IT WAS YEARS AGO AND I FOUND MYSELF SITTING ON THE BEACH IN MALIBU COLONY, CALIFORNIA SHOOTING THE BULL WITH A FRIEND OF MINE. HE WAS RENTING A LITTLE FLAT IN A BIG BEACH HOUSE.  I FOUND OUT LATER THAT IT WAS NEAR LINDA RONSTADTS’ HOME.  A FEW OTHER GUYS SHOWED UP AND JOINED THE CONVERSATION. THEY WERE  INTERESTING AND EASY TO BE AROUND.  WE HUNG OUT FOR A WHILE. WHEN IT COMES TO BEING AROUND PEOPLE, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING HAS ONLY EVER BEEN ABOUT FEELING GOOD TO JUST HANG OUT AND “BE” WITH PEOPLE.  IF IT DOES NOT FEEL RIGHT, I JUST MOVE ON.  THIS WAS PRE-BRAIN DAMAGE FROM MY STROKE . I CAN’T EVEN REMEMBER MY FRIENDS NAME THAT LIVED THERE. THIS WAS PROBABLY 1974/75 ish.  I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS LEAVING, MY FRIEND ASKED ME IF I KNEW WHO THOSE GUYS WERE ??  MY ANSWER ?  NO !        HE TELLS ME THAT 3 OF THOSE GUYS WERE THE EAGLES !!  NOW YOU TELL ME ?  WHAT DO I KNOW ? I ALWAYS LOVED THE EAGLES’ music AND I ALWAYS WANTED TO MEET GLENN FRYE AND THE OTHER GUYS BUT IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW WHO THEY WERE WHEN I WAS WITH THEM. GLEN FRYE AND I HAD SOMETHING IN COMMON. I ALSO ONCE WAS STANDING ON A CORNER IN WINSLOW, ARIZONA TRYING TO CATCH A RIDE. HOWEVER I NEVER GOT PICKED UP BY A GIRL IN A FLATBED FORD. EVEN LONGER AGO I HAD FRIENDS THAT BEGGED ME TO GO TO THE  PALOMINO CLUB TO HEAR A BAND AND THIS INCREDIBLE FEMALE VOCALIST. SHE WAS LINDA RONSTADT AND THE STONE PONYS AND SOME OF THE STONE PONYS BECAME THE EAGLES. or so I’m told. I never went.  I JUST DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE IN CROWDS.

FLASH FORWARD TO 1999 AT THE STAPLES CENTER. 

LINDA RONSTADT, JACKSON BROWN AND THE EAGLES WERE PLAYING ON NEW YEARS EVE 1999. MY WIFE AND I HAD NOT BEEN TO A CONCERT IN A LONG TIME SO……. BUT WITH THAT LINE-UP,  I BIT THE BULLET AND BOUGHT 2 GREAT TICKETS FOR $ 1000.00 EACH. I MADE COPYS OF THE TICKETS AND SENT A LETTER WITH COPYS OF THE TICKETS TO THE EAGLES, JACKSON BROWN AND LINDA RONSTADT VIA DAVID GEFFENS’ OFFICE. ALL I SAID IN THE LETTER WAS THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN ANY OF THEM IN CONCERT DUE TO MY “CROWD” ISSUE BUT MY WIFE AND I WERE GOING TO GIVE IT A TRY AND WE ALWAYS LOVED THEIR MUSIC. JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE WE KNEW.   A FRIEND OF OURS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS CAUGHT WIND THAT WE WERE GOING AND HE CALLED AND SAID HE GOT US ON THE “MEET AND GREET” LIST. WE WERE EXCITED AND THOUGHT WE HAD PLENTY OF TIME. TRAFFIC WAS JAMMED. I DO NOT MISS THE 405.  WE HAD RESERVATIONS AT THE NEW OTANI HOTEL AND WE GOT CHECKED IN AND TICK TOCK AND TICK TOCK. WE MISSED LINDA RONSTADT AND MOST OF JACKSON BROWN. (I blame it on inexperience and brain damage). So we walk across the street into the Staples Center late and the place is packed.  An usher checks our tickets and walks us to our seats on the floor, center section and not up next to the stage which was PERFECT ! Great seats.  There is not an empty seat ANYWHERE!. However when he shows us our seats, we have 4 empty seats to the left of us and 4 empty seats to the right of us. We had a usher at the end of the aisle that would not let anyone in to sit at the empty seats all night !! You can not make this stuff up !!                THE ENERGY WAS AMAZING. EVERYBODY WAS HAVING SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME !!  I WAS SHELL SHOCKED BY THE EMPTY SEATS AND THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION IS THAT “SOMEBODY” TOOK PITY ON MY SHYNESS AND COUGHED UP AND PAID FOR EMPTY SEATS. WHAT ELSE ? I WAS TOO SHY TO GO AND DO THE MEET AND GREET THING. NEVER DONE IT. SO YES, I GUESS I’M A CHICKEN SHIT. DON’T KNOW HOW IT WORKS AND TOO LATE NOW. THE EMPTY SEATS FREAKED ME OUT BUT DID MAKE ME FEEL COMFORTABLE to have the “SPACE”. DURING THE CONCERT WHEN IT WAS REALLY ROCKING AND EVERYBODY IS STANDING UP , I WAS SOAKING UP THE MUSIC BUT SITTING DOWN AND DAVENING(sp)  (rocking to the music) LIKE A RABBI AT THE WESTERN WALL

IT WAS FANTASTIC !!!! SO I AM SITTING DOWN AND CAN’T SEE THE STAGE AND ROCKING LIKE A ROCKING HORSE FACE DOWN.  I RAISE MY HEAD AND ABOUT 20 PEOPLE AROUND US WERE SITTING DOWN AND ROCKING IN UNISON WITH US ! IT WAS WAY COOL ! BUT WHATS MY POINT ?

