MISCELLANEOUS

Anonymous said... Hi Rick, Name from the past - Gordon Grannis? Recognize it? Peter Day sent me the link to this great video of you playing/singing. Beautiful work on the guitar, great job. Also, I like your art work too. You have been busy these many years since I last saw you. Was that 1969? I think so. Keep up the good work. Happy New year too 

--- 

john hohnstein said... You used to say "I'm just a regular guy..."! I think not! Have been trippin on your blog- it's great to see that you are still quite irregular~ and I mean that in the most admiring way! Love your art, Rick! Wonderful to experience this 'other' talent of yours. Very cool pieces, my old friend! I value the time and music we shared back in the TARA years- it was an honor and pleasure to play and create with you and Ben- what a trip to hear some of those tunes on the 'world wide web'- thanks!! Peace and Harmony to you,
Rick Your old keys friend john 
February 24, 2009 10:31 AM

---

Rick's long-distance run
— from Pasadena to Santa Monica and back  

You know I missed high school with all you Rococco guys right? I moved back to Berwyn, PA. and went to Berwyn High for 8th & 9th grade. My parents thought I was getting into too much trouble, so they shipped me off to boarding school in New York for 10th-12th grade so I could learn something or other.

One of the things I didn't learn very well was how to run cross country. I still hate the memory of cross country some 38 years later! Oh, I was on the team. Whenever they gave the stats in the school newspaper the last line always read, "Brownell also ran." What a tribute, eh? I moved back to California in 1972, two years after graduating from boarding school.

I wasn't, nor would I ever be a runner like Rick Mapel. He was built for it and was good at it. I think it was one of his safer addictions. One day while I was driving around town running some errands in Pasadena (about the time I was just starting to play drums with Rococco), I came to a stop light right near the entrance to the Pasadena Freeway. There was Rick, standing there, waiting for the light to change, so he could get on the entrance to the freeway, apparently planning to run along the side of the freeway. He was wearing some running shorts, a colorful tee shirt, a big 'ol cowboy hat, and a worn out pair of cowboy boots that had holes in them. 

I had to ask, yelling out my car window: "Rick .... what are ya doin?" As the light changed, he started running with the traffic, turned his head, smiled and yelled back, "I'm running to Santa Monica. And back." The distance between Pasadena, CA and Santa Monica, CA is 22.0 miles (35.0 km). Just think what he could have done if he'd actually taken running seriously!
— RICK BROWNELL