezvoused at Jackson, Miss.,
having lost 150 by death in prison, 150 by casualties since and
during the siege of Island Ten. At once ordered to Port Hudson,
they participated in the privations of that siege. They were
captured, after losing 150 killed and wounded. The privates were
paroled and the officers kept in prison till the peace.
The men were exchanged in the fall, and joined Gen. Johnston
in Mississippi, 610 strong. The regiment was then at Mobile
and Pollard, and joined Gen. Johnston at Alatoona.
In Cantey's brigade, it fought at New Hope, and was afterwards
transferred to the brigade of Gen. Quarles, in which it served
till the end. It participated at Kennesa, and lost considerably
at Peach Tree Creek. In the terrible assault on the enemy's
lines at Atlanta, July 28, the regiment won fresh renown,
but lost half of its force in killed and wounded.
Moving with Hood into Tennessee, it again lost very heavily
at Franklin and Nashville. Transferred to North Carolina,
it took part at Averysboro and Bentonville, and about 100 men
surrendered at Goldsboro. Upwards of 3000 names were on its
rolls at different times during the war,
including the companies that did not re-enlist.


Captain Henry Wesley Laird's "Gulf Rangers"

William Duncan Register(d.o.b. August 18, 1842) Corporal, born in Georgia,
died in Camp Douglas Prison in Chicago, Illinois on 13 July 1862;
claim filed August 3, 1863 by John Register
(This is William's father ,my g-great grandfather John Young  Register)


Found out that my Grandfather Register's Daddy's oldest brother,
William Duncan Register, Pvt. Co. D. 1st AL, TN, MS Infantry
(died July 13, 1862) is buried in downtown Chicago along
with 6000 other barefooted Rebel Sons of Bitches.
Seeing the monument and knowing that nothing marked their 6000
graves until 30 years after their death is not a comforting thought
Not only that, the neglect and torture they endured has been effectively
suppressed by the Yankees.Check out what happens when you fight
and die for your country and your country loses the War.
http://www.graveyards.com/oakwoods/confederate.html

Hey y'all:

I know you git sick of me but today my son Christopher who's gonna graduate from high school Monday
got a full scholarship to Shelton State so I'm a little
HIGH!!!!



RR~
Thanks for your review.
When I first began watching it, I thought it was just gonna be about the "Peace & Love" (with a little weed & acid mixed in) documentary.
It had me in my old hippie persona.
I did enjoy seeing & hearing Timothy Leary, Mountain Girl, Kesey & Babbs.

Then, the "commentators" pissed me off & the 2nd half sucked.

I didn't want to re-live King & Kennedy being assassinated.

I wouldn't have filed that under the theme of "Hippies".

But then, I'm not a director, producer or creator.
When it came on again at 11PM, I muted it, played some Jim & Janis & enjoyed the 1st half. That's my 2 cents..."For What It's Worth"!!!!
Peace out!
BQ~


>FROM LANCE MICCIO @ http://happytrailershd.com

HIPPIES ??WHAT THE FUPP???
as we had no say in the edit or the writing .
I must say that the final outcome seemed like a bad acid trip , apparently this was no Gonzo Utopia

Lance sed it best,
" Kesey said it best!" http://key-z.com

Dear Debbie,

Thank you very much indeed for your e-mails !

I've now heavily updated the Candymen pages - note the plural ; I have designed a special 'doorway page' which leads then to the main page. A lot of great info has been added plus fresh pics and more sounds !

Needless to say, you've been duly credited. Take a look when you have the time & let me know what you think.

All best wishes for now,

PAUL VIDAL
LE MOULIN DU SEIGNEUR
LE LAC
07000 PRIVAS
FRANCE

Robert,

I emailed this guy in France a couple of months ago because he had our hometown listed as "Duncan" instead of Dothan on his Candymen page. He emailed back & said he was gonna re-work it & would let me know when it was finished. I got another email this morning (I'll forward that to you as well), saying he had made the "tribute" into 2 pages & gave me credit. DUH, I'm hereby famous in FRANCE as the girl from Dothan...last name unknown...who used to babysit John Rainey's kids! (I guess I didn't put my last name & it doesn't show in my email address.) Most touching is all of the quotes from Jimmy Dean. Check it out.

