Tuesday, October 13, 2009

DANK NUGGS PART 2



i used to work at a&b sound, which anyone in western canada can tell you was a (now defunct) chain of music and electronics stores. i worked in the music department of the kelowna store for a couple of years, stocking shelves, helping customers and covertly making mixtapes from cds that i would order in on import. one day i noticed gary, this older guy that worked in the insurance claims department, looking at a copy of the nuggets box set. i told him that i was really into that kind of shit and he told me he used to play in a band back in the 60's and we kind of left it at that. later, i was talking with my manager who told me that gary had come to canada back in the day to dodge the draft and that he used to be the drummer of a band called the syndicate of sound. i did a little research and noticed that the drummer was named john duckworth and not gary whatever his name was, but guessed it must have had something to do with the draft dodging. the guy in the photos was definitely the guy i knew, a lot younger and a LOT thinner, but unmistakably him.

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that's him, second from the right (beside jon lovitz).

i ordered the reissue of their album and gave it to him when it came in. he took it and was quiet for a minute and seemed to be getting kind of emotional, "i haven't seen this in 30 years." he said and thanked me before going back upstairs to his office.
the syndicate of sound's one hit "little girl" reached #8 on the national pop charts in 1966 and has been covered by a bunch of people including dwight yoakam, the residents and the dead boys.
i wonder if gary still gets royalties for it.



shitty sound, but that's fucking john belushi on the drums!

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