Marilyn Monroe And Me

   Back in '86 maybe '87, in those days the years fogged into one another, I met a guitar player by the name of Sandy Bull who was hip in the 50's and 60's and had numerous LP's (vinyl) out. Don't remember exactly where I met him....it could've been at the Musicians AA meetings in North Hollywood.

   

   He himself was an ex addict now well off with a lovely wife and two great kids and I was a wild guy trying to clean up my act. No easy feat when you're still burning that candle at both ends.

   Any one of you out there that have had a substance abuse problem and tried to kick any bad habit from drugs to cigs know that it can be a daunting task. That's why there are support groups out there like NA CA and AA. Now I'm not a proponent of these organizations as I kicked my habit cold turkey, sheer force of will is the real mitigating factor. 

   This musicians AA meeting was pretty cool though for the longest time; David Crosby, Gary Busey, Paul Butterfield, Motley Crue, mostly Nikki and Tommy, these guys were pretty much all regulars....

   I would show up buzzed when finally Sandy said that he was going to be my sponsor and I was going to make a concerted effort to clean up my act....Hey I was sort of trying already so I said, "Okay".

   Now Sandy and his wife had a big old house that they were renting in Brentwood on 20th off San Vicente and he had told me they recently bought a nice ranch style house down the road near Bundy and would be moving soon and that he couldn't wait to show me the place.

   Anyway, he moves into his "new" house in Brentwood and invites me over. His wife and kids are out shopping and we're sitting around playing a little bit, me on guitar and Sandy on banjo and I say to him, hey this place looks vaguely familiar, like I've been here before. Yeah he goes, this was Marilyn Monroe’s house where she died. She died in our bedroom, freaks out the wife a bit. Wow, I thought, thinking about Joe Dimaggio parked up the street waiting for her to get home. I know that feeling...

   So we strolled into the master bedroom carrying our instruments and sat down on a couple chairs and played some more. A little strange but lovely in a way.

   Could I feel the spirit of Marilyn Monroe some have asked? I don't know but I definitely was off in another world. I was playing guitar in the room where she passed away. Now how many people could say that? Maybe only Sandy and I.

   So to make a short story shorter, I stayed on with my friend and his family for two weeks there in Marilyn Monroe's house in Brentwood on 5th Helena and kicked my lonely habit in the house where she tragically died.

   Goodbye Marilyn, thank you for listening and I hope you liked our jamming.