Band/Artist Of The World V.

[Zen_Life II]

 

[Zen_Life II]

 

[VEDA]

 

[VEDA]

 

[VEDA]

 

[VEDA]

 

[VEDA]

 

[Delta L1011]

@VEDA nice set of songs you played for us ! I was fortunate to
have seen the Four Seasons, right after my Spring Semester, at
Univ of Miami, while driving back up I-75, as, Frankie Valli and the
4 Seasons were playing near University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
on May 23, 1969, as I drove back to my parents home, (thus I made a "pit stop" for the night, on my way back up the Florida Turnpike, I believe to I-75, thru Greater ATL to take the summer off, to visit my parents, (then those yrs back further up Interstate 85, to greater Charlotte, NC.
Wow! can't believe it has been now 50 years ago !
(I remember the year, because, both that was the year of
Woodstock, (I had to miss...had to work for my Dad's business
in construction, but did not miss "landing the Man on the Moon" !! (per TV) ! What wonderful days to have lived through!!!!
Always loved their harmonious singing !!! Thanks for the
fond memories @VEDA !

 

[Zen_Life II]

 

[Delta L1011]

@Zen_Life II Thank you @Zen_Life II for playing "California Dreamin" from the late

Spring & Summer of 1966, with the Mama's & Pappa"s ! What super fond memories that brings to me @Zen_Life II !!!

Here is a personal & true story. When I was in junior high school, my Mom & Dad took me with a new Pontiac
Bonneville pulling one of those bright silver "Airstream trailers" (the type 3 or 4 people can sleep in overnight) they
took across the USA from the extreme SE of USA across country for a 6 week journey. Destination: Anaheim/greater LA,
to San Fran, up to Seattle, & back across the USA thru the Grand Tetons, with many pit stops at famous National Parks,
until we arrived safely back where we lived (SE USA) except Miami/Ft Lauderdale, FL, for the coldest part of winters.
(Family winter retreat).


I had always wanted as a young kid to see Las Vegas, (original Disneyland) & the famed entire state of California..........
especially the famous beaches, such as, Malibu, & near Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, & Marina Del Ray, with
those houseboats, & big boats to Yachts, + the San Fran Bay area, from Big Sur, up to San Mateo, (Half Moon Bay) ,
to Haight Asbury, sp?, & especially, Marin County , especially "Sausalito" ! This era was 100% in the mid 1960's !!!

IMHO, from the late 1950's, to, the late 1970's, "the song California Dreaming" hit the spot, as, the most, wonderful
place to live in all 50 states, (perhaps excluding Hawaii), such as, what I observed as a adolescent, (back then, it was
common to see many surfboards on "Woodies", heading toward the beaches mentioned, including as far south,
as Santa Cruz/Carlsbad It was also very common to see, (maybe for the guys on this PR forum, many, well refurbished "HOT ROD" beautiful restored, cars from the late 1930's forward, with the chrome laden souped up engines !!!! &
coupes, on the relatively uncrowded many freeways of Orange County, Northern San Diego County, LA County,
up to, even, as far north as Monterey County (Carmel, CA) to Santa Cruz County ! Such, as, Don Garlits type "hot rods"
to old school VW vans, (like in TV show Mod Squad) to 1957 T-Bird convertibles !!!

Sorry for my wall of text, I shall conclude, "IMHO" that California Dreaming, as sung by the Mama & Pappa's, does no
longer exist. Why would I say that? As a adult, ( I first saw the "massive change" in the year 1983, on a job interview,
and a long 5 days in both Riverside & Los Angeles County. #1 the highways were super crowded, mid day mid week,
even flying to Ontario Arpt, with my potential employers hired stretched limo, the whole 5 days! The classic hot rods
I saw, some 20 yrs earlier were super rare, or no longer existed, neither was the Beach Boys look of, the Vanagons.

