SFGate: Paul Kantner, one of the giants of the San Francisco music scene, died Thursday. Mr. Kantner, a founding member of the Jefferson Airplane, was 74 and had suffered a heart attack this week.
We were just watching one of those PBS pledge drive shows last week and he was playing with Jefferson Starship. I remember seeing him with the Airplane when Grace Slick was pregnant with their daughter.
Jeez--I can't remember another month when we lost so many high-profile rockers. Chrissie Hynde's prediction about all of our music heroes dying in the next ten years is beginning to seem very accurate.
Folks, when people start dying in their mid-70s (or even late 60s), it's not so surprising. I do admit to becoming afraid I'll wake up some morning and learn that Mr. Zimmerman is no longer with us.
Beyond that, I am a major fan of the Jefferson Airplane/Starship, and think that Nuclear Furniture--which is mostly Kantner's music ("Rose Goes to Yale" and "Champion" are particularly great, but songs you never heard on the radio--performance of "Rose..." here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVoxZVB-tIk) and of Volunteers. (And of course, Surrealistic Pillow is dynamite--am I the only person who tried to calculate exactly how fast "3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds" is?)
5 comments:
We were just watching one of those PBS pledge drive shows last week and he was playing with Jefferson Starship. I remember seeing him with the Airplane when Grace Slick was pregnant with their daughter.
They really are dropping like flies, aren't they?
RIP
Jeez--I can't remember another month when we lost so many high-profile rockers. Chrissie Hynde's prediction about all of our music heroes dying in the next ten years is beginning to seem very accurate.
I love the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE and JEFFERSON STARSHIP music. And 74 seems too young.
Folks, when people start dying in their mid-70s (or even late 60s), it's not so surprising. I do admit to becoming afraid I'll wake up some morning and learn that Mr. Zimmerman is no longer with us.
Beyond that, I am a major fan of the Jefferson Airplane/Starship, and think that Nuclear Furniture--which is mostly Kantner's music ("Rose Goes to Yale" and "Champion" are particularly great, but songs you never heard on the radio--performance of "Rose..." here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVoxZVB-tIk) and of Volunteers. (And of course, Surrealistic Pillow is dynamite--am I the only person who tried to calculate exactly how fast "3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds" is?)
I don't think any of my fellow English majors tried to make that calculation.
Post a Comment