PH Phactor Jug Band 1966

Paul Bassett, Steve Mork, John Hendricks, John Browne Jr.

The friendly and curious, Patrick Murphy, curator of the Summer of Love exhibit currently at the MMFA in Boston seemed surprised when I told him Steve and I had had a wall full of Avalon and Fillmore posters–all Steve’s doing as I was a bit impervious to the hugeness of what was happening in the music scene. The posters were pretty and made great wall art, free for the taking at most concerts or on telephone poles or taped inside windows along Haight Street.  And yes, I’d been to the Avalon uncountable times, always a guest given my girlfriend status with Steve. Fewer times to the Filmore, where the Airplane reigned and for some reason there wasn’t an affinity between us and Ms. Slick.

One afternoon Steve and I went over to the Fillmore to see if we could meet  Frank Zappa, whose music I liked for his  iconoclastic lyrics, including the off the wall band name, the Mothers of Invention . And there we were shaking Zappa’s hand ( Steve was; women/girls didn’t shake hands in those days) after helping him haul some of his equipment from the truck parked at the front door, across the long, wooden-floored hall, and up onto the stage. He was happy to meet Steve who was never hesitant to offer his farm-boy strength to a worthy cause. I carried lighter things and figured we probably wouldn’t make it back to the concert even though Zappa had electric good looks.  Zappa assured us we’d be welcomed as guests at the door. I don’t know why we didn’t return. Maybe it was just time to kick back–I have no recollection.

One time when the Jug band did open for some big band at the Filmore,  at evening’s end and the equipment was loaded into Nick’s old Caddy convertible, a man showed up–a straight looking guy (as in not a pot smoker)–and he handed me and Steve a 50 dollar bill for the band. He loved us. I was amazed at the generosity and thoughtfulness as the jug band’s playing for tips left us hungry occasionally. It was nice, kind of like with inflation adjustments, someone now handing out $250.  The generosity was really touching.

The equipment rode home in the Caddy; Steve and I drove the Honda 405 Super Hawk which he and I shared. The dark, quiet, splashy wet streets of the city charmed and glittered as they had since I was a toddler.