test please delete

[NickFitz]

Randy California (excellent name! - and it was actually his real name) was, with Ed Cassidy, the driving force behind Spirit.

[NickFitz]

Randy California died when he and his young son were caught by a strong current whilst swimming off the coast of one of the Hawaiian islands one morning.

He managed to get his son onto a rock where the son was safe, but in doing so used up all his strength and was swept away.

His body was never found.

[NickFitz]

The album was created nearly thirty years before, but one can hear that spirit (pun intended) in the man's work. I've loved this album since I first heard it (around 1982) and so has everybody I've played it to.

It expresses ideals that some may cynically dismiss as "hippyish"... but it runs deeper than that, and the circumstances of his death only confirm that this was a man who not only lived by, but died by, those ideals.

In other words, it ain't just silly hippy nonsense.

But then again, most of the stuff that people dismiss as silly hippy nonsense has a lot more to it - if you don't see it, well, that's where you miss out by not being a silly hippy

I'm now going to indulge myself in this thing of beauty and joy forever... with a nod and a wink to Randy, wherever he may be - I hope he died secure in the knowledge that he had saved his son.

and whichever smiley says what I was trying to say

P.S. If you're not on the bus... you're off the bus.

A banana to the denizen who identifies the originator of that phrase - and it's neither Ken Kesey nor Tom Wolfe

[Diver]

Deep, Hairy one, very deep

[Diver]

Morning all

[Diver]

DS23 7,947
zeitghost 6,678
TheFaQQer 6,373
BrowneIssue 5,203
cailin maith 5,182
Diver 5,175
BrilloPad 3,882
NickFitz 3,597

[Diver]

and Diver drops to fifth place

[Diver]

BI takes CM and Diver, Ouch!


BI, Geddit

[Diver]

Should I allow things to stand ?

[Diver]

Allow the poor puppies to boost their self esteem ?