Rebuilding Robby's Amp ?

[MysticHeatedWine]

Vince,

One of my favorite stories is about how you once had to rebuild Robby's amp onstage in the dark during a show. Do you remember which show this occured at and / or any details ? An amazing technical feat which I'd love to hear about ! Thanks.

[vince]

It was in Phoenix in November of 1968.

I had flown in with my helper, one of the LA Band Boys, and was supposed to be picked up at the airport per arrangements of Bill Siddons. I was left at the airport for a couple of hours until I finally got a call through to the arean - an outdoor performance. I got Rich Linnell and he got a truck there quickly.

We got the equipment set up but did not have time to test anything.

The amp went down and I was able to make repairs. It was not completely dark but dark enough to make things difficult.

We were still using the Acoustic system. I was quite familiar with them as I had been working with Steve Marks for two or three months.

It is hard ot remember exactly what was the cause of the problem, I think a bad solder or such. The thing that remains in memory is that there was a stage failure, The first and last - of my career.

After the show I went to the dressing room and told the guys I was quitting. They said they didn't accept my resignation so I could not quit. I was trapped so I stayed for another 3 years or more.

[MysticHeatedWine]

Thanks, Vince. I'm sure Ray, Robby, John and Jim were glad you stayed on.

[Mystery Train]

It was in Phoenix in November of 1968.

I had flown in with my helper, one of the LA Band Boys, and was supposed to be picked up at the airport per arrangements of Bill Siddons. I was left at the airport for a couple of hours until I finally got a call through to the arean - an outdoor performance. I got Rich Linnell and he got a truck there quickly.

We got the equipment set up but did not have time to test anything.

The amp went down and I was able to make repairs. It was not completely dark but dark enough to make things difficult.

We were still using the Acoustic system. I was quite familiar with them as I had been working with Steve Marks for two or three months.

It is hard ot remember exactly what was the cause of the problem, I think a bad solder or such. The thing that remains in memory is that there was a stage failure, The first and last - of my career.

After the show I went to the dressing room and told the guys I was quitting. They said they didn't accept my resignation so I could not quit. I was trapped so I stayed for another 3 years or more.

why did you want to quit vince? were you that much disappointed about the stage failure?

[vince]

It was a whole plethora of events that had built up over several months, aggravated by the absolute exhausting Euro tour.

Bill took into his own hands all thebookings for travel. He worked with a travel agent forair tickets and whatever else. Remember that there were no computersback then. It was all done by phone calls and huge listing of flights,destinations and times. Sometimes these books werenot accuratebecause of schedule or route changes.

So Dave Harper, The Lorry driver and I had a really tough time of it when it came to accommodations in England and Europe.

The same thing began tohappen on the 6 date tour in November. The real capper came when I was left standing at the airport with 35 pieces of equipment and no direct way to get in touch with anyone remotely connected to the Doors or promotor - Bill Siddons and Rich linnell.

I was tired of the bullshit from Bill. He insisted on taking charge of all the travel details and I usually wound up on the sidewalk or being put out of room to accommodate some friend of Bill's

That night in Phoenix really was not good. Remember that there were no cell phones, nothing like the comms we have today. You had a hard land line with a person at the other end or you had No Answer or you had someone who didn't give a snot and hung up on you.

So with the previous Euro tour, the 3 initial venues and then , I felt, being deliberately left at the airport so Bill would have some excuse to fire me, I had no time to check the equipment which might have avoided the failure. That night was the only blemish on my entire career and I took it seriously that equipment failed during a public performance.

From the day of my arrival to the last performance in January of 1972 with that one exception I never failed to put them on stage and have all the equipment work without problems. Few, if any, Equipment managers could say that in those days.

It was not just the failure of equipment, which they guys could accept as a bad incident that did not ruin the performance. It was the whole summer of being shut off and treated like some camp follower instead of the most important part of the performance.

