Two September weekend nights on San Diego’s Skeleton Island with Jackson Browne

The weekend after Labor Day we traveled west to San Diego to see Jackson Browne (JB) perform at Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn that has an outdoor 1,500 seat amphitheater snuggled between their restaurant, marina and 8-plex bungalows. Meme’s sister (Pat Medici) and brother-in-law (Hal Marcus) had gotten tickets early for the Saturday night show. On a whim, I decided we should join them and bought tickets on the secondary market. Sadly, they couldn’t make it, and seeing their empty seats made me think, “Bless Hal & Pat, we love you.”

As a creative reversal I’m attempting an interview here. JB is well known for his many LP’s, one of which was “The Pretender”, and I’m going to pretend he is interviewing me after his two shows that kicked off his current tour. JB – Good evening, what brought you to tonight’s show?

Me – Mi esposa. Meme, & I saw you on Feb. 3rd ’77 in Sacramento, passing through town when I was a “Buck Ranger” at Death Valley, at a benefit for the Pacific Alliance. You introduced us to Warren Zevon that evening. Since then, we’ve seen you several times in Albuquerque and in Oct. ‘99 had tickets to see you in Santa Fe, where we live. Meme was able to go, but I was on wildland fire assignment in NoCal. At morning briefing it was sprinkling, and I started my safety segment with “Here come those tears again” and explained about your gig that night: it was an excellent segway to “Situational Awareness” and keeping our heads in the tasks at hand. So, I got tickets because of the years of memories listening and relating to your music, plus wanting to see Meme’s sister at your Saturday performance. Pat & Hal were unable to attend, but we had such a great time anyway on Saturday that after we got back to our room (about 100 meters away) we bought two for Sunday.

JB – Do you remember when, or where, you first heard my music? Me – I do. I shared a bedroom in college (now called Cal Poly Humboldt) overlooking Moonstone Beach. My “roomie” Joe Van Horn & I both went on to memorable careers with the National Park Service. I remember the day (it was clear and bright: somewhat a rarity for Humboldt that year) he handed me his copy of “Saturate” with the advice to “listen to this”. I’ve been a follower of your work ever since.

JB – That’s cool, what about my music connects with you? Me – First of all, what resonates is your passionate feelings for humanity. I studied history and anthropology and recognize a journey. There is also place and time: we grew up in SoCal during the same era. In “Running on Empty” when you sing about in ’65 being 17 and running up 101, or in ’69 being 21 and on-the-road, I realize that was me also (except in ’69 I was in the Navy and often zippin’ up I-5 from NAS Miramar or Pacific Beach to L.A. My friend and brother-in-law (Lee Freeman) was with a band (Strawberry Alarm Clock) and I experimented with some sound engineering and recordings for them. I remember their equipment, according to the spray-painted stencils was “Property of the Rolling Stones”, which was cool: it was a dynamic time for young musicians in L.A. at that time, and you were in the center of it. We also greatly admire your connections with the world and human condition. It is so easy for us to forget the struggle that so many have just to survive each day.

JB - Could you say a little more about that? Me – Maybe I am projecting, but I sense a growth of compassion and sensitivity from our experiences and journeys. From “Take it Easy” and the wonderful bridge into “Our Lady of Well” where you recognize the enormous gap the industrial and subsistence existences. “The Barricades of Heaven” is always moving. “Lawless Avenues” reminds us of different realities, often in such close geographic proximities. When you sang Carlos Varela’s “Walls and Doors”, a song I was unfamiliar with, it struck more than musical chords. Your recording and performances of “I am a Patriot” (cover of Steven Van Zandt tune) remind me that democracy is not free, and there have always been people trying to take your freedoms away. Vigilance, and often uneasy choices and sacrifices, are required to protect it. You’re right about there being “Too Many Angels”, I’ve seen some recently, an there will be more.

JB – What are your favorite works of mine? Why? Me – Geesh, that is a tall order. I thought it’d be hard to ever surpass your album “For Everyman” and then when I heard the works on “Late for the Sky”, and later “World in Motion” … I was reminded that as we continue our journeys around the sun, we grow and evolve. Looking at your playlist from Humphrey’s I see so many songs I love: “Before the Deluge”, “Looking East”, “Sky Blue and Black”, “Your Bright Baby Blues”, “Late for the Sky”, “The Late Show”, and so many others: Meme & I recently discovered that we’d silently had the same favorite song for decades, that being your tribute to many with “For a Dancer”. They touch my soul and remind me who I am.

