Whats on your turntable tonight?

Speaking of the Great Roland Kirk. Here's a story:
(Just put "L. Armstrong & D. Ellington recording for the First Time- on my Lenco)
Anyway, it's 1974. I decided to stay in Eugene for the Summer. I'm waliking through the UFO campus, feeling good, it's a beautiful summer day in Eugene, best place on the planet. I hear drumming. I hear chanting. To my surprise, it's comimg from Mac court, home of the Kamakazi Ducks. The doors are wide open. So I go inside and see that there is a cool pow-wow going on. Graceful, serious dancers in feathers getting down in middle court. Drumming is intense as are the dancers. Maybe 50 spectators at most. Half are relatives of the dancers.
Very cool. When the dancing stops, the announcer says: "...and in a few minutes we'll have the Roland Rahzan Kirk Band come out to end the first Hoo Haw Festival, hope ya'll enjoyed it.
I sort of rubbed my eyeys and cleaned my ears. Asked a Siuslaw lady sitting next to me if he said the Roland Rhasan Kirk band? She wasn't sure. I waited.
After about 20 minutes, some really cool hip guys come out and start setting up mics and stuff. Then, others appear on the floor and one dude, dark glasses, is in a wheel chair. Saxes, flutes, whistles, beads, rags, all kinds of things hanging over the sides of his chair. It was then I realized I'd heard correctly. They start into "You'll Never get to heaven if You Break My Heart" and I was in heavan for the next 90 minutes. The band just sent me into orbit and back. I could not believe there were so few people listening to this fantastic, music, intersperesed with stories. It is something I will never forget.
Forward to 1994. Just by chance, I have a very personal meeting with Mrs. Ken Kesey, Mr. Kesey, her companion. So, I turn to him and say, and you must be Mr. Kesey. Nice folks, very gracious.
I mention the Roland Kirk experience to them because Ken Kesey put the "annual" Hoo-Haw together. They beamed with pleasure, huge smiles! They said "you're the first and only person we've ever met who was there that day"! We had a wonderful time talking about that one day. Mrs Kesey said she had spoken to Roland's widow that very morning by phone.
I was invited to join them for dinner that evening, but...
That's my Roland story.
Now spinning the Inflated Tear.

Oregon-
Cool story. Thanks for posting it.

Awesome Oregon! By very weird chance, just yesterday I was on the phone with an audio friend in Eugene, who was regaling me with tales of the local mania for everything Ducks (and green and yellow?). But Kirk and Kesey -- wow. Hey, if you'd gone to that dinner, you might not be back yet... ;^)

Zaike, Slip,
Glad you enjoyed the Kirk story.
Zaike, your friend is undoubtedly familiar with Nancy's yogurt, a local creamery in Eugene. Nancy is Ken K's sister.
A very good friend of mine worked for Nancy's as a delivery truck driver while he completed his Masters at the UFO. He was an Opera major. My girlfriend, was an Opera aficianado (until I intorduced her to Miles, Coltrane, etc). So, as a friend, I'd go to hear/see the Operas which my friend was a part of. These performance were in the newly constructed Eugene ... for the Performing Arts building. Very beautiful, elegant Opera house with waves of balconies, very ornate. Of course, it was a great place to sleep during an opera. Out of 12 operas, I was probably awake a total of 5 minutes.
Anyway, one evening after my friend and his wife had cooked dinner for us, he told my girlfriend and I that he had a t- shirt and 2 tickets for a Grateful Dead show that evening . (He was the limo driver for the Dead whenever they came to town, although they never used the limo. But he had to pick it up, drive it to his house and let it sit there for the night. Really dumb. The Keseys would just drive the band wherever they neede to go).
Anyway, I was offered the tickets. I took them both and headed to the opera house where the concert was to start.
I'd never seen the Dead, but I was curious. As I approached the building, it was a completely different atmosphere. No stiffs in gowns and ties. More like tie-die, hacky sacks, color, smiling faces. Nice aroma.

I announced to the crowd that I had an extra ticket and held it out. A swarm engulfed me, but no one took it. Someone said, how much??? I said, FREE!
Instantly snatched out of my hand. And big cheers and hugs from many, many folks. Really cool. I was the hero.
I go inside. The energy was up about a thousand notches compared to the many boring hours I'd spent there. As soon as the curtains opened, I understood why every Deadhead declares that a Dead concert is the best party on the planet. Instant, explosive ECSTACY, joy, frenzy! The performing arts center was never the same.

On another note. I grew up in East L.A. with Los Lobos. David Hidalgo told me that shortly after Jerry had his second stroke, he could not play guitar. He could hold it in his hands but could not form a chord, or strum the strings. So David spent a few months helping him get his chops back. Which he did, eventually.
After Jerry passed, there were rumours that David would join the Dead. But these were just rumours. No one ever considered it.

Got a kick out of the Roland Kirk story as I was sitting here listening to Jethro Tull from the 20th anniversary LP. Mr Kirk was a big influence on a lot of people...

:o