From Rockridge to
Civic Center
the scene old new
and timeless
College Avenue
Always exciting
These are by far
the largest dandelions
in my experience
Young people affix
recombinant artworks
Dandelion wine would be fine
the greens are edible too
My curvaceous Valentine
struts by the library
smiling turning heads
A subliminal erotic
undercurrent
the sap flows in early
Spring
A reminder
not all pussies
are nice
Without my walking stick
I'd be in a fix
if I was caught
without my cane
Everyone honors
firemen on a red
hook and ladder
Kids want to
fill those shoes
when they grow up
Dig those glam
Chelsea boots
city of hip kidniks
Myself I'm sort of partial
to a more mature boot
A grooving
record shop
Symbolizing
the order of the quest
onward to
Berkeley Historical Society
Vintage vinyl
is on my screen
Glamorous apparel
Past members gather at
the Overlook Hotel
a convention of ghosts
I'm here for this show
An exhibition celebrating
the evolution of the Berkeley Folk,
Folk-rock and Psychedelic
music scenes of the 1960s
The Jabberwock
Berkeley's premier Folk coffeehouse
Folks like Jerry G., Jorma K.,
Paul Kantner, Janis alongside
John Fahey and Robbie Basho
National figures
made the scene
leaders of the movement
like visiting dignitaries
Joan Baez, the Elvis of Folk,
lived in Northern California,
and played here a lot,
Malvina Reynold was actually
a Berkeley resident
A lineage defined
Lifetime of singular
song-writing
recognized
Nods to other less well known
folk-rockers
lower billed on the posters
The night clubs
and obscure 45s
as Folk transitioned
into Folk Rock
The Jefferson Airplane
came over the bridge
and consented to
blow your mind
Thereafter
appropriate threads
are advised
Looks like a forensic
examination
And naturally the take-away
of the show
Country Joe and the Fish
the only Berkeley
psychedelic band
that mattered
Their superb first LP
here shown in a reel to reel
tape format,
Rag baby folk mag
with 45 single
Country Joe and the Fish
songbook
a period piece
Politically committed as well
Berkeley would seem to have
insisted on it
Who's on that turntable anyway
Freddie Hughes!
A great falsetto singing
local blues and soul star,
We're acquainted
Freddie works with keyboardist
Chris Burns and so do I
We played on the same bill in 2011
So last stop at
an outro vitrine
At this point a small historian
like a character actor
in an old film noir,
interrupted in my image capture
to proclaim that copyright
forbids it
A little late
to prevent me
from grabbing this
intriguing artifact
An original Country Joe
poster calendar
in a special case
This was the piece de resistance
So The Berkeley Flaneur
says check it on out
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
1-4 PM
until All Fool's Day
8 February 2018
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