Books are a wonderful way for coworkers and friends to share experiences, even when we’re miles, states, and countries apart. Hearing about what someone is reading is like taking a 5-minute vacation. Each week, one Piper team member will answer the question, “What are you reading?” and take you on a well-deserved, 5-minute vacation.
This week Alan is reading Been So Long: My Life and Music by Jorma Kaukonen.
“This autobiographical account reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly about those heady musical days…”
ALAN SAYS…
Growing up as a native San Franciscan during the heyday of that rock music scene, liking the Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship was understood; it was the thing to do, and not liking them, or at least not recognizing their importance to the swirling psychedelic sounds of the ’60s, was grounds for banishment from the city limits. Heck, I once chatted with Paul Kantner in the Tower Records store on Columbus Avenue during my many forays to that mecca of vinyl, and my college days at the University of San Francisco left me mere blocks from the fabled Airplane House, with its stately columns painted a garish gold against a funereal black. “Jefferson-Something” was part and parcel of the San Francisco experience. But times change, and the old fades away. Jorma’s about the only one left to tell the tales of those days, and tales indeed he tells.
This autobiographical account reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly about those heady musical days and the later sonic excursions of Hot Tuna, with Kaukonen’s love of acoustic pre-war blues a steady thread throughout. The Haight is full of boutiques now, Golden Gate Park is full of tourists, and the Airplane House looks downright respectable these days. If those old days won’t return, at least we can be reminded of them in this enjoyable journey through the past.
AMAZON DESCRIPTION
From the man who made a name for himself as a founding member and lead guitarist of Jefferson Airplane comes a memoir that offers a rare glimpse into the heart and soul of a musical genius―and a vivid journey through the psychedelic era in America.
“Music is the reward for being alive,” writes Jorma Kaukonen in this candid and emotional account of his life and work. “It stirs memory in a singular way that is unmatched.” In a career that has already spanned a half century―one that has earned him induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, among other honors―Jorma is best known for his legendary bands Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna. But before he won worldwide recognition he was just a young man with a passion and a dream.
Been So Long is the story of how Jorma found his place in the world of music and beyond. The grandson of Finnish and Russian-Jewish immigrants whose formative years were spent abroad with his American-born diplomat father, Jorma channeled his life experiences―from his coming-of-age in Pakistan and the Philippines to his early gigs with Jack Casady in D.C. to his jam sessions in San Francisco with Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and other contemporaries―into his art in unique and revelatory ways. Been So Long charts not only Jorma’s association with the bands that made him famous but goes into never-before-told details about his addiction and recovery, his troubled first marriage and still-thriving second, and more. Interspersed with diary entries, personal correspondence, and song lyrics, this memoir is as unforgettable and inspiring as Jorma’s music itself.
HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK?
Tell Alan what you thought in the blog comments below!
