(“Then and now” powerhouse Kristen Tobiason salutes Arthur Lee and all who sailed with him.)
“And if you think I’m happy. Paint. Me. WHITE.”
Arthur Lee’s lyrics are as punk rock as they come. Bold, sociopolitical, but metaphorical and spiritual as poetry. When I first heard “Forever Changes” in 1983, I had no idea that these compositions would change the way I viewed music from that time on. It added dimension to the roots that dug deep, in blues and jazz, and, as an aspiring writer, spoke a language I could relate to.
Lou Damien showed up one sunny afternoon at our house on Mission Street, a white stucco cottage we rented, with red steps and railing, at the split of Park Blvd and Meade Avenue. I remember his smug “look what I got,” Cheshire Cat grin. And he held a large, tell-tale brown, square bag, from his most recent Off the Record purchase. “You’ve got to hear this. ‘Red Telephone.’ Now,” he said, excitedly. Lou was so influenced by this record, he took to wearing the trademark red-&-green spectacles worn by Lee in the ’60s.
“Forever Changes” is one of those artistic masterpieces that came out in 1967. Perhaps, this was Arthur Lee’s “Sgt. Pepper’s,” “Pet Sounds” or “SF Sorrow,” tho’ I tend to set it on a different level. “Alone Again Or”; “The Daily Planet” (which incidentally was produced by Neil Young); “ A House is not a Motel”; “Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale”; “Bummer in the Summer” … Every song is a work of art.
“But you can go ahead if you want to
cause I ain’t got no papers on you
(no, I don’t — I ain’t got no papers on myself)”
I was lucky to get to see Arthur Lee and Love perform on their “Forever Changes” tour in 2003. Even heavy in his cups, he gave a magical performance, making up some of the words he couldn’t remember as he went along, and towards the end led the crowd in an “anti-President Bush” chorus that was an echo of times past.
I saw him play again in 2004, this time with original member Bryan MacLean. They did a phenomenal set and were fucking ON energetically. The Zombies, who headlined, seemed geriatric in comparison. It’s hard to believe that Arthur is no longer among us.
At the Che Reunion picnic in May, I got to hear Lou Damien’s daughter sing “You Set the Scene” on the grass of our Graveyard Park stomping grounds. The circle was complete, and it was a time for us to reflect on many things. Arthur Lee was one of them.
“This is the time and life that I am living
And I’ll face each day with a smile
For the time that I’ve been given’s such a little while
And the things that I must do consist of more than style
There are places that I am going!”
— Kristen Tobiason
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