It was Oct 30th 1966. Grace Slick was going out on the road
for the first time with "Jefferson Airplane." At that time we did not
have an "Roady" so the band and I carried our amps & guitars
through the airports and to the gigs. I can remember Grace
carrying 2 guitars.
Anyway, we played the University Of Santa
Barbara & the next day we had to catch a plane to Los Angeles
and fly to Des Moines, Iowa. It was the only plane that we could
take. The plane from Santa Barbara took off at 8.00 a.m.
Jack and Jorma had taken the equipment truck after the show
and gone to a party at Aldous Huxley's (the famous writer)
house. I began calling their rooms around 6:30 a.m. No answer.
I went to their rooms and knocked. They weren't in their rooms
and the truck was gone.
I reached a contact at USB around 7:15 and she told me that she had seen them at this party & gave me
a phone#. I called the number and someone answered & I told
him that I had to talk to Jorma. 5 minutes later a groggy Jorma
got on the phone. I was in a panic & I yelled at him and told him to
get Jack & come to the hotel. They showed up at the hotel about
10 to 8. I had the other 5 people in a car and we rushed to the
airport. We arrived at 8 a.m. I sprinted out of the car & I saw our plane
on the tarmac with the propellers on & I started screaming at
the clerks "we have to be on that plane" They told me it was too
late. I ran onto the tarmac & ran in front of the pilot waving my hands.
I guess it impressed him because he stopped the plane & I got
the band and our equipment on the plane. Today I would have
gotten shot.
We went to Grinnell College where we earned $1500.
I was only the road manager at the time.
Bill Thompson