DOWN HERE IN FAAROA BAY , ISLAND OF RAIATEA, FRENCH POLYNESIA , WE HAVE 3 PUBLIC BOUYS IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE AND OUR BIG DOCK. SOME PEOPLE STOP IN THAT ARE SAILING AROUND THE WORLD. SOME PEOPLE RENT YACHTS ON THIS ISLAND FROM MOORINGS or DREAM YACHTS or SUNSAIL etc Some people rent boats with a Captain.  It is easy to do if you want a fun vacation if you can swing it. We are near Bora Bora and Huahine and Tahaa.  Alot of people come into FAAROA BAY. IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND PEACEFUL.  YACHTEES TIE UP TO THE BOUYS. WHEN PEOPLE SHOW UP THAT WE DO NOT KNOW, I PUT OUR CD PLAYER IN THE WINDOW AND PLAY EAGLES MUSIC. THEIR  MUSIC IS A MAGICICAL MYSTICAL MAGNET AND PEOPLE MOTOR OVER IN THEIR DINGY BEING VERY CURIOUS.           MORE OFTEN THEN NOT, WHEN THEY SHOW UP ON THE DOCK AND i ASK IF THEY NEED SOME HELP ?  PEOPLE SAY SOMETHING LIKE ,  ” WE HEARD YOU PLAYING THE EAGLES !”  THAT IS THE MAGIC WORD !  THEN I INVITE THEM IN BECAUSE EVERY TIME… THESE PEOPLE ARE ON THE SAME POSITIVE WAVE LENGTH, VERY POLITE AND IN THE SAME AGE BRACKET. MOST OF THEM HAVE KIDS THAT ARE GROWN LIKE OUR DAUGHTER  AND SOME HAVE GRAND KIDS. WE HAVE ONE TOO.  WE HAVE MADE SOME WONDERFUL FRIENDS AND OPENED OUR HOME TO THEM. I AM HAPPY TO DRIVE THEM INTO UTUROA (our island town) AND TAKE THEM TO THE STONE TEMPLE COMPLEX NAMED TAPUTAPUATEA.  THIS ISLAND IS THE EXACT CENTER OF THE POLYNESIAN TRIANGLE. THE ORIGINAL NAME OF THIS ISLAND IS HAVAI’I’. THE HAWAIIANS CAME FROM THIS ISLAND 1400 YEARS AGO. THE EASTER ISLANDERS CAME FROM HERE AS DID THE MAURIS’ OF NEW ZEALAND. THERE IS NO CRIME TO SPEAK OF HERE. NOBODY GOES HUNGRY.  FOOD IS EVERYWHERE. THE FRENCH ARE WONDERFUL AND THE TAHITIANS ARE A VERY HAPPY, KIND AND INTELLIGENT PEOPLE .  FOR ME…. IT IS PARADISE.

EVERYBODY STILL LOVES THE EAGLES.  I AM OPEN TO NEW MUSIC BUT OLD ROCK AND ROLL AND OF COURSE…….

                     OTIS REDDING- 1968 Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

I MIGHT MAKE A SIGN ON THE DOCK….. HOTEL CALIFORNIA

WE MEET PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD HERE.  SO IF I SEE SOMEONE OUT BY THE DOCK, I WALK OUT AND SAY HELLO. SOMETIMES THEY SAY, WE HEARD THE EAGLES PLAYING.  SO I LOOK UP IN THE SKY AND SAY, “YOU CAME TO THE RIGHT PLACE ! COME ON IN !  THAT HAS HAPPENED WITH PEOPLE FROM NEW ZEALAND, MEXICO, USA, BELGIUM, FRANCE and SCOTLAND etc.         I WILL HAVE TO GET TO KNOW GLEN FRY THROUGH THE PEOPLE THAT KNEW AND LOVED HIM. THAT MUST BE ALOT OF PEOPLE. I HOPE THAT… ONE OF THESE DAZE , DON HENLEY or TIMOTHY B. and or JOE WALSH AND ??  WILL SHOW UP FOR SOME GOOD TIMES. OLD ROCKERS WELCOME. BUT TELL ME WHO YOU ARE !! I do not remember names very well but I remember faces.  I LAUGHED TODAY WATCHING CNN AND A GENTLEMAN WHILE IN PARLIMENT LIVE JUST YESTERDAY –  QUOTED  THE LYRICS FROM HOTEL CALIFORNIA!!  YOU CAN CHECK OUT ANYTIME YOU LIKE..BUT YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE  !!     FUNNY !   IT WAS REGARDING BREXIT !

See you when you get here !

marc

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