The Mike Deasy Story

[The following is an article I wrote for Mojo magazine in August 2001 that never made it to print. I'm sorry they didn't use it, because Deasy was so gracious in telling me his story. I haven't been in touch with him since then, and hope he is still active. He was still an amazingly powerful guitarist in 2001; I saw him perform before Pentecostalist churchgoers and he really slayed them. If you'd like to reprint this story, please e-mail me, dawneden -at- gmail.com.]

When imagining the prototypical Sixties session musician, one generally pictures a clean-cut gent in shirtsleeves, not a bearded hipster bearing incense and a goatskin rug. Then again, there weren’t many studio musicians like Mike Deasy, a powerhouse guitarist who cut a wide swath through Los Angeles studios. Even as he juggled sessions with Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, and Elvis Presley, he found time to record acid-drenched psychedelic albums under names like the Ceyleib People and Friar Tuck.

Deasy, now a successful Christian musician, has never before spoken to the press about his Sixties exploits. Reached by phone while on tour in Lexington, Kentucky, he says that he started playing rock and roll while attending high school in an L.A. suburb. Upon graduation in 1959, he joined Eddie Cochran's band, the Kelly Four, playing both baritone sax (you can hear him on Cochran's "Hallelujah I Love Her So") and guitar.

After Cochran's untimely death in April 1960, Deasy toured with the leaderless group for a time before returning to L.A. There, he quickly developed a reputation as an astonishingly dextrous--yet disciplined--guitarist, equally comfortable reading music charts or improvising fiery riffs. By the end of 1965, he was doing 15 sessions a week including ones for the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, which he remembers fondly. "Brian Wilson couldn't write out the musicians’ parts, and he didn't hire an arranger to do it. Instead, he would say to each musician, 'Now, you play this,' and he would hum out a part. He could describe sounds to you, too. If you just listened to one part of it without hearing all the others, it almost didn't make sense. But we all knew that we were going somewhere with this music."

Although Deasy only did a few sessions with Phil Spector, he is often named as a member of Spector's legendary Wrecking Crew, because he recorded frequently with Crew members such as drummer Hal Blaine, bass player Joe Osborne, and keyboardist Larry Knechtel. Together, Deasy says, this elite group had a chemistry that belied their studio origins. "We played with each other twelve, fourteen hours a day. A person could walk in with a song, and, without any rehearsal, we would record the song and sound like we had been playing it all our lives."

In 1967, Deasy contributed psychedelic guitar stylings to recordings by producer Curt Boettcher's groups the Ballroom and the Millennium. (He says Boettcher and friends would jokingly put microphones on incense to pick up the "good vibes".) He also produced several trippy recordings of his own, most notably Tanyet, a mystical concept album by a studio act called the Ceyleib People. The players included Deasy himself (under the pseudonym Lybuk Hyd), Ry Cooder, and future Derek & The Dominos drummer Jim Gordon.

Although Tanyet (available on CD from Drop Out/Demon) failed to chart, it increased Deasy's reputation as one of rock's finest sitar players. When he was hired to play sitar, he would charge double his usual rate, but he gave added value. "I would take a goatskin rug and burn incense."

One night in 1967, Deasy crossed paths with rock's other great sitar player. "I was working with [The Mamas & The Papas'] John Phillips at Western Studio B, when this entourage of people in drapey clothes came walking down the hall. One of them came in and sat down with me in the studio, just hanging out.

"I had this guitar that didn't have any frets, and it could make some really interesting sliding sounds. This guy was interested, so I handed it to him, and he was a good guitar player. We played guitars for about 45 minutes. It turned out he was George Harrison! I had no idea."

In 1968, producer Bones Howe tapped Deasy and James Burton to play guitar in Elvis Presley's comeback TV special. When Elvis played the guitar at the beginning of the special, he was actually miming to Deasy’s playing. "Elvis was at his best when he was with other musicians. He was most relaxed then, because he could be himself. What he really loved was things like when we were sitting around in a circle, playing guitars and singing."

In June 1969, six months after the wildly successful Elvis special, Mike Deasy was on the verge of losing both his health and his sanity. It started when Terry Melcher, who was then employing him as a guitarist, producer, and engineer, innocently suggested he visit a group of hippies at the Spahn Ranch. "Terry said, 'Dennis Wilson and Gregg Jakobson found this singer up in the hills.'"

The singer was Charles Manson. "I had a trailer with a four-track unit that I was going to use to record the Hopi Indians. Manson and the Family lived like a bunch of Indians, so Terry said, 'Why don't you go check it out?' So a friend of mine and I went up there to record their songs."

