Chapter 12

T-Bird & JG

Monday, Nov 3, 1969

David Geffen dropped Ali & I off at LAX 1st thing, as we were headed to Lake Tahoe. With us were 4 of the Folding Bikes in their Samsonite Cases. We would just Check them is as Luggage.

In Lake Tahoe, I wanted to try to unravel a mess of an Estate.

George Whittell was born in San Francisco in 1881. His Father started the huge Electrical Utility, PG&E. That’s the same Company that Erin Brockovich went after in the Film.

When his Dad died in 1922, he inherited $29,000,000, which he invested in the Stock Market. By 1929, he had increased it to $50 Mil. Amazingly, he cashed out & sold all his Stock just weeks before the Black Thursday, Oct 24, 1929 Stock Market Crash! How did he know?

He took his money & went to Lake Tahoe. He bought a large chunk of its Eastern Shore, which is all in Nevada. Over the next few years he was able to buy up 40,000 Acres, pretty much the entire Nevada Side of the Lake. He called it Thunderbird Lodge.

He kept his Pet Lion, Bill there, & they would ride around town in his Duisenberg Convertible.

As Ralf, I remembered that he died about 1969, so I asked David Geffen to check on it for me.

Well, fuk, Whittell had already died, that April, 1969. Oh well, now I’d just have to deal with his Estate. Geffen set up a meet with the Lawyers involved. I knew that Thunderbird would be in Probate for years, so I felt like I had a chance.

Ever since 1960, the State of Nevada had been trying to take away most of the 40,000 Acres, to create the Nevada State Park. After Whittell died they would be successful. Nevada used the Eminent Domain Clause, & most of Whittell’s 40,000 Acres would indeed become the Nevada State Park.

Whittell had become a Recluse over the years & hated anyone coming near his place. More than once he sent his Pet Lion, Bill to scare them away. There were reports of bites! He also had a Motion Detector set up at his Dock, that would Broadcast a Recorded Message:

I’ll be glad when you are dead, you rascal you.

Whittell didn’t do it on purpose, but by being such a hermit with his property, he Protected it from Development. In contrast, most of the California Side has been Developed.

As Ralf, I had tried to get info on what happened with Whittell’s Estate after he died. It was like pulling teeth though, as a firm Timeline became impossible. Eventually, Jack Dreyfus, from the Dreyfus Fund bought it, but then with only 10,000 Acres. It’s unclear when that happened, or how much he had to pay. It also is unclear how long T-Bird had been vacant before Dreyfus bought it. I know it was sometime in the 1970’s though.

As Ralf, I became aware of T-Bird for the 1st time, in 1998, when it was being sold for $60,000,000, but by this time with only 140 Acres!

It was a short Flight from LAX to Reno-Tahoe A/P, RNO. There we rented a Van, due to so much Luggage. We then drove the Hour it took to get to the Thunderbird, which was to the South. We were met at the Stone Gatehouse by a couple representatives from the Estate.

We were taken all around as we got to know each other. I told them that I really wanted the Estate, but was willing to work with the State of Nevada, to sell them the majority of the 40,000 Acres. I didn’t want to let the talks go on forever, so I’d be flexible. They thought that might work, but it would take awhile.

The Stone Buildings were in the Rustic Style, very Hans & Gretel. There was the Great Lodge, Gatehouse, 3 Guest Houses, Card Room, Caretakers House & the Boathouse.

There was a 500-Foot Tunnel from the Card Room to the Boathouse. That was to sneak in Dancing Girls from across the Lake. They worked at the Cal-Neva Lodge Casino. The Cal-Neva straddled the California-Nevada State Line. Half of the building was in Cali with the rest in Nevada.

The Cal-Neva was at the NW Corner of the Lake, while T-Bird was on the SE Side.

Marilyn Monroe was staying in one of Cal-Neva’s Cabanas a few days before her Death. It’s been said Bobby Kennedy visited her there. Very Mysterious.

Frank Sinatra owned the Cal-Neva for a short time, but he was forced to sell when they pulled his Gambling Licence, due to his association with Gansta’s. It was funny, as only the Nevada side of the Casino Floor could house Gambling Equipment, as Gambling was illegal in California. But it was a farce, as right after the State Inspectors would leave, the Gambling Machines were just pushed back to the Cali Side, as they were on wheels!