BQ (aka Debbie O'TOOLE)


if you from Dothan, you gonna love it & click below:

THE CANDYMEN '68: Left to right Robert Nix, Rodney Justo, Dean Daughtry, Bill Gilmore, John Rainey Adkins image courtesy of http://perso.orange.fr/rockin.paul/CANDYMEN.htm

Hey y'all:
Imagine what we could do at http://myspace.com/johnraineyadkins

Best,
RR

From the Fort Walton Paper:

The soul rises again: Old music studio reopens (LISTEN to songs)

by Kari C. Barlow
Tuesday May 15, 2007 http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/5288




VALPARAISO — Ain’t no way you’re sitting still in the newly renovated Playground Recording Studio. http://playgroundrecordingstudio.com/

Hips are gonna sway. Toes are gonna tap.

No keeping quiet, either. Hum, whistle or sing, you’ve got to make some kind of noise.

It’s the only choice when Jim Lancaster cranks the volume and Doris Allen’s powerful alto fills the air. Her soulful strains of “I’ll Keep on Loving You” bounce perfectly off the 22-foot-high ceiling.

“It knocked me out the first time I heard that voice,” said Jill Lancaster, who owns the studio with her husband. “She’s up there with Aretha.”

Ahead of his time

Allen is one of many artists the Lancasters discovered on 2,000 old tapes piled throughout the studio.

There’s swing and jazz recorded at the old Shalimar Club in the 1940s and 50s. Psychedelic and Gulf Coast garage rock from the 1970s. Countless reels of Memphis and Muscle Shoals soul as well as Deep South gospel and blues.

“When I found these, they were all in pieces,” recalled Jim, who bought the studio in 2005. “A lot of stuff I had to take off a multi-track and send to the computer.”

The cache was left courtesy of Finley Duncan, who also owned Duncan Amusement Co. He opened the 2,500-square-foot Playground Recording Studio in 1969 with Shelby Singleton.

A haven for musicians of all ages, races and genres, Playground operated until Duncan’s death in 1989.

“It was in terrible shape!” said Jill, a local Realtor. “Every square inch was just full of old pinball machines, old tapes and other junk. It’s been a two-year process to just get it cleaned up.”


“Finley, he knew everybody,” said Jim, a veteran musician and producer who spent several years on the Memphis recording scene. “He was ahead of his time, and no one around here particularly knew it.”

Today, Playground is once again a working studio. This time around, there’s a stylish, new apartment attached to the back for bands that want to stay awhile.

The Lancasters are busy re-mastering certain songs and laying down new instrument tracks. Their label, SouthernAmericana, recently released “Soul Resurrection, Volume One” – the first of many CDs paying homage to Duncan’s work.

“We’re trying to promote the legacy of this studio,” Jim said. “What we’ve got here is a place for something special to happen.”

Southern, soul history

The tapes Duncan left behind span more than two decades and many genres.

“We found boxes and boxes of tapes,” said Jim, who also owns a cabinet business in Crestview. “He has a great body of work here.”

The Lancasters chose soul recordings from the 70s and 80s for their first remastered release.

“I did not start in chronological order,” Jim said. “I started with what I thought was going to be most recognized worldwide.”

The CD features little-known names such as Reuben Howell, Jimmy Gresham, Len Wade and Big John Hamilton.

“It’s a mixture of black musicians and white musicians with black singers, mostly,” Jim said of the recordings. “They were not widely promoted at a time when disco had taken over the world. Disco was a dark time for soul singers.”

Duncan recognized their talent and invested money and time to help them get a break, he added.

“Big John and Doris … their careers ended when Finley died, but they had left a legacy,” Jim said. “This is a piece of southern, soul history that is just now getting heard.”

Graffiti artists wanted

The Lancasters worked hard to preserve the original atmosphere and vibe inside Playground Recording Studio.

Although they refurbished the main studio room and added three isolation booths, Jim kept old furniture and memorabilia, including one of Duncan’s colorful shag carpets from the 1960s. He remodeled the studio walls with local cypress wood.

“It’s indigenous. It’s also a soft wood,” he said. “It deflects sound, and it also absorbs some sound.”

