Here’s a bit of irony. We’re driving south towards San Diego, the city with the country’s best year round climate--and it’s rainy and a wee bit chilly. After Oregon had been dry and in the 90s!
Encinatas was our actual destination, but the first stop in this bustling beach town turned out to be less than fruitful. The topiary Cadillac we’d read about in front of the 7-11 was, in the words of the sales clerk, “no mas.”
At least the city’s renowned boat houses were still there. A pair of most distinctive ship-shaped properties that Miles Minor Kellogg built from recycled materials 80 some years ago. Like Don said, “one’s Ginger, one’s Mary Anne.” And they might be really handy in a tsunami.
But today’s focal point was a site that may well be gone in another six months--Richard Margolin’s Rock & Roll House. The problem here is that the place is a rental, and the whole block may soon be condos. Which means that the purple swirls and playful pieces of semi-psychedelia which this tree service operator has blanketed the grounds with are at serious risk.
The founders of rock’ n roll are all honored here (quite colorfully)--from icons like Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones, Elvis and Dylan. Also Buddy Holly, Mama Cass, Ike & Tinas, most of the Beatles (not Paul though) and artistically related figures like Lenny Bruce, Timothy Leary and Albert Einstein. Hey, it’s Richard’s house, he can put up whoever he wants!
We brought the Big Ball out to sit on Little Richard’s face, and snapped pictures a plenty, knowing that history was being made here. And trust us, Mr. M., we really can dig it.
Music In the Van--Little Willies, Counting Crows “New Amsterdam”
No comments:
Post a Comment