Bill's blog: A View From An Airplane
The year was 1968 & "Jefferson Airplane" was playing on the
east coast right after Martin Luther King was killed. The time
was tense. The band played Franklin Marshall College in
Lancaster, PA on april 19, Shady Grove, Maryland on April
20th & Westbury, L.I. on April 21st. It was at this show that
we had some excitement. Spencer Dryden, our drummer, &
Grace Slick had been drinking backstage. Spencer pulled
out a knife & had it against Grace's throat. Bill Laudner, our
road manager, said in a very stern voice "Spencer, pull that knife
away or I'm going to have to hurt you!" Everything ended peacefully.
On the night of April 30th "Jefferson Airplane" played the
Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The Green room, where the
hung out, smelled like Tijuana! Carson was pissed off at the
band and he shot us some dirty looks. They had a kid's set
for the band with carousel horses and circus accessories, Even
though the band was in their 20's. Of course it was lip synch
because they didn't have the technology to perform live at the
time.
The song was "Somebody To Love." Grace set on the
back of a carousel horse and sang the song to Johnny
Carson. At the end of the song she took the microphone
and shoved it up the horse's ass.!. Carson almost fell off
of his chair! Leave it to Grace.
The next night, a day off, Jack, Jorma, Marty & me went to
a club called "The Scene" where Traffic was playing. Jimi
Hendrix showed up and took Jack & Stevie Winwood back
to "Electric Ladyland," where he recorded and he taught them
"Voodoo Child" which thay recorded till at least 6
a.m. when I went back to the hotel.
It was a couple of memorable weeks.
Bill Thompson