The Lancasters enlisted the help of their three sons — Patrick, Will and Clayton — who also assist with engineering during recording sessions.

“Our whole lives have been music,” Jim said. “This has been our dream, to actually own a recording studio.”

The Lancasters say their next Playground release will focus on the psychedelic rock ’n’ roll that Duncan recorded in the 1970s.

In the meantime, a steady stream of bands eager to record original music keeps the couple busy.

“We’ve had rap in here. We’ve had metal,” Jill said. “We’ve had jazz. What we want to get into is artist development and continuing the tradition for local musicians.”

Eventually, they want to turn the cavernous building into a place for working bands to come and jam.

“I want to keep it for rehearsals,” said Jim, who has allowed kids to decorate the walls with graffiti, posters of Johnny Cash and old album covers. “I’m looking for more graffiti artists.”

Whatever the future holds for Playground, Jim intends to preserve the voices of artists like Allen and Hamilton.

“I’m the procurer of the souls that live on those tapes out there,” Jim said. “With that comes a great responsibility. These are people’s lives.”

Hey y'all:

Now you can actually read my review of the History Channel's two hour documentary,THE HIPPIES.

If you know me you know I've always wanted to get my hands on some media. Our dreams of the big boys in N.Y. & L.A. breakin' up have been replaced by the system in OpryWood, Hot'Lanta and Mickey Mouse Town.

I received some important information today from two great guys I've never even seen
but for many years we've known each other because of this wonderful tool called The Internet.

Thanks for these messages fellahs!

FROM LANCE MICCIO of http://www.happytrailershd.com/
[PLEASE REMEMBER THAT EACH OF THESE INTERVIEWS for the History Channel's THE HIPPIES
began with LANCE BEHIND THE CAMERA AXING, "What's another word for Thesaurus?"]

RR:

I shot Mountain Girl , Coyote , Krassner, Kandell, The cops Ballentine and Martin.

I shot Wavy Gravy , Country Joe and the Bus Driver .
We shot Ami McGill and Martin Lee although our camera man left us for
Martin Lee (Acid Dreams)
because his cat died and the grip had to shoot it.
Duuhhh .
I shot Jamie Cohen , Dr Smith . Michael Segel and also Joe Vitale.

The big problem in my humble opinion was as in that Reda did not hire a director for Hippies .
It was a hodge podge of people who did not even experience the 60's even though they may have been existing on the planet .

To take a quote from Field of Dreams

Buela

"I experienced the 60's !"

Amy Madigan

I don't think so, I think you did two 50's and moved

right into the 70's.

Scott Reda was the Executive Producer.
Scott is the creator of the no director documentary .

Scott was quoted in the Newspaper yesterday as saying it was a Sad story and that he would only watch the first half because he did not want to miss the Sopranos

Scott,who originally ran a mega sports business,
has replaced his father the legendary producer Lou Reda .
LM

& now from a guy we're still proud of:
ZANE KESEY! http://key-z.com

that show sucked...
i was ashamed to have helped them...

negative spin and lies!
Z

& here's my review of THE HIPPIES , a two hour documentary that'll show agin sometime.

THE HIPPIES premiered tonight on the History Channel. They mentioned Ginzberg. Not a word about Cassady.

OK
It opens with Peter Coyote {ain't dat Cohen} talkin' bout counter culture collapse along with stuff about liberators, industry makers & innovators.

I swear before Jesus they show Babbs 3 or 4 times in the opening clip!

