I guess it's not easy being as much as an asshole he was to everyone, including and especially his family. Both he and his high school buddy Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) were likely trained by the CIA for the Operation Chaos program.
I'm glad you posted that for the benefit of anyone who's not familiar with Dave McGowan. I read his book "Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops, and the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream" was a revelation to me when I read it shortly after he died in 2015. SO many things made sense after I read it. He covers:
- Most Laurel Canyon bands (at first) didn't play on their own recordings. This was done by The Wrecking Crew.
- There were odd, too-coincidental relationships between the musicians.
- Many of the musicians had families who were involved in either intelligence, the military, or both. (Gail Zappa and Jim Morrison attended the same day care as children).
- Zappa himself got his start in music when he was living in Cucamonga when a mysterious friend gave him a five-track recorded he built himself.
- When Zappa move to LA, he somehow was able to live in the old Tom Mix house (now destroyed by fire, which happens a lot to properties involved in US intelligence) with about 30 friends and people who would come and go as they pleased.
His former friend Don Van Vliet treated his band like members of a cult. His drummer John French discusses it in his book "Through the Eyes of Magic". Van Vliet's behavior had CIA training all over it.
I encourage anyone interested in where the 60s rock phenomenon came from to read the book.
[ + ] Lost_In_The_Thinking
[ - ] Lost_In_The_Thinking 2 points 2 monthsJan 31, 2025 19:33:24 ago (+2/-0)
[ + ] BoozyB
[ - ] BoozyB 2 points 2 monthsJan 31, 2025 20:25:41 ago (+2/-0)
The link is a long read but it's interesting, to say the least.
(Start with the link to part 1.)
https://battleofearth.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/inside-the-lc-the-strange-but-mostly-true-story-of-laurel-canyon-and-the-birth-of-the-hippie-generation-part-xviii/
[ + ] Lost_In_The_Thinking
[ - ] Lost_In_The_Thinking 1 point 2 monthsFeb 1, 2025 05:55:28 ago (+1/-0)
- Most Laurel Canyon bands (at first) didn't play on their own recordings. This was done by The Wrecking Crew.
- There were odd, too-coincidental relationships between the musicians.
- Many of the musicians had families who were involved in either intelligence, the military, or both. (Gail Zappa and Jim Morrison attended the same day care as children).
- Zappa himself got his start in music when he was living in Cucamonga when a mysterious friend gave him a five-track recorded he built himself.
- When Zappa move to LA, he somehow was able to live in the old Tom Mix house (now destroyed by fire, which happens a lot to properties involved in US intelligence) with about 30 friends and people who would come and go as they pleased.
His former friend Don Van Vliet treated his band like members of a cult. His drummer John French discusses it in his book "Through the Eyes of Magic". Van Vliet's behavior had CIA training all over it.
I encourage anyone interested in where the 60s rock phenomenon came from to read the book.