burtoncummings

IT WAS 1969 AND THE GW WERE IN LOS ANGELES TO PLAY A COUPLE OF SHOWS AND PROMOTE "CANNED WHEAT" WHICH HAD JUST BEEN RELEASED ON RCA...WE WERE STAYING AT THE HYATT HOUSE (RIOT HOUSE) ON SUNSET. THERE ARE STILL BILLBOARDS ALL OVER LOS ANGELES TODAY FOR ENTERTAINMENT FUNCTIONS AND PERSONALITIES, BUT BACK IN 69, THEY WERE ALMOST ALL MUSIC BILLBOARDS. AND THE ONES ALONG SUNSET WERE THE MOST PRIZED IN THE INDUSTRY.
I KNOW WE HAVE A DAY OFF, SO I'VE POPPED A SMALL BLOTTER OF ACID THAT MORNING, JUST WANTING TO ENJOY A DAY IN L.A. IN THE "HEADSPACE OF JM" WHO, I HAD READ, WAS IN THAT PARTICULAR MENTAL STATE QUITE OFTEN.
I CHECK INTO MY ROOM AND I HAVE A BALCONY OVERLOOKING SUNSET, DOWN UPON GENERAL L.A. (I AM 21 YEARS OLD)... I HAVE A FRONT ROW SEAT FOR THE BILLBOARD ACROSS THE STREET...MILDLY TRIPPING BY NOW, I CASUALLY STROLL OUT ONTO THE BALCONY TO GET A VIEW OF DOORS-LAND...
AND THERE'S THE BILLBOARD...RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY BALCONY...RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES...
AND, I SWEAR THIS IS NO LIE, GUESS WHAT THEY'RE PAINTING ON THE BILLBOARD...
UNDER COMPLETELY NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES THIS WOULD HAVE BLOWN ME AWAY...BUT ON ACID...GOOD LORD...
THEY'RE PAINTING A BILLBOARD FOR "CANNED WHEAT" AND THEY'RE PAINTING EACH OF OUR FACES INDIVIDUALLY, OVER 20 FEET HIGH...
THEY'VE JUST FINISHED RANDY, AND I'M ON ACID, AND THEY'RE STARTIN' ON ME...
I MUST SAY, IT WAS A SITUATION OF VARIED EMOTIONS...ONE OF SHOCK, FOR SURE, ONE OF MILD DISBELIEF, AND ONE OF "WELL, EITHER THIS IS THE BEST ACID IN THE WORLD, OR I'M IN A VERY SPECIAL PLACE RIGHT NOW IN TIME..."
AND THERE I SAT, HALUCINATING VIOLENTLY ON MY OWN FACE BEING PAINTED TWENTY FEET HIGH IN FULL COLOUR OVERLOOKING SUNSET BLVD. IT WAS ALMOST TOO MUCH...WE WERE ALWAYS TOLD BACK IN THE HIPPIE DAYS TO "STAY AWAY FROM THE MIRROR ON ACID"...TOO DEEP...WAY TOO SCARY...WELL THIS WAS FAR DEEPER THAN THE MIRROR...AND IT WAS FAST...THESE BILLBOARD GUYS DON'T FOOL AROUND...I WATCHED EVERY STROKE WITH FASCINATION AND THOUGHT ABOUT THE MEANINGS OF MANY, MANY, MANY THINGS...WHEN THEY FINISHED WITH ME, THEY STARTED ON EITHER KALE OR PETERSON, CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH BY NOW...I HAD HAD MY "TRIP" FOR THE DAY...I GOT AWAY FROM THE BALCONY AND WENT OUT WALKING. WHEN I RETURNED TO MY ROOM LATER, THERE WERE THE FOUR OF US, ALL NICE AND IN COLOUR AND TWENTY FEET HIGH ON SUNSET BLVD. MY, MY, MY...
OH WELL, JUST ANOTHER LITTLE BLOG ABOUT THE EVERYDAY GOINGS ON IN THE CARTOON LIFE OF JELLY ROLL KIRKPATRICK...

GL & GH...
LITM...
PEACE HERE...

B.C.

Canned Wheat Billboard, Los Angeles 1969 MySpace Blog Post w/ comments