January '66

Explosion of social & cultural experimentation & oh yeah this cat named something who wrote ACID DREAMS is the expert and he shows up all the time in the documentary.
The big problem with the interview technique was a lack of uniformity in camera position & angle.
But the big problem with the film wuzzzzzzzzzzz dat deyzzzzzz didn't use more Lance Miccio footage http://happytrailershd.com
They used too much testimony from the authorities who never got high in their whole life and it showed.
EXPLOSION OF SOCIAL & CULTURAL EXPERIMENTATION
"An orgy of experiment"
Picture of a sign that reads "LIKE FATHER LIKE SON LIKE HELL!"
LSD
Now it's all about Albert Hoffman's ergot's St Anthony's fire coming in accidentally through his fingertips & the stupid idgit took it intentionally and tried to drive his bike home I think in a town named Basil [dramatized by a cartoon by David Normal]
unconscious thoughts uncontrolled
Carey Grant admits to taking 60 trips
The Acid Dreams author with is really straight t shirt underneath his purple shirt talkin' shit.
CIA project called MK ULTRA...stuff that deals with chemical warfare & behavior mod
Trailers of '62's Manchurian Candidate
Roz Payne
anxieties about LSD
Leary was putting it in the wrong hands
touchy feeling group experiments at Harvard
achival clip of Leary and I believe Richard Alpert [a.k.a. Baba Ram Dass]
Leary saying that women had a "several hundred orgasms" while on acid
LEARY IS THE POPE OF DOPE
Leary, former Crimson Tider, let the monkey out of the cage![waddn't he a K.A.?]
Kesey's drugged out inspiration for ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
with patients in the mental hospital
KESEY IS THE JOHNNY APPLESEED OF ACID
Kesey sez it's your birthright.
Enter Owsley Stanley.
Amphetamine lab gets converted into an LSD lab
Merry Pranksters
Ken Babbs talks
M.G. talks
Warlocks
Kesey opens it up mo' dan CIA plus Leary combined!
Trips Festival with 10,000 paying customers {somewhere in here they show a street theatre led by Bill Graham}
Haight Ashbury

First round of History Channel Ads
last ad is a History Channel ad for THE CATACOMBS OF DEATH!

Reports of psychedelic subcultures emerging in L.A., N.Y., London & Amsterdam.
INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENA!
Peter Coyote: "Haight Street was the theater. People were acting out their fantasies in real life." [Mr. Coyote was prominently absent when it came to the testimonials about the communes which emerged in California's National Forests."]

Breaking through to the other side
Loosened
Tidal Wave
Taboo Shattering
Some birth control pill guy talking
EPOCH OF SELF FULFILLMENT
Girl talking on archival film, "Keeping your virginity is like keeping a Christmas present you don't open."

Myron Magnet gives his fat ass constipated opinion. What up wid dem sideburns?TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES!!!!
Nothing was permanent.
No one could be counted upon.
Emotional wounds of the children
SEX, DRUGS & ROCK 'N ROLL!

Diggers have a more ambitious agenda
M.G. fingers the Diggers on boosting a load of meat from Safeway for a BBQ
Peter Berg talks about 20 free pads in the Haight. free clothes
Coyote talks about free clinics
CALLS THE HAIGHT IN THE FALL OF '66 A SEMIAUTONOMOUS CITY-STATE!
FREE PUBLIC SERVICES!
Someone found a replacement for conformity!
Some academic looking shithead saying this attempt at utopia was American as apple pie and besides that we weren't killing Indians
Sense of almost anything is possible
Most Californians don't agree
The Stage is Set.
Some group other than Steppenwolf play "Born to Be Wild"

Second round of ads

Quote from a cat on archival footage, " I don't have words. I only have soul." with the Mamas & the Papas playing "California Dreaming" in the background.

HONEYMOON IS OVER IN THE FALL OF '66!

Ed Meese gives his opinion
The unsupervised use of the drug released demons
Lewis Yablonsky talks about the hippies tolerance for psychosis
Mark Vonnegut [I wouldn't take my child to this pediatrician, folkziz- He give me the willies]
Vonnegut sez, "Drugs are bad for you." I disagree Vonnegut, your screwball ass needzzzz sum kinda dope but I swear I ain't evuh smokin' outta yo' bag!

