Book Review: The Mansion on the Hill

The Mansion On The Hill
Dylan, Young, Geffen, Springsteen and the Head-On Collision of Rock and Commerce
by Fred Goodman
Paperback
432 pages
Random House
9780224050623
1997

This book was recommended to me by Jeff at Larry Edmunds Bookstore in Los Angeles. This is the premier bookstore for hard-to-find books on the movie industry.

I thought I was reading a book that chronicled the history and musicians who lived Laurel Canyon. However, as I started reading, I discovered the book was really about the birth of the commercial music industry. I was more surprised that it started not 45 minutes from where I live!

The year was 1962 and a record distributor salesman named Paul Rothchild walked into Club 47 on Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Club 47 started the careers of such famous musicians as Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, and Joni Mitchell. Even Bob Dylan played unofficially between sets. Rothchild ended up producing and recording the Charles River Valley Boys, one of the club's acts. After selling all 1000 copies of the record, Rothchild began recording and producing more of the clubs acts. Around this time, folk music was starting to go electric, much to the horror of the purists. By 1965, acts were now being paid for playing at the club, an unheard notion in the folk community. Because of this, the club could no afford to have patrons just sitting around, not generating revenue to pay for the musical acts. The time honored activity of spending hours just sitting in a club, talking to your friends, and listening to some music was now over.

It was an unlikely lawyer from Missouri, Ray Riepen, who realized Boston was just the city to start experimenting with rock-and-roll on the radio. He researched failing radio stations and set his sights on WBCN. The station was desperate for money, they sold airtime to pay the bills. He used the purchased time to play rock music from 10pm to 5am and thus was the beginning of the new WBCN, the station I listened to years unaware of its provenance. The new format was a smash and within a few months, all of the music spun was rock-and-roll. The station also reported on non-mainstream news stories and was legendary in introducing The Clash, The Police, The Cars, 'Til Tuesday, The Ramones, and U2 to the world.

The Los Angeles rock-and-roll scene was still in its infancy in 1964. Within 2 years rock-and-roll would explode and cement Los Angeles as the epicenter of not only the music industry, but the movie industry as well. There was a wave of new bands who were starting to become popular, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Sonny & Cher, and The Doors. Paul Rothchild saw the parallels between what happened in Boston and what was about to happen in Los Angeles. Record labels in New York began paying attention and started opening up new offices to capitalize on the new action.

This book delves into the early history of the business and its evolution. The requisite shady characters and unscrupulous agents looking to make a quick buck off unsuspecting bands make several appearances. The shift from the East to West coast in well documented as the business started to look for more and relevant talent. One could submit without the record companies, most bands would have suffered in local obscurity as opposed to basking in international fame.

The Doors: Break On Through - A Celebration of Ray Manzarek

The Doors percussionist, Ray Manzarek, passed away in 2013.

Surviving band members, Robbie Krieger and John Densmore, created a documentary with interviews about Ray with footage from a memorial concert from 2016.

The movie was screened for one day only, February 12, which is Ray's birthday.

A blurry shot of John Densmore.

Ray Manzarek being interviewed by Ben Fong-Torres.

2019 Toronto International Film Festival, Part IV: The Doors Tour, Part VI

I found two locations in Toronto where The Doors performed.

The Doors performed here, the former C.N.E. Coliseum, on either April 20 or May 12, 1968. The book, "Life.Death.Legend" (page 253), states, "The Doors played three county fair gigs in California in mid-April (Merced, Santa Rosa, and Riverside)...", then, "The first gig was at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island on April 19, 1968." The Doors website has them listed as May 12. While the concert date websites setlist.fm and mildequator.com both have the day as April 20. Pick a side!

The Doors performed here on September 13, 1969.

Gerrard Street West & LaPlante Avenue

My eagled-eyed wife spotted this mural and gave me the heads-up on its location.

Robby Krieger in Concert

I had seen Robby perform in 2016 at the Cabot in Beverly. I had the chance to see him perform
again in Shirley at the Bull Run in 2017.

The same day of the performance was in the same town the same day, former New England Patriot, Aaron Hernandez committed suicide.

The Bull Run Restaurant

When I went to the website to purchase my ticket I was surprised to see the room was nearly sold out. There were only three or four seats left. The seats were at dinner tables, not like seats in a concert hall where there are rows and rows of seats facing the stage.

Seeing 1/4 of your favorite rock and roll band perform once was a great. Being able to watch 1/4 of your favorite rock and roll band perform again was even better and this venue is was far more intimate than the Cabot.

Robby leaving the stage after the set. He would reappear a few minutes later for an encore.

Here is a snippet of my favorite Doors song, "When the Music's Over". What a thrill!

