BBC Radio Three ran a very long audio documentary on Ra and his music.
One of the topics covered was his discipline of the band whilst on the
road. The worst you could get was 'The Treatment'. Ra would not let you
live with the band, but instead would put you up in the very best
hotels, get taxied to the gigs, but just not let you play. I think it
was Gilmore who recalled this story.
When some other band members heard it they seemed incredulous that Ra
would ever out /anyone/ up in a hotel other than some place where you
had to share bed space with rats.
Mike
gino wong wrote:
>
> Sunny and his very silent business partner were skinflints. Allen and
> Gilmore were devoted to him but most others stayed as long as they
> could stand then split cause he just wouldn't pay anybody. It was
> very cult like and Sunny dug the attention and manipulation (subtle it
> was), I loved the man despite all of that. He was an original and a
> real Muso.
>
> On Dec 20, 2007 2:04 PM, john barrick <astroboy@cinci.rr.com
> <mailto:astroboy@cinci.rr.com>> wrote:
>
> Gino, it's sad, but not altogether surprising. Ra always seemed to
> operate on a shoestring (or less) budget. When making tour stops in
> the early '80s in Kansas City, he, June Tyson, John Gilmore, and
> Marshall Allan (I think) would stay at my wife's house, which was a
> standard inner city shithole rented by a bunch of art students, rather
> than a hotel (don't know where the rest of the group was put up). I
> think the logistics of taking a band that large on the road was beyond
> his financial reach - but they managed to pull it off come show time.
> johnb
>
> --- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:newmellotrongroup%40yahoogroups.com>, "gino wong"
> <wonggster@...>
>
>
> wrote:
> >
> > Sunny got prototypes and freebies from everyone. Crumar / GDS, Moog
> > gave him Minimoog (modular sort of) and a GDS prototype built by
> Kevin
> > Doren himself I believe. Tons of other stuff that was in
> development.
> > All of which eventually faded into pawnshops in North
> Philadelphia or
> > off into the clutches of irresponsible hangers on who didn't
> even know
> > what the stuff was.
> >
> > On 12/19/07, john barrick <astroboy@...> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Me too, what happened? I saw him with the Arkestra twice and his
> > > keyboards seemed just fine at the time.
> > > jb
> > >
> > > Mike Dickson wrote:
> > > >
> > > > What happened to Sun Ra's keyboards?
> > > >
> > > > gino wong wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Another good save. It could have gone the way of Sun Ra's
> keyboard
> > > > > collection.
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
>