Pete McNeil – KYA, San Francisco – November 1970 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
You know who they are – you’ve seen them. They are convinced they were born at the wrong time. Sometimes it’s funny – sometimes it’s sad. But most of the time it’s just strange.
You don’t have anything against Elvis Presley – honest. You have an older brother who has all his albums. You grew up with Hound Dog and Heartbreak Hotel – you’ve heard those songs a million times. But you’re not a fan – you wouldn’t go out of your way to see him in concert – you’d rather spend your money on All Things Must Pass than a ticket to an Elvis Presley concert.
But there’s this one person in your class who is a hardcore fan – knows all the words, has all the records, seen all the movies at least three times. Is planning on taking a road trip to Memphis to visit Graceland. Doesn’t actually look the part, but all you have to do is ask a question that has something, however slight, to do with 50’s rock n’ roll, and you’re in for a one-hour lecture on Elvis.
How you know this, is because Elvis Presley is coming to the Cow Palace in a few days. It’s been all over your radio and they’re giving away tickets. The Elvis fanatic has been hogging the only payphone in school during passing period and lunch period, hoping to score a free ticket.
You’re a fan of a lot of things, but not like this. This Elvis fan is serious and you wonder what the big deal is. Well . . .you do have this thing for Joni Mitchell…
In a weird way, you sort of get it.
Here’s a little over an hour’s worth of KYA in San Francisco from November 1970 with Pete McNeil. Yes, they really were giving away Elvis Presley tickets.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
