Part II of the Upside of R&R Home

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Part I of the Upside of R&R Home

   Below left: Me and Pam Folse (not yet LeBlanc) in Lafayette, LA. October 21, 1974 at the Sheraton Townhouse. Pam was just 16 years old, and I was 27. Pam reminded me that Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson were also staying there. They were in town shooting the film, "Drowning Pool," with Paul Newman and Murray Hamilton. Jimmy was hanging with Don and Melanie. Remember the mayor in "Jaws"? That was Murray Hamilton. In "Drowning Pool," he had this repetitive line he would say, with a Southern bigot attitude. He'd say with a big smile, "Outstanding!," whenever something evil had gone his way. It compares somewhat to the famous Strother Martin line from "Cool Hand Luke" that says, "What we have here is failure to communicate."

   Below right: Pam LeBlanc and me in Kinder, LA on approximately 9/21/01, soon after the WTC attack on 9/11. The band was "grounded," due to the terrorist attacks and decided to finish the existing dates by tour bus. On 9/11, we were in Lake Geneva, WI when I got a call from road manager, Dave Thor. He told me, "We aren't going anywhere," and to "turn on the TV." I turned on the television just in time to see the second airplane hit the second WTC building. As were all Americans, I was shocked over the loss of lives and it has taken a long time to accept the reality and magnitude of what happened on that day. For the band, the events of 9/11 made a big impact on our touring agenda. Traveling is much more tiring now, due to the extra time at airports that we must add into our daily schedule. Still, I'm very thankful for the ongoing efforts being made by our government, the military and the airlines, regarding the updating of security measures.

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Below: "Little" Jackie Ryland and me in Lafayette, La. (Oct, 20th, 1974)

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