A special debut on Che Underground: The Blog! A chance remark by Mikel Toombs in this forum has inspired a haunting new song by San Diego legend Gary Heffern, recorded by Scandinavian bard Al DeLoner.
The piece, “Anxiety,” is in part a meditation on the disintegration of San Diego’s late-’70s underground. Heff writes, “Consider it a present to Che … as further proof that life does go in full circles … and inspiration can be found in the kindness of a friend giving me gentle nudge.”
“Al and I have been talking about collaborating for a while, and every now and then I send him lyrics,” he writes. “I thought I would toss these at him. I got a phone call a few hours later from him … He did everything himself in about three hours.”
Read about Angie Bowie’s AIDS Begone benefit featuring Gary Heffern!
In other news, Heff reports that his next albumm which features the band Beautiful People, Al DeLoner, Green on Red’s Chris Cacavas and other friends, is being is being mixed by Chris Eckman. A documentary featuring Gary Heffern is tentatively due to air in Finland in March.
It’s rewarding to see these projects come to life and very exciting to be in on the creation of this Che Underground-inspired track! Humble gratitude to Heff and Al for their creativity and generosity.
Hey, that was no “chance remark” — I knew Heff had it in him! And what a great song, thanks to both Gary and Al.
I used to play drums with Elvis Christ. We played the Che many times, and each and every time I was there it was good. I was an art student (lit minor) and my heroes were Mel Frielicher, Patricia Patterson and Ernie Silva. I remember at one show (Ready to Shred! Benefit) I Had a bottle of inert birth control pills. I had asked my girlfriend to save them up for me, she told two friends, and presto!. Once I had a decent bottle full of them, I hatched my plan: On the night of the gig, I Filled a Jack Daniels bottle with Iced Tea,and stashed the pills in my breast pocket. Between every song I swallowed handfulls of “SPEED” pills and whiskey and I behaved like I was having a bad PCP trip. Of course I was sober (it was easier for me to jam out sober) When I got home, everything was there but the “ACID” pills and the “Jack” (it was still 1/4 full). At least I knew they would be safe! Oh, but all during the set I had to watch OVER MY HEAD because los Punx were swingin’ from the rafters!
>>I Had a bottle of inert birth control pills. I had asked my girlfriend to save them up for me … Between every song I swallowed handfulls of “SPEED” pills and whiskey and I behaved like I was having a bad PCP trip.
Uhhhhh, Jack … Did you grow breasts??
“And momma’s little monsters were made into their mommy, now momma’s little monsters have turned into Republicans”…I love that lyric, as life is cyclical, and I’ve noticed that one extreme tends to lead to the opposite.
And hello again Jack.
Thank Goodness I was able to grab a moment this morning and finally listen to Gary Heffern’s & Al Deloner’s track “Anxiety”…I knew it would be good, but I think this song is nothing short of brilliant!
Comrades of the Che Underground and rock n’ rollers accross the globe will be able to relate to the content of the song (some more so than others)…and the music will speak to any music lover of distinction within our generation. I simply loved the instrumentaton, arrangements, gravely lead vocals and bluesy lead guitar parts. And who is that of female backing vocals? She is sublime…I really dig the sound of her voice! Well done lads..well done!
And speaking to Gary’s remarks about the song being a “gift to The Che” and everything “coming full circle”… I have become blessed with a gift, for he has become part of my life in the last year…as a mentor, then a friend-which has completed a circle in my, life, too!
Ohh, Kristen Tobiason, Carina Burns Randolph & Anni…let us reach for our old Ouji Board from Madison Avenue; because I just felt a warm chill TINGLE UP MY SPINE (if there is such a thing?) !!!
Let me explain my circle…Early in the days of The Che Underground Blog I wrote an entry called “Turning Points”. It is in the new wave outfit pictured in that post, that I first pogo-ed to The Penetrators! And when I first set up my Myspace pages I listed The Penetrators as an early musical infleuence-Gary’s wild ways (Dave Rink’s,too) definitely helped shape my sassy attitude as an edgy female vocalist in Everybody Violet (when the female norm in that clique seem seemed to linger on the more feminine, pretty, quaint, and demure side of the isle).
So, needless to say, I feel honored today to count Gary Heffern as a Mentor and a friend. That is jus one aspect of my lttle life coming full circle in The Che Underground-I am sure many other people in our family of friends, artists, writers and musicians have similar stories of newfound friendships and inspirations.
If you are at all interested, You can read more about Gary Heff & I on my blogs at:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfmfuseaction=blog.ListAll&bID=525750385W
It might just be easier to go to: http://www.myspace.com/kristimaddocks and look for my blog on Gary Heffern.
Well done with “Anxiety” Al Deloner…and keep up with the Beautiful Music Heff! We will really, really miss you at The Casbah showcase on January 30th…But you will be with us in Spirit!
hello an update on the tv documentary in finland will be shown on yle1 on 4.20.2010 at 8:00 finland time…it a half hour long.