cower@columbia.UUCP (Rich Cower) (05/08/85)
I picked this off net.music. This is indeed sad news. Many Deadheads
I've talked to recently don't like Bill very much. I think it is
often forgotten how helped the Dead during the lean years. I;ve seen him
hassling scalpers outside the shows - even going as far as producing
tickets to sell people who would have bought from the scalpers. It's too
bad that something like this had to happen.
Article 1710 of net.music:
Relay-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site columbia.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site osiris.UUCP
Path: columbia!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!jcp
>From: jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: saddening news
Message-ID: <315@osiris.UUCP>
Date: 8 May 85 03:09:26 GMT
Date-Received: 8 May 85 08:55:33 GMT
Distribution: net
Organization: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Lines: 14
20 years of rock and roll history went up in flames last night
when Bill Graham's San Francisco offices were firebombed. Graham's
organisation had supported a rally against the Bitburg cemetary visit
by the president and the bombing was apparently in retaliation by a
local neo-Nazi group. Graham himself has been in France and only learned
of the loss a few hours ago. The building and all its contents were
completely destroyed.
--
jcpatilla
"'Get stuffed !', the Harlequin replied ..."tierney@fortune.UUCP (Charles Tierney) (05/14/85)
With regard to the article on the Bill Graham fire:
The Bill Graham Presents (BGP) offices were definately firebombed.
Two Molotov cocktails were thrown in through the front window.
Bill has returned from Switzerland (two days into his first vacation
in 20 years) and was *extremely* upset about the incident.
BGP has moved to new offices near the Fisherman's Wharf area.
Luckily, many artifacts and photographs did survive the fire.
Others will be replaced by the groups photographed (Grateful Dead,
Jefferson Starship, etc.) Some pictures had been loaned previously
and were not damaged. But many, many irreplaceable Objets D'Rock'n'Roll
will never be seen again.
Bill places the blame on anti-semitic groups ("New Nazi's)".
It is his contention that had Reagan not done the trip,
that the bombing never would have happened. Bill Graham personally,
not BGP, had set up a rally in Union Square in San Francisco to
protest Reagan's trip to the Bitburg cemetary.
Bill Graham was born in Germany in the early 1930's. His mother and
one of his sisters were lost in the concentration camps. Bill felt
very strongly about Reagan's trip, which is why he organized the rally.
In an interview the next day, Bill said he was saddened that some
of his staff were put at risk by the attack, and if the attacks
continue, he will *get out of the concert business* rather than
risk his employees lives.
Now I never was Bill Graham's greatest fan, but I recognize and
applaud his conviction of purpose, his sense of decency, and his
sense of humanity. Stay Cool Bill Graham!!
Charlie Tierney