Deasy won't go into detail about his three-day encounter with the Family (only two months before the Tate-LaBianca murders), calling it a descent into hell. "I felt this great fear of the evil that was there." Overwhelmed, he overdosed on LSD. "I took so much acid, I couldn't get down. I was having so much difficulty with my own mind. Here I am, working with Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys, I'm at the height of everything I've dreamed of doing, I've got a wife and beautiful kids, and all of a sudden I've wrecked it. It all crashed down, and I couldn't put it back together."

When Deasy made it home, still in a state of drug-fueled paranoia, he knew he had to get help. "I tried everything I could. I went to Jungian analysis, I went through transcendental meditation, and nothing was working."

After facing hell, he was ready for heaven. "I went to a Billy Graham crusade where I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I ran to Jesus to set me free from all the terror of drugs."

During the early Seventies, in between playing on albums by Billy Joel and Frank Sinatra, as well as the soundtracks for "Dirty Harry" and "Play Misty for Me," Deasy entered the Christian recording world. By mid-decade, he had produced and written songs for several hit Christian albums, often working with his wife, Kathie (the sister of saxophonist Jim Horn). Today, while he continues to record his own music (available from his Web site, mikedeasy.com), he concentrates his efforts on "Yes to Life," an antidrug musical presentation that he performs in schools.

Listening to Deasy's fuzz guitar on the Association's "Along Comes Mary" or his acoustic fingerpicking on Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)," one senses a level of genuine feeling that was rare for studio musicians of his time. "Once, I was talking with Tommy Tedesco and Dennis Budimir, who were both fine studio guitarists, and we agreed that the difference between me and them was that I liked what we were doing. They really loved jazz. I'd worked with jazz groups, and I liked that too. But I actually liked playing rock and roll."


Visit Mike Deasy on MySpace.

Hooked on Cook — Part 2

Oh, joy — a YouTube user has posted my favorite comedy sketch ever; "Superthunderstingcar," Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's parody of Gerry Anderson's puppet TV shows ("Thunderbirds," "Stingray," and "Supercar"), from their mid-1960s series "Not Only But Also."

Warning: If you're at all familiar with Anderson's shows, or with "Team America: World Police," the "South Park" creators' homage to them, this sketch is liable to make you spit out your coffee.

If you missed yesterday's post about the Raving Atheist, please check it out — and find out why he's been making all the right enemies.

Hooked on Cook — Part 1

Some comedy relief for you this morning: a legendary clip from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's "Not Only But Also" Christmas 1966 special. It's a satire of Swinging London, with John Lennon as the doorman at an exclusive nightclub located in a men's lavatory. Love Cook's attempt at an Idaho accent:

Something to Rave About

The Raving Atheist, like his spiritual brethren Nat Hentoff and G.K. Chesterton's friendly sparring partner George Bernard Shaw, has never been afraid to align himself with Jews and Christians when they take a stand for something he believes in.

Those who have been following RA's blog know that the most obvious common ground he shares with certain theists is a belief that abortion kills a human being.

His post today describes how he was recently excoriated on atheist blogs and message boards because he suggested to an atheist who denounced crisis pregnancy centers that she should see one for herself — and he offered to compensate her if she volunteered there.

Regardless of what opinion you may hold of the RA because of his blog name and his past criticisms of Judaism and Christianity, I urge you to read his post — and make sure you catch the last line.

The Saving Atheist

Today, the Raving Atheist offers his second theism-friendly post in a row.

Quote of the Day

"I figured Daredevil must be a Catholic, because only a Catholic could be both an attorney and a vigilante."

— Frank Miller, writer of Daredevil comic books

Hat tip: National Catholic Register

Welcome, National Review Online Readers

Thanks for stopping by! If you're looking for some Chestertonian reading to go with my book recommendation, the best example of my writing on this site is the excerpt I recently published from my upcoming book, The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On. Also check out my writings for the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere, accessible through Gaits of Eden.

Quoth the Ravin'

"I believe that the opposition to pre-marital abstinence (and chastity generally) is a case of good ideas facing rejection because of their historical association with theistic orthodoxy. "

— The Raving Atheist, from "Chastening Thoughts"

Leave a comment at the Raving Atheist's blog (but beware of foul language in the comments section).

The Thrill of the Chesterton

Fascinating facts from the Amazon.com page selling my upcoming book The Thrill of the Chaste:

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing items like this?