Whittell would send his Custom 55-Foot Art Deco Speedboat, the Thunderbird Yacht to fetch the Girls. They were the Entertainment for his Card Buddies: Howard Hughes, Ty Cobb & an assortment of Mobsters. They would have all-night Card Games, basically, a Bunch of Heathens. Whittell dropped $100,000 one night, & that was in 1950’s money.

The Thunderbird Yacht was all Mahogany & Stainless Steel. It was built by Hacker-Craft in 1939. It had the 2 Engines from a WW2 Lockheed P-38 Fighter. It would do 50mph!

The Boathouse itself, was Blasted Out of a Single Stone Boulder. Unfortunately, in 1962, Whittell sold his beloved Speedboat to Bill Harrah’s Car Collection.

We ended our meeting by exchanging a lot of info. The best part of the deal was the Usage Agreement, that would allow us to hang out there while the Legalities were handled. Since this could go on for years, this was better anyway. I only had to put up a small Escrow Fee at the time. We got such a Sweetheart Deal because we would take over all Expenses of running the Estate while in Escrow.

We ended up staying a couple days, being put up in one of the 2 Bedrooms in the Lodge. We Rode our Bikes all over the Miles of Private Trails Whittell had made.

When it was time to head to San Fran, Ali & I flew to SFO, Thursday, Nov 6, 1969, because on Nov 7 & 8, the Grateful Dead were gonna play the Fillmore West. I wanted to see the Dead in their home stomping grounds. At Woodstock, I had hung out with Jerry Garcia, & right away we realized that we thought & joked alike. Both of us were Logical Thinkers, that often had us saying: What-the-Fuck (WTF) We also found ourselves finishing each other’s sentences.

Jerry Garcia & his longtime Girlfriend, Mountain Girl, picked Ali & I up. They had invited us to stay at their home.

Sweet, but boy was it crowded. It was the Dead House, that took up an entire old Townhouse in Haight-Ashbury. Groovy-Man Most of the band lived there too, along with various women: Wives, Sweethearts, Groupies, etc.

The Dead House was located at 710 Asbury St. It was a 2-Floor Townhouse, but also had Rooms in the Basement & Attic. There were a total of 5 Bedrooms & 2 Baths, but they even used Closets as Bedrooms.

Jerry took us inside to say hi to the Band.

After awhile, Jerry & Mountain Girl took Ali & I to a great Health-Food Restaurant a block North on Asbury St. We went to the actual corner of Haight & Asbury Streets. The Restaurant was simply called Haight-Asbury. There was a big Peace Sign Symbol in the window. They served their own Homemade Bread, cut in thick slices. I had Free-Range Turkey, Gouda Cheese, Avocado, thick slices of Tomato. Yummy

Ali & I then presented Jerry & Mountain Girl with their own Folding Bike, which they loved. I asked if they would guide Ali & I around town. Jerry said “Mount Up & Let’s Ride.”

I think I’ve mentioned before, Jerry Garcia pretty much NEVER took a night off from Performing. If it wasn’t with the Dead, it was usually with his own Band, the Jerry Garcia Band. If all else failed, he even had his own Jug Band.

That night, Ali & I were going with Jerry & Mountain Girl to the Led Zeppelin Concert at Winterland. Because of that, I wanted to Ride by all 3 Bill Graham Venues. 1st would be Winterland, then the Original Fillmore Auditorium & finally the Fillmore West.

From 410 Asbury St, we 1st headed North on Asbury. Janis Joplin lived 1 block North, at 635 Asbury St, in another old Townhouse. We didn’t stop as Jerry said she was out On Tour.

We then continued North down Asbury, as it was mostly Downhill. We took a Right, Riding EB through Golden Gate Park. If we were heading straight to the Fillmore West, where Jerry was playing the next 2 Nights, we would have continued East until we got to Van Ness. Instead, we took a left at Masonic Ave, as I wanted to see the Winterland & original Fillmore Auditorium too. We Rode North for 6 Blocks. Then, we took a Right, heading East on Golden Gate Ave for 4 Blocks. Next, we Rode North on Broderick St, for 4 Blocks. Then we went East on O’Farrell for 3 Blocks, then wound our way through a Park. We took a Left, heading North on Steiner St, which ran into the Winterland, at 2000 Post St.

Winterland Ballroom, was built in 1928, as the New Dreamland Auditorium. It held 5,400 Seats, which is why Bill Graham had Rented it as needed, since 1966. That’s where we were to see Led Zep that night. Winterland, was nothing special, but it had Good Acoustics. In its early years during the Depression, it had survived as a Skating Rink.