Los Angeles Door Tour Part V and Part III Update

The Doors were in downtown LA taking pictures for the, "Morrison Hotel", album. The day was December 17, 1969 and photographer Henry Diltz just finished taking pictures at the actual, "Morrison Hotel," on Stanhope Street. 

Needing the quench his thirst, Jim suggested they head to a bar in Skid Row. They popped into the, aptly named,  Hard Rock Cafe. Diltz photographed them drinking, hanging out, and interacting with the other patrons. The photos from Morrison Hotel were used on the front cover of the album and the photos from the Hard Rock Cafe were used on the inner sleeve and the back of the album.

Years later, The Doors received a call from two gentlemen in London asking permission to use, "Hard Rock Cafe", for a chain of restaurants. The rest is history. A side note; someone was smart enough to place The Doors star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of The Hard Rock Cafe.

Photo Source: The Selvedge Yard

Photo Source: The Selvedge Yard

This is what the Hard Rock Cafe looks like today.

In Part IV, I made it to downtown LA, but I went to the West end of 5th St, not the East end. Last time I did not have a rental car, this time I did. I plugged the correct address into my iPhone and drove there. As I was getting close, I started to look for a place to park. As I got closer and closer, I realized while looking for a place to park, I passed the location. No problem, I will just loop around, find a place to park, find the location, and walk back to the car I told myself. As I was driving and looking to find a place to park, I started noticing the condition of the neighborhood and the people who lived there. At this point, I made sure all the doors were locked. Unbeknownst to me, I was smack dab in the middle of Skid Row. Living in San Francisco for almost three years, I was exposed to extreme poverty, but this was on a level I had never seen. The only way I can describe the homeless people is walking dead. These were not human beings; only shells of their former selves. The streets were filled with detritus, filth, and homeless encampments. Was I in America or some Third World country that I was instantly transported to? I was in such shock, I abandoned my plan of getting out of the car in this battlefield and drove back to Hollywood (I know that sounds so bourgeoisie). 

South Broadway appears to be the main economic drag but its grittiness was still painfully apparent. South Main Street is the geographic line that separates west from east and the geography changes very quickly when you head towards the setting sun. 

What tales could the storefronts and architecture of Downtown tell from the last 100 years of its existence?

The second stop on the tour is Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana. This is the final resting place of Pamela Susan Courson, the longtime girlfriend of Jim Morrison. Although they were never officially married she insisted on the surname of Morrison. Jim, however, was married in an unofficial Celtic ceremony in 1970 to on-and-off girlfriend Patricia Kennealy. Interesting fact from the Park's website, Pam was listed to be buried in Pere-Lachaise with Jim. Unfortunately, the massive amount of red tape to transport a dead body to another country convinced the family to have her interred here. 

To say Jim and Pam's relationship was tumultuous is an understatement. Unfaithfulness and rampant drug use on both sides only fueled the passion of their 5 year relationship. No matter how bad it got between them, they also ended up back together...for the time being!

The influence of The Doors has reached into the popular culture of today. Two of the central characters of The Office are named Jim and Pam. I submit any two names could have been chosen, but it was decided on these. 

Other notable people who are buried here are Leo Fender, Bob Nieman, who is the only MLB player to hit consecutive home runs in his first two major league at-bats, and C.J. "Pappy" Hart, who has been credited with starting the sport of drag racing. 

To say Jim and Pam's relationship was tumultuous is an understatement. Unfaithfulness and rampant drug use on both sides only fueled the passion of their 5 year relationship. No matter how bad it got between them, they also ended up back together...for the time being!

The influence of The Doors has reached into the popular culture of today. Two of the central characters of The Office are named Jim and Pam. I submit any two names could have been chosen, but it was decided on these. 

Los Angeles Doors Tour Part III

The third installment of the LA Doors Tour starts us in Venice and Santa Monica. After that we go back to West Hollywood, Hollywood, and then Fairfax.

#30 Brooks Ave., Venice

#50 Brooks Ave., Venice

These were the locations of Harry Diltz's photo shoot in 1969. Jim stood in front of the second panel from the right.

#1 Navy St.?, Venice

This location was a bit of a mystery. I was looking for the Cheetah Club which existed from 1967-70. It was destroyed by a fire in 1970. I'm guessing it was renumbered when it was rebuilt because the address of the above building is 11 Navy St. It is the first odd numbered building on Navy St. I thought the building in the picture below was the former location as this is the first building on the odd-numbered side of the street. However, it has an Ocean Front Walk address. One could submit this is the former location because Ocean Front Walk did not exist in 1970 and was once was 1 Navy St. I am doing supplementary research on this and will update my findings. 