JB – What was your favorite parts of the concerts? Me – Well, I already mentioned “For a Dancer” – it was a nice touch that you dedicated it on Saturday to Warren Zevon. I had not heard his song “Life’ll Kill Ya” that you performed. Thanks for your complete playlist, and it was great when you and your musical collaborators all came back, for our standing ovation, to do “The Load-Out” and “Stay”. It again showed a bond with your inner-circle and the broader community of your fans. Thanks Jackson for being real, and please keep-on keepin’ on. Our seats were much better than these: https://youtu.be/2yCW5WR8AlU Another JB that played Humphrey’s (photo in their restaurant lobby)

Fire, fire everywhere...

Like many of you, our thoughts have been with those in the Southland where we grew up. We grieve from afar. My family had kennels in Burbank (Lima St.) & Malibu (PCH & Puerco Canyon), and Meme’s lived in Inglewood and later Woodland Hills: common denominators were families involved with showing AKC terriers, paternal grandmothers living next door to us, and communities with multiple combustible components.

Meme & I have a special connection to Pacific Palisades in that we first met in ’72 while working the Great Western Terriers (GWT) dog show that our parents were involved with (they were very good friends; plus past & current presidents of the show). GWT was at the Will Rogers State Historic Park’s polo field. I was just back from a semester of study in Mexico and helping the folks out. Photo (ca. ’72) right to left are Meme, her mother Ruth and brother Mark.

Six years later we had a family & friends wedding celebration there, near the green of Will’s one-hole golf course, conducted by “John the Methodist” from Malibu: unfortunately I stiffed him, not realizing that one of the duties of a groom was to pay the pastor. My bad. Some photos of from then:

This 2nd one shows Will Rogers historic home in the background.

In the late 80’s, as the NPS District Ranger for the eastern half of the Santa Monica Mountains Nat’l Rec. Area (think Hollywood Bowl to Kanan Dume Rd.) I had opportunities to visit the area multiple times. Very dear to us. Unfortunately the historic home Will Rogers had has been lost to the Palisades Fire, but our loving memories remain strong.Before and after photos of WR's home.

I was fortunate in my NPS career to attain some semi-competency of Ranger Skills in law enforcement & wildland firefighting: being a Regional Senior Special Agent in the former and decades of command staff involvement, as a Safety Officer, with national Incident Management Teams and being part of the cadre teaching team for Advanced Incident Management at the national level. So, also like many of you, we have deep and educated empathy for the residents that have lost so much and their fur-n-feather friends (all pets & wildlife) that were only there because a human put them in that situation, in that very fuel rich environment.

After the Bel Air fire (’61), which I remember watching on TV as a young teen, Los Angeles passed a series of laws and policies to mitigate future disasters. What they couldn’t do was stop the modern (last 8,000 years or so) inclination to grow things: with the fire dependent chaparral eco-system getting more fuel ready for fires that were sure to come pushed by the Santa Ana winds (also sure to come). In the late 80’s I was privileged to work with Battalion Chief Gary Nelson (he gave me my 1st white helmet an indicator of BC status), from LA County Fire, as we performed prescribed burns and developed pre-attack maps & plans. He called Santa Ana wind driven incidents as “catch them at the beach fires” as that is ALL we could expect to do. The time honored “Anchor, Flank & Pinch” wouldn’t work in the extreme conditions of SA winds. He also pointed out we’d never “lost one” over that fireline called the Pacific: the scene of burnt up beach houses tells you all you need to know about this fire’s intensity.

The released energy components must have been biblical: think of the NBC reporter on Pacific Coast Highway that pointed to the sea and said: when you look that way you used to see ocean, now all you see is ash & rubble. Let that sink in about how hot that would have to be. I realize it just an excited utterance (it didn’t boil off one tidal pool), but I’m glad I didn’t have to give running reports during my decades as an emergency incident manager (too many OWTFs). Just as perilous, will be future mudslides that are sure to come: they always do, and unfortunately they’re often as deadly as the fires. Our best wishes and thoughts remain with the so many that have lost almost everything: As Jimmy (Buffett) wrote post-Katrina: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On’ – I’m afraid we’ll be generations in this rebuild, but one day at a time with a positive mental attitude (PMA) is the way to start eating the elephant (one bite at a time and PMA-all-the-way, everyday).