Since we would be there later, we didn’t stop. We then Rode East on Post St for 2 Blocks, turning South on Fillmore St. The Original Fillmore Auditorium, was 2 Blocks South, at 1805 Geary Blvd. I was surprised the 2 Venues were so close together.

The Original Fillmore Auditorium is named after the Fillmore District in San Francisco, The Theatre was pretty Rundown by 1965, when Bill Graham took it over. It had 1st opened in 1912, as the Majestic Hall & Acadamy of Dance. It would be renamed The Fillmore Auditorium in 1954.

Bill Graham had moved from NYC, with the dream of immersing himself in San Francisco’s Music Scene. San Francisco & the Cities across the Bay had become very vibrant by the Mid-60’s. Bill would really hit a nerve too, as he had a 6th Sense of what the kids wanted.

Bill told me once how he met his 1st ever Employee. Shortly after taking over the Fillmore, Bill was sweeping the Sidewalk out front. A big bear of an old Black Man reached out & took the Broom from Bill & finished the job. But neither had said a word the whole time the job was being done. That was John Walker. John wasn’t paid regularly. Instead he’d go a month or 2 without needing money, then he’d just take $500 or so.

The Fillmore’s were run like a Family too, with Trust, Respect & COMMON SENSE! There weren’t any Cash Registers either, just separate bins for the 1’s, 5’s, 10’s, etc.

Bill talked once about the difference between San Francisco & NYC. Out back in San Fran, he might have to run off a kid or 2, which would be the end of it. The 1st time he tried that in NYC, the kids told him to go fuk himself. He laughed, as he had also been a NYC Street Kid. Bill ended up befriending the kids, then hiring them to help unload Equipment. They would also get in the Show free. After that, he never had another issue with Street Kids in NYC.

But Bill Graham would move the Fillmore from the Original Fillmore Auditorium to the Fillmore West in 1968. He had 2 reasons. The 1st reason was the Fillmore District had gotten worse since 1965. The 2nd reason was there were only 1,315 Seats in the Original Fillmore Auditorium.

We didn’t stop there either, instead we Rode South on Fillmore St for 7 Blocks. We then headed East On Fulton St for 7 Blocks, which brought us to Van Ness Blvd. We then went South 10 Blocks to get to 10 Van Ness, the location of the Fillmore West.

The Fillmore West had begun life in 1945, as the El Portal Ballroom. It had been renamed the Carousal Ballroom by the time Bill took it over in 1968. The best part was it could hold 3,000 Fans.

The Ballroom was on the 2nd Floor, Retail Stores being downstairs. The only way that Bill could afford to pay Big Acts at his smaller venues, was to have 2 Shows per Night. Each Band had to play twice. Eventually, even the 3,000 Seats weren’t enough, so he would Lease the Winterland Ballroom, which could hold 5,400. The Shows were usually at 6pm & 9pm.

Bill Graham would eventually shut down the Fillmore West in 1971, which was fine by me. It didn’t have the same vibe as the Original Fillmore Auditorium, or the Fillmore East.

But in Dec, 1969, we were to see the Dead at Fillmore West.

Fillmore West, was at Van Ness Ave, Market St & Page St. By then we were tired, so we just Rode WB on Page St for the 10 Blocks it took to get to Asbury St. The Dead House was around the corner, at 410 Asbury St...

We had a great Ride. Jerry & Mountain Girl loved their new Bikes, saying the 10-Speeds made it much easier with all the Hills in San Fran. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out.

When it was time to head to the Concert, Jerry brought his beautiful Gibson Blues King Guitar. Only a few were made over the years, & they are coveted by Jazz, Blues & Blue-Grass Artists. It was a little smaller than most Acoustics, but it had a Rich, Mellow, Pure Sound. It allowed the Guitarist to really Sustain by Pulling the Strings more. Each Blues King was not only Handmade, but each was made by only one Master Craftsman. After he finished, he would then Sign his Name on the Guitar he had so lovingly made.

Oh yeah, for the rest of this Chapter, I’ll probably refer to Jerry as JG & Mountain Girl as MG. Easier for me.

Since Winterland held 5,400 Seats, Led Zeppelin only Played 1 Show that Night. It Started at 8pm. JG, MG, Ali & I met Led Zep for dinner around the Corner at a little hole in the wall JG loved. Jimmy Page adored Jerry Garcia & almost begged JG to set in for the whole Show. We all assumed JG would be invited out for a Song or 2, but to Play all Night was JG’s dream.