Rick Brookhiser from THE NATIONAL REVIEW sez something
Hypnotic Improvisations
Acid
Stephen Vitelli
Drugs like LSD & Marijuana become lucrative
Lewis Yablonsky sez that in a two square mile area around The Haight you could arrest everyone for dope.
LSD become 4000 times more valuable than gold
Some paper in L.A. dubs Owsley "ACID MILLIONAIRE"
Acid made illegal
3000 drop acid at Golden Gate Park on the day it's made illegal
AN ACT OF COLLECTIVE DEFIANCE
On November 8, 1966 Reagan is elected
He calls the Haight "A hotbed of evil."
With the lifestyle under threat, the Haight plans a mediagenic event
3000 were expected to attend the HUMAN BE-IN
30,000 showed up
Ginsburg, Rubin, Dah Pope Uv Dope His Own Bad Self!
TUNE IN, TURN ON, DROP OUT!
Leary starts a new church called THE LEAGUE OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
M.G. speaks into Lance Miccio's microphone
after he breaks the ice by axing her dis queerstion,
"What's another name for Thesaurus?"
The Hell's Angels provide security for THE HUMAN BE-IN
They wuz showl nuf right wing but deyzzzzzzzzzz loved dope & hated authority so they fit in
Barry Miles talks
The Diggers laced the free turkey sandwiches with acid
ALL THE BIG THREE NET WORKS FILM THE PROCEEDINGS!
THE HUMAN BE-IN becomes the focus of world wide att
ention
WAVY GRAVY speaks!
Todd Gitlin sez something like "Something bizarre's going on in the world"
Roz Payne sez "The media never got it."
BIG SPREADS IN ALL THE MAGAZINES FEATURING CUTE NAKED HIPPIE CHICKS!

DOTHAN, ALABAMA IS AFFLICTED WITH AN EPIDEMIC OF INTERGENERATIONAL VOYEURISM!!!!

Lee Edwards talks about bearded people and about everybody was shocked and repelled by the hippies contempt for standards.

Edward Morgan talks about the opposite effect on youth and Peter Coyote sez that when the kids saw the stuff on TV they said "Ding! That's for me!"
HIPPIE REVOLUTION!
History Channel plays "Magic Carpet Ride" by their half-ass wanna bee Steppenwolf impersonators

THIRD AD Includes AARP & Home Depot & a local yokel ad for Nancy Taylor Day Spa wid a nekid woman with black rocks resting on her back. Crown Housing from here in town also had an ad.

Peter Coyote,"BY THE SPRING OF 1967 FLOWER POWER WAS IN FULL BLOOM!"

Steve Gillon, History Channel historian who moves things in whatever direction the advertisers want, sez that the Hippies were the main alternative to the authoritarian Fifties.
Mark Vonnegut talks.
Can-do military mind set
5 Star General In The White House
MARTIN LEE [this is the cat you see over & over. He wrote ACID DREAMS]
Rick Brookhiser sez something about huge frustration
Parallel psychedelic scenes are popping up in Greenwich Village, Hollywood & London.
Psychedelic wannabe neighborhoods popping up on college campuses
Aldous Huxly takes LSD IV while he's dying
San Francisco becomes the HIPPY MECCA
Elsa Marley speaks [that's one of yours, ain't it Lance?]
Gray Line Tour Driver Donald Angus describes hippies mooning the GRAY LINE SAFARI THROUGH PSYCHODELPHIA TOUR : The Only Foreign Tour Operated by the Gray Line inside the contintental U.S.

Robert Donnelly sez something and then M.G. talks about the cops clearing the streets.
Mo' worser wuz yet to come!
Ami Magill- Procter sez something {that wuz one yours waddn't it Lance?"}
Acid Dreams Guy comes back on
Living off the streets
Dope
Rough Street Scene
Cop named Jack Ballentine talking about kids being picked clean
Cop named Marty Bastiani talks about pimps showing up
100,000 Runaways show up for THE SUMMER OF LOVE
M.G. talks again and sez that it crumpled with thousands with no place to go
David Smith talks about the cold weather, hard drug scene, heroin, amphetamines and injections.
Cops tell about cleaning up the garbage
Barry Miles brings up the gangsters
Murder of SUPER SPADE is a milestone
October 6, 1967: The Diggers haul a coffin filled with beads & junk across the park for THE DEATH OF THE HIPPIE Funeral

UTOPIAN PIPEDREAM OVER

Turning East

Fourth Ad at the end of the hour was really something. Here are the advertisers in order:
ATT Family Tree, Kobalt Tools coop ad for Lowe's, Autotrader.com, Men's Rogaine Foam, Northwestern Mutual, ancestry.com, Sam Adams Beer, Blockbuster Total Access, History Channel MEGA-MOVERS & Own the show $29.95 call 1-800-708-1776

