Michael & Johnny: LA vs. SF vs. NYC?

[jamestkirk]

How rabid was the rivalry between LA bands and San Fran bands in LA? For the bands themselves was it a friendly rivalry or a non factor---or was it more an LA vs. SF fan pride rivalry thing?

The world outside of LA saw SF as the center of Psychedelic rock--Haight Ashbury/Flower Power/Peace Love/San Francisco Girls... but we all know that LA was the real center, and that SF was more a little brother or sister to the LA scene.

Was it the fame of Jefferson Airplane that really got the San Fran psych ball rolling (though they were by no means the originals)...that is how it seemed to me back in the day.
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NEW YORK CITY....

Of course NYC was a different story completely...the dark side with the Velvets...the scales shifted as many Greenwich musicians rolled cross country to LA--the next, up and coming, happening scene. Was there any perception of the NYC-later 60's-scene or was it off the radar?

[MichaelStuart-Ware]

Certainly, there was a friendly rivalry between the groups from all three of these musically productive cities. Being from L.A. the trips to San Francisco and our one and only trip to New York furnished some of my best memories during my days with Love.

[jamestkirk]

Certainly, there was a friendly rivalry between the groups from all three of these musically productive cities. Being from L.A. the trips to San Francisco and our one and only trip to New York furnished some of my best memories during my days with Love.

Do you wax nostalgic even over that night drive in the wilds of New York State, with the driver getting lost, causing LoVE to miss that college gig?

[MichaelStuart-Ware]

Nah, that getting lost and missing the small college gig was just downright embarrassing/humiliating. That long long ride out into the middle of nowhere, and we didn't even get to play. Then, to add insult to injury, after sending our poor driver up to the office to take the blame, we just had to turn around and do the long silent limo ride back to New York with our tails between our legs. It was bad.

But I do wax nostalgic about the fun Kenny and I had riding the subway in the middle of the night and meeting a couple of girls at a topless joint and dining at an all-night cafeteria and dong the things we did on our time off, which of course was most of the time. I think all the band did there after missing the college gig was play our one club gig downtown. Can't even remember the name of the club right now but I could pick it out of a multiple choice. The Generation? Something like that.

[BallroomDays67]

There was a Generation Club at 52 West 8th Street. In "Pegasus Carousel", you also mention being escorted (by "Sammy") to a half-empty "mob joint" a few days later where Love played a few shows. Was that Steve Paul's Scene Club?

[MichaelStuart-Ware]

Dang, I forgot all about the mob joint. Sammy was our protector. We were in good hands with Sammy at the helm. Straight out of "The Godfather" he was. Could have been Steve Paul's Scene Club. Have no idea, really.

In those days it was, "Be downstairs at 9 o'clock, get in the limo, go where it takes you, get out, go inside and play music when they call you out of the dressing room." I didn't know the names of the clubs we played most of the time, if it was a club. I mean, if we were supposed to play The Fillmore, in San Francisco, I knew that. That's different. That's a venue.