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Howdy Frynds!
I am so thrilled to find the Frynds Forum. I don’t ususally join in with Internet groups, but I just couldn’t resist the Frynds – y’all are awesome! I’ve spent all afternoon and evening here, and I must say, the information contained here for Lynyrd Skynyrd fans is amazing – it’s been nothing but thrilling detail after thrilling detail revealed! I don’t know that I’ll have much to add, but will certainly support and relish with great gusto what the experts have to kindly offer.
My personal experience with the band is, I guess, pretty typical for a teenaged girl in the 70s. I grew up in Southern California (Just like Ed King, I can say, I’m from the South – Southern California, that is!) so had access to good radio, record stores, and concerts. I was therefore lucky enough to hear their music on the radio from the beginning in ’73? ’74?, and was able to see original line-up at the Long Beach Sports Arena in ’76? ’77? I’m pretty sure that Robin Trower opened for them, and I had to have had my driver’s license – it was a fantastic show!
In the ’70s, my favorite album, was ‘One More From the Road’. I loved the excitement of the live sound. I remember staring at the album photos while listening to the record on my cheap plastic turntable, and thinking that the Honkettes were just about the coolest girls on the planet. I looked to them for my style inspiration, trying to copy their outfits exactly, but needless to say, I never achieved such elegance! And the guys! Good grief! They were the last word in ’70s cool-guyness: That hair – my god! Gary’s barkcloth coat! (Where’d he get that coat, anyway? It’s amazing!) The jewelry! Those platforms! And then there was the music, which was (and still is!) the nec plus ultra in ’70s rock, let me tell you. I was such a huge fan – Lynyrd Skynyrd was constantly playing on high volume on that rattlely, cheap little turntable in my room.
Until recently, I hadn’t listened to Lynyrd Skynyrd for quite some time. The plane crash really hit me hard; in some ways, it coincided with the death of an idyllic and truely remarkable rock and roll era. The deaths and suffering caused by that horrible crash, the subsequent tradedy of dear Allen, and the current state of the band just made me want to stick my head in the sand and consider this a closed period of my life. I’d half-heartedly moved on to other musical genres, wondering if I’d ever feel as thrilled about music as I once had.
Anyhow, as I was saying, I’ve recently begun listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd again, but only recently, because I felt so dearly afraid that Skynyrd wouldn’t have aged well (I’d not listened to them for 30 years!) Though it may sound odd, I really would have preferred to hang on to my happy memories, to remember them in my own way, so to speak, rather than disappoint myself with unhappy ghosts from the past. They sounded fantastic, however, even better than I’d remembered. I’d forgotten the power and perfection of the music, I’m extremely happy to say!
This happy reunion between me and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music has been truely wonderful. I’ve rediscovered their work, been watching all the live footage I can dig up, scoured the internet for interviews, and read everything I can get my hands on. I can finally see what the Internet is good for [laughs!] – it’s truly a miracle that we can find these old images, snapshots, some of them, and the utterly charming interviews with Ronnie and Gary that I’ve been able to find. Those guys really had “It”, and it’s exciting to see how many people are newly discovering and enjoying the thrill of this band.
I’ve just recently read Gene’s book, which has echoed much of what I feel about Skynyrd, namely, it’s genius in its accessable complexity and perfection. It’s intelligent, and oviously crafted by a group of musicians where the sum was so much greater than the individual parts. I was floored by the stories of Hell House, and the dedication of these self-taught, down-to-earth musicians. It’s utterly remarkable, and I’ve never heard anything like it, ever. What a story – so beautiful, so sad, so powerful, so American. How I’d love to see a feature length film made about them, about the struggle, the romance, the success, the excess, and the rest … What a story. What a story. Truth is truly more remarkable than fiction.
Thanks so much to Gene Odom for making this website for the fans, for writing the book which needed to be written, and for continuing to contribute to the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the best American rock band! Please keep up this important work!
Best wishes to all,
Mrs. Jackson
Lynyrd Skynyrd Dixie