The Beatles in '67 increased the interest in drugs.Coyote sez something 'bout the Beatles eating speed in Munich but I thought it wuz Hamburg.
They tell the story about Dylan gittin' em high in '64
Beatles doing the hippie thing
Fab 4 Flying High
Lennon had a meeting and told everybody he wuz JESUS! [hey y'all, don't smoke anything out of John's bag today...]
Harrison went out seeking spiritual meaning in The Haight and found a MASS of KIDS in need of Dial Soap & Clearasil. quote: "BUNCH OF HIDEOUS SPOTTY LITTLE TEENAGERS!"

Barry Miles talks about the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi gittin' shunned from the udder guras 'cause he took money for Transcendental Meditation lessons

Donovon, Beach Boys,
T.M.

Whole thing with the swami & the Beatles lasts seven months
Tsunami of Swamis!!!!
Embrace of the Mystical
creepy Mark Vonnegut again
Todd Gitlin: "revolt against reason"
Gigantic Crapshoot
Rick Brookhiser "spirituality was a crock" something about it being American as apple pie because the swamis influenced Thoreau & Emerson
Voodoo & Witchcraft
Aleister Crowley
Jim Morrison Mr. Mojo Rising
The Lizard King
Lion tamer Anton Lavay serving human flesh after the child sacrifice before playing OLD SCRATCH in ROSEMARY'S BABY

Vablonsky describes Manson pitching a fit in a San Fran Free Clinic so ferocious that it showed his "hellish side"
Manson gets respect from Dennis Wilson & Neil Young

ACID DREAMS cat sez he "bound the wills of his acolytes" & had sex with seven women 3 or 4 times a day
VERY BAD THINGS...


5TH ADD OPENS WITH ANCESTRY.COM

Double murder of Linda & Groovy
Groovy murders open a turf war between the blacks & the hippies in San Fran
Roz Payne blows
Myron Magnet blows something about how the hippies were a recipe for failure for Black America. [guess we caused all that shit too]
Hippies start packing heat up off out into & amongst dah hood!

'68 sees tens of thousands locating to rural America
HIPPIES & THE COMMUNES [where were Peter Coyote's personal testimony during dis segmint]

Elsa Marley talks about sleeping in a room with 60 horny adults.
"WHOA, YA 'BOUT TO BUST SOMETHIN'!!!!"
Something about Brooke Farm
[Really?!!!!}
NO COYOTE TESTIMONIAL IN ANY OF THIS SHIT SO YOU KNOW WHUT DAT MEAN!
Yablonsky talked about a couple who dosed their 5 yr. old with acid.
Pritty sho' Vonnegut sez, "UNDERESTIMATED HOW COMPLICATED THE SIMPLE LIFE COULD BE."

Anti-War '68 Tipping toward chaos

The Sixth Ad comes in here History Channel pitches Modern Marvels

January 30, 1968: beginning of 2000 U.S. dead in the Tet Offensive. 14,000 U.S. troops killed for the year.
March 31 Johnson sez, "NO MAS!"
April 4 MLK in Memphis & the worst domestic strife since the Civil War
June 4 RFK

Vonnegut devastated- everybody in it together- both generations

'68 Crazy & Poisonous
Convergence of Race Wars & Foreign Wars
Terry a Viet Vet gets a small blip but I remember that it does say that he got multiple Purple Hearts.

Todd Gitlin & Barry Miles talk
SDS antihippie turning into Rubin/Hoffman/Krassner YIPPIES with Country Joe giving the U.S. Navy Source of his humor to inject into this Hippie Left

Exorcism of the Pentagon
The Guy with the white T shirt underneath the purple shirt who wrote ACID DREAMS
Media Profile where FLOWER POWER conqueres the war machine with the pictures of the hippies putting the flowers in the bayoneted gun barrels.

NOT THE CASE

Edward Morgan talks
Something about Hoffman, Rubin & Krassner forming the Yippies

Paul Krassner talks 'bout how the hippies are like "RUNNING OFF WITH THE CIRCUS!"