Basically too many people, in to small a relatively, geographic area, of LA county. I returned like perhaps 100 times,
later, in life, from the late 1980's, to post 9/11, until around the year 2005. The only places in the State of California
I could find not overcrowded, (late 1980's & 1990's) were, Northern San Diego County, (before Legoland sp? was built),
such as beautiful Carlsbad public beach, down to, Solana Beach, (Northern San Diego County) and by post 9/11 that
was also gone, (the extremely heavy car traffic, and grossly overbuilt homes built miles & miles from the Pacific,
replaced it. As far as Dana Point north to Santa Barbara, especially "Laguna Beach" where my best friend lived, it was
a nightmare of extreme overcrowded again "too many people in too small a general area", compared to the Vast open
spaces in the USA, such as rural midwest, to 50% of the rest of the USA !

I also found in the year 1993, on another required job training, to enhance my sales & fine motor skills (6 weeks in
beautiful, "Fremont, California" that, on weekend trip, again, with a hired driver, in a van, to transport me, & fellow
employees, to Fisherman's Wharf, for about a 60 miles run, in Greater SF, it was also, extremely different from my
memories of almost 30 yrs earlier. I flew into every major CA Arpt since, especially from, 1995 to 2005, and everyone
was super crowded, (neighborhood wise) as far as the eyes can see, "every Arpt a wide body or narrow body aircraft
could fly, (San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, Greater SF, San Jose, & even driving a nice rental car, in that era, imho,
was a nightmare, mid week to mid days, Once I actually had a extreme anxiety attack near, Garden Grove CA. (that
year was 2003).

Again, this is only my 2 cents worth, the state of California, still has one of a kind beautiful sights, just like my childhood
memories of my 2nd dream place to live, (Dade County & Broward County a/k/a Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables,
Coconut Grove, (Dade County FL) to Dania Beach, Hollywood/Ft Lauderdale, to Pompano Beach, FL. (Broward County)

In the 1960's thru the all of the 1970's, most of my aviation partner employees agreed, these 2 target specific areas of
Florida, and of California, were "absolutely magical places to live in"...but sad to say, imho again, this is not true anymore.

Maybe my age, with "comparing has flawed my perception" IDK, but, I invite, other PR members attitudes. I do know
that one of the big reasons, I fled greater Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe Arizona, was the huge influx of super
growth, that began in the late 1980's for a 20 year run, and, statistics prove, many new residents were fleeing the great
state of California, due to the many reasons above. My last visit back to greater PHX + Tucson "many locals now call
those long ago "cow towns" now the new LA of the SW deserts, and overwhelming traffic that started 20 yrs ago, now
never ever, existed, in greater Phoenix, (Maricopa County, or, Pima County) . Both cities have swelled 200% to 300% in
the last 20 to 25 yrs.
Next: Mariel Boatlift (April 1980 to October 1980 of 125,000 Cubans
Finally (please I am NOT a racist) but the influx of Fidel Castro, of approx 125,000 prisoners freed and serious mentally
ill patients in 1980, a/k/a, the sudden invasion, of Cuban immigrants, that year, + the already hidden but deeply
imbedded, C*cai*n wholesalers, in Miami, imho entirely changed once the 2nd or 3rd most beautiful, & uncrowded
urban semi tropical area to live, from the 1930's to 1980/1981. The good hard working Cuban long established
Cuban USA citizens who fled Batista, around 1960, were some of my good friends. Miami honestly I do not even
recognize anymore, even my fav radio stations are all gone, with a population surge from now groups of people
from South America, Central America, & even Haiti, the native language in greater Miami once the "Magic City"
is officially 67% native language Spanish, compared to 1970 census when it was only est. 22% Spanish, and,
most of the US Census, population surveys showed those were bi-lingual with good English skills, no more in the
here & now. The good news is since a 20+ year run, is that since the mid 1980's to post 9/11 Miami FL in no
longer the #1 murder capital of the USA. Even the Everglades, rangers 1st spotted a NON Native Burmese Python 1979
snake, in the Everglades, by the year 2012, the state of FLA passed very strict rules on importing, or, housing baby
non native snakes, not native to the USA, but it was too late !!! Estimates have run from 6,000 to 60,000 + !!! Most
of these Burmese and other python snakes, often grow to as much as 16 feet long, and have eliminated 90% of the
wildlife in the Everglades, such as raccoons, deer, flamingo's, fox, herons, and even reduced the population of the
FL native alligator ! Scientists, have blamed the majority of this new problem, to strong animal rights groups, &
non native immigrants, to buy the baby snakes, (such as the Burmese python snake, and when they get too large,
they turn them loose in the wild, (usually the Everglades) but they have migrated now as far north as Port St. Lucie,
(just south of Ft. Pierce Fla) EC of FL, & a they have shown up on occasion in the city of Miami proper city suburbs,
in the canals, or a few in individuals back yards ! A recent authorized FL state eradication of these mostly 12 to 18
foot snakes, did locate, IDN have a reference on hand, but the count was from 600 to maybe 6,000, but no-one knows
for sure, if, this eradication program has killed all of these dangerous snakes, as they reproduce very fast ! and, the
eradicaton was centered mostly in Dade County. The good news is these dangerous snakes usually do NOT survive
well in cold weather, very long, thus the consensus, is it hoped they will NOT migrate further north than central FL.

