August 2013

Hello all... Abel keeps buggin’ me to catch up from over the last few months, so here we go. I’ve been very busy doing gigs with Todd Hannigan, playing in a lot of different locations. Some have been in Ventura and Santa Barbara, but there are some coming up in the San Diego area.

 

There’s a possibility we will be traveling to Costa Rica in the near future for a few shows, and we’ll probably have a chance to get in the water. There is a little tour sponsored by Patagonia that we will play at the premiere of a surf film made by internationally renowned surf traveler and documentarian Keith Malloy. Great little theaters and intimate audiences.

I’m still closer than ever to finishing the never ending process of recording ‘The Glendale River’. Seriously almost there. Jesse has been busy traveling with Lissie all over the U.S. and Europe, so it’s really slowed me down.

I think the verdict is in on the ‘Paris’ DVD. It has been in the Top 10 in the U.S. for 6 weeks despite the shackles that were placed on it in the beginning. Roger still has it blocked from YouTube. The reviews have been tremendous and it gives those of us who believed in it a good feeling. Thanks to everyone for their kind words and support about this project.

And I guess I’ve been in Supertramp for 40 years now!! Time flies. What’s in been like? Well, Charlie Watts said once that being in the Rolling Stones for 40 years was 10 years of playing and 30 years of hanging around. It’s been an emotional roller coaster, even from the beginning. There was always the thrill of going everywhere for the first time, and the rush of people getting off on the band. 0 to 60 in 5 years.

Then confusion and wondering what the hell people were so unhappy about and watching some make huge mistakes and realizing it just a little too late. It had all been said. Regrouping and getting on with it. Luckily I had family and surfing and the ocean to balance out the madness.

It’s the music and the playing that makes it all worth it and the feeling after a good performance that lets you know you can go hit the street and keep your head up. There’s nothing like it. It always made me proud to say I’m Supertramp’s drummer. The less we play, the more I miss John and Rick.

I have pretty much finished my book and am now looking into finding a publisher. If anyone has a serious path for me to pursue, fire away. The book chronicles my life as a kid and growing up in extraordinary times. How and when I got bit by the drums, my friends and influences, and acquaintances along the way. It’s an accurate and honest look at the life of a kid with dreams and the path he took to achieve them. There is a cost along the way, a couple of ‘crossroads’ to be dealt with and I had the best seat in the house to observe and be a part of an amazing musical unit and what all that was like. I joined when I was 23, and now I’m 63. There is a lot to tell.

So thanks to everyone for being interested. You’ve picked an interesting bunch of guys to be interested in, and great music to be fans of and follow.

Adios for now, and thanks again.
Bob.