"PF Sloan" Or "Brain Problems As A Child"

Back in the late-80's/early-90's there was a really fun music scene on the Lower East Side based around The Beat Rodeo's Monday night residency at the Ludlow Street Cafe (this is when that was the only bar on Ludlow). This spilled off into several wacky 'theme" shows based on a particular group or songwriter (The Louvin Brothers Tribute opened for the Bobby Fuller Four Tribute, for instance) or some flimsier thread (I remember one that was songs with "Fire " in the title).
Well, Beat Rodeo guitarist Bill Schunk and I were the prime movers in a tribute to PF Sloan (It was Bill's idea- I wasn't that hip to Flip before this). There was a backing band and a whole cast of singers (The Pussywillows, George Usher, Ward Dotson, The World's Famous Bluejays and many more) and I sang a lot of the PF Sloan "Solo" type material (like his "hit" "Sins Of A Family"), as opposed to the tunes he wrote for other people. Even though it was billed as "The Lollipop Train" (An obscure Sloan Track) with no mention of PF Sloan, this guy sussed out what it was and came down with his guitar to play this Jimmy Webb song called PF Sloan AND a tape with a cryptic introduction/message from PF Sloan (or Flip as he's know to his friends). So, Brian Gari videotapes the show and sends a copy to his buddy Flip.

Months later Brian calls me and Bill up to say Flip is in town and wants to meet us. Bill and I meet him at the hotel and sit down to some coffee. After some small talk about his morning's activities (he visited some temple or something on St. Marks that he described as a "place of all religions") he got down to business. He looked right at me and asked, "I was wondering, did you have brain problems as a child?" Our jaws hit the fucking table. What the fuck was he talking about? 'I saw that tape of the gig" he continued, "you got some of those lyrics wrong, those are some very important lyrics". We had actually gotten ahold of a tape of him on cable access in L.A. (I think it was on that  Skip E Lowe show) and, believe me, I knew those lyrics better than he did (And they ain't that "important" either). No good deed goes unpunished, indeed.

Comments

[Gerb]

Great Post Cookie i've often wanted to ask you that very same question......Drum Roll Cymbal Crash....Exit

[John]

Great post! And, thanks for sharing your awesome collection of stuff with the world.--JC

[Diane]

Whatever your personal past with the man, wish you'd listen to and comment on the CD (called Sailover, for those who haven't heard of it). I've heard it and think it's terrific. Heard him in a small club singing some of the tunes, and it brought the house down.