Guess I will still look for another place, late now in my life to fully retire, in tranquility, peace, and beautiful weather.
Escape Artist website is one choice, but please be careful on that site, as it is NOT the site, I followed, 20 years ago.
No further comments here, "to each his own". Thus is "California Dreamin" now gone ? Maybe it is AOK for the
younger generation? If so, that would be good news !

 

[Zen_Life II]

@Delta L1011 - I think we have come to the same conclusion. I've been out here 25 years and am wondering where to go next. So much has changed since I have been here (it sounds like it did during your stint as well). I did a converted van tour a couple of years ago and visited all over the US, Canada and Mexico and ended up back in CA. I think my retirement place will not be in the US. I've traveled the world and am still not sure where to go or where I could afford to retire, but it's not here. So much is changing and I think over the next few years we're going to see even more significant change. I've looked at Costa Rica, Panama, the Philippines, Malaysia - the usual haunts that expats explore. I would love to end up in NZ or Australia, but it's expensive, and Australia, like CA, is on fire. Not sure where to go. Until then, I'll keep exploring. Let me know what you decide. I know several people who have moved their families (kids and all) to S. America and Central America, but they live in "Americanized" communities. Benn there, done that. The adventurer in me wants to see more and experience more. I have spent a significant amount of time in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, India and Europe, but still haven't found what I'm looking for. It sounds like you have seen a lot and thought about it a lot. Let's keep each other posted on our findings. As soon as Covid calms down, I'm going to go back to being a Digital Nomad. With my job (and a pay cut), it's do-able. Until then, I'll keep living cheaply, saving and exploring. Take care.

 

[Seychelle]

Amazing Harmony; cannot think of another band so tight.

 

[VEDA]

@VEDA nice set of songs you played for us ! I was fortunate to
have seen the Four Seasons, right after my Spring Semester, at
Univ of Miami, while driving back up I-75, as, Frankie Valli and the
4 Seasons were playing near University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
on May 23, 1969, as I drove back to my parents home, (thus I made a "pit stop" for the night, on my way back up the Florida Turnpike, I believe to I-75, thru Greater ATL to take the summer off, to visit my parents, (then those yrs back further up Interstate 85, to greater Charlotte, NC.
Wow! can't believe it has been now 50 years ago !
(I remember the year, because, both that was the year of
Woodstock, (I had to miss...had to work for my Dad's business
in construction, but did not miss "landing the Man on the Moon" !! (per TV) ! What wonderful days to have lived through!!!!
Always loved their harmonious singing !!! Thanks for the
fond memories @VEDA !

@Delta L1011 , I actually begrudgingly. saw Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, in the eighties. They were playing at a rock club, and I had a few friends, who wanted to go. I was out voted, so I went. Well, who was up at the front of the stage all night, dancing and singing? Me of course. I had a ball, and let Frankie sing to me. I didn't know where my friends were, the one's who really wanted to go. I forgot, how many great songs they sang. Glad you got to see them also.

And @Delta L1011 , I've been meaning to tell you, it's easier to post songs now. You just have to copy and paste. No need to go into any little boxes. Just post where you regularly would. When you paste it, your link will show up, but will magically turn into a video, once you hit post reply. You can always hit the preview button, in the upper right hand corner, to check and see, before you post your video. I know your dying to, so let's see what you've got.

 

[Seychelle]

bit of fumbling around; thanks Veda

 

[Binky]

 

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