1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention

Peter Alter
Lincoln Park Festival of Life
County Joe McDonald
1000 injuries , one death
Steve Gillon the history company resident shithead sez "IT DIES THAT WEEK IN CHICAGO!"

Nixon wins and declares Holy War on the counterculture through the FBI's....

7th Advertisement It's a Lowe's "LET'S BUILD SOMETHING TOGETHER!

Nixon inaugurated January 20, 1969
FBI's COINTELPRO
HIDE TIDE OF HIPPIE LIFE!
$100,000,000 WORTH OF REEFER A YEAR!
HAIR, WIGS,FALSE BEARDS!

Woodstock interview wid Michael Lang {did I smell Lance Miccio on that?}

Roz Payne

Glen Joshpe, a medical guy who got a helicopter ride out of Woodstock because he had liquid Valium at his crib

New York State Throughway Closed For The First & Only Time!

All the stores instantly empty....quit shocking

One doctor for every 22,000 patients

Abbie Hoffman tried to show his ass wid dah WHO but it didn't pay off!

Eliot Tibur
Jeryl Abramson-Howard
Wavy Gravy
[Lance you gotta have done some of this]

HIPPIE DREAM OF A LOVING WORLD

8TH AD

MANSON
The lacerated pregnant body of Sharon Tate with 16 stab wounds, many of which were inflicted by a very hairy girl from Mobile, Alabama named Patricia Kernwinkle.

Conservative Press Has A Field Day
Barry Miles
Edward Morgan
Hippies started off thinking it was a paranoid CIA frame-up and then realized the cat was a hate mongering psychokiller.

Altamont wid Myron Magnet's sideburns again. Whut a drag!
Violence by Manson killed any holier than thou hippie self image.

BEATLES BROKE UP!

Fall of '70

Hendrix, Joplin

Joe Janci [I got chased away from the picture right about now]

April 22, 1970 Earth Day, back to the land
Lenore Kandel
Pandora's Box of dilemmas
Seeds of the Flower Children Have Been Sown!
Apple II
Menlo Park
Steve Wozniak said,"Steve Jobs Was More Of A Hippy Than I Was."
The personal computer
Stewart Brand, The Whole Earth Catalogue, The Internet
Bring back the History Channel historian Steve Gillon. He talks about quest for utopia and the inevitable failure & then says that we all have a little hippie in us and that way the hippies triumph.

Then they replay the intro archival footage & you see Babbs three or more times agin!
Best,
RR
http://flowerpower2.blogspot.com

ROBERT,
IT APPEARS THAT I'M HITTING ON AT LEAST A COUPLE OF CYLINDERS!!
MAGIC ALEX HAD A WORKSHOP(GUITAR SCIENCE LAB) OFF PICCADILLY SOME PLACE. JIMMY PAGE TOOK US THERE AND PAGE ALSO GAVE ORBISON A BUNCH OF HOTROD PARTS FOR A VINTAGE STRATOCASTER HE HAD.
KEEP THE BABY FAITH,
RENEGADE ROBERT NIX

Robert:
It appears that Nix does actually have some memory cells left.
He's right.
Jimmy Page gave John Rainey his personal "Tone Bender" the precurser to all of the Fuzz Boxes.
In an article about the Candymen in the New York Times the writer mentioned how we used no special equipment other than the aforementioned ToneBender.

Now let's see how I'm holdin' up.

I believe that it was invented/conceived by the guy that The Beatles invested in who was going to make all of this new electrical equipment
Magic Alex?
We did in fact also have the first Marshall Amps in the US, given to us when Jim Marshall was still making them in his garage.
If we were so cool,why weren't we more successful?
BTW you're too funny Al, and the book was a masterpiece.
I'd like to write one as well ,but it wouldn't be as interesting, and I'd hate for my kids to read it.
RODNEY [Justo]

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY YA'LL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here we are, trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe and,sad to say, people are making fun of us.[look like Sola Sound made the stompbox; not Magic Alex]
Check out our progress but examine how others use our enlightenment to promote their sarcastic agenda!
best,
reg http://robertoreg.blogspot.com


The Sola Sound company was set-up by Lari and Joe Macari in 1965; the Tone Bender units were made in a Edgware factory, North London and sold from their Denmark street based Music store.