[tcb] Re: Busman's Holiday
- From: Ken Linoski <kenlinoski@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 27 May 2013 20:26:12 -0700 (PDT)
Gram Parsons, formerly with the International
Submarine Band, The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, allegedly
overdosed on a speedball at the Joshua Tree Inn on September
19, 1973. Just two
months before his death, Parson’s Topanga Canyon home had burnt to the
ground. After his death, his body was stolen from LAX by the Burrito’s
road manager, Phil Kaufman, and then taken back out to Joshua Tree and
ritually burned on the autumnal equinox (Kaufman had been a prison
buddy of Charlie Manson’s at Terminal Island; when Phil was released
from Terminal Island in March of 1968, he quickly reunited with his old
pal, who had been released a year earlier.) By the time of Gram’s
death, his family had already experienced its share of questionable
deaths. Just before Christmas, 1958, Parson’s father had sent Gram,
along with his mother and sister, off to stay with family in Florida.
The next day, just after the winter solstice, “Coon Dog” caught a
bullet to the head. His death was recorded as a suicide and it was
claimed that he had sent his family away to spare them as much pain as
possible. It seems just as likely, however, that “Coon Dog” knew his
days were numbered and wanted to get his family out of the line of
fire. The next year, 1959, Gram’s mother married again, to Robert Ellis
Parsons, who adopted Gram and his sister Avis. Six years later, in June
of 1965, Gram’s mother died the day after a sudden illness landed her
in the hospital. According to witnesses, she died “almost immediately”
after a visit from her husband, Robert Parsons. Many of those close to
the situation believed that Parsons had a hand in her death (very
shortly thereafter, Robert Parsons married his stepdaughter’s teenage
babysitter). Following his mother’s death, Parsons briefly attended
Harvard University, and then launched his music career with the
formation of the International Submarine Band, which quickly found its
way to – where else? – Laurel Canyon. Gram’s death in 1973 at the age
of 26 left his younger sister Avis as the sole surviving member of the
family. She was killed in 1993, reportedly in a boating accident, at
the age of 43.
this info and much more on the Laurel Canyon music scene of the 60/70s can be
found here
http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/
Enjoy!!!
________________________________
From: Denis <coocoo@xxxxxxx>
To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2013 8:16 PM
Subject: [tcb] Re: Busman's Holiday
Yep. I spent a few weekends getting lost there in the late 60s. There is a
legendary tale about the death of Graham Parsons, member of the Byrds and the
Flying Burrito Brothers, as well as albums with a young Emmy Lou Harris.
Parsons
went to Joshua Tree a lot and told many people that he wanted his ashes spread
there. He died at the Joshua Tree Inn in Joshua Tree California. While his step
father arranged for the body to be flow to Louisiana for burial a group of
friends (rumor has it one was David Crosby) stole his body from LA
International
Airport and, with a borrowed hearse took the body to the Park and filled the
coffin with 5 gallons of gasoline and threw a match on it. The police were
attracted by the huge fireball, but everyone escaped. Two men were later
arrested, but only fined $750 for stealing the coffin. The 35 lbs. left of
Parsons was buried in Metarie, LA.
I just love that story.
From: sammie smith
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2013 7:46 PM
To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tcb] Re: Busman's Holiday
I've got a bus buddy that lives in Joshua Tree CA. Is that the same place
Denis?
--- On Mon, 5/27/13, Denis <coocoo@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>From:
Denis <coocoo@xxxxxxx>
>Subject: [tcb] Re: Busman's
Holiday
>To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Date: Monday, May 27, 2013, 8:47
AM
>
>
>Joshua Tree National Park
>From: Ronnie Hughes
>Sent: Monday, May 27, 2013 5:54 AM
>To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [tcb] Busman's Holiday
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IpRh5bChBSM#!
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