1855 Main St., Santa Monica

The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The Doors played here on July 3, 1967.

2615 Main St., Santa Monica

This is the former location of Olivia's, a soul food eatery. This eatery was the inspiration for Soul Kitchen.

147 Fraser St., Santa Monica

Ray and Dorothy were living here in July 1965.  Ray invited Jim to live with them after that faithful chance meeting on beach where they decided to start a rock-and roll band. However, there is a problem with this location. It appears the correct address 154 Fraser St. A thread on a Doors forum  and the ariel view on Google Maps supports this. There is a video where Ray goes back to this location to reminisce the old days. When I went to 147, I walked down the driveway to see the apartment over the garage. It did not look the same. What I saw was different house in the video. Since I was very pressed for time, I could not investigate this further (more on that later).

116 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica

This now British pub was once known as the Turkey Joint West. Jim used to eat here but, far more significantly, it is the first time Jim Morrison was on a stage with an audience present. The exact date of this occurrence is bit fuzzy, around late May of 1965 to early June of 1965.

1616 Butler Ave, West LA

This is Village Recorders Studio and this location is important because on December 8 1970, Jim recorded what was to become, "An American Prayer". It was his birthday and he wanted to record some of his poetry. I wandered in and was greeted by Jeff Greenberg, the CEO of The Village Studios. I explained what I was doing and asked if I could take a picture of the studio Jim used. Unfortunately, that was not possible as there were paying clients using the studios and he was not sure which studio Jim had actually used. I had the same experience when I went to Sunset Sound which I completely understand. He asked me the name of my blog and brought it up in his iPad. He took the time to check it out and ask me a few questions. He suggested maybe with a heads up next time I was in LA he could do something for me. I thanked him for his time and went on my way. 

I am noticing a slight difference in the name. My sources have it listed as, "Village Recorders" and now the name is, "Village Studios". I wonder when the name changed and why.

11272 Santa Monica Blvd, West LA

This is the former location of the Lucky U, a UCLA days eatery.

Hollywood/West Hollywood/Fairfax

1441 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood

This is where, "Waiting for the Sun", was recorded.

8512 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood

Source

This is what the stairs looked like back in 1968. On this trip, the stairs are now enclosed and closed off. If you look closely, it is the black square to the left of the brown wooden pole. No chance to get to them. Damn!

947 N. La Cienega, West Hollywood

Suite K was where Jim edited his film, HYW. I went to the door and knocked. No answer. I started to walk away when a woman on the phone opened the door. I wanted to ask her if I could enter the room, but she cut me off saying she was on the phone, then she closed the door. So close! I could not wait for her to get off the phone because my stomach gave me a subtle reminder that it was lunch time.

Canter's Deli

This is a famous eatery in LA. Canter's has been around since 1931 and is open 24 hours a day. I included in my tour because, I was hungry and it was popular with the rock-and-rollers of the 60's. After you finished your gig this was the place to eat and be seen.

As much as I throughly enjoy visiting the sites of my all-time favorite band, my quest is hampered by two challenges, time and distance.

The locations are spread out throughout the metropolis that is known as Los Angeles. Being based in Hollywood does not help. Just to get to Venice, it took me 50 minutes by the Metro to get to Culver City, then a 20 minute bus ride that eventually dropped me off near Brooks Ave. Then I hit spots between Brooks to Santa Monica Blvd, another 30 minutes. Then another bus to the 11000 block of Santa Monica Blvd to check out Lucky U and Village Recorder. Finally a 15 minute taxi ride to Culver City where I had another 50 minute Metro ride back to Hollywood. I wanted to check out Lookout Mountain Ave in Laurel Canyon and The Topanga Corral in Topanga Canyon. Unfortunately, Lookout Mountain is 5 miles away and The Topanga Corral is 24 miles away from where I was staying. These locations would require a rental car or a very expensive taxi ride. I walk to as many locations as humanly possible.

My visit to LA is not primarily to research The Doors. I attend the Turner Classic Movie Film Festival. That is why I am based out of Hollywood. I purchase an expensive pass to see classic movies on the big screen and attend once-in-a-lifetime events. So I need to be at a certain place by a certain time. This makes the time I have to visit Door sites very very limited. That is why I could not take more time to figure out the Fraser Street location. I was also in the vicinity of 14 Westminster Ave., but was too pressed for time to visit. The Laurel and Topanga Canyon sites continue to elude me. I would also like to visit Fairhaven Cemetery in Santa Ana to see where Pam Courson is interred.

I consulted the my usual sources and came up with more locations for next year. They are The Sea Witch, The Warner Playhouse, Brave New World, and 1403 N. Laurel Ave. These locations are not too far apart.