I can't really elaborateon the incidents, one after the other of no accommodations, second hand information, not always accurate; being blocked from direct communications with promotor and hall managers, having people I had to deal with on a professional level that - "He's just the equipment guy"

Bill Graham was told in no uncertain words that he was never to talk to me about anything to do with a Doors performance. Bill, being the guy he is, called me to tell me of the conversation and let me know that whether or not I had a friend in Jesus, I surely had an enemy in Siddons.

It waslike a stack of kid's blocks. With a real sense of failure and several months of very shabby treatment, I felt I should get out while I still had a reputation and my sanity.

But the guys, at least at that time, did not accept my resignation. Short of simply walking out regardless of their support, I could not quit.

There was another guy there that night. Wehad a long chat about what was going on. If nothing else, that made me feel a bit better. But he made some telling points which, though Siddons got me, with The Big Lie in the end, came through and showed Siddons real stripes.

[Stuart]

Vince, What was"The Big Lie" that Bill told ray, robby and John that got you the sack?.

[Moses]

Bill Graham was told in no uncertain words that he was never to talk to me about anything to do with a Doors performance. Bill, being the guy he is, called me to tell me of the conversation and let me know that whether or not I had a friend in Jesus, I surely had an enemy in Siddons.

[vince]

After the Jan 19th performance on top of the mountain in Palm Springs they boys decided to have a break before organizing for a otur. I went to Hawaii to visit my cousin and to do some preliminary work for a surf film I wanted to make.

Bill told the boys that I had quit and was not coming back. He took advantage of a visit by Dave Harper - who had worked with me in Europe the second time and knew the big amp system. So he was no longer trapped by technology. I was not around to deny or confirm and the Doors, for some reason accepted the Big Lie.

They went on tour with david and had their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road - to failure in 1972. All because I was not there to make the new blues sound good. (Not Really)

[Mystery Train]

After the Jan 19th performance on top of the mountain in Palm Springs they boys decided to have a break before organizing for a otur. I went to Hawaii to visit my cousin and to do some preliminary work for a surf film I wanted to make.

Bill told the boys that I had quit and was not coming back. He took advantage of a visit by Dave Harper - who had worked with me in Europe the second time and knew the big amp system. So he was no longer trapped by technology. I was not around to deny or confirm and the Doors, for some reason accepted the Big Lie.

They went on tour with david and had their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road - to failure in 1972. All because I was not there to make the new blues sound good. (Not Really)

how did you get to know about the big lie? did siddons tell you about, i mean was he even able to look into your eyes again? and how did the doors react once they knew about the lie?

[sullen and aborted]

This is opinion only , but I feel that in hindsight that the timing of Mr. treanor's exit from the employment of the Doors was about right. The doors were no longer the same band that had put out great stuff like Crystal Ship and Strange Days, and the remaining three Doors were unable to come out with anything truly great after the LA Woman album. A combination of ill treatment by Bill Siddons and the lack of any great new material probably turned what was once a gratifying experience for the most part into another humdrum job. It was the excitement of the Doors music in 1967 which lured Mr. Treanor away from the craft of building pipe organs . When various problems popped up over the next few years and the excitement was gone, it would be ineveitable that all good things must come to an end. Bear in mind that a short time after the Full Circle album, that the Doors themselves called it a day.

[nephron]

I was tired of the bullshit from Bill. He insisted on taking charge of all the travel details and I usually wound up on the sidewalk or being put out of room to accommodate some friend of Bill's

What a prick.
Look at the recent picks of him. Looks cocky, condescending, pompous---yes, very 'prick-like'. I'm surprised you stayed as long as you did. It'd be real hard not to shove his head through an amp, stuff a maraca up his ass, and take off.

[vince]

I stayed out of loyalty to my four musicians. Bill was a boy, he was ig, muscular, blond, blue eyes, beach boyand definitely ladies man. He was attractive to girls and made easy pick-up. That adds to any guy's ego.

In many ways Bill was responsible and diligent. He just found ways to mayt hings tough for me in the hope I would fial and he could then puch the guys to get me out of his life.

What Billnever understood was my acceptance of his position. He had a contract with the boys. Without some really fross negligence on his part he was secure in his position.

I never tried to cross the line and always covered forhim, when I could. He could not understand the difference between Co-operation and operation.

Anyway, Event hough the music changed, the guys didn't. I would have stayed to the botter end. If one of them had asked me to tag along, as he went off on hios own, likely I would have followed.

Even Bill, nastythough he couldbe at times, was not altogether a bad guy. He had a lot of pressure, many people wsiting to swoop in for the kill should he make a serious mistake and be dismissed. Jim was a handfull and he was scared of me - though he need not have been.

In the end, no one will notice. Look, only 35 years have passed and so few people know of this event. In another 10 I won't be around, I guess my memoirs will not get published after all, and the world will settle down for a long rest.

I do appreciate the "Support from theForum. Nice to know that some people care about the Guys and things that happened. It is just a shame that it all happened so fast.

[vince]

I foundout about the lie from two sources. Ray Manzareck told me when I met him in 1975.

John Densmore spoke tome in private, during themaking of the Movie (Stone) and said that a great wrong had been done. Hemade agesture of recompensewhich i have never forgotten, and will not ever.

I also hear from Bob Greene when I returned from Hawaii to gather my things from the office. Frank Lisciandro also told me and suggested that the Doors did not understand why I had quit.

Of course it was too late. When I called Bill, at Bob Greenes suggestion, Bill told me that David had stopped by the office and he had hired him to do the tour. I could stay in Hawaii and make my movie and he hoped it wouldbe a good one. (He was an ardent surfer).

[nephron]

I guess you were there, Vince. Only you know the 'gist'....that thing you get from being there.

[jim4371]

In the end, no one will notice. Look, only 35 years have passed and so few people know of this event. In another 10 I won't be around, I guess my memoirs will not get published after all, and the world will settle down for a long rest.

Gotta be optimistic, if you can get anything produced between now and the end of 2007 someone willl be interested for certain, past that I'd still expect significant interest.
Toss this or some similar photo on the cover and you'll have a best-seller.

[$unshine]

Vince, I really wish that you to try to write a book on your memories.
I'm sure that shoed a best-seller as much as that of John_ sincerely. I hope.
If it's needed, I would encourage you as a long time that possible.

[vince]

Well, I have written a great deal of my history with the group, onservations and incidents, as well as commentary on the various points that people have brought up on the Forum.

I am sure it would be of interest to some but I would also like to have it honest, truthful and not tainted by the kind of fantasy that some authors have imposed o their stories.

Getting it published is entirely another story. One or two have offered but apparently they would like to rewrite the story as opposed to editing it - to which I have no objections. Changing it is not acceptable.]]


Rather than having another book like Sugarman wrote on the market, intensifying, rather than clarifying, the myth of Morrison, I will let it die on the Hard disck.

[jim4371]

Theoretically, you could publish it online or through a smaller independent publisher and have the work released untainted.
Whatever the case, we'd all be lining up, for sure.

[vince]

I suppose that it is possible.

The Book, as such, is not a complete story at this time. Eacht ime your people on the Forum ask questions or make comments I find more material to be dealt with. I am also trying to set the thing up in a chronological order.

One guy said he could help me get it publiched. He felt there shouldbe changes in formswt - OK, that he excepts fromt he Forum were interesting but were not in the same type style I used for the main text (Times Roman) and I had them in red so I could spot them and put them into contact or chronology.

When I suggested I could do this, check for spelling and conver both color and type for continuity, he wished me good luck in getting it published.

If all "editors" are that touchy, I can do without it.

Idon't know too much about ON Line stuff. But if I spend many months working on this thing, I should make some remuneration. After all, that seems tobe the fad today - write a book about morrison and get on the bandwagon.

I don't know. I am under a lot of pressure these days getting this monster in on time. I get distracted and we are working 12 hour days. I am pretty tired by the time we get back to the factory.

I had hopes this guy would carry the ball but he didn't want interferance from me, I don't know. Nothing make me more discouraged in any project than onsticals. I like to get things done efficiently, with the best quality, as fast as possible - in that order.

It is the support of you and so many others on the Forum that keep me going at it.