THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2008

(part 63) MONDO HOLLYWOOD, VIETNAM, NO AIRPLAY


MONDO HOLLYWOOD was released in 1967, as was BUFFALO SPRINGFIELDS "FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH", a song about the riots on the Sunset Strip, which were anti Vietnam War demonstrations. The local police forces in LA had taken to the tactic of using anti loitering laws in an attempt to stop or blunt the anti war movement locally. My song "VIETNAM" was in MONDO HOLLYWOOD and was about as meaningful to the current situation as a song could have been at the time, but while "FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH" was given massive airplay, which it was entitled to, "VIETNAM" was shunned.

I am going to take the time here to blow my own horn in defense of my own song "VIETNAM" and my performance of it. "VIETNAM" was one of the best goddamned Anti Vietnam War songs ever recorded in the 60's and other than it being heard in MONDO HOLLYWOOD, it was never heard by the general public. LOS ANGELES radio, at the time, was dominated by a fucking bunch of self appointed control freaks like, REB FOSTER, who decided against playing 'VIETNAM" or anything else I recorded. Not only did it and it still does piss me off, but it kept "VIETNAM", a relevant work, out of the picture completely. From 1965 to 1967 I had written and recorded CHRIS LUCEY "SONGS OF PROTEST AND ANTI PROTEST" and got no airplay.

"VIETNAM/METROPOLITAN MAN" no airplay. "RECONSIDER BABY" with me and ZAPPA no airplay. "GOTTA FIND MY ROOGALATOR" with ZAPPA no airplay. "ALL ALONE" no airplay and "COLOR HIM IN" with no airplay. When "MONDO HOLLYWOOD" came out and "VIETNAM" still got no airplay, even though the streets were filled with thousands of anti war demonstrators, I felt as though it was intentional to keep "VIETNAM" and BOBBY JAMESON off LA Radio. As you might well imagine looking back on it now I was beyond pissed off and completely fed up with the clickish punks in LA's radio and music scene.

Once again, this only fueled my attitude problems that were increasingly becoming something of a well known topic in the localized community of Hollywood, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. As I look back on this now I'm not all that sure that I was wrong in taking on the personality traits of a gunslinger prophet. In my mind there was a concerted effort to thwart me and all of my work. To this very day BOBBY JAMESON and LOS ANGELES have never come to any understanding of each other. For a place and a person to each play such a key role in each other's existence in the 60's, I am still at a loss to understand or accept that history. COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH and their absolutely perfect song about the Vietnam War was another of the milestone efforts, of some, to put words and music to the feelings of many toward one of this nations sorriest mistakes. I personally am utterly pleased that works such as this were not overlooked and unheard.