76% buy The Man Who Was Thursday : A Nightmare (Penguin Classics) by G. K. Chesterton $8.95

12% buy Liberal Fascism : The Totalitarian Temptation from Mussolini to Hillary Clinton by Jonah Goldberg $16.38

9% buy the item featured on this page: The Thrill of the Chaste : Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On by Dawn Eden $10.77

3% buy The Da Vinci Code Mysteries: What the Movie Doesn't Tell You by Amy Welborn $5.95

'Duel of the Seminarians'

From Jeff Geerling and his buddies at Kenrick-Glennon comes this must-see film:

Watch St. Louis seminarians Michael Grosch and Edward Nemeth battle for the eminent position as Camp Director of Kenrick-Glennon Days summer camp, hosted at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary by St. Louis seminarians and the St. Louis Office of Vocations. Mike and Ed’s performances are spectacular in this film produced by Jeff Geerling.

Check it out — and make sure you stay for the end of the credits. Way to go, Jeff! Now, put it on YouTube already.

UPDATE: Wish granted — here it is on YouTube:

Eschaton Responds to The Thrill of the Chaste

"Because I have problems everyone must stop screwing."

— Atrios of Eschaton, "Shorter Dawn Eden"

Atrios is responding to an excerpt I posted from my book, which is now available on Amazon: The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On.

The News Blog Responds to The Thrill of the Chaste

"She's delusional. I will reinterate once again: if any man is spending lots of time with you, he wants to f--- you. Maybe not immediately, but he wants to f--- you. Eden can spout this delusional nonsense, but straight guys like women. And like means wants to f---, unless they don't. Men, at least those not using her as a beard, will play along until they can find the situation to f--- her. They humor her, probably because she is attractive."

— Steve Gilliard of The News Blog, from "Something for the Ladies" (expletives deleted)

Steve is responding to an excerpt I posted from my book, which is now available on Amazon: The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On.

Feministe Responds to The Thrill of the Chaste

"... just as I would never tell [Dawn] that she must have premarital sex in order to appreciate men for who they are, I find it completely offensive that she would attempt to tell everyone else that we can’t possibly respect and love men as human beings unless we refuse to have sex."

— Jill of Feministe, from "Having Pre-Marital Sex? You’re a Man-Hater"

Jill is responding to an excerpt I posted from my book, which is now available on Amazon: The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On.

Banke of America

LeftBanke.nu has a treasure trove of music and memorabilia on the great Sixties baroque-pop group of "Walk Away Renee" fame — even a "Dawn Eden" section of interviews with band members.

The site's a surprise to me; I don't recall granting permission for my interviews to be used, and I can't vouch for the accuracy of the transcriptions of the interviews, published in The Bob in 1986 (right about when I turned 18). One of the "Dawn Eden" interviews, with Tom Feher, isn't even mine; I have no idea where it came from. (It also looks like the site's webmaster doesn't have a later, more comprehensive article I did for Goldmine, for which I interviewed drummer George Cameron and road manager Bob Brand. The only recording member of the group whom I didn't interview was lead singer Steve Martin.)

Overall, I'm glad that research I did 20 years ago is still valuable to people who love the Left Banke. My love of the group's music hasn't diminished since then; if anything, hearing them has spoiled me for life. Parents, if your 16-year-old has an ear for melody, play him or her "Walk Away Renee," "Pretty Ballerina," or "Desiree" and see if the teen still listens to today's pop music the same way.

Check out LeftBanke.nu's video section for not one but two videos of the group performing "Renee," including one of them lip-synching the tune on "Where the Action Is." Watch how the camera pans away from the group during the flute solo; the show's director had to do something, since no one in the group played flute.

My Grandpa Buddy would have been 102 today. I paid tribute to him here on his 100th.

Chaste Taste

p>My book The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On, due out in December, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

Since Amazon won't yet let you look inside the book, my publisher has allowed me to give you a little taste. The following is from Chapter 9, "Tender Mercies: Reconnecting with Your Vulnerability":

The realization that I had blunted my emotions for the sake of physical pleasure helped me gain the strength to resist casual sex.

Healing the damage takes time—but there are some fun surprises along the way. The biggest surprise for me has been discovering how much there is to like about men.

I now notice things about the men in my life that I never noticed before, like their thoughtfulness, their love of family, their integrity, even their vulnerability. These are intangible qualities that don’t jump out at you when you’re in a frame of mind where you’re viewing men only as potential dates. Put together, they add up to character. It’s the most important quality to seek in a husband, and the one that’s least discussed in this day and age.

Likewise, when you become chaste, you’ll notice for the first time that women who have sex outside of marriage don’t really appreciate men. You can’t see this when you’re having nonmarital sex, because you don’t realize how much there really is about men to appreciate. You think the mere fact that you’re attracted to them and that they seem to wield such power over you shows you appreciate them for what they really are. From there, it’s a short step to the cynical stereotype we all know from popular culture—the worldly wise, “been there, done that” single woman who doesn’t trust men any farther than she can throw them.

On television and in movies, if a single woman is friends with a man, the pal’s more often than not a homosexual. The message is that heterosexual men aren’t capable of friendship or even worthy of it. In contrast, gay men are depicted as safe and nonthreatening, trustworthy, and having more to give than straight men.

Imagine if the tables were turned. Imagine watching a TV sitcom where all the gay men are Neanderthal lunkheads, while the kind, thoughtful straight men are always ready to help their female friends without asking sexual favors in return.

If you saw a show like that, you’d think the producers really had it out for gay men. Yet, many women tolerate such stereotyping against straight men, because they’re conditioned to expect “manly men” to lack character. Part of this conditioning comes from the media, but a large part of it—I’d say, most—comes from such women’s own warped perspectives, brought about by the superficial nature of their dating experiences.

When I had premarital sex, I became accustomed to seeing myself as a commodity — a varied collection of looks, wit, intellect, and je ne sais quois. I looked for men whose commodities were worth as much as my own.

Most of all, I looked for men whose commodities were readily apparent. The singles scene isn’t known for its subtlety. Men who were reserved or modest, who didn’t flirt readily, who weren’t attuned to my single-gal vibe—the nature of my casual-sex mind-set forced them all out of the running.

Is it any surprise, then, that I tended to date narcissists? And that I believed, if I let them reach me emotionally, they would hurt me? So, I built up walls of protection. I thought I was “guarding my heart.”

Today, I see those walls for what they really are — and they look like poorly installed weather insulation. They don’t do anything they’re supposed to do. The chill winds of rejection seep through, while the warm breezes of love are muffled.

I still have a lot to learn about sustaining a lasting relationship, but I firmly believe that during the time I’ve spent working at chastity, the hardness that men perceived in me has been gradually melting away. In its place are an openness and a vulnerability that makes me more susceptible to being hurt, but infinitely more capable of attaining and sustaining the lifelong marriage my heart desires.

Buy The Thrill of the Chaste on Amazon.com.

Cheap 'Thrill'

I was looking for a book on Amazon last night and, while I was at it, decided to see if my own book was up there.

Glory be, it is! It's discounted, too; just $10.77.

The Amazon.com sales rank currenly stands at "none," but give it time; the book's official street date isn't until December 5.

A Google search revealed to my surprise that the book is already popping up in various places, including:

• A Japanese online store (a bargain at 1,659 yen)
• The Web site for my publisher's ministry-services catalogue, which includes a little bio
• My publisher's fall catalogue

But of all the online references to it thus far, other than the Amazon page, the one that makes me the happiest is the book's appearance on Village Voice sex columnist Rachel Kramer Bussel's Amazon wish list. That is an honor. If no one buys it for her by the beginning of November, I'll fulfill her wish myself.

Quote of the Day

"Evolution is the official state religion. Although it is possible to believe in God and evolution, it is not possible to not believe in God without believing in evolution -- otherwise, atheists have no explanation for why we are here. Thus, it's very important for the liberal clergy to force small school children to believe in a discredited mystery religion from the 19th century -- evolution -- in order to prepare them to believe in the nonexistence of God, one of the main goals of the American public education system."

— Ann Coulter

Linking to LifeGuest Post by Anonymous

Today she's a healthy little baby girl.

But last November, when she was this . . .



. . . she was a hair's breadth away from being aborted. Her fate hung by the thinnest of threads for months to come.

A diverse group of bloggers, led by the S.I.C.L.E. Cell, raised over $15,000 from generous donors to support the mother in her difficult and courageous decision to choose life.

One day that little girl may read this post -- and realize that she owes her existence to love and links. Heartfelt thanks go out to to all of you who made this wonderful result possible and turned a certain tragedy into a triumph of life.

St. Max Wins One for the Rome Team

My friend Dimitri Cavalli writes:

You guys remember Reggie Jackson's homerun off the roof in the 1971 All-Star game?

Well, follow the link below.

A couple of months ago, I prayed a novena to St. Maximilian Kolbe asking to publish an article on the specific topic in the Jerusalem Post.

He answered.

I'm thunder-struck.

Off to weekday Mass and then Yankee Stadium.

(Maximilian Kolbe is my patron saint as well; read about him here and here.)

Quote of the Day

"If you found yourself with emphysema, and you woke up emperor of the whole world, with absolute power in all matters of production and consumption, what would you do?

"That's simple, of course. Forbid smoking to everyone you care about."

— William F. Buckley Jr.