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Roach asked me to tell the tale again so we have accurate information. 
It was in 1993 or 94. I was out in Gold River CA, a suburb of Sacramento known for million dollars houses and auto junkyards. 
I'd just started my cactus obsession. I had a PC and maybe a couple more. 
At that point most of information. Came from vendors catalogs and lots of bad info got circulated. Once it was in one tfe others took it for gospel. One bad fact was " t peruvianus is 10x stronger than any other trichos"
Another was "saguaro is tfd fastest growing cactus". An inch a year isn't that fast. 
So I walked into a Lumberjack home improvement store and headed to the garden dept. 
Right there was a big cactus,  5 fat stems with wicked spines.  But I could see that it looked a lot like my San Pedros, just fatter and spined. 
I don't remember what their label said, I think it just said cactus. It was $50 so I took it home.  
   Still not knowing what it was I booked a bunch up with lemon juice added.  This one time I evaporated it down to tar.  I ate some and I knew right away it was way more active than the PC I'd been using.  I named it t lumberjackious ( fake Latin) later shortened to t lumberjack. 
At that point I think I got on line with my first computer and started learning.  I found other vendors and started a garden. 
A few years later, after we moved our whole scene including 200 cacti to our new house 
   I hooked up with Jethro ( now from Cactus Affinity) and he came up for a visit.  We traded a bunch of stuff and he really honed in on the Jack. I gave him a big fat cutting and he did a whole Johnny Appleseed thing with it. Got it into a lot if collections really fast. People loved it then and love it now.  Grows fast and big and is undeniably active.  And it's a pretty good looking too.  
It's gratifying to see it everywhere.  Not sure how much credit I deserve for it.  Best guess it's an Altman's Pach and bridgessi cross. 
It's made it into a number of cactus books.  Some had the story wrong and I've tried to straighten it out. 
But I'm not an ethnobotanist and I didnt find it in the mountains of Peru. Just a hippie gardener who got really lucky. I think what my contribution was talking a chance on something I didn't really know.  
I'm so glad it's so valued.  

I'm pretty sure Bruce and Chicken from the original band are gone too. 

Well they (we) are dropping like flies. Friends, family and heroes. 
Joe McDonald and Barry Melton were early influences.  The combination of politics and acid resonated hard.  I saw the band a couple times. Once in People's Park and once at Cal Expo when they opened for the Moody Blues. 
Years later I got to know Barry a little and he played on track for our bands cd.  
But another man done gone.  Every second counts. 

Howdy!

Hey TM.  
Funny how Beefheart is mainstreamed now. 
I truly was one of  the  20,000 or so that bought it when it first came out. 
John French's book is pretty good.  Poked holes in a lot of myths. 
There's a guy who says he's Jeff Cotton on FB too.  

Ob!  How the heck are you?  I was hoping you would surface.  

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AizxA4KKb/?mibextid=wwXIfr
This is my Garcia tribute with my boys last time we visited California. 

Nice Middle East vibe on the Entrance
Mussete sample? 

Well it's Déjà vu all over again. 
Trumps wagging the dog so he can cancel the elections. 
So, what are we gonna do? 

The music never stopped.  I'm kind of a medium fish in a small pond so I get to do a lot of cool things.  

[Well I could add Kemp, DI, Downer right off the top of my head.]

Well I could add Kemp, DI, Downer right off the top of my head. 
Death don't have no mercy in this land! 

Lots happened these past years.  4 years ago we moved to the North Oregon Coast.  
I pretty much hit the ground running, playing with everyone who would have me. 
Being a bass player that was pretty much everyone. 
It took a while to sort through the possibilities but I've gotten it down to 5 or 6 bands.  I got to love the music and like the people or I'll stay home. 
The music never stopped. 

My original rock and roll turn on was in about 1963, before the Beatles hit. My brother turned me on to the Beach Boys and it just hit every mark for me. Every fantasy I had about being a teenager in California, ripping music, Carls Fender Jaguar tone, and the pictures of them in the studio on the  back of the albums. First time I ever saw a Fender bass.

Years later i learned that every note on the records came through Brian Wilsons brain and that Brian WAS the Beach Boys. As years go by and i know more about music, every time i hear them I am blown away by the brilliance of the arranging and production. Brian is like Beethoven writing songs about cars and girls. Even on the first records you could hear what he was going for. Ive read a bunch about Brian and the boys and its like the SoCal version of that great American story we call the Grateful Dead. Quintessential 60s history, right down to Charles Manson's cameo. 

The other night I listened to Smile all the way through and i got to say that its absolutely the most psychedelic music Ive ever heard. It propelled me into a full blown flashback. (Im prone to hallucination) Its nothing short of symphonic. And people always say it was competition between Brian and the Beatles. I always would have gone with the Beatles but Ive been turned around. Beatles are the best rock band but Brian is an immortal genius composer like the great classical music guys.
If there is anyone out there, discuss.

Everytime i look at the "visitors" list its like 1 member, 92 guests.  Who are these guests?

Im looking for amanita mushrooms and extracts. Could you point me at a supplier?